[b]This review will be updated constantly. Images and more details will be added upon suggestion in the future.
- UPDATE 2016-07-20 Production of the Draupnir video added! [/b]
Yoyorecreation Draupnir
“For all of the throwers like me, inspired by the greatness that this tool has been used to bring inspiration and motivation into the hearts of many yoyo players around the world.”
Brought to existence in 2013 by the rotational-genius Kengo Kido, arose the Yoyorecreation Draupnir; a simple yoyo in concept that would forever change the standards of the conventional yoyo. Fast forwarding to the 2013 Japan National Yoyo Contest the Draupnir made its debut to the public at a stunning 19,800 Yen, a fortune that only the devoted could consider buying. Despite the hefty price tag the Draupnir proved itself to be “the competition beast” being used by 2013 Japan National Champion Akitoshi Tokubuchi. Shortly after Akitoshis victory he requested a slight modification to the Draupnir, which was to increase the gap width by .2mm.
One title was not enough for the Draupnir, the players of Yoyorecreation were brought inspiration through this throw, as at the start of 2014 a healthy year for Yoyorecreation a player began to rise climbing over the outdated competition. With a 1st place victory at West Japan Iori Yamaki stuns the crowd with speed at the next level and horizontal maneuvers with were thought to be impossible. Back for more, shortly after Iori claims 3rd at the EYYC Open with the Draupnir. This demonstrated the stability and lightness the Draupnir had; this combination was thought to be impossible.
JP Nationals for 2014 comes in a flash, this year with a jump in level performance than many years prior. Back again in 2014 Akitoshi comes back in at 2nd pace with a stage presence which was unmatched, and Yusuke Otsuka rose up with simplicity at 3rd place. With Draupnirs in hand both players shake the competition.
Coming to an end before the World Yoyo Contest, Asia Pacific takes place. Here Iori Yamaki comes back with a clean performance and takes 2nd with the Draupnir. The crowd is hyped as he throws down some impressive moves.
I could go on and on about the Draupnir and all of the titles it has been claimed with, but for now I conclude its achievements on a strong modern point where Yusuke Otsuka used it to claim the champion title for the Japan National Contest 2016. It has ranged huge titles from 2013-2016, a task uncompleted by any yoyos in the past. I hope the history of the Draupnir has been established firmly. Now for the review.
The Yoyorecreation Draupnir was the first bi-metal release from Yoyorecreation. The Draupnir was one of the first throws built with the bi-metal feature making it a pioneer of its type. This is especially true when you consider that it is machined with a 7075 aluminum body with stainless steel weight rims. In the 2013 era not many bi-metal options existed, so the Draupnir was questionable of use. The other main bi-metal options on the market at the time were mostly a hybrid of aluminium and titanium such as the Something Anglam and the C3yoyodesign Berserker. The Draupnir was sold as the next step in throwing progression and surely enough did it live up to this. Later yoyos copied this technology due to it becoming viral. Now the Palpitation, Anglam 2, KROWN. ST and countless other throws have adapted this technology to use as their own.
Yoyorecreation has always been a step ahead in the technology of yoyoing, starting with the Stardust and later the legendary Sleipnir. It can be justified that the Draupnir is a worthy successor to the Sleipnir. While the Sleipnir is fast and floaty, the Draupnir is fast, solid and lightweight. The Draupnir has a cloud-like feel at 63.5 grams but at the same time a solid feel due the weight rings that make up the majority of the weight.
This can be proven in the following quotes from wikipedia.com and hypertextbook.com
“Aluminium 7075A has a density of 2.810 g/cm³”
“Stainless Steel has a density of 7.85 g/cm³”
This can prove that bi-metal throws are not a gimmick but rather an applicable method of creating yoyos without having bulky protruding rims.
The Draupnir is dead smooth on grinds and on the string. Yoyorecreation has very little tolerance for b-grades so even the slightest vibe would be sold as a b-grade. That being said the chances of a bi-metal throw becoming a b-grade is high due to the possible displacement of the weight rings.
The Draupnir is equipped with the NKS x YYR DS bearing, a bearing designed to keep the string in the middle of the bearing groove. This optimizes spin time while sacrificing response, however Yoyorecreation solved this issue with the IR Pad response which is an extremely grippy pad that will bring the yoyo back up ever at a low RPM level. Functionally the 2 pair up to be a very good combination. The DS bearing is smooth and makes very little noise and the IR pad lasts very long.
The Draupnir will have a polished wall regardless of the finish you buy yours with. This prevents string breakage while also making horizontal combos more forgiving on a bad throw. Ultimately it is a V-shaped throw which can cause issues on returns and making it not the most comfortable in the hand. While this is subjective, the way it glides through the air made it mandatory to be in such a way to prevent slowing down. So all-in-all the biggest drawback of the Draupnir is that it is uncomfortable in the hand. However when the YORAD yoyoing club was asked this, it came to a conclusion the the comfort does not matter that much because most of the time the yoyo is spinning, not in your hand.
One may ask for more details regarding the production of the Draupnir, look no further:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ali2OcYJNBs&list=LL1Y6pYNKfs0u4D8YuQyf64w&index=4
The Draupnir is the beast. The ultimate yoyo that can be classified as perfection. A conclusion of this yoyo would be subjective if it is worth the price. It is not 5 times better than a Shutter, Railgun or any throw. However is it one of the best throws on the market all together. Many people can agree it stands as the best yoyo on the market.
Thanks for checking out my review! I hope you all enjoyed it. I will update it frequently, but please do give me suggestions of how to make it better. I own 3 Draupnirs and I can say it is my favourite throw, so of course this review may be biased. That being said I have quite a few throws i would like to make reviews for. Until then guys I hope you all enjoyed! I will make a video version in a while. Enjoy throwing!
Images and videos belong to there respective owners
Romulus Jay Remo
