(Note: I originally posted this review in a different thread, but bought I should post it here.)
I just got this yoyo at MER, so here’s my mini review.
Short: I LOVE IT.
Long:
First, this is a heavier yoyo, so it does play more solid than floaty, and if you’re used to lighter yoyos, you may need to play the yoyo for a couple minutes to get used to it, like I did. Thankfully, the guys at the YYE booth were nice enough to let me play it for a couple minutes before purchasing. Once you’re acclimated to the weight however, it’s smooth sailing from then on out.
The shape seems to be a hybrid H/V shape. It has a very easy to hit catch zone, so landing tricks is a breeze. It comes stock with YYF's blue "grippy" pads and a CT bearing, which is a set up that works well. It is also surprisingly comfortable to hold, at first it has a seemingly violent shape, but the rounded rims make it quite comfortable when returning to your hand. The anodization is a deep red, flawlessly done, and the engravings in the catch zone actually look quite nice, IMO. They are minimalist enough to make this yoyo feel high end, yet they still help identify it.
The yoyo is very smooth on the string, I wasn’t able to find any vibe really. The one bad thing I found in the construction of this yoyo is the bearing seat; it is VERY tight. I needed to stick the yoyo in the freezer for a minute to get the bearing out.
This yoyo is incredibly stable. Like seriously, one of THE most stable yoyos I've had the pleasure to use. The shape does a good job of keeping the string away from the walls, so sloppy string hits aren't punished as much. This combined with the weight and size make a yoyo that is very forgiving. Spin times are fantastic. It is one of the few yoyos I've tried that, when making new tricks, allows me to just let the yoyo sit on the string for long periods of time while trying to make up a trick. Also, despite the weight, this yoyo can play fast fairly easily, too.
Now, the fingerspins. Oh, the incredible FINGERSPINS. This is hands down the best yoyo I've ever used for them. I am able to easily get the yoyo to spin for 30+ seconds on my finger. Bravo Yoyofactory.
The Horizon is no slouch at other types of horizontal play, either. Paul Kerbel's influence in the design of this yoyo is really apparent in how well this yoyo plays horizontally. I'm not the greatest at horizontal, but this yoyo makes the few tricks I can do fairly easy.
If I had to give one word to describe this yoyo, I would say: [b]power[/b]. The incredible stability, spin time, and horizontal play make a competition beast that I would easily pay $100+ for. It's [b]that[/b] good. Bravo, YYF, bravo.
I still need help with the beginner tricks