INTRO + SPECS
☆ Diameter: 56.10mm
☆ Width: 41.57mm
☆ Gap Width: not sure
☆ Weight: 64 grams
☆ Bearing: C-Sized Bearing (No spacers!!!)
☆ Response: K-pads
The YYF Replay. Shrouded in drama. Shunned by many before it even had a chance to be released. Many people believe this yo-yo to be a ripoff of a very elusive yo-yo The Muffintop. I will offer no insight on this matter other then stating the shapes are indeed very similar, but (at least to my knoweldge) serve different purposes. Does this yo-yo deserve to be damned to the pits of h-e-double hockey sticks? Or will it shine brighter then the “STARS” in the YYF sky?
AESTHETICS
YoYoFactory, Replay and a few music related symbols are all that don the all white polycarb shells of this simple and elegant yo-yo. It screams minimalist. The raw metal weight rings rest on the inside of the inner cup. A very smart idea if you ask me. It has an h-profile butterfly shape. When you take it apart you see white, and more white. The first thing I noticed was the lack of spacers. I’ve loved all the YYF plastics I’ve tried but I always hated the spacers. Having the bearing seat made out of plastic doesn’t SEEM to have any negative effects as far as I can tell, but hey, I’m no yoyoexpert.
PLAY
I like where this is going. If YYF really plans on releasing this yo-yo for $10 this has potential to really change the yo-game as we know it. Maximum play for minimum price is a good tagline that comes to mind for the replay. It devours everything (whips, slacks, suicides, etc) thrown at it and finishes them off with room for more. Now, it’s no genesis in spin times, but it is very capable of finishing those awkward two minute display of tricks I like to call “combos.” The weight rings do what they can to increase spin time and stability but when it all comes down to it, I have to say they are sub-par, mediocre, and decent at best. It plays nice and floaty, and idles at the bottom of the string awaiting it’s next command. If you want it to go fast, it’ll go fast. If you want it to go slow and smooth, it’ll do that as well. With the replay, it’s really up to you how you play, and the Replay will make it happen as if it some sort of magic yo-yo genie granting your every play wish. In the hand the replay feels smaller then it really is due to the shape. It was somewhat uncomfortable for me and I didn’t really care for this at first but it’s grown on me. I’ve come to live with it. When set up for 5a it throws and catches almost completely different. It feels a lot more comfortable and since it’s stability and spin time are decent I can recomend this for 5a play. I don’t really 5a too much and my skills are very minute but I can do the 6 or 7 tricks I know easily and uninterrupted. The only major problem I have with it is durability. It feels nice and solid in my hand, but I’m still suspicious. Now I haven’t had the chance to test the durability, but everytime it hits the floor I feel like it’s going to explode into a million replay pieces. However I have yet to recieve any lasting damage and usually just get a skid mark of sorts I can rub off with my thumb. It’s also quite noisy. Really noisy. Even with a dead silent bearing. This doesn’t bother me but I know some people like a dead silent throw, and with the replay, you won’t be getting one. It also has the standard YYF plastic vibe. Nothing horrible, and nothing to effect play, but it’s still there. I’ve managed to tune mine out to a slight vibe, but can’t get it to dissappear completely. Again, doesn’t bother me, but the vibe nazis are cringing as I type this.
CONCLUSION
For $10 there is no better yo-yo out there. And in my unprofessional opinion it plays better (and looks better) then the Proto/Northstar. But of course for a $10 yo-yo there are some drawbacks. It vibes, it’s noisy, and it’s not the most stable long sleeping yo-yo out there. But for a yo-yo you can take around with you at all times, and don’t have to worry about damaging it, it’ll easily get the job done, and it won’t let you down. It’s a very reliable throw and while it may not have all the fancy bells and whistles all those $100+ yo-yos have, it was by no means meant to. If you’re too blinded by hatred for YYF, or refuse to try this yo-yo because someone “may or may not” had stolen the design you are only hurting yourself. I for one plan to pick up another one, maybe two when (and if) they are released.