Even if it’s not possible to mask the ano, you can always remachine the edges of the yoyo like Onedrop did on it’s new metal (I believe they machined the start of the catch zone), it looks super cool.
Man, I need to find out how they get that shine on titanium…
So this question goes to Ben, not TotalArtist (though it seems TotalArtist apparently knows more about Ben’s thought process and the Ricochet than even Ben himself, even though Ben was supposed to be responding to our questions, not TotalArtist…hmmm).
I’ve heard you talk about YYF’s strict quality control. The reason you said we should buy a Superwide over the Miracle was your quality control. With that being said, there must be factory rejects. These often get sold as b-grades, correct? Are you selling any b-grade Ricochets? If yes, where can I get one? If no, then what are you doing with the factory rejects? With your resources it seems it would take almost no cost and no effort to have one cut in half and snap a quick picture and post it. For me to buy one and then cut it in half would defeat the purpose altogether.
From what I’ve seen so far, I really don’t have any interest in owning a Ricochet. Too small and has an uninteresting shape, IMO. The only thing it appears to have going for it is you can spark it. The price shouldn’t be this high for something made in China. The Tiwalker was $200 and has a lot more going for it.
It’s like that rumor with Michael Jackson and his sister Latoya. You’ve never seen them in the same place at the same time…so they must be the same person. You can start a rumor that me and Ben are the same person. That would be kinda cool. 
But seriously, I think Ben may be gone forever now, but his thread and bumps for the Ricochet live on in his absence. Now that he’s disappeared…you’re stuck with me in here. I know…boo. :
But, he posted his thoughts about the yo-yo in this thread, and for those who choose not to read what he already posted, I just relay the message all over again. In one of those posts he said he was not cutting up any yo-yo. I read that one. No need for him to repeat himself again. I might as well do it…he might not be awake at this hour.
Now that I at least bought one of these Ricochets, and think it looks like a great yo-yo, and a great buy at today’s sale price of $159, not $200, I’ll ask questions. This might go without saying, but were they all numbered 1 - 500 guaranteeing that it will never, ever be made again? Were there exactly 250 raw and 250 blue/purple made? How many specifically of each? I wonder what is the actual window to get one of these before they are gone. I bet they will all be sold out by the Fall from stores.
Sorry for the long post, but his work has to be appreciated properly:
http://jasonwong.smugmug.com/Hobbies/LoadedYoYos/i-9M2MKnG/0/L/DSC02415-L.jpg
And a shoutout to one of my favourite anodising jobs of his:
Jason Wong. The King of Anodisation.
^ That last one looks like a YYE Colorway. Who owns that? Do they want to sell it? ;D I’d like to see Jason Wong do a Ricochet.
Thank you for a great series of questions.
We only accepted good yoyos, there for we have no b-grade (actually we had one, it was stolen from BAC). The rest were scrap. As you know titanium has a high metal price cost, the scrap value is significant.
Its still a $200 yoyo. You want me to take mine and cut it up? The person leading this charge is carries a serious grudge against yoyofactory (stemming back to a time we wouldn’t send him free yoyos to ‘review’) I see no reason to fulfil his demands (and destroy my $200 yoyo).
I really have no interest in cutting a yoyo up you are not interested in.
Great, go buy a TiWalker… whats that? you can’t? why? perhaps because at $200 retail there was no incentive to produce more? Thats why there are not more titanium yoyos on the market. People have been selling them for a WAY smaller margin than they do aluminum yoyos.
Guess what… we wont be making more titanium yoyos in the foreseeable either. Soon players wont be able to buy one if they want. Is that a good thing?
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Our sales projections have them disappearing from retail in Fall.
each color is numbered 1-500
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You keep saying this, can you produce proof that I have a grudge because you didn’t send free yo-yos. Keep in mind I have every e-mail where I asked you to borrow a yo-yo for review. I never asked for a free hand out nor do I ever expect one. Do I really need to show the whole community, again, that you are lying. You do understand the term “libel” don’t you?
The projection is good news, and also proof that you have come up with the right titanium design for a first YoyoFactory release. You will have put 1000 titanium yo-yos in the hands of people who previously either could not afford them, or there was never a large enough run for them to acquire that model before it was gone. So, I think it is pure brilliance that you targeted a wide audience for this, and filled a void in the market.
I personally, hope that you will entertain another titanium design in the near future. Even if you cannot offer a large run like with the Ricochet, and you target a much smaller market of yo-yoers for the next design, many of us will pay over and above to allow you a proper profit margin on a titanium…and make it worth your while.
I will update this with my Ricochet number and a photo when I get the throw in the mail early next week. Also, off topic, I’m awaiting that new H.O.T. the white with black/red splash (to die for). And…wondering if the Doomsday Genesis will restock on YYE. People are raving about it, me included.
No, I want CAD, a photographic rendering of what that yoyo is. Show me why I should spend $200 on your products, Ben. Or tell me why you can’t post a picture you have instant access to. Are you refusing because there is nothing special going on inside that yoyo? That’s all I can assume.
I’ve been a supporter for a long time. Like, buying two 401Ks brand new a long time, and I’m so done with you guys. Your attitude is ghastly, you’re running a business here, man. Plus, damn near every new yoyo I try from you sucks sucks sucks. You haven’t released anything that’s halfway entertaining since the '09 Severe.
Did I mention you?
By name, no. But there is enough here with what you have said in the past to connect the dots… plus since I was the first to ask about a cross section I would be the one “leading the charge”. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who you were talking about, even you could come to the conclusion I came to.
I have followed this whole thread, and I had no doubt who you meant.
Well…I have to admit that some of it is ridiculous, but at the same time Ben posted a thread in the “review” section about his yo-yo that he is selling on this site. Anyone who has not bought the yo-yo to review, who does not like Ben’s personality, or has demands they want to make outside of a review…should stay out of the thread. When they don’t, they appear to me to be making trouble. Ben is the OP in this thread, and he, no doubt, belongs in here. There should just be a way to just ban specific people from specific threads. Especially if they have a past offense of causing a thread scrubbing. People who want to discuss the Ricochet, who actually bought it, should not have to view the rest of the nonsense. As I stated before, this must be a publicity stunt, because nothing else makes sense.
From Yoyofactoryben Ben’s FB:
Does that mean you won saintrobyn?..even if you didn’t manage to convince him to cut up a yoyo you’ll never buy, for the sake of your curiosity.
Although I didn’t always agree with him I quite liked having Ben post here. I felt it was a good place for him to share info about YYF and it was always interesting having such an experienced yoyoer give his opinions on other topics as well, 'specially since he was part of the scene before almost anyone else here.
saintrobyn, I wish you all the best with your libel lawsuit as it’s clear Ben has seriously damaged your reputation by incorrectly claiming you have a grudge against them cause they didn’t send you free yoyos, when in fact you have a grudge against them for other reasons :
Nope, I didn’t win. I asked him to stop telling falsehoods about me and he took his ball and went home. No one wins. You are right, when he was on point and being civil he could be a thoroughly decent human being. I enjoyed talking to him about the troubles of anodizing 7075 aluminum in a different post.
It looks like he may come back once he calms down. Currently it looks like his account is still active. If I remember correctly an deleted account’s user name goes black like how icthus’ name is on the board. Right now anyone can still PM Ben.
I remember not to long ago you saying on another thread ( about an egyptian kid…); that this was a forum and that everybody was allowed to express his opinion or thoughts, where is the difference here? You seem to be always preaching what people can or cannot do.
So seriously, how do you get that shine on the Ricochet? $200 for a Ricochet is pretty reasonable, even if it is machined in China, could it be lower? Yes, but if people are willing to buy it, then it would be plain stupid to lower the price. I’d buy it, but personally, I don’t even like the feel of titanium yoyos. Auldey made a titanium yoyo that sells for $289, I don’t see anyone complaining about that.
I polished my Soveriegn up with Mother’s Polish and it had pretty much that level of shine. I don’t know of different variants of titanium polish better than others.