Quote from YYE’s Phenom product page:
"The PHENOM features an anodized aluminum body and the bronze rings plated with 24 carat gold! It ships with a genuine Dif-E-Yo KonKave bearing installed for absolutely smooth unresponsive play. The PHENOM is the true status symbol of the yo-yo world!"
Gold would actually be an inferior material to make weight rings from. Although one of the more dense metals, it is very soft when pure. Combining this with high-spin and sudden acceleration damage (dings); the weight rings would tend to deform over time. Then it would be off to the local pawn shop to sell it for thousands in scrap 
Agreed. They should use Tungsten.
I guess I got my info wrong.
I read this as “you’re paying more money for zero added performance!”
I know the Phenom is supposed to be a fantastic yoyo, but I can’t help but wonder how much those useless gold platings added onto the price…
Don’t think of it that way. Think of it as getting more value out of something that was going to cost the same anyway.
I got to play a T at worlds and I’ve owned an original phenom before. I feel as though the titanium was a much better fit to the design rather than brass. It played slightly lighter but had a much stronger spin to it than the original. The new cup design is what allows it to still play as well if not better. And if I remember correctly it was the same price as the phenom would sell here.
There’s so little gold on those rings that it really doesn’t contribute to raising the price more than a dollar or two. The gold on the rings is purely for looks, not performance.
Even so, I have two Phenoms and wouldn’t mind getting the Phenom T.
