MonkeyfingeR Gelada Yoyo Unboxing and Review Notes

Got a big box of stuff from the mans at Monkeyfinger today and did an unboxing. The box contained several things including a shirt, Monkeyfinger Snot, their new Rhino Multi-Tool, a new lube they've released called Gorrilius Lubricus, and a Gelada.

The Gelada is a new throw soon to be released. It's got a nice smooth blast in the catch zone and a high polish in the cup.




Here are the specs:
Diameter: 57mm
Width: 44mm
Gap: 4.25mm
Response: Monkeyfinger Snot
Bearing: C size Center Trac
It also includes custom string and a pouch.

The Gelada goes for $120 and has a second run arriving at YoyoExpert soon.
You can visit the Monkeyfinger website at Monkeyfinger.ca


As I'm throwing this for review I'll be posting my notes below the video below this sentence.

Here's the unboxing:

Here are my review notes:

(Last updated June 12th)

• The first thing that struck me with the gelada is its shape. Not only the overall shape, but how the shape is set up to maximize what would normally be secondary elements. In this case I'm talking about the custom response and center trac bearing.

• The Gelada has a catch zone that sweeps immediately into the response area; it has only a very tiny string zone. This has 2 effects unique to the elements that combine into the design of this throw. The catch zone sweeping directly into the response leaves the response very visible, which being Monkeyfinger uses the custom colored response they developed, is an important visual factor.

• They've also used a center-trac bearing. While this would be an extra feature in most yoyos, in this case the bearing takes up where the string zone normally would. What I mean by this is that being there's only a tiny string zone between the catch zone and response, we would not only find ourselves with a semi-responsive Yoyo, but also unable to do multiple wraps. The use of the center-trac mitigates both of these issues. Very well planned out.
• The next thing that immediately struck me is how light this is for the size. The weight has been evenly distributed, but not completely, meaning there is still a fair bit of rim weight - leaving the Gelada not only feeling light on the string, but also giving it a significant amount of momentum being the rim is a fairly large distance from the hub (one main factor in momentum is the weight of the rim + distance of the rim from the hub). Monkeyfinger has hit very nicely in keeping this balance of light feel without suffering a lack of momentum.
• The ano job on this one is also magnificent. At this point we can expect no less from these guys, they've developed their own process of anodizing since their first throw, which had a very calculated combination of colors placed in a manner that gave off an exact shimmering pearl salmon while spinning.They also used a technique which they developed while working on our Kitteh Code 2 project, which allows them to anodize sharp edged areas. In this case it's their logo which sits sharp in the catch zone over the blurred splash of the rest of the throw.

• Another unique visual feature is the polished cup. While the catch zone is blasted (they haven't come up with a name for this blast, I'll add it when they do) smooth for grinds in the catch zone, the cup is polished. This was done for two reasons. The first is so the saturated colors could be visible, blasting mutes the saturation of an ano color, but also for thumb grinds in the irg. To assist in this type of grind they've created a very large rounded area that sweeps into a sharp inner rim to minimize friction during a grind.
• Grinding the Gelada is definitely worth some attention. Not only is the blast super smooth in the generous catch zone like I mentioned, but the irg terminates in a very sharp edge. Possibly the sharpest I've experienced. This has a huge advantage on a thumb nail grind. It literally glides over the fingernail surface with almost no resistance at all. And with the edge being so well distanced from the hub, giving the otherwise light feeling Gelada the momentum of a heavier feeling throw, these types of grinds spin for a significant amount of time without slowing down. And the combination of this edge and the generous irg it terminates allows for the grind to have a pretty wide range of angle being there's no material for the thumb to hit against as it would with something with less of a curve into the cup. To see what I mean by a large cupped irg take a look at the photo above.

• As shown in the unboxing video, the package I received included a bunch of stuff with the Gelada. One of those things was a new lube developed by the mans, Gorrilius Lubricus. This is considered to be both a lube and bearing conditioner. I personally don't use lube much, mainly sticking to dry bearings, I'll also use terrapin coating and v4m at times. I cleaned the center-trac bearing the Gelada comes with and I'm very impressed. Like the lube types I just mentioned, the Gorillius Lubricus smooths things out with no loss of speed or spin time. Of course as you know I'm also a big fan of branded accessories, amd over the last year or so I've seen Monkeyfinger develop their packaging and accessories into a nice tight form. Sort of industrial eccentric; much of what they put out looks like a standard industrial package, but with a hint of eccentricity and color. A very nice balance for someone who's as interested in package design as I am.

• Also included in the package was the Monkeyfinger Snot custom flow able. The Snot comes in a pretty wide range of colors, and the Gelada as I mentioned above is an excellent throw for colored response, being you can actually see the response while playing because of the low-wall string zone. Monkeyfinger made some changes in the Snot. For one they re-did the packaging, not only in looks, but in quality. There were previously some issues with Snot drying in the syrette after a single use, however they've since changed the syrette to a larger and more air-tight model, and now ship them in a heavier, sealable bag, which should take care of that issue. It also seems to me they've better mixed the colorant in the silicone, these look much more opaque than the previous version, which seemed to have the pigment less evenly distributed. It seems they may have also increased the amount of pigment, but I'm not certain. I'll ask and post the answer here though.

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