Ten Yoyo Decapod Review

Hi everybody. I was lucky enough to pick up one of the TenYoyo Decapods while they were in stock.

Normally I wouldn't review something that's been sold out, however this thing is such a feat of engineering I felt I needed to share it with you.

Plus, maybe they'll do another run at some point, and I want to be sure you know this is something to snag however you can.

The Decapod is made from high density 7071 aluminum which gives this undersized throw a very substantial feel, its also got quite a bit of momentum for something of its size and balanced weight.

If you ever see one on bst or lurking on a site which didn't sell out of them, I wouldn't hesitate to pick it up.


Here are the specs:
Width 38mm
Diameter 54mm
Gap 4.6mm
Weight 64.5g
Response: Flow Groove Pads
Bearing: Crucial Concave C-size
The Decapod is made from 7075 aluminum (slightly more dense than normal 6061).

Here's my review...

Here are my review notes:

• I really like the sharp, angular cuts of this Yoyo. It's very unique to what I'm used to throwing these days. It's got a pretty radical H shape that sweeps gently into,the string zone. The catch zone also has fine, but noticeable, grooves which give the Decapod a nice feel, the hub is rounded however as is the sweep of the catch zone, so while it has a strong angular visual element, it doesn't feel static or blocky during play.

• The Decapod comes with a Crucial grooved bearing, which is nice and smooth, has a fair bit of spin time and is quite fast. I immediately noticed how quick the Decapod is; It moves through combos quickly and comfortably, and has quite a bit of momentum for an undersize.

• I mentioned in the unboxing that this is my first raw finish Yoyo. The Decapod is highly polished and really looks amazing flashing through the sunlight, this quality has a massive aesthetic quality for me. Being the Decapod is so fast and hoppy the polished finish looks pretty fantastic as it moves.

• Something else I mentioned is this run of the Decapod is discounted 30$ from its original price because the makers felt it has a bit of vibe. I haven't noticed any vibe , but like I mentioned I'm not very sensitive to vibe, it has to be very seriously for my play to be effected. If you are, you may want to consider that when deciding whether to get one from this current run.

• The Decapod weight distribution is pretty even across the whole body. In a lighter and larger Yoyo with more flowing design this would be a good formula for a floaty Yoyo.

However the Decapod has such angular cuts and is made with an aluminum more dense than most; making it heavier than others in its size range, it's anything but floaty, in fact it cuts through quick combos as if it were a larger Yoyo with more weight to the rims but is undersized making it quick and nimble on the string. The weight and shape are a perfect match for the fast play with quick changes through combos an undersize provides without sacrificing weight.

• Something else worth mentioning is the surprising grindability. I say it's surprising because I'd have thought a raw Yoyo to be sticky on a grind. I mentioned before this is my first raw throw.

When I threw a first grind I figured it would catch on the skin and just roll up my arm, however the grooves in the catch zone definitely minimize friction quite well. There's also a pretty sharp edge to the irg which minimizes contact on a thumb grind. Quite impressive.

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Ilyy Valve Yoyo Unboxing

 
Hi everybody.
I received the new Valve from Ilyy and did a little unboxing for you.
While the Valve maintains the lower pricepoint of the Void, which is considered an ILYY "budget" throw, I'd consider this to easily meet the standard of exceptional design and construction of the higher end of ILYY's line.
 
And while the Void maintained its lower price by having angular cuts for less lathe time, the usual ILYY curves were not sacrificed in the design of the Valve.
 
 
The Valve is available at YoYoExpert for 84.99
 
 
Here are the specs:
Diameter: 54.00 mm
Width: 42.00 mm
Gap Width: 4.10 mm
Weight: 65.5 grams
Bearing:(6x13x5 mm) ILYY KMK
Response: Hot Red SILYYcone
 
 
 
 

Here's the unboxing:

 
 

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ILYY 2012 Liopleurodon Yoyo Unboxing

Today I got a little box from Germany containing the new 2012 Liopleurodon. This is an update of the original Lio, a Yoyo that's consider one of the top players.

I personally love the original lio, it was one of the first ones I reviewed when I started doing this blog.

The new format has it coming in slightly lighter and with a beautiful candy blasted finish. This one also comes with an extra bearing.



I'm pretty excited to also find out that MonkeyfingeR will be doing a special run with their own great ano treatment.



Here are the specs:

Diameter: 54.85mm
Width: 41.50mm
Weight: 66.70g
Response: Hot Red SILYYcone
Bearing: ILYY KMK 6x13x5mm
Coating: ILYY CandyBlast (Purple/Titanium)
Material: 6082 AlMgSi1 Aluminum

Here's the unboxing video:

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Square Wheels Royale Yoyo Review

Hi there everybody.

I've been lucky enough to play the Royale from the Square Wheels Yoyo Company.

I really enjoyed this first offering from this new company. It plays nice and smooth and is just a nice all around package.

Here are the specs:


Diameter: 54mm
Width: 43mm
Gap at bearing: 4.4mm
Weight: 66 Grams
Bearing: Terrapin X
Response: Monkey SnotThe Royale is available at the Square Wheels Website - $90 for solid colors and $110 for more complex designs.

Here's my review...

I also recommend checking out the unboxing to see the very nice little package of stuff this yoyo includes.

• The Royale is a nice little package. It comes in a regular postal shipping box, but rather than put a box inside that, Square Wheels has made custom cut foam to cradle the two haves with accessories in a nice soft quality bag. The presentation is truly beautiful, the black gloss coated foam cradling each red half is striking.

In the small bag an axle, a terrapin bearing, and two different Twisted string types are included. I mentioned in the unboxing and I'll mention it here. I love when companies don't rest at the point of Yoyo design and production and allow their creativity to continue into the design, and shipping of the Yoyo.

• The Royale itself is a dream to throw. Its soda blast is perfectly smooth and grindable and it feels nice on a catch. The shape of the generous catch zone is also nicely suited for righting itself in an off throw and in blind catches.

• The ano job is extremely unique. I'd call it a sort of blister style, its color edges have the line quality of a spinning scrape. The color itself, this unit's at least is a dark burgundy with a gold undertone and dark charcoal graphics.

• The square wheels guys do all their own machining and anodizing in-house and they have extremely high standards. I remember seeing a prototype several months ago and was interested enough with the simple proto photo that I contacted them to ask about their process.

• This Yoyo they made, it's so obviously made to very exact tolerances in but structure an appearances. The anodization like I discussed, but also tiny bits of engineering in structure like a small lip on the edge to allow a minimal of material to be in contact with the hand in a palm grind.

• I'll also mention, though I generally don't, I want to mention the sound given off during play. It's a very clear ring, a pleasant mid-low pitch tone.

• This Yoyo has no vibe. It comes with the axle out and instructions on tuning the axle to be sure you keep its exacting balance when installing. I had assumed I would need to do a couple of tuning tests before finding the perfect balance, but I found the Royale to tune perfectly when the axle is seated fully. Your findings may vary, so if you have any vibe, go ahead and gently screw the axle in to be sure it's fully seated. Don't force it though, last thing you want is to damage the seat.

• The Royale's cup is very generous and although it has no lip hanging over the rim, I've found the shape of the cup to be such that hitting and holding a rim grind is easy at a slight angle. The cup also terminates at the center with a nice pointy spike, easy to grip and hold without having cup material-skin contact slowing it down.

The Royale's Huge and Polished String Zone

• The Royale's got a really generous and well polished string zone. I've found the spin times to be quite long. It's hit the elements for long form, multi-wrap play; Terrapin coated bearing, solid rim weight, and the polished large string zone.

• If there were one shortcoming (and of course you know I'll always tell you if I find something lacking) in the Royale it would be the response. However, that said I'm very happy to be able to say while the review units shipped with RTV, the Royale will ship to customers with a custom Monkeyfinger Snot.

I was very happy to hear this because the Royale is such an incredibly strong first offering from this new company, I didn't want to find anything lacking. I've just set my review unit up with flowable after removing the original RTV.

Snot is one of my four favorite responses, and it's such a cool first in terms of customer serviceable, custom color response materials. I'm really happy it's being adopted as a standard.

• I mentioned earlier the Royale comes with a pair of Twisted custom strings. It comes with both type A and B. I really like the trend that seems to be taking place where different small manufacturers are sourcing parts of their yoyos from other small manufacturers; such as Snot being used in this Yoyo and custom string being made for this run.

There's plenty to like about the strings that come with the Royale. For one thing they look really cool. Twisted has some really unique color tones in the lines, Jen tends to make every type of string in both bright colors, and also muted tones. The strings that come with the Royale are both muted tones which really fit with the ano.

The type A, which is what I've decided works best for me in this throw, come in a beautiful combination of cerulean blue and charcoal gray shifts. The type A is stiffer than the B and takes longer to break in, but once it does it really plays with intent.

The type B that comes in the package as well is a dark olive green and khaki with some brown in the mix. The type B is softer than the A and plays very differently. I liked the Royale so much with both these strings I asked Jen to make me a set of both so I can keep playing the Royale with stock colors and types.

• In closing I want to reference something Chris Rhodes said in his review, which I completely agree with, which is this is a Yoyo for chilling out and throwing. It's an extremely comfortable Yoyo. It moves very smoothly, is floaty (with pretty equal weight distribution), it also has a really generous and smoothly polished string zone which not only accommodates quite a few string wraps but also let's you relax and throw without it binding up unintentionally.

Its soft soda blast also gives it a nice slippy feel on the skin, and the wide catch zone not only allows landing without too much thought, but it also is a perfect amount of space for hitting grinds. This is a Yoyo to be played without requiring much attention, it's a very relaxed throw.

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TenYoyo Decapod Yoyo Unboxing

(notes last updated April 20th)

Hey everybody.

I picked up a Decapod from TenYoyo and did a little unboxing.

The Decapod is a run of 50, 25 black and 25 raw aluminum.

They discounted this run because it has a little bit of vibe. I personally am not that sensitive to a bit of vibe and haven't really noticed it.

These guys are fairly new to manufacturing and I really dig the unique packaging they're doing. It also comes with a pair of Twisted custom strings and a Crucial grooved bearing. By now you guys probably know how I love when a company does a complete custom setup.

You can pick one up at TenYoyo.com. They still have a few of each finish.

They're 85$ - discounted from 115$

Here are the specs:

Width 38mm
Diameter 54mm
Gap 4.6mm
Weight 64.5g
The Decapod is made from 7075 aluminum (slightly more dense than normal 6061).

Here's the unboxing...

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Square Wheels Yoyo Company Royale Unboxing

Hello the people.
I received a Royale from Square Wheels today and did an unboxing for you.
Square Wheels is a new company and I can say from my play so far, this first offering of theirs is a strong start.
I'll be testing the Royale out over the next few weeks and will be posting my review notes below the unboxing video.

Here are the specs:
Diameter: 54mm
Width: 43mm
Gap at bearing: 4.4mm
Weight: 66 Grams

The Royale is available at the Square Wheels Website - $90 for solid colors and $110 for more complex designs.

Here's my unboxing.

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