The Monsoon is a big throw. The largest diameter in my collection, as a matter of fact. Upon unboxing it, I was a bit intimidated, wondering how it would feel in my hand. After stringing it up and giving it a throw, my fears were gone. An organic shape with a diameter of 63.0mm and…
The Monsoon is a big throw. The largest diameter in my collection, as a matter of fact. Upon unboxing it, I was a bit intimidated, wondering how it would feel in my hand. After stringing it up and giving it a throw, my fears were gone. An organic shape with a diameter of 63.0mm and…
I knew going in that the RippleDrop was going to be light. I did not fully appreciate what that meant until I threw it hard and it sailed off the end of the string and hit me in the side of the head. Lesson learned. A softer touch, and this thing is wonderful. There’s a…
The plastic category is absolutely packed, stuffed, and filled with yoyos that do what every company claims they do: be just as good as metal yoyos. 9 times out of 10, this tends to be somewhat true, but with the caveat that it’s one of the geriatric gentleman’s yoyos meant for a cool, calm, and…
Dressel Designs dropped the Musubi and Musubi SS at the same time, and I’ll be honest, my first instinct was to wonder if one was just a novelty version of the other. A simultaneous dual release of the same shape in two different materials can feel like a cash grab. Spending time with both quickly…
A new review? Hell yeah. No, this thread isn’t dead. A quick update in general: Good morning gang, it’s been a few months since I’ve posted anything regarding yoyo, and that’s mostly because I’ve been busy with school, training for an out-of-state job that I’m very excited for, and properly getting into cars. You oldheads…
While I’ve certainly played my fair share of MK1 yo-yos, this is the first time I’ve played a Yoyofriends release. This collaboration is a tri-material beast, comprised of 7075 aluminum, stainless steel, and polycarbonate. The Heron features a V/H hybrid shape with a “lock-in” finger spin dimple, and is designed to be a “play all”…
Seven-time 5A World Champion from Saitama, Japan, known for blending speed, technical density, and counterweight mastery across both 5A and 1A divisions.
If you ask the average person on the street what a yo-yo is, they will likely picture a wooden toy simply going up and down. But for those in the community—and those browsing the records here at YoYoArchive—the modern yo-yo is an instrument of complex physics, high-speed choreography, and boundary-pushing innovation. Competitive yo-yoing has evolved…
Custom Products (originally Mesa Custom Machining Corporation, also known as Custom Yo-Yo) is a precision machining company based in Gilbert, Arizona that produced a line of all-aluminum yo-yos starting in 1998. Founded in 1987 as a machine shop, the company entered the yo-yo market at the height of the late-1990s yo-yo boom, offering CNC-machined aluminum…
HSpin Yo-Yo LLC (stylized HSPIN) is a Swiss precision yo-yo manufacturer founded in 1997 by Christopher Kayatz, who designed the prototype HandQuake 1.3 while on an ABB internship, teaching himself AutoCAD on the company’s CNC equipment. The brand began with students assembling yo-yos in Zurich dorm rooms and carrying boxes by tram to the post…
Empathy is an independent Czech yo-yo brand founded in 2022 by Tony Šec, a professional player based in Prague. The brand emerged from the Bohnice yo-yo scene — a tight-knit Czech community that has produced multiple European and World champions. Empathy designs are characterized by precise machining, refined weight placement, and a distinctly European aesthetic.…
Circle City YoYos is an indie yo-yo brand founded in Indianapolis, Indiana in 2018 by a hobbyist known as Bradd. The name references Indianapolis’s historic nickname “Circle City.” The brand released five models — a mix of house designs and player-signature throws — built around a philosophy of blending old-school yo-yo aesthetics with modern competitive…
Chico Yo-Yo Company (CYYC) was founded in April 2009 by Thad Winzenz, Richy Nye, and Bob Malowney in Chico, California — the historic home of the US National Yo-Yo Contest and the National Yo-Yo Museum. The company produced all of its throws locally using Pro2Pro Machining Services in Chico, releasing a series of precision-machined aluminum…
Astral Return Tops is an independent yo-yo brand that released its debut throw, The Particle, in 2022. The Particle is a full-size 6061 aluminum mono-metal designed as a capable, well-rounded performer — featuring a profile between H and V shape, a blast finish for grinds, and cup geometry engineered for fingerspins and inner ring grinds.…
This post is originally from the YoyoExpert Forums, and is republished here with permission from Cody (Pun1sh3R.) It is posted here in its original format, with no editing from The Yoyo Archive Team. As memtioned above, I purchased the ‘Merica Edition. I also opted for the “Delivery In Person”. “The author will take a paperback…
Andre Boulay posted this story from World’s 2024: Later in the thread he references this article, which is an excellent read, followed up by this amazing video. Overall, some amazing yo-yo history here!
Popular online yo-yo reviewer, Gingie, has released a video documentary about the CLYW Chief. “Super proud to finally be able to say this The Chief Documentary is done, at long last! After nearly two years of work, it’s my magnum opus and the single longest video on my channel. This video explores the lead up…
