Fixed-Axle February has just ended, and for over half of the event I was throwing a quintet of 3D-printed fixies created by Ardeus on the YoYoExpert Forums. Available to order through this thread, the Stroll, Stroller, Sprint, Stride, and Strider make up a family of throws that are quite different from each other, but share many similarities that tie them all together.
Let’s take a look at the specs of each:
- Stride: 64mm x 28mm x ~44g
- Strider: 57mm x 28mm x ~51g
- Stroll: 61mm x 33mm x ~45g
- Stroller: 55mm x 32mm x ~42g
- Sprint: 62mm x 32mm x ~44g
Looking at the five different Ardeus releases, the Stroll feels the most like a center-line. It’s the most “average” throw in the lot when it comes to size, shape, and weight. The Stride and Sprint are slightly larger, while the Stoller and Strider are smaller. The Strider stands out as the heaviest fo all of them, with the Stroller being the lightest. Each Ardeus yo-yo is 3D-printed and fixed together with a either a 1/4″ or 5/16″ hickory axle, and has a “tic-tac” 8 hole response system.
All of these fixies play extremely well, and feel amazing in the hand. It’s hard to tell they’re 3D-printed unless you look pretty closely at them. The quality level of each Ardeus yo-yo is top notch, and you can tell a lot of thought, preparation, and care was put into each and every one.
Out of all five throws, the Stroll and Strider stand out to me as favorites. The familiar feel and weight of the Stroll make it a perfect every-day fixie carry, while the smaller size and increased weight of the Strider really make it stand out from others. Keep in mind there’s not a single yo-yo in the family that under-performs, or that I would consider not worth a purchase. It all comes down to personal preference, and you really can’t go wrong with any of these.
After spending the better part of February using all five, I couldn’t see getting rid of any of them. They’re all a blast to play.