The Tengu is the latest Sengoku throw, and the first monometal M-shaped yo-yo they have released. It also features a ”hyper-matte” finish that they claim delivers a “one-of-a-kind tactile experience.”
Well, it’s certainly one-of-a kind.
I tried hard to like the Tengu. I did. I loved the shape, the wide catch zone, and the weight. Overall, it seems like a great yo-yo. The problem for me is the ”hyper-matte” finish. It feels like a chalkboard in my hand, and my string kept snagging on the finish, causing the yo-yo to respond in the middle of tricks.
Some people may dig the finish. Some people may have more skill and can keep the yo-yo from snagging on the string as much as I did. Unfortunately, it was a real issue for me to the point where I can’t even stand to play it at all.
While the Tengu may not be for me, it’s gotten me interested in Sengoku’s other M-shaped yo-yos, the Samurai and the Shinobi. They’re a bit pricier, but they don’t have the skin-crawling “hyper-matte” finish.
MK1 and Spinworthy recently teamed up again to make the Plasm, a polycarbonate version of the RBC. This new version of the much-loved throw features a tweaked design that works better with plastic and is available in a range of cool, translucent colors. I was lucky enough to have MK1 send me one to put through its paces, and I can say that this yo-yo is an instant classic.
I’m going to preface this review with the fact that, unlike many, I am not a big fan of the RBC. It’s a beautiful throw, but I couldn’t quite figure out where it “fit” as a yo-yo. Unlike the wooden Blood Cell, a Spinworthy original, the RBC wasn’t made for fixed-axle play. It also felt quite awkward as a 1A responsive yo-yo. Again, I’m in the minority here, but other than how cool it looked, the RBC just wasn’t for me.
The Plasm is a completely different story.
I could immediately tell upon my first few throws that this yo-yo is far more capable. The catch zone is a bit larger, the shape a bit more forgiving, and it plays both 0A and 1A styles beautifully. It’s super comfortable in the hand and has a wonderfully satisfying response. You can feel the seam of the cap more than you can on the RBC, but it is by no means a problem or a distraction. The changes MK1 and Spinworthy made to take the RBC into the realm of plastic made a world of difference in how playable the yo-yo is.
Whether I’m Makin Da Zines or Skinning the Gerbil, the Plasm handles it all with ease and comfort.
Sengoku Yoyos recently sent me a Tengu to review, and to my surprise, also included a Shingen in the box. I immediately set to playing with my brand-new Tengu and left the Shingen off to the side because it looked a bit boring to me. The shape was very unassuming, and the engraving was not very eye-catching. Eventually I strung it up so I could prep for this review.
I was caught completely by surprise by this throw.
Made from 7175 aluminum, which allows for thinner machining in the body, the Shingen focuses as much weight as possible on the rims. The addition of stainless steel inner rings further increases the rim weight, making for an extremely stable yo-yo. The unassuming V shape of the yo-yo makes a bit more sense, pushing most of the material to the edges of the throw.
The Shingen is a powerhouse. It’s smooth, quiet, stable, and incredibly capable. It may not look like much, but under the unassuming veneer is a yo-yo that screams performance. Not only that, but the 7175 aluminum is incredibly durable, making it extremely ding-resistant, meaning you can spend more time being a bit more daring with the Shingen without worrying about damaging it.
The Sengoku Shingen has quickly risen to my top 5 yo-yos of all time. I’m glad I took the time to put it through its paces.
One Drop’s Booster Rainier drops tomorrow, May 28th, at 11am PST.
From One Drop:
“The Rainier started with the idea of scaling up a Cascade and shifting the weight out to the rim and turned into a performance monster. It was one of our first “Dark Side” yo-yos and among our best performing models. It seemed natural to make a Boosted version.
“Boosting” is making a 6061 alloy yo-yo out of 7075 alloy, but changing the design so that the overall weight ends up being lower, even though 7075 is a heavier alloy than 6061. It takes a lot of tweaking to the design to make this happen, but we like to do it in a way that yo-yo looks the same and has the same or similar specs (except for the weight). Given that 7075 is a heavier alloy, if we took the same design of a 6061 yo-yo and produced it in 7075, it would end up about 2.5 grams heavier. We have done this in the past and called it “GZR Edition”. Turns out to be not as interesting as Boosted because the weight distribution is the same so it plays very similarly. Changing the weight distribution is how to make the feel in play change which is why we do Boosted and not GZR when we make a 7075 version of a 6061 model.
The Rainier is optimized for rim weight at essentially the limits of 6061 alloy. We have a hard limit on what we consider the thinnest we can make the body. We can safely go thinner with 7075 alloy which is what we did: thinned out the body and added rim weight while maintaining the same profile shape. The result is a yoyo with considerably more rim weight, but a total weight of about .5 grams less (or about 3 grams less than if we just ran the same design in 7275 – see above). The Boosted Rainier is further into the Dark Side than the original. It’s even more of an extreme design.”
Specifications
Base Weight: 61.05 Grams
Shipping Weight: 63.95 Grams with Aluminum Micro Caps
Width: 48.4 mm
Diameter: 56.4 mm
Stock Response: One Drop Flow Groove
Gap Width: 4.27 mm
Bearing Size: Large (C) stainless steel (One Drop 10 Ball Bearing)
What do you get when you combine a “cloud-blasted” aluminum with stainless steel rims and recessed, polycarbonate caps? I mean, you’re reading a review for the Nimbus, so the answers is obviously the Nimbus, from Dressel Designs. I’m not really here to make this hard for you, people.
The Nimbus is the signature yo-yo of Shinnosuke Ishizuka, and it’s touted as “Like playing with a cloud.” Honestly, that’s not too far off, as unlikely as it seems with everything that has gone into this yo-yo, it really does play smooth, quiet, and a bit floaty. It’s not something you would expect from a tri-material yo-yo, but the Nimbus fits these qualities to a T.
Dressel’s Nimbus is a mid-sized throw that feels like it’s just bordering undersized. Both the rounded-H shape and the “Cloud Blast” finish make it incredibly comfortable in the hand. Upon first throw, you’ll be surprised at how quiet it is, and how it seems to effortless move on the end of the string. While the Nimbus can handle almost whatever players can throw at it, it feels most at home moving at a slower pace, lending itself to flow and precise control. It’s not what I’ve come to expect from a bi-metal yo-yo.
There is certainly nothing in my collection like the Nimbus, and I mean that is a very positive way. It’s not just another competitive bi-metal throw, but one that feels like all the parts where meticulously put together for a very specific purpose. This yo-yo feels right at home banging out repeaters, then switching gears effortlessly to handle more precise combos.
