Lathed Back Design

Founded in 2019 by a husband-and-wife team in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Lathed Back Design is a skill toy company specializing in titanium yo-yos and handcrafted skill toys. Shortly after founding, a house fire took nearly everything from them — but they rebuilt, relaunched, and channeled that experience into their guiding mission: creating objects that can bring joy even at the darkest point.

Every yo-yo is designed, tested, and finished in-house. All anodizing is done one piece at a time, producing unique splash patterns, etch effects, and custom finishes unavailable elsewhere. The company is best known for their modular titanium system, which lets a single core yo-yo transform across multiple play styles and configurations via interchangeable rim sets — bridging fixed-axle, responsive, and unresponsive play in one compact package.