“I am thrilled to announce the latest addition to our Edition project line – with the help of Jordan Blofeld from OP Yoyos. Together, we’ve created a more competitive-focused design that builds on the beloved features of our previous Reflection release.
In response to customer feedback, we’ve increased the ring weight from 14.97 to 16.3g per ring for a more powerful spin. We’ve also made some key adjustments to the diameter and width, reducing them by 1mm each to counterbalance any unwieldiness. With these updates, we were able to drop the weight by 1 gram and introduce a nipple-styled hub to push the weight bias into a more aggressive direction.
Since some of you also expressed concern about the short axle on the Reflection, the new upcoming project will feature a 12mm axle.”
“The Reflection is a personal examination into design traits which have made an impact on the yo-yo’s which I pick up.
Design insight and inspiration: Rounded wide rims, inverted catch zone, and a center “button” style hub were all key design aspects I wanted to incorporate. A 47mm width draws inspiration from the SF movement, a key and influential yo-yo. While the 67g weight looks toward the heavier standard set by Japanese designs, paired with a conventional 56mm diameter we have all learned to love. All to say, these specs were not completely random. However unlike most modern throws that pack a ton of ring weight, and min max the weight distribution, I wanted to pull inspiration from some older Turning Point’s such as the Anubis. This meant trying to strike a balance between the distribution of center weight and rim weight, opting for more center weight and less ring weight, allowing for the 6061 to help fill the gap of overall rim weight. What was achieved was a less fatiguing play that might be associated to a similar design with a higher “min, max” styled weight bias.
Initial Process: When you start a design you are met with a blank canvas. Originally this design was a bit of a crazy late night idea with titanium rings. After getting a quote for the prototyping cost the decision was made that it would be too expensive to continue as the first prototype made, as well as unfair to those who were offering to help order the run by purchasing the left overs. So a step back had to be taken and a small redesign had to happen, this time using SS rings but staying true to the original ring weight constraint as before.
Manufacturing: Manufacturing is taken care of by FPM. This is primarily because of the lower run count but I am happy to have them working on this project due to their high quality workmanship.
A note: This would not be possible without Alex Hattori who stepped in to assist with the CAD for this yoyo, as well as the 3 other folks who picked up one of the 3 remaining prototypes. Thank you David, Matt and Adrian.”
The following was archived from Editions YoYoExpert Forums post announcing the Forma:
Forma came to be due to a conversation with @fradiger and our shared love for mid-school throws. We were reminiscing about mid-school and modern designs and got talking about blending a few designs into something different:
CLYW Chief
Ikimono Tomo
OneDrop Cascade
YYR x OneDrop SYFO
A few messages later, Frad dropped this photo with the following quote:
“Theres a good yoyo in there, somewhere, because i like all these yoyos.”
The first concept would feature a polycarbonate inner ring forming a double rim, paired with a TP x CLYW-inspired profile. However as the vision evolved—leaning more into the Cascade and SYFO influences—we scrapped it for a cleaner monometal approach that better fit the SYFO/Cascade direction: MMP-01
MMP-01 final renders prior to prototyping:
Sadly MMP-01 wasn’t it though. It couldn’t handle impacts and vibed slightly from factory, so we went back to the drawing board. Enter MMP-02, later named Forma.
Forma went through three rounds of prototyping across three different shops: one in the U.S. (@Lotaxi), one at FPM, and one at TopYo. Around that time, there was a lot of behind-the-scenes chatter about inconsistent lead times, machining quality, and communication issues with OEMs. It felt like the right moment to test the waters and get a firsthand look at how each shop handled the process.
Although we would go on to prototype in both 7068 and 6061, the 6061 version just felt right—durable, comfortable, and locked into that midschool-inspired vibe that put feel first. Let’s be real—this wouldn’t be an Edition yo-yo if it didn’t still pack performance as a mainstay trait.
The result?
Forma is about execution—pacing your tricks, constructing with intention, and feeling the flow in your play. It packs power so that it doesn’t demand perfection, but it shines when your execution is clean and your transitions are thoughtful.
Available now on the Edition Yoyo storefront with the following colors:
We hope you enjoy as much as we did putting this together!
Since the original Bowl in August 2018, RSO has produced many iterations of the Bowl series in different sizes and metal alloys. Apart from YoYoFactory, which has made aluminium, stainless steel and titanium versions of the legendary 888, no other yo-yo has been given the same treatment. Given the popularity and success of the stainless steel and aluminium Bowl minis, a titanium version was planned.
RSO has been searching for a new machinist for the past few months to avoid over-reliance on a single factory. The Bowl mini titanium was deemed as a low-risk project to test the quality of our new machinist.
The two previous stainless steel versions were tricky to machine due to their paper thin walls, but the yo-yos turned out to be largely vibe-free. Naturally, a titanium version with thicker walls was expected to be more reliable to machine. In addition, the small 50mm diameter of the Bowl mini further lowers the risk of B grades.
I decided not to attempt a stainless steel version of the larger regular Bowl at that time as it would be a far riskier project, especially with a new machinist on board, but that’s a story for another time.
The success of the Bowl mini titanium run allowed me to price it competitively and retain all the artwork and goodies RSO is known for.
IDENTICAL TRIPLETS
The stainless steel, aluminium and titanium Bowl minis are like identical triplets. They might look similar but have entirely different personalities.
Their catch zones are photocopies of each other, they all have a subtle bump at the hub (a genetic trait of the Bowl series), and they weigh almost the same. But their similarities end here.
Let me teach you a trick to tell them apart – focus your eyes on their rims, and you’ll immediately notice that the titanium one’s rims are about twice as chubby as its stainless steel brother but still much slimmer than its aluminium brother. The aluminium sibling also has a more extroverted, colorful persona.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS
The siblings have contrasting characters. The titanium one behaves more slow-going and measured compared to its nimble and speedy C bearing stainless steel one. Compared to its D bearing stainless steel and aluminium brothers, the titanium one is more cautious and lands more softly and carefully at the end of the string. The titanium sibling is the child you won’t have to worry too much about.
The siblings sound vastly different – they could form a perfect vocal group. The stainless steel one would be the tenor, the titanium one the baritone and the aluminium one the bass.
From left to right: Bowl XL, Bowl mini titanium, Bowl Japan Edition.
CONCEIVING THE YO-YO
I first prototyped Bowl mini titanium about 9 months ago (yes, it is a full term baby). Both C and D bearing versions were made.
Unlike TiRAMiSU where it was a close fight between both versions, the C bearing version for the Bowl mini titanium was a clear winner – it had a more floaty play-feel, felt lighter and seemed infinitely more special.
The D bearing version had a far too solid and heavy play-feel. It felt almost sluggish. The more rim weighted weight distribution compared to the D bearing stainless steel Bowl mini also resulted in intolerable kickback. I could not bring myself to like it even after throwing it for months.
I ultimately decided to put the C bearing version into production, not before shaving off about 1.5g of the weight from the rims of the prototype.
D bearing (left) and C bearing (right) Bowl mini titanium prototypes.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
Certificate of authenticitY
STUFFED TOY ROBOT ENAMEL PIN
A PAIR OF 19MM CYAN TYPE 50 LANDING PADS RESPONSE
RED STRING
The Bowl mini titanium is the last yo-yo of the Bowl mini line. The artwork by Pingolito again features my elder son, Isaac Lim, as the cover star. We decided go for the “plush toys” theme.
From left to right: stainless steel, aluminium and titanium Bowl mini boxes.
Back in 2019, when I wanted to make a stainless steel yo-yo, on the top of my list was a full-sized stainless steel Bowl. However, as my machinist had yet to attempt a stainless steel yo-yo, I decided put the less risky 50 mm diameter Bowl Mini into production instead. Apart from the TopYo Top Steel, which was a full-sized yo-yo with a 56 mm diameter, stainless steel yo-yos were all in the undersized or micro category at that time. Honourable mentions include the ILoveYoYo Saint Eel (42 mm), Luo Yicheng Kun (27 mm) and YoYoFactory Mighty Flea (25 mm).
Stainless steel is such a complex material to work with primarily due to its high density. Fun fact: the densities of the titanium, stainless steel, and 7068 aluminium RSO typically uses when designing yo-yos are 4.51, 7.65 and 2.81 (in g/cm3), respectively. With such high density, there is drastically less room for maneuverability. As a result, simple design elements like a nipple or inner ring grind would dramatically increase the yo-yo’s weight. Removing weight from other areas poses a considerable challenge – no matter how you thin down various parts, the yo-yo is still a hefty unplayable paperweight.
Three years have passed and many companies have embraced the alloy. To my knowledge, there have been 3 full-sized stainless steel yo-yos so far, namely, the YoYoEmpire Thorest, TopYo Top Steel and Hydrangea Lisanthus. Note that they have a general V (Thorest, Top Steel) or W (Lisianthus) shape, as depicted in the images below (pictures from Spingear and YoYoExpert). The designs of these yo-yos are commendable. The Lisianthus deserves a special mention – it manages to squeeze in a nipple, have a W shape and maintain a palatable weight. However, Bowl 303 goes one step further.
YoYoEmpire Thorest, 67.9gTopYo Top Steel, 65.8gHydrangea Lisianthus, 68.2g
You are probably no stranger to the organic shape of the Bowl series. Making an organic shape stainless steel yo-yo is far more complicated than, say, a V-shaped one. The reason is simple: an organic-shaped yo-yo is bigger by volume than a V-shaped one. For the same weight, the walls have to be machined thinner. Bowl 303 weighs only 63.7g and is the lightest amongst the aforementioned full-sized stainless steel offerings. A fortunate thing about the Bowl 303 design is that a protruding nipple or deep groove, which would otherwise have added weight, was not necessary.
Bowl 303 has the thinnest walls of any RSO yo-yo ever made.
In case you’re wondering how the Bowl 303 got its name: the alloy used to machine the yo-yo is 303 stainless steel.
P.S. The yo-yos of this run will not be individually numbered.
SAME LOVABLE BOWL
Although the general shape of Bowl 303 is identical to the other yo-yos in Bowl series, the weight distribution is vastly different.
For the Bowl Mini, the stainless steel version is essentially a thinned-down version of its titanium and aluminum versions, with each part of the yo-yo thinned down proportionately. The difference in playfeel between the Bowl Minis was thus solely attributed mainly to the different materials and resultant change in weight distribution.
With the full-sized design of the Bowl 303, limited by the high density of stainless steel, I could not thin down the walls of the yo-yo proportionately from its titanium and 7068 aluminium counterparts. There just wasn’t enough material to play around with. In terms of weight distribution, Bowl 303 has more center weight than its predecessors.
Playfeel-wise, Bowl 303 plays slower, is more laid back and is easier to control than its similar-sized counterparts. Given the difference in both material and weight distribution, it is hard to say which is the dominant factor contributing to the different playfeel. I made the rims more rounded (and consequently slightly thicker) than the stainless steel Bowl Mini, so the yo-yo feels more comfortable in hand.
POLISHED BEAUTY
Bowl 303 is polished to almost a mirror finish – you can see your reflection clearly. The stainless steel looks more premium with a mirror finish than a brushed finish. Although production costs were increased, the finish on Bowl 303 stands above the rest.
ART BY JASON WEEK AND ATILA
The artwork is by Jason Week, with additional elements by ATILA. Additionally, it features a familiar sloth with a bowl cut, Owen, seen on the artwork of previous full-sized Bowl releases.
