“The name means “Dark Side – 6061”. This was the internal working name during development and prototyping. We like that it sounds like an 80’s sportbike (ZX6R and that kind of thing) and the wonderful artwork by Clifton reflects this. 6061 is obviously for the aluminum alloy but what is the Dark Side?
This is going to be a little peek behind the scenes. Our good friend and resident PhD physicist, Dirty Birdy, has been doing a deep dive into yoyo physics. He’s actually mapped out every yo-yo we’ve made into a kind of 3D space called the “One Drop Yo-Yo Universe” which reflects certain physics characteristics. In the middle of the map is what he calls the Vibe Zone. If a given yoyo model maps inside the Vibe Zone, then it will likely have some design vibration (sometimes known as “pulse vibe”) – this is vibe caused by the design and not the manufacturing. As models land further away from the zone on either side, they become less likely to have design vibration. We call the right side of the Wall the “Light Side” and the left side the “Dark Side”. Dirty Birdy called it the Dark Side because we had explored it less until we had a deeper understanding of its potential. The math is complicated but generally speaking the more weight a model has away from the center, along the axle, the further to the left it will end up in the Yo-Yo Universe.
As a point of interest, this whole thing started many years ago when Dirty Birdy wanted to see if he could map out the physics of seemingly subjective play characteristics like “floaty”. He gathered data of what yo-yo models were considered “floaty” and then tried to see if there was something in the physics tying them all together. While that work continues, things progressed into the current implementation of the Vibe Zone, Light Side, Dark Side, and other cool stuff.
Recently we’ve been exploring the Dark Side and designing models to intentionally land there. The ThruLine and the 54 Gen 2 were both like this. The DS-61 moves as far into the Dark Side as we can within the limits of 6061 alloy, mono-metal, and sub 57mm diameter(our standard material size). We used our thin pads and an 8mm axle to reduce as much center weight as possible. It ended up being much further left into the Dark Side than any other model we’ve done before.
We think it looks cool, and in play it has amazing spin time, stability, and agility – much like a sportbike.”
Following in the footsteps of the Samurai and Shinobi, this is the first monometal model with an M-shaped design from Sengoku.
By extending the body width far beyond the effective width, the weight is positioned away from the center, achieving high stability. Even when the spin weakens, it maintains its posture until the very end of your throw. You can feel the hard and sharp playfeel for a long time, making you want to move it in various directions.
The special surface treatment also creates a distinctive tactile sensation unlike any other.”
“We ventured to cosmic ends, gazed even deeper into the everlasting darkness and saw… light. Delve deep into the black and emerge with eternal bliss through the white horizon.
The AbysmAL is the full aluminum representation of the crushing Abyss inheriting its comfortable and sophisticated shape and fingerspin abilities. We beefed up the rims to retain the powerful spin and stability.
The AbysmAL comes in two vastly different colorways.
First up: The ever so fitting Einstein-Rosen-Bridge edition (ERB for short) for all your time traveling wormhole needs.
There is also a second edition of the AbysmAL: Dinosalat. This color-way has first been used for the inner cup of the DR3I.”
There were 20 ERB (Silver/Black) yo-yos made and 23 Dinosalat yo-yos made in the initial run of the AbysmAL.
“The Roentgen is the signature model of Tyler Jorgensen! Tyler runs the Tri-Cities yoyo club in Eastern Washington, and in his own words, “The inspiration for the Roentgen comes from a love of competitive style yo-yos that keep that fun-loving spirit. We wanted to make something that was powerful, agile, and durable. It has a great width for practicing those more difficult tricks, and with enough spin time to keep up!”
The Roentgen uses titanium weight rings on a 7068 body, which adds a really special feel compared to many bimetals. I personally have loved testing it as a team member and can’t wait for everyone else to get to experience it too!”
