Janus

by | Mar 15, 2025

From ZGRT:

“With every project we embark, new concepts and ideas come to us to  explore different designs, playability and versatility for future creations. Working on the KnuckleYo kindled a spark of imagination and inspiration leading us to the creation of the Janus: a slim line yo-yo that uses two removable coins to play.

The starting point of the design was around the dimensions of the coin itself.  Coins of this type can be used as worry or rolling coins and come in different dimensions that go from 30 to 45 mm diameter, 3 to 7 mm thickness and 10 to 40 gr. We started to explore all the multiple designs around those dimensions and see what would fit best.

The diameter

The ‘standard’ size of a manipulation coin is around 35 mm diameter. Having a diameter in that range was not the best fit for what we were looking for.  Although the main idea of this project was to design a yoyo that could be easily transformed into a coin, we always wanted the Janus to be a capable yoyo to play with.  Our goal was to find the best size of diameter that allowed the Janus to be playable as a coin as well as a  throw.  We found the sweet spot to be 45.5 mm.

The thickness

The next challenge we faced was to determine the coin’s thickness which is fully correlated to the performance, weight and width of the throw. A thin yoyo would compromise certain performance capabilities and functionality; whereas,  a thick coin would not be ideal to perform manipulations. With those two challenges to consider, we determined that the thickness was pretty much limited to be in the 7-8 mm range.  We used the thickness of El MiJo yoyo as a point of reference which is 12 mm, and our objective was to go no less than 60% of that dimension.

Due to the design of the Janus, the weight is proportionally correlated with the thickness and the size of the diameter. Although we had a range of 30 gr. to play with, the diameter that we established along with the width that we were aiming,  the weight became another factor that had to be considered. With all those elements on the table, we ended up with a thickness of 7.8 mm which gave us a weight of 23.7 gr. when in coin mode.

The incorporation of Side Effects

In order for this throw to be transformed into a coin, we needed a system that was suitable and functional for the Janus. We explored many options to adapt this idea. We went back a forth with different approaches, until we saw the potential that the Side Effects machined by One Drop could bring to the Janus.  One Drop’s Side Effects allowed the Janus for a complete removal of its axle and bearing seats and feel it more “coin like” when in coin mode. This also opened the possibility to use the Janus as a wearable coin.

The final design

Once all of the above elements were incorporated, we had two elements left to accomplish: performance and design.  The most suitable material for this concept was aluminum 6061. We needed certain wall thickness for the shape and design we envisioned.  We pushed the walls of the cup in a way that could work for coin manipulation and as a worry coin, and at the same time to allow a better weight distribution when played as a yoyo.

We do not consider the Janus to be a micro-yoyo by any means. The Janus is a small, fully functional pocket throw that can be played as a responsive and unresponsive yoyo that when disassembled yet it can also be used as a coin for coin manipulation tricks as well.

The name

In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. Janus is typically depicted as having two faces and was commonly embossed onto Roman coins.

The name reflects the dual nature of our creation and the various passage ways it may lead you while playing.  The throw’s mismatched sides of different colours and patterns further reflect the characteristic of Janus:  the double faced pocket throw that actually fits in your pocket.

We would like to thank our team members Jack Morris, Iñaki Diez and Jason Williams for al their input during the development of this project.

A special thanks and recognition to Chris Francz for his amazing artwork in the Janus that was used in both the logo and the engraving of this throw.

Let nothing hold you down!”

Monkey Flyer

by | Mar 15, 2025

From ZGRT:

“MFD + ZGRT collab

A year before the release, MFD and ZGRT started the discussion to do a collaboration and the planning began. It was an extraordinary year of working together from the yoyo designing process, prototyping and finalizing the details. It took several months as both teams were involved in testing and input. It took several months as both teams were involved in testing and input.

The result was to make an organic throw that played floaty and nimble but with a beefy rim to add certain grade of performance.

We then played around with packaging, artwork, colour selection and the name before it all came together.

This has been such an epic journey and project that we have thoroughly enjoyed since the very beginning.

That being said…

We are more than trilled to introduce the Monkey Flyer!”

El MiJo Polycarb

by | Mar 15, 2025

From ZGRT:

“The MiJo saga continues…and this time it changes into a polycarbonate suit that brings on  warmer weather vibes and new attitude for a totally different play.

El MiJo Polycarb retains essential elements of the original version of El MiJo like the functionality of interchanging the different types of bearings to experience different play styles that goes from wide unresponsive to slim fixed axle. It also maintains the same cup design and shape.

What is different?

At the moment of deciding to use polycarbonate, we knew some big changes had to happen to the OG design.

With the use of polycarbonate, we took advantage of the characteristics of this material and made El MiJo, unlike the previous versions, solid rather than hollow.  By doing so, the width was reduced by approximately 5 mm and the weight by 3g., resulting in a slimmer, lighter and more pocketable throw, which we love!!

These changes made El MiJo Polycarb unique to its predecessors.  It feels fast, snappy and very comfortable to hold and to carry.

Why the change?

We made this version of El MiJo as we wanted to have all the features of El MiJo but in a plastic throw. There is something about transparency and translucency that creates visual appeal in designs.

Transparency and translucency work together to achieve great optical effect. Using a translucent material can mimic smoke, fog, and clouds and creates a soft, dreamy effect.

We don’t know but for us, El MiJo Polycarb emanates summer vibes… you know, those long sunny days, chilling out and having your throw ready for whatever comes your way.

Let nothing hold you down!“

El TiO

by | Mar 15, 2025

From ZGRT:

“We are hyped that El TiO is now part of our family of slim line throws. The time we took to design, test, make adjustments has paid off!

We confronted many challenges along the way due to the specific dimensions we wanted El TiO to have and to be aligned with El MiJo family and the difficulty to machine those specs with using titanium.

El TiO is the uncle of the El MiJo family (literally! Tio means uncle in Spanish).He is that favourite relative everyone loves to spend time with.”

Libero

by | Mar 15, 2025

From ZGRT:

“The dimension, shape and material of this throw adds the desired power we envisioned the Libero to have.

This time we were fully focused in utilizing aluminum 7075 to balance the weight along with the shape we wanted to have for this throw. The base of the shape of the Libero is a V shape which combined with tall rims creates a hybrid V-H shape. This combination makes the Libero fall in between the Basilisk and the Qi, but the result is surprisingly unique.

We tested a handful of prototypes to reach the weight distribution, performance and aesthetics we wanted to have for the Libero. We made the rim wider to move certain part of the rim weight away from the outer diameter. That way, the Libero ended up playing more nimble without compromising spin time and stability.  We also wanted to have a wide catch zone to improve playability and land easier on the string.

Libero plays competitively due to its characteristics, weight and dimensions. Its stability and nimbleness makes the Libero easy to control and to perform combos quickly.  It is also capable to play horizontally and its spin time is impressive.

LIbero will bring freedom to your play.

Let nothing hold you down!”