“The original Format:C was released 10 years ago in late 2013. It is time to revisit.
For Generation 2, the big visual update is to the hub which is now flat replacing the tap-through and slightly raised hub of the original for a much cleaner, sleek look. This change also reduces the center weight. You can also see that the Sightline is wider.
Less obvious to the eye is, but easy to see if you compare cross sections is that Gen 2 is different throughout. This could be summarized as a big change to the weight distribution and the overall weight – the Gen 2 is 3.75 grams lighter overall. You will feel the difference in play.”
“We are so proud to have Talia Jamison on our team. She’s an amazing person and an incredible yo-yoer so of course she deserves a signature yo-yo! Here is what Talia says about the Still Rollin:
‘I’m sure everyone has played a game that lasted way longer than they expected. A childhood memory of playing cards, tag, hide and seek, or dice and the fun that seemed to never end. That to me perfectly describes the Still Rollin – the fun that seems to never end.
When I worked with Shawn on the design, he was able to perfectly capture the elements I have always most enjoyed in a yoyo: a soft shape which fits comfortably in the hand, that isn’t just fun for the casual throw, but can hold up on stage during competition. I wanted Side Effects to give you a way to personalize its weight and aesthetic, and a yoyo that can confidently spin for my longer combos. With its slightly smaller size, the Still Rollin allows for more mobility during tech combos while maintaining stability and a great catch zone for lacerations and slacks. One Drop never fails to make the best yoyos on the market, and Still Rollin is no exception.
Just like when it was Nana’s turn to roll the dice, well into my longest combos, this yoyo is ‘Still Rollin’’.”
Will Prater joined our team in 2013. He’s a local here in Eugene and we knew him before he picked up the yo-yo. What’s crazy is that we had hired his dad twice in the early days of One Drop to move our newly purchased CNC machines off the truck and into the shop. We only figured this coincidence out after we had known Will for a number of years. Will’s dad is a character and one we had never forgotten since those days he helped us. He had kind of become a legend in early One Drop lore. Our minds were all blown the day we figured this out.
Owning a yo-yo business means you get to see a lot of people play modern yo-yos for the first time and what you notice is that a large percent of them don’t stick with it. When Will picked up his first One Drop yo-yo, as with everyone, we didn’t have any expectation that he might stick with it. Not only did he stick with it, he played constantly and became really good, really fast. It didn’t take very long for him to work his way on to our team. As a team member, he’s consistently spread the yo-yo love and helped out One Drop in many ways. Will also works on the Markmont brand – if you’ve picked up a Markmont in the last few years, Will assembled it.
The Wizard is well deserved by Will and we are proud to work with him on it.
Here is what Will says about it:
‘Creating your own magic is easy with the Wizard! Unassuming at first glance, this yoyo will have you smiling from ear to ear with its deceptive play characteristics. What appears to be a powerful, heavy throw will surprise you with its light, nimble, and most of all, FUN performance. Minimal faceting, classic organic profile, and plenty of spin time to get through even the toughest, most intricate combos brings a nostalgia to modern yoyo design that only the genius minds at One Drop could pull off so elegantly.
This yoyo is the culmination of my experience being an avid player for over 10 years now. Shawn somehow managed to perfectly interpret my broad, esoteric ideas about the design when we finally got down to it, and he really nailed it on the first attempt. I am endlessly thankful for everything yoyo has brought me in life up to this point, and beyond excited for the world to experience the Wizard. May you forever be graced with the creative inspiration and magic this life has to offer!”’
“A 20/20 Retrospective Edition is when we make a small change to a model using hindsight to make it better. In this case, it’s the Fat Tire 20/20.
Controversial statement: Scientifically, the Fat Tire 20/20 is more Floaty than the original.
Conventionally, yo-yo play descriptors have generally been considered to be largely subjective. However, we happen to have a collaborator that you may not have heard of. If you were on the One Drop Forums back in the day, you might have come across a user called “Dirty Birdy”. He is a long time friend and creative collaborator for One Drop and his name is Chris Greiner. Chris is a PhD Physicist who has been doing on-going research into the physics of yo-yos. The standard physics of a yo-yo have long been understood but Chris has taken it further and examined play characteristics that have been described by players. He has delved into being able to figure out just from CAD, if a yo-yo design is going to be more or less prone to vibe – this has been hugely helpful to us. Everyone who appreciates One Drop should know that Chris plays a big role in our design work. We are so blessed to be able to collaborate with him.
In this case we are talking about Floaty, a descriptor that has been around a long time. It means something along the lines of “FEELS light in play”. The actual weight of the yo-yo doesn’t seem to be as much of a factor in this feeling. As a matter of fact, the Fat Tire 20/20 is actually about a gram heavier than the original. Weight distribution is the key here. Chris examined yo-yos which were universally considered to be Floaty and was able to figure out what they all had in common through deep physics.
Chris proposed this re-work to the Fat Tire to specifically make it more Floaty. Most of the change is to the underside of the rim where you will see that it looks quite different. The profile shape is still the same. The re-work stems entirely from physics analysis. Normally our designing is done with a combination of intuition/experience, play testing, appearance and physics so this is different and very cool.
Getting this yo-yo out in the world is a continuation of the science where we now get to see just how subjective the feel of Floaty is. We are looking forward to hearing what people think. We are, of course, aware that by pointing this out we are probably influencing the results but either way we thought this would be a lot of fun and the Fat Tire 20/20 is awesome.”
“Our first yo-yo, the Project, released in 2007. It was born in an exciting and experimental time in the yo-yo world and had some unique features like the replaceable axle system and “Projection Profile” grooves. Sixteen years later, thanks to all of you supporting us, we’re still here and still making yo-yos. It’s been quite the ride.
The Project is a yo-yo we keep revisiting in various ways because it seems like we did something right on that first attempt. In 2008 there was the Markmont Project. A year later in 2009 the Project 2 was released. The next time was the Markmont Next in 2010. It was until 2015 when team member Ryosuke was due for a signature yo-yo and he wanted to modernize the Project. The Rebirth is bigger than the Project and has Side Effects. It became the definitive version of the Project for the last 8 years.
Ryosuke correctly suggested it was time again to do more. The Reboot is here. Looking at the catch zone, it looks identical to a Rebirth. However, there are significant changes: It is made out of 7075 aluminum alloy, is “Boosted” (a 7075 version of a yo-yo that weighs less even though 7075 alloy weighs more than 6061 alloy), and has new beautiful “Projection Profile” grooves in the cup.
The Reboot weighs 3 grams less than the Rebirth coming in at 63.4 grams with Ultra Lights.”
