So the mystery Duncan yo-yo is finally out. The Praxis.
From the Duncan site:
Duncan’s 80th anniversary comes packed with many suprises; the first being the launch of the Praxis 1.0P.
Equipped with a new patent pending axle system, the Praxis 1.0P works like an auto axle system with both sidecaps spinning simultaneously; openign the door for an entire new fleet of tricks.
Other features include a large customized bearing, 100% polyester string, ultra wide gap, and a recessed silicone response sytem for super smooth play.
Auto Axle System? How do they work in the first place? Large Bearing, neat. Recessed Silicone, nice. Looks like its shaping up to be a good yo-yo. O, wait, 71 grams? $125? Bummer.
In yo-yoing the bar is constantly being raised. Tricks get harder and harder. Yo-Yos get better and better. Saturn Precision Yo-Yos (SPYY) has been at the forefront of the constant evolution of “perfect” yo-yos.
Their latest offering is the Pistolero. SPYY has been know for the quality of their yo-yos, but at some times a little lacking in the art department. The Pistolero changes all that. From the esthetic holes of the “death spike” to the detailed rim engraving, this is a feast for the eyes!
Unfortunately there are growing pains. Due to some finishing flaws the first batch of Pistolero’s were left with a slight vibe (read the whole story here). This is were the social responsibility of SPYY comes in. Even though the vibe was similar to many of the current yo-yos on the market with “vibe problems” SPYY decided to sell at a reduced price. Furthermore, instead of passing potential return problems to retailers, SPYY is selling them from their own site. If all this talk of vibe is scaring you off of buying one, check out the reviews. Doesnt sound like anyone is disappointed.
Finally some big news on yo-yo releases… Yo-Yo Jam is getting back in the swing of things after there last batch of releases. The Legacy went over well, although a lot of talk about wobble, but that seems to plague all YYJ’s. And the Jamboo, an expensive piece of wobbly wood. Cool idea, Didn’t turn out well.
Now the “Beast”. Similar in shape to the Jamboo (body does not meet in a smooth transition with the rings) which is disappointing. Other then that it is good to see Yo-Yo Jam trying to fix some of the problems that have become expected from there products… namely the cracking of the imbedded nut.
Now, as you have probably gathered from this post, and others on yoyo2, I have been disappointed in what Yo-Yo Jam as been doing, or, NOT doing. There are obvious faults in there products, faults that have been around since there inception in 99. The biggest problem is cracking, both with the nut housing and the rim/plastic transition. Now, I’ll step out of my YYJ bashing box for a second and congratulate then for making an effort to fix prior flaws. In the age of high tolerance metal plastics have taken an unfortunate back seat. I feel this is due by in large to discrepancies in design. Now with the Yo-Yo Factory plastic Grind Machine concurring a lot of the problems that plastic has, It’s good to see YYJ moving towards a better product.
The Beast looks like it will be a series of different yo-yos. Each one with a different shape/material/weight.
Not the most imaginative names, but all the same, a hopeful new leaf has been turned at the Yo-Yo Jam camp.
