YoYoFactory Boss Review

A few days back, I ordered the YYF Boss from YoYoSam. I specifically ordered it from there because they had the Matte Black variation of it in stock, and I had a  5 dollar off coupon from the last time I bought something from there (YYJ Thin Lube). Anyhow, both times I've ordered from them, I've received my order pretty quickly. Their yo-yos cost about the same as other yo-yo stores, but their shipping is usually a little less. Both orders that I've made there have also shipped with a small pack of yo-yo string, so that's a plus. Anyway, it's a worthwhile site (they have more than yo-yos), so go check it out. Moving on, I got the yo-yo in the mail just yesterday. I was ecstatic.

I don't usually care too much about the packaging a product comes in. The YYJ yo-yo's come in a little plastic box that says "YoYoJam" on it. It's pretty regular looking. YYF, however, put a little more creativity into designing their packaging. It's cool... and it just looks right for a yo-yo package. The front has a little window at the top that displays the yo-yo logo, and at the bottom, there is a circular window that displays the yo-yo. The back has a dandy little story about YoYoFactory on it. I'm not certain if it's large enough to read in the picture, but essentially it just explains what kind of yo-yo's they produce.

Front

Back

I unboxed this beast and just stared at it for a bit. It looks nice. The black matte was a good choice for me. The yo-yo came with some greenish-yellow string. I didn't use it, because I assumed it was cotton. In anticipation to string it up and play, I almost forgot to take a picture of the freshly unboxed contents. I attempted to be semi-creative with this display.

So Minty

The first thing that really caught my attention about this yo-yo is the size. It's small. I don't want to say it's undersized, because it's really not. The smaller sizes are becoming more and more popular with the advanced players. Next to the Dark Magic, however, this thing looks miniature. In comparison, the diameter of the Dark Magic is a little over 56 mm. The diameter of the Boss is a little over 50 mm. It didn't take me very long to grow accustomed to the smaller size. I really started to like it after about only 30 minutes of play. In my opinion, the smaller size makes it easier to hold onto, and easier to maneuver through strings during tricks.

Dwarfed

The Boss is beadblasted. At least mine is. As I have read, there are a few out there that aren't beadblasted, but instead have a really slick finish. Anyway, mine feels a little grippy. As I mentioned in the Dark Magic review, I'm not very good at IRGs... or grinding at all, for that matter. But the IRGs are ridiculously easy with this thing. The rims are undercut, much like the Dark Magic, only they are rounded and a lot more smooth. The inside of the cup of the yo-yo is totally flat, so there is plenty of room to get your thumb in there. While I'm on the subject of the cups being flat, you're not going to be getting any Matador tricks out of this thing. The absence of the hub spikes means less room for the axle. To remedy this issue, YYF just gave the Boss an extremely small axle. I haven't had any issues with that so far, but I've read that due to the short axle, hitting the Boss on something can lead to permanent stability issues.

Small Axle and Size C Bearing

The Boss is incredibly stable during play. You can barely tell that the thing is moving on the end of the string unless you intentionally throw a crooked sleeper. This thing rarely has a vibe at all, and when it does, it usually corrects itself within a few seconds of the throw. Its also very easy to make it move quickly, but it plays well at a more leisurely pace as well. The string gap is a massive 5.09 mm. If you don't keep the string dead center throughout tricks, the yo-yo is pretty forgiving. This also allows for more layers of string to be threaded through the gap without it grabbing.

String Gap

Turning Point K-Pads make up the response system. They are incredibly efficient. The yo-yo stays unresponsive at the end of the string and throughout tricks, but the binds are incredibly snappy and consistent. I've had the yo-yo snap back on me one time before I was ready for it to, and it was totally due to me being sloppy while doing a trick. It's pretty rare for it to bind up without you wanting it to. The YYF Size C bearing helps keep it unresponsive by spinning quickly for a long time. It should be noted that I'm used to the spoils of KK bearings, but I must admit that the YYF bearing gives the KK a run for it's money on the spin times. I haven't cleaned the bearing at all, and it spins super smooth, and it stays pretty quiet. I guess that's what you should expect from a high-end yo-yo.

 Response System and Bearing

Overall, this yo-yo is a winner in my book. It spins for a long time. It's stability is unreal. It grinds well. Even the aerial tricks are made simple with this thing. It's like a stackless 888 with more rim weight, and the 888 is undeniably one of the most popular yo-yos out there, and for a good reason. I've had the Boss for a little over 24 hours, and it's became an extension of my arm. If you've got the cash to buy one of these, do it. You can't go wrong.