The Story of Ultracut

The Story of Ultracut

Ultracut Specs
Weight: 64.94 grams
Material: Aluminum Alloy 6061     
Diameter: 58mm
Width: 50mm
Gap width: 4.54mm
Axle: M4*8mm
Pads: 19.2*14.2*1.2mm
Bearing: Concave Bearing

 

Price: 35USD~40USD

Release Date:Nov 22nd 8PM EST worldwide

Every yoyoyofriends' yoyo has its intended objective, and ultracut is no different. For this yoyo we looked at the trend of the current competitive yoyoing scene. The yoyos are getting wider as players requires more catch zone for their zoning tricks. The recent optimal competition widths are around 50mm. We think we can create a high quality and budget friendly 50mm width yoyo. A yoyo that can excel in the most demanding modern zoning tricks for everyone. 

To start the project we first picked the material. Since the goal is budget friendly, we picked 6061 instead of our signature 7068 aluminum. Next we need to pick an inspiration. We first immediately looked into the shortcut. Our very popular yoyo at a budget friendly price. For the first prototype we took the design of the shortcut and increased both width and diameter. We specifically increased the diameter because we know from experience, making a yoyo wider decreases its stability, especially in high stress maneuvers. Increasing diameter makes the rim weight further away from the center point in a vertical plane. Thus increasing stability. We are also working against 6061 aluminum as we cannot make the wall as thin as 7068. Adding that diameter for extra power is essential to overcome the material challenge.  

The prototype 1 was sent to the yoyofriends player team. The feedback, although generally positive, isn't exactly what we wanted. Our team thinks it lacks the maneuverability and acceleration compared to the rest of the yoyofriends' lineup. Since the first design was purely based on the shortcut. It has a secondary rim design more toward the center of the yoyo for flow and aesthetic. Thus making a lot of the weight not purely on the outside rim of the yoyo. To fix this problem, we decided to shift the secondary rim close to the outside. Basically combining the two rim designs into one big rim design. This shifts the weight distribution significantly towards the outside. Prototype 2 was made and was sent to the yoyofriends player team for more testing. 

The prototype 2 plays amazing. The players are super happy with the project. Only thing is with the weight now a lot more towards the rim, it plays a lot heavier than we expected. It is really cool to see this much power and stability in a 50mm 6061 yoyo. We decided to keep the tradition of acceleration and agility by lowering the overall weight of the yoyo. The yoyofriends manufacture team also suggested reducing the amount of the cuts on the side profile. This idea was inspired by our titanium crosscut yoyo. The result is a much cleaner looking side profile and overall design.

The prototype 3 has arrived and it hit all the right objectives. It is maneuverable, powerful, while still being wide. We proceeded to sent some samples to retailers for testing. We also did live testings with retailers at the 2024 world yoyo contest in Cleveland. The feedback was very positive. We are super happy with what we can achieve even using 6061 aluminum.

 

For the naming we asked around for suggestions at the World Yoyo Contest 2024. The yoyofriends representatives asked around different vendor on the naming. They suggested to keep the suffix, cut, as a homage to the original shortcut. We took that idea and came up with 2 names. Ultracut and Finalcut. Finalcut is inspired by both an editing program and this could possibly be the last "cut" project. Ultracut is inspired by the sheer performance of this yoyo. We think such a good yoyo will need a cool word as a suffix, so we picked "Ultra". In the end after voting, Ultracut is picked as the name of the yoyo. The logo looks futuristic, matching the yoyo being built for the future.

 

We hope you enjoy the Ultracut. Our budget yoyo that offers max performance for the current zoning tricks!

 

 


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