The Story of Compound

Release date: October 6th 8PM EST

Price：60USD

Compound is our first PC body + Aluminum rim yoyo. Blending both bimetal performance with PC fun into one. The initial design process is still blending performance and fun together. Which is what we are focusing on recently. One of the ideas is to combine the PC body with aluminum rims. PC makes the yoyo fun intrinsically. Aluminum rims have a less extreme weight distribution as SS or Ti. In theory this will not overpower the fun factor of a PC with overwhelming rim weight. The density of aluminum is still around 3 times more than polycarbonate. We think this construction will still greatly enhance the performance of the yoyo against a full PC yoyo. 

(Picture of Aluminum rim of compound and PC material)

For the design of the yoyo, we first looked into our arsenal for inspiration. Recently, we are very aware of center weight. Having centerweight directly above the center axle improves rpm of the yoyo, thus increasing acceleration. So the first yoyo this project will be inspired on is the hummingbird. Humminbird has the iconic center cup design and center weight for acceleration. Then we need to look into a yoyo profile that suits a massive aluminium ring. Since Aluminum is less dense than SS, we need a profile that has a large rim area. Both Graviton and Replicant profiles fit that perfectly. As for the width, we once again picked around 50mm to focus on fun without being too competitive while still being able to compete with it. With the design ideas combined, we made our first prototype.

(Picture of the prototype compound)

The prototype was very well received by the yoyofriends' player team. Upon the first throw, we are impressed by how much power it has. It feels like an all out bimetal. However when accelerating and flowing through combos. It feels in between an all out competition monometal and a bimetal. We are very pleased with the performance and the feeling of the yoyo. We were also very pleased with the aesthetic of the yoyo as well. The aluminum outer rings are massive. combined with the inner aluminum hub, it makes the yoyo look bold and striking. We then greenlit this project to production.

(Picture of the compound prototype orange rim)

As yoyofriends, we also like to push the possibilities of manufacturing. We thought why stop here? There are multiple materials that are plastic. We then made a total of 3 versions of this yoyo. The plastic bodies are PC, POM and Nylon. We would like to explore the different characteristics directly, and let customers have more options on this yoyo. 

(Picture of PC, POM and Nylon material)

The nylon body makes the yoyo slightly lighter. At the WYYC booth, a lot of people got to try out the different versions. The Nylon version, in particular, really caught people's attention with its color and appearance. Nylon also has a special surface texture, which makes finger grinds feel very unique.

(Picture of Nylon Compound)

The POM body makes the yoyo heavier and closer to an all metal construction. This version pushed the weight above 70 grams. It focuses more on performance. The POM body also makes the surface soft to touch.

(Picture of the POM Compound) 

We hope you enjoy any or every version of the compound. A fun and performing yoyo that is striking to look at, while exploring the possibilities with different kinds of plastic.