The Story of Da Vinci

I think many yoyo players want to make their own signature yoyo. I was one of them. This time, my dream came true.

I would like to introduce my first signature model, Da Vinci.

1. Basic specs

Da Vinci is a bi-metal with a 7068 body and stainless steel rims. The specifications are as follows

Diameter: 56 mm

Width: 44.5 mm

Gap width: 4.56 mm

Weight: 62.6 g

Axle: M4 x 10 mm

The yo-yo is a full-size lightweight bimetal with a wide stainless steel rim + H-profile inverse shape.

2. Signature Model Production Background

It was around the end of EJ in April 2022 when I was asked by the manufacturer, "Why don't you make a signature model? At the time, I had received the Pheasant prototype, which I had been involved in the development of, and I was happy with it. I have very small hands and short fingers, so the larger diameter and wider width often hit my hands during freestyle practice or when doing small or chop stick type moves during technique development.

*The photo is from JYYF

So, I wanted a yo-yo with a slightly smaller width and diameter, and that's how the development of the signature model started.

3. What kind of yo-yo did I want to make?

When we decided to develop signature model, the manufacturer asked me, "What kind of yo-yo do you want to make? I told them that in addition to the aforementioned width and diameter adjustments, I wanted a bimetal yoyo with an inverse shape that would spin for a long time and be easy to move, but would also be stable without being violent. Now that I think about it, I was being extremely reckless.

So, I listed the specs and feelings of my previous main models. In the process of enumerating, I found that I had often used yo-yos that were not that wide in relation to their diameter by modern standards. After testing various yo-yos, including my own yo-yo that was not too wide and a friend's yo-yo that was not too wide, I confirmed that my tricks did not require a wide yo-yo, and decided to go with a width of about 44.5 mm. The reason I decided on a width of about 44.5 mm was that the average yo-yo I used was about 44.5 mm, and I thought that value was the borderline between wide and not wide, so I set it as a standard.

As for the diameter, I wanted to emphasize rotational power and light weight, so I decided on a larger diameter (about the size of Pheasant).

After communicating these specifications, they began drawing the prototype.

4. After receiving the 1st prototype

After the aforementioned reckless request, we actually exchanged drawings several times, and the first prototype (1st prototype) arrived in the summer in 2022.

Although the 1st prototype had great power and stability, I felt that it had habitual behavior during horizontal movement and was slightly difficult to move, so I decided to improve it. It is not difficult to use, and people who like heavy weights may like it, but it was not for me. (I can't do it because I don't have two of them, but it may be good for 3A lol)

I was competing in OWYYC2022 using the 1st proto, if you want to check it out.
*The video is from JYYF, http://www.jyyf.org/

5. 1st proto to 2nd proto

The modifications to the 1st proto started and we received the 2nd proto a week or two after NYC (Niigata Yo-Yo Contest). In addition to slight changes in diameter and width, we changed the shape of the rim from rounded to flat with a larger surface. A rounded rim would have been fine if the emphasis was on power and stability, but a flat rim may have been better suited to fulfill our request to add mobility to the rim.

When revising the first prototype, I asked them to "keep the same rotational force and stability, but improve the ease of movement and the strange horizontal quirks. The drawing that came out of this was to reduce the overall weight, change the rim shape, and increase the weight. By increasing the rim weight and diameter while reducing the overall weight, we were able to improve the ease of movement with maintaining(or rather, slightly increase) the stability and power.

As a result, our first request, "I want a bimetal with an inverse shape, long spin time and is easy to move, but is not violent and stable," was completed.

6. Performance

The 2nd prototype I wrote about in the previous section was so good that I decided to make it into a product as it was.

Originally, my ideal was "long spin and easy to move, but not violent and stable," and I think this model satisfies all of those requirements. By adding weight to the rim and making the width slightly narrower in relation to the diameter, we were able to create a very strong stability and power. In addition to this, the inverse shape + extreme low edge + wide gap reduced the sleep loss as much as possible. As a result, the yoyo has top class rotation power despite its ultra-light weight.

In addition, the light weight makes it easy to move and the wide rim gives it controllability, making it a truly versatile yo-yo.

Especially in horizontal, the yoyo's spinning stability is amazing, and it will keep spinning even if you do some crazy moves.

7. About the name

There are many ways to decide on a signature model`s name, but as the saying goes, "a name represents the body," so I wanted a name that matched the characteristics of the yo-yo or was associated with me.

As I researched birth stars, birthstones, and things associated with my name, I suddenly realized that this yo-yo is a "versatile yo-yo" when I thought about its characteristics. I looked up words in various languages meaning "versatile" and people related to versatility, and learned that Leonardo da Vinci is called the "Genius of All Things. From there, I decided to name my signature model "Da Vinci".

8. The End

I have described the background and characteristics of the da Vinci production. I was given the opportunity to produce five colors this time, and I had a hard time choosing the colors. I could not decide on my own because all the colors were so wonderful, so I asked my team members to help me choose colors lol.

I hope that many people will use my first signature model "Da Vinci", which was completed after much deliberation.

When JN limited ver was released, it was sold out quickly. I couldn`t help but be pleased. Thanks you for everyone who bought it!

I would recommend it to anyone, so if you are interested in it, please pick one up!

 

YOYOFRIENDS Japan manager Tomoki Toyama

 

The box contains:

1 x yoyo
1 pairs x pads
1 x string
1 x Da Vinci sticker
1 x yoyofriends sticker