RELEASE INFORMATION
Release date 8 SEPTEMBER 2020
Sold direct AND EXCLUSIVELY VIA YOYOEXPERT
RetaiL 419.99 USD
RAW TITANIUM
37 MADE
Diameter 57mm, Width 38mm, Gap 4.4mm
Weight 65.6G WITH ONE DROP FLAT CAPS SIDE EFFECTS (INCLUDED)
WEIGHT 67G WITH ANTI-YO SIDE EFFECTS (NOT INCLUDED), SAME AS THE ALUMINIUM SIDE EFFECTS YWET
YOYORECREATION NSK PLATINUM DOUBLE STRAIGHT C bearing
19MM TYPE 50 LANDING PADS OR QUAD FIST RUBBER RINGS RESPONSE
THE PROTOTYPES
Sonny and I had so much fun working on the Mecha-Bapezilla that we decided to collaborate a second time. The next most iconic Anti-Yo, the YWET, an acronym for Yo-Yos Will Eat Themselves (inspired by the 80s Brit Pop band Pop Will Eat Itself) was an automatic choice. We named it the “YWETi”.
The first YWETi prototypes incorporated the Side Effects (SE) system. Initially, we decided against making a non-SE version of the YWETi because there was already a slew of aluminum non-SE YWETs from other companies on the market, albeit not traditional collaborations. Sonny shared with me that about 6 years ago, he had experienced a burn out from yo-yo’ing and sold over 1,000 defective raw YWET halves to various individuals, at the cost of their recycling fee. These halves only recently saw the light of the day after being repaired, repackaged, and resold by various companies.
Three prototypes of the SE YWETi were made - I kept one, sent one to Sonny and gifted one to a loyal customer (Shimon Osada) who purchased a 1 of 3 rose gold Mecha-Bapezilla. The prototypes played amazingly, but they gave me a splitting headache because they were challenging to tune to smoothness. I must have spent over two hours tuning a mere 3 of them! As Sonny and I were planning to anodize this batch of YWETis, we decided against incorporating the SE system for fear of introducing another variable that can contribute to vibe.
The non-SE version of the YWETi was easy to machine and tune. When the yo-yos came back from the coating factory, we were mesmerized by the beautiful electroplated colors. The non-SE version of the YWETi was a huge hit and sold out almost immediately. Most felt that it played similarly to the aluminum SE YWET and that the YWETi brought back a sense of nostalgia. The demand far exceeded the supply. I received a constant bombardment of requests for another run of the YWETi.
Fast forward a few months. A SE version of the YWETi was still on the back of our minds. We craved a challenge and decided to go back to the drawing board and figure out the prototypes’ problem.
UNDERSTANDING THE SIDE EFFECTS SYSTEM
The SE system is one of the greatest yo-yo inventions of all time. Geniuses Shawn Nelson and David Metz from One Drop are the Tom Kuhns of the modern yo-yo generation. The SE system has significant advantages. Firstly, you can vary the weight of the yo-yo that affects how the yo-yo plays. Secondly, the aesthetic of the yo-yo can be changed (stunt pegs, anyone?) Thirdly, the SE contains the bearing seat, so you can easily swap out a new pair of 12 USD SEs if the bearing seat is damaged. Before commencing on the prototype phase of the SE YWETi, I approached One Drop for permission to incorporate their patented SE system. The process is simple - a company would just have to buy the SEs direct from One Drop to use the system in its yo-yos.
There are many ways to tune a SE yo-yo that you can find on various forums and YouTube videos. I personally feel there is no “correct” or “best” method. In David’s own words, “Make sure it’s really screwed together tight.” Shawn also told me that “Side Effects yo-yos sometimes take a little extra tightening.” Throughout SE YWETi project, I spoke to Shawn and David frequently regarding the SE system. Although the YWETi is not a collaboration with One Drop (the yo-yo body is machined in China), they gave me valuable advice on the SE system, and I would like to say a huge “thank you” to them!
After many in-depth conversions with One Drop, hours of online research and a challenging period of trial and error, I identified two key components that affect a SE yo-yo’s smoothness. I will try to explain them here to benefit those who want to attempt a SE yo-yo.
Publicly available Side Effects CAD by One Drop, as shown in AutoCAD.
The first component is the relationship between the SE bearing seat and the bearing. To have full control over the fit of the bearing on the SE, I asked One Drop whether I was able to machine my own SEs for the SE YWETi and pay them a licensing fee. Unfortunately, due to the inability to control the quality of the SEs machined by others, One Drop did not endorse this.
To experiment with different SE-bearing combinations, I machined a small batch of SE based on the Mecha-Bapezilla nipple with different bearing seat diameters (more on this later). These SE were made solely for the purpose of the experiment and were eventually discarded.
3D render of the Side Effects modeled after the Mecha-Bapezilla nipple.
The same Side Effects made for the experiment. These were eventually discarded.
3D render showing the relationship between the Side Effects bearing seat and the bearing in the Side Effects system.
As a general rule, a tight bearing post results in a smooth yo-yo. The experimental SE I had machined had tighter bearing posts than the ones made by One Drop. I found out from my experiment that the tight bearing seat rule does not apply to SE yo-yos. The fit has to be just right. If the fit is too tight, it will not be possible to screw the yo-yo together as the bearing grips on the SE, causing the SE-bearing unit to merely rotate within the yo-yo halves during the tightening process. This makes tuning SE yo-yos an impossible task. Conversely, if the fit is too loose, there will be vibe. After experimenting with a range of bearings, I discovered that the Yoyorecreation NSK DS bearings had the most optimal fit with the SE from One Drop. The YWETis with the NSK made bearings were the easiest to tune smooth. I approached Yoyorecreation again (I had previously used their bearings in my previous model, the Spaceship) and managed to quickly secure a batch of their bearings for the SE YWETi.
The second component is the relationship between the yo-yo body and the SE. The tapered hole in the yo-yo body that the SE sit in, has to be 0.251 inches and make an angle of 10 degrees. The fit also has to be just right - if you put the SE bearing seat through the hole near the bearing (the opposite side that you would typically fit it in during assembly), the SE should slip through easily. The SE YWETi is machined to extremely high tolerances to accommodate the SEs perfectly. They fit like a glove.
3D render showing the relationship between the Side Effects and the yo-yo body in the Side Effects system.
The production run of the SE YWETi turned out fantastic. Despite having a hint of vibe on grinds (it is not dead smooth like all the non-SE RSO yo-yos you are familiar with), it is hands down the best playing version of the YWET ever.
You guys will love it.
