I am sitting here trying to make this website happen. I decided to add a blog section to inform people of progress and new stuff I am working on. Its been a lot of work to get up to this point, and I hope people genuinely like the Evora. So many sleepless nights have been spent working on this thing, and I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.
The aggressive lines and edges really make it unique especially for something made in titanium. As far as I know, it is the first production H-shaped throw made in titanium. The nipple has been pretty controversial in an era of flat hubs. It was a design I have always wanted to do - inspired by "Architectural Brutalism " popular between the 50's and 70's. Even with the hard lines, the shape has been engineered to be super ergonomic. Your finger sits in the gap nicely.
The weight distribution is also different. If you take a look, it is mostly on the rim, but there is some where the "H" ends as well. This means it spins up really fast - something I really wanted. With titanium, you can make areas super light (The cup area is just 0.45mm thick!) which means you can place the weight exactly where you want it. It is definitely more of an art than a science when it comes to designing how a yoyo will feel though. I spent a lot of time and funding on prototypes to get this aspect right.
They are being sent out to anodizing and glass dusting right now. I am also working on a beautiful packaging - something that is usually overlooked. Many argue it doesn't matter. But I guess I am a perfectionist like that. Its more work but I genuinely believe it will improve the user experience and interaction with the product. Its all in the details.
I should get back to work on the website. It won't build itself.
It has been nearly 4 months since Ive been in Japan, and 5 months since I left Toronto. Writing that out makes it feel short but in reality it feels like forever ago. The last launch of the Plastic Peak was an overwhelming experience. I felt so grateful to work with CLYW, a company I grew up with. When the World Yoyo Contest hit I didn't know what to expect, but I had started noticing a feeling of burn out after grinding out so many yoyo related projects and in a weird introverted way I was a bit reluctant to go.
CLYW is a Canadian brand that started in 2006. I was 14 at the time when I watched this new brand unfold on the Yoyonation forums. They released their first yoyo named the "Peak" with 50 pieces retailing for $85. Today, that yoyo has used asking prices north of $2500 making it one of the most insanely rare and expensive yoyos to date. This "OG Painted Peak" featured a custom painted surface by a Canadian airbrush artist named Levi. Overtime as the Peak was impacted or dinged, the paint would chip off meaning there are only a handful of units in the world that survived in mint unused condition. Later versions would be released in more durable anodized finishes, but these first 50 "OG Painted Peaks"cemented CLYW into yoyoing history.
This one will interesting - since mine and Augie's relationship go a far distance back. Its also kind of a weird story of how like minded free sprits will seemingly eventually cross roads no matter how unlikely that is.
Growing up in what I like to call the golden area of competitive yoyoing I was blessed to be inspired by yoyoers with so much unique style. These players helped me stay hooked in yoyoing and I often wonder if I would have even stuck with it without them. Players like Yuuki Spenser, John Ando, Eric Koloski, Paul Han, Shinji Saito and of course Augie Fash were some of my favourites. Before there was a yoyo "meta" all these yoyoers had their own 1A style which is why I think fondly of this era.
Jeffrey Pang
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