I was planning to run these anodized, but so many people requested them in raw titanium. Its crazy to think its already been 5 years since I released that yoyo, I think that really changed my life. Looking back, I ended up moving to Prague after Worlds in Tokyo. Traveled all over Europe before moving to the west coast of Vancouver.
It's strange because I see like this divide in my life once I tried to settle down in Vancouver. I also became way more distant from the yoyo community, as I had a full time job and couldn't really travel as easily. I ended up leaving that job and moved back to Toronto. When coronavirus hit, I had planned to maybe to a small trip and get more involved with contests and see friends but of course 2020 happened and been kind of stuck ever since.
If you told me 5 years ago I would be where I am today Id be pretty surprised. I think mentally I am in a better place, but also where my values lie in friends and family where perhaps I was a bit more materialistic before. Im not sure if that comes with age, or what but I tend to stick more to my core values now. With the last run of triple zeros I remember so many people asked me to do a two tone, and it was actually the plan to - even though I actually dislike two tone yoyos. Just a personal preference really but I still stuck to my gut instinct to release the colors I enjoyed instead of going in a direction that yes, maybe they would sell better but was against what i actually thought was aesthetically pleasing in my eye.
With the 2020 Evora I made sure to keep it as close to the original as possible. I've seen so many companies who really change things up with their re-runs, both in the yoyo world and with other things like in the automotive industry. They tend to use the name of the original but yet it feels like they slapped the name on this brand new product that has nothing to do with the original. A good example of this is the Ford Mach-E Mustang, it feels like a marketing stunt to get people to purchase a vehicle. You can find this in the yoyoing world as well.
There is nothing wrong with improving a classic but in my mind it needs to pay a big deal of respect to the original design. I know something like the Evora has a large following, but I also knew that how the Evora played in 2015 is very dated in 2020. Even back then it was a much more mid weighted design. For the 2020 design I didn't change anything except where the weight was focused. I took out a bit of the mid weight and added it to the outside lip. Without holding them side to side you almost couldn't tell. But this increase makes the yoyo much more stable, and overall feel faster and lighter. The bearing seat quality has obviously improved over the years as well so these units are a lot smoother but titanium always has its machining challenges no matter what.
Throwing it back to back just feels more refined, and with the new package design it feels a lot more updated. I think when i get some anodized I will do a write up and comparison to the first run packaging/design to the current one. For now, the raw versions will be on the website this week.
The 2020 Evora R will drop Thursday November 26th, 2020 10pm EST time.
Material: Titanium
Width: 43.3 mm Diameter: 54.5 mm Weight: 65.5 grams Response: LuftPad Price: $300USD
When I first designed the Triple Zero in 2017, I didn't expect this yoyo to become the flagship it is today. Almost 8 years later, this yoyo has been a staple in the Luftverk lineup - one of the first "ultra minimalist" organic yoyos at the time. This design language has slowly worked its way from the first titanium model, the widely loved Plastic Triple Zero, and the aluminum variants as well. So it only makes sense to continue that tradition with a hybrid version.
When I first moved to Japan, I specifically moved to Osaka for drifting. But more so - it was the first place where I made a friend that immediately welcomed me with open arms. As someone who grew up in Canada all his life, I felt like I had bit off more than I could chew. Moving to another country is one thing - but going to a place where you don't even speak the language, where the culture is completely 180 from the western world now that was a different story.
When I released the titanium version of the Revora, I had one goal in mind. Challenge myself to design a solid state product in an era where that is no longer the normal. In a way - it was a challenge to myself to see if Luftverk's evolving design language could stack up against todays multi-material engineering marvels.
Jeffrey Pang
Author