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
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
Author