So here we are - what you, and I have been waiting for for a long time. All the pictures, all the flights. The shipping delays and hours spent on the details. It all comes together with the final and arguably the most important aspect of any high end product. The finish - the visual eye candy that draws you closer. I often ask myself what a product would look like if money was not a deciding factor. And the Octavia demands the highest of quality.
Anodized in the USA from a company who dedicates most of its time to the medical and military world, the quality and consistency is an absolute treat. Both the Navy and Bronze are deep - rich in color with a certain depth that you can not experience with anything made from aluminum.
Returning again is the ultra limited AMS2488 Type II (Grey). Only the AMS2488 will include both the Full Ceramic bearing, the NSK Platinum as well as white CBC pads and HS pads.
As usual, you can see how the titanium finish reacts to the natural oils on your fingers. One wipe with a clean cloth removes the swirls and finger prints that you can paint on the finish. The thin layer of oil cause the titanium to refract light in a strange way - creating this beautiful iridescence that people who purchased the Evora raved about. Its truly something you need to experience in person.
There will be 30 Navy, and 30 Bronze Octavias available. 10 AMS2488, at a higher price. All numbered with certificates. The release will be interesting to say the least considering the Evora sold out in just 3 and a bit hours. To battle the insanity, I will be doing the release slightly differently. There will be a "North American" release time, and a "European" release time.
The release will be split in half. The initial release will be in a time convenient to most people in North America. Regardless if they sell out or not, the remaining half of the stock will be added 6 hours later, which will be more convenient to Europeans. So Europeans have a better chance this time around - and if an American misses out on the initial release they can pull an all nighter and try again. Europeans will likely be less fatigued so beware.
So that is a wrap. 3/3 done. One thing I will leave you with is a release date: Sunday, December 6th. I will finalize everything with the exact NA and EU times on Facebook. And last but not least your beloved specs.
It has been almost 4 months since my last post here. Nationals came and went, and being back in Toronto full time meant I could put my head down and focus on some projects. Over the summer I was able to get to see more friends by hosting more local meetups through various hobbies, yoyoing included. I know that when winter hits in Toronto, It's usually pretty horrible so trying to make the best of the weather we have now feels key.
After two and a half years of Covid restrictions and such, there was finally a yoyo contest I could go to. I knew a lot of my friends would go so I booked my tickets fairly quickly. I was definitely out of practice from flying all over - I actually almost missed my connecting flight due to a delay in my flight from Toronto. Luckily I made it. I didn't know what to expect since I figured people might still be hesitant to go out to an event this big. I was ready for it though.
When I prototyped these designs for the first time, I wanted to explore something specific. There are two different design related journeys I will attempt to explain since they are a little bit different. Being a new project with different materials, it was a nice challenge to design in both titanium and 7068 aluminum. I didn't actually plan to release these at the same time - but it made sense due to delays and other exploratory reasons.
Rowland Balcom
November 30, 2015
Love with what your doing with you company Jeff! Hopefully, I will be able to snag one of these for the release. Good luck to you, and your company:)