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.
I remember the day I released the original Evora. There were existing yoyos out there made from aluminum and plastics, but very few were made from Titanium. Even when companies made titanium yoyos it would be a one and done kind of deal - as the difficulties and quality control needed for titanium was much more risky from a business standpoint. I approached the original Evora project thinking it would be a one run project - up until all 60 original units sold out in under 5 minutes.
The year was 2006, I was pretty young back then and as a kid I was pretty active on the forums. I had a weird obsession about how different yoyos felt even more so than learning tricks itself. I think a lot of people who like collecting are similar - they tend to appreciate the feel of multiple yoyos which entices them to build up a library that represents their own taste. In 2006, this was less of an option.
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.
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:)