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.
When I started yoyoing as a kid there wasn't much media. Youtube wasn't really a thing so you only had a few options to learn tricks from. Kens World On a String was a classic go to, with jpegs of how to do tricks, and if you wanted to watch videos it would be a painful download of Quicktime or flash videos. I remember vividly watching a video of a man doing the most creative tricks in an elevator shaft - you would know him as Doctor Popular. I must have learned a dozen of his tricks (and likely you unknowingly have too).
Last few months have been a bit interesting. Things here in Ontario are finally starting to open up again, which feels like a light at the end of the tunnel. I finally got to see my yoyo friends here for the first time since March in 2020 - almost a year and a half. Of course I brought many titanium yoyo prototypes, including the new Acadia.
For 2021 I started to focus on doing more releases in tighter clusters. The demand and growth has been nice but I realized that more and more people are in the market for higher end products. I have even noticed that more companies are producing yoyos in titanium. I always said I would move on to other projects once other companies started producing the products i felt was missing in the market. The previous triple zero release was a massive success, and it was the largest run I have ever done. I feel like everyone who wanted one got one, even if it was only just.
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:)