I get a lot of questions asking about these two different finishes. I figured it would make sense to have a specific blog post I could send customers who ask in the future. Both Ultramatte and AMS2488 are titanium specific coatings, generally reserved for fasteners in the aerospace and medical industry. But for their functions as a coating for titanium yoyos, they offer very unique experiences as outlined below.
AMS2488 Type II Hardcoat
AMS2488 is a performance oriented low friction finish. It is classified as a "Type II Hard Coat" which as the name suggests, offers a very hard coating. This coating is generally used to improve surface wear by reducing friction and to protect the titanium underneath. Certain industries also classify it as an electrical insulator.
On a yoyo, this coating can be described as a slick, hard finish that feels like a smooth teflon frying pan. It feels incredibly grind friendly, slippery, and is extremely wear resistant (if you press your nail up against it, it feels very hard like ceramic). The first example of this finish found on a Luftverk yoyo was on the original Evora. Back then, I used the AMS2488 Evora as my daily carry and it unintentionally fell out of my pocket while getting out of my vehicle. It hit the ground and bounced - then rolled down a cement parking lot. I was shocked to not find a single scratch on it, after I was certain it would be covered with marks. Perhaps I was lucky, but it is an example of what makes this coating unique.
There is a lot more technical detail available as an SAE document for purchase. It outlines the process and attributes of this coating and for those interested here it is: https://www.sae.org/standards/ams2488
Ultramatte
Ultramatte is definitely the more unique finish out of the two. Classified as an "anti-galling coating", I have never really tried anything similar before on a yoyo. I first released this finish on the Daytona, and felt that some customers absolutely loved it and some found it strange. The first thing to know is that the finish is somewhat absorbent - which tends to develop a patina of its own after handling it. You can clean off this patina with soap, but since your hands have moisture or oils, it comes back pretty quickly. It behaves similarly to brass or nickel plated yoyos that oxidises and develops its own patina over time. I think this is what polarizes a lot of customers because some people absolutely love this aspect of their yoyo building character, while others want a more pristine, "like new" experience for the duration of their ownership.
The feel of the finish is very soft and matte, somewhere between a soft touch plastic and a dusty chalkboard. The industrial designer in me loves the look of Ultramatte since it looks so much like poured concrete. As you use it more and more, the finish does loose some of its "dustiness" but remains soft to the touch. It is hard to describe without feeling it in person. With that said, there are constantly messages asking about this specific finish so it must have struck a chord with certain customers.
The comparison between the two are kind of like apples and oranges, which is why I really enjoy releasing these two finishes together. My advice is if you are looking for something performance oriented, slick, grind friendly, and more traditional I would stick to AMS2488 Type II. The Ultramatte would likely suit someone who is looking to try something different, something unique, and doesn't mind a certain level of patina buildup. Aesthetically though, I would personally edge towards the Ultramatte. To me it just looks so unique compared to anything else out there. Either way, hopefully this clears up any confusion or questions I get in the future!
It has been a year an a half living in Osaka, crazy how time flies. I remember releasing the Plastic Fulvia just before leaving Toronto, a product that I could argue changed the trajectory of everything. At that moment, Luftverk grew exponentially, with the support of retailers around the world. At that moment, I developed so many behind the scenes processes for management that it became much more of a corporate job then a creative one. Huge projects like Cheatcode, and the CLYW collaboration definitely had its creative sides dont get me wrong, but the addition of moving to a foreign city, learning a new language, pursuing motorsports and delegating tasks behind the scenes with razor sharp margins meant for a lot of it I was on the brink of burnout. I questioned if I even still liked doing yoyo stuff at all, or if it was just to keep food on the table.
Crazy to think it has been 2 years since the original release of the Plastic Fulvia and Plastic 000. Both models as of now are pretty much sold out everywhere, and I knew it was about time to update both with a small batch of new colors as well as fix a few small issues with the first designs. I appreciate everyone who has reached out anticipating a restock of these - as the manufacturing process is very timely for sure so restocks can't happen as quick as I'd like.
In January, I released the AKURA MG, a yoyo made from Magnesium. This material has a very low density and I talked about how it performs more like a plastic than anything else. But what made that yoyo really special is the aesthetic. I loved the lines on that yoyo. The proportions with the chunky rims were just perfect. One of the biggest aesthetic challenges though were that after the ceramic coating the lines were quite subtle which hid the design.
Jeffrey Pang
Author