The official CU review thread.

[Eijiken]

Wow...no one has reviewed this? Jeez...I guess i should take it upon myself to do so...

Alchemy yo-yo's CU...(If i hear one more person call this thing an "Eye CU" I will bind them to death. Juts plain old C...U...)

My story behind this little thing...
I was at our yo-yo club meeting, and I was talking about how i wanted to play one of these. Enter Steve Brown, who just whips out one of these. Excited, I grabbed it and gave it a throw. Keep in mind, I detest mini yos with a strong passion. But as soon as I threw this thing, I started giggling! It felt like i was throwing something bigger than it actually was! I was in love...I made myself late to work that day because i didn't want to stop playing it >.>
This yo has forever changed my thoughts on mini-yos forever...

So I've had mine for about a month now, so i think its time i give this thing an extensive review.


The CU by alchemy YoYos:

Specs:
Diameter:38mm
Thickness:30mm
Weight:66g
Bearing: A sized bearing
Response: Pad response

Looking at that...should make you go "WTF....why is that thing so small? and how can that tiny thing be 66 grams?" Well...one thing that makes this yo amazing, is that it is made of stainless steel, Which is a pretty heavy strong metal. I mean, I've dropped this thing 24374367 times, and even my manager at work has knocked it off of a banister onto our rock floor, and it still spins true...and laughs ath the abuse. Genius. Pure genius.


Packaging: It comes in a nifty little white pouch. Simple. I mean, but who cares about packaging anyway? You can send this thing in an envelope and it would still be fine.

First Few throws: It comes with a stock pad which kinda feels like a kentaro pad. Awesome. I love kentaros. It does the job nicely, but i threw a carbon fiber pad in it like I usually do. I noticed that this thing is in need of a KK bearing. I ordered one, and was sad to find that my KK didn't fit in the bearing seat =( I was crushed. (maybe this time i should order it from theyostore!)

But after playing it for awhle, I found that it plays perfectly fine with the stock bearing. The CU demands perfection. and if you treat it with that, it will reward you with awesomeness. It will treat you to some of the smoothest play a mini can give you.

What makes this thing great is that its so small..but plays like a larger yo! Because of that, you get a greater window to do complicated string tricks. I mastered ladder escape with this thing, and chopstick tricks are FANTASTIC with this thing. It suprised me.

Extended Play: After weeks of play, it hasn't disappointed me. Still plays wonderfully even after I dropped it many many times. No vibe. As i said before, this yo matches your skill. If you throw crappy, it will play crappy (unless you slap a KK in it, then thats a moot point.) If you throw great, this thing rewards you with some smooth, fast play. If you master a trick on a CU...darnit you've mastered it.

Oh...and 5A with this thing is hilarious. Steve Brown and I laughed about how using a counterweight bigger than the yo itself.

Feel/Size/Shape/Weight: It feels....super small, but it is wide enough to give it soome substance and actually feel like there is something in your hand. Size... it currently the smallest playable yo on the market right now right next to the Tom Kuhn Pocket Rocket. This puts all other minis to shame. Smaller is better. Shape is...well, nothing new. typical butterfly shape, just small. It does have an inner lip for thumb grinding...if you can get your thumb in there. Weight...Is what impressed me the most. It is 66g, heavier than the second run ENVY and the 888. It may be small, but when thrown, you almost have to double check that you don't have a bigger object at the end of your string than what is there.

Grinds: Polished stainless steel...I was actually expecting it to not grind that well, but it kinda does. Its not the best grinder out there...but don't expect something amazing. As for thumb grinding, its pretty good. wish the inner lip was deeper, because even with my thumb in there, it sometimes doesn't hold.

But there is more to yo's then grinding after all.

Other stuff: what also makes this thing special is that it can be used with the FHZ hubstack kit, and be modded with stacks! While you may have to do some work on them to make it sit flush (the stacks jut out quite a bit.) you can get your CU to G.5 quality if you have the resources. (which overall...qould cost you about $9-20.) Go Alchemy for the compatibility! Kudos!

Overall: Let's put it this way: I hate mini-yos. But this thing showed me the light. Its very suprising, plays great, Only around $60 and extremely versatile (mod wise.) I'm actually considering buying another one and saving my first one for modding purposes. (I never buy 2 of the same yo unless its for 2A/3A) Thats saying something. When these things hit stores....buy one. You'll be surprised yourself.



P.S.:Pics tomorrow when i find a decent camera.

Rating:9/10

[asia306]

really cool, but can you do me a favor? i know yousaid its VERY durable, but could you give me greater detail? i was looking for a metal yo that could handle some serious messing around. just more details would be awesome. but if your too busy or whatever, no worries. =)

[Humphrey]

stainless steel...


It's not perfect. I have seen some monster dings put into these... But, its harder.


Not diamond, but its still strong

[tobiastate]

i'm wanting a C U, made out of titanium >_>

[Red Logic]

stainless steel...


It's not perfect. I have seen some monster dings put into these... But, its harder.


Not diamond, but its still strong

that would be my old CU...OLD as in I sold it to jacob's dad. hahaha
I got a new one though at indy-brand spankin' new from the yyg booth.
I personally do not like this yoyo too much, very un stable IMO

[Eijiken]

really cool, but can you do me a favor? i know yousaid its VERY durable, but could you give me greater detail? i was looking for a metal yo that could handle some serious messing around. just more details would be awesome. but if your too busy or whatever, no worries. =)

as in you can ding it many times and it doesn't affect gameplay.

[mgodinez]

very nice review, i hope to be fortunate enough to have a cu come into my life some day.

mgodinez

cloudy...

[Humphrey]

that would be my old CU...OLD as in I sold it to jacob's dad. hahaha
I got a new one though at indy-brand spankin' new from the yyg booth.
I personally do not like this yoyo too much, very un stable IMO

I thought you said you loved it...

[Chu]

First Few throws: It comes with a stock pad which kinda feels like a kentaro pad. Awesome. I love kentaros. It does the job nicely, but i threw a carbon fiber pad in it like I usually do. I noticed that this thing is in need of a KK bearing. I ordered one, and was sad to find that my KK didn't fit in the bearing seat =( I was crushed. (maybe this time i should order it from theyostore!)

Hey Eijiken. It sounds like you received a Hspin size KK bearing instead of a Duncan size KK (which is what you need). If I was you, I would go talk to the store and ask for an exchange.

[Humphrey]

hspin kk should fit???


It's just wider than a size a.

[Jaco]

hspin kk should fit???
It's just wider than a size a.

No. the Duncan size is 5x10x5 (IDxODxW), H-spin size is 5x11x5 so the outer diameter of the bearing is also larger (in addition to the width).

Good review.

Jaco

[Humphrey]

ahh, my bad.

[sirjoux]

No. the Duncan size is 5x10x5 (IDxODxW), H-spin size is 5x11x5 so the outer diameter of the bearing is also larger (in addition to the width).

Good review.

Jaco

I think you meant 5x10x4 Jaco!

I'll be getting a CU sometime.

[Jaco]

I think you meant 5x10x4 Jaco!

Oops. Indeed. Sorry about the little bit of mis-information - it happens late at night.

Jaco

[mrjuggles]

I will have my CU soon, I'm getting excited.

I should have all 3 of the mini yos to compare shortly, the Eli Dert, CU, and G.5!

[Atomic Cow]

Don't forget the ZzzzipFly or Pocket Rocket.

[mrjuggles]

I almost forgot about the pocket rocket, never knew the ZzzzipFly was a mini!

I should have said I will soon have the 3 'most recently released' mini yos.

[asia306]

then you gotta get the shuriken!

[Bride of Cow]

I also really like the CU. We got one at Nats. It is challenging for me, but not to the point of being unfun, so I think I will play it often enough to force me to improve my throw.

Being a clumsy oaf I appreciate both the durability and the thrill/fear of knowing that eventually I will bash myself in the head with it.

And it looks beautiful spinning. And it looks beautiful examined up close. And it sings nicely.

[bananaman]

I'd definitely like a CU, the shape looks awesome. If I like my G.5 so much I'm sure I'd like the CU more :)

I've seen a couple of pics of the Shuriken, looks tasty! Anyone got any release info on it?