Thread: Agape Review

Hello all!

For those of you who keep up with the forums and whatnot, know Icthus and myself rarely see eye to eye. HOWEVER, I must give Icthus nothing but praise on his new yo-yo! The Agape is a triumph! This thing really is a beast! Just a bit undersized, wide, GREAT SHAPE!, and nice tight binds! All with ABSOLUTELY no vibe whatsoever!
I'm a busy guy today, but I will post pics ASAP.

"ModFather"

Thanks man I've been looking for pics for a while

First full run starting probably Monday!

I'm looking forward to trying one of these out.

Originally Posted by Vendetta

I'm looking forward to trying one of these out.

x2. I have always thought that the Agape looked incredible.

Originally Posted by icthus

First full run starting probably Monday!

Remember who loves you, icky.

I want to try one as well. Looks like a really awesome profile.

Originally Posted by IV

Remember who loves you, icky.

Don't worry Bro!


I really need to talk to Mike.

I happened to get one of the prepro ones, and let me just tell you now that it is not a good idea to hold expectations for this yoyo. Because whatever expectations you have, the Agape will shatter them like yo momma's vase on da floor! IT ROX UR SOX OFF!!!1!1!!!

So, like, where's the review already?

Okay, here's the review I posted on ES. The link at the bottom is to a thread on the ES forum, because my camera doesn't work, otherwise I'd post my own pictures.

I happen to be the lucky recipient of one of the prototypes of IKYO's first yoyo, the Agape. I hadn't heard much about it, there was one thread awhile ago that is hard to find without a search button because the title doesn't even contain a name. Probably the only feedback I had heard of concerning the Agape was negative, having been created at about the same time as the YYJ Eneme; they both look like a metal version of the X-Convict, and I heard that the Agape was a cheap knockoff. Is the Agape just a copycat, or is it something more?

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The packaging wasn't much for the Agape, but since I got a raw prototype I can't speak as to the packaging or coating of the production run, so I won't bash that. But let me tell you, the Agape needs no packaging to accent its beauty. Inside a padded envelope were the two halves of the yoyo wrapped in plastic foam padding. Once I got the padding torn apart, two mirror-polished halves of an aluminum masterpiece awaited my caress. At first, I was afraid to touch it, for fear of marring the shine. It turns out that my fears were completely founded; even the slightest oily residue shows up on the Agape. But I also found out that fingerprints are like dings; the more you get, the less you are afraid of them. Plus, when the yoyo's spinning the fingerprints can't be seen and it looks just as beautifully shiny as it did when Icthus finished polishing it. After putting it together, I had to stop and stare in awe at the 68-gram piece of artistically machined rotational technology sitting in front of me. Later, I came back to reality and started analyzing it.

AESTHETIC QUALITIES
I'll be honest, the size and profile do resemble an X-con. But that's where the similarities end. For one thing, there's no caps. For another thing, it's completely raw, polished beauty. My prototype had some machine marks in the bowl, but 1. that doesn't bug me, and 2. that probably won't be on the production run. There's not much in the way of a hub spike or anything; the axle setscrew is very short and the center weight is kept to a minimum, a la YYF Boss. There's a really nice beefyness to the rim which big-time boosts spintime and rotational inertia. One interesting feature is the 888-esque "step" on the flare, a little line beyond which the yoyo has been shaved down by maybe a hundredth of an inch. This actually enhances the resemblance to the X-Convict, because the line creates the effect of a separate rim. In short, it looks awesome.

PLAY CHARACTERISTICS
First off, it uses a pre-cleaned C-size bearing and a silicone recess, my personal favorite response system. It's completely dead unresponsive with really snappy binds. That said, I'll try to be unbiased. It feels nice in the hand, interesting yet comfortable. The gap is exactly as wide as the bearing is, which is about 0.187 inches. You'd think that there'd be some serious kickback with a gap the size of Jay Leno's chin, but on the Agape you'd be wrong. There is a little, but it's not really any more than any other good yoyo has. It's got a really smooth throw, which brings me to how it plays. In a word, perfectly. The Agape is smoother than Buddy Love coated in Teflon-infused butter, skating on a fresh ice rink. Seriously. Zero wobble, infintesimally small amount of vibe; almost undetectable. When you throw the Agape, you cannot tell by sight that it is spinning unless it's a bad throw. By the way, it doesn't tilt too much on a bad throw, just wobbles a bit, which soon evens out. Sweet sleep times, and layers pushed against the spin are not an issue. It handled an 8-layer Lindy loop without much of a problem. The lack of any semblance of a raised hub, similar to the YYF Boss, means that even my banana fingers can get in there for some nice thumb grinds in the well-shaped IGR. Also, believe it or not, even the raw prepro version finger and arm grinds well. Not outstanding, but well. The X-con-like shape means that on any given finger or arm grind, only a tiny ring around the yoyo actually rubs against your skin, thus reducing friction. I can grind about as long with my raw Agape as with my etched+annoed Envy. I'm looking forward to the finished version, and I hope it's beadblasted. The Agape isn't too big, so it handles pops, tight string configurations and minor adjustments like a champ. On the flip side, it isn't terribly small either; it's got a very nice weight distribution, and it presents a two-inch-wide target for hops, whips and slack. As far as yoyos go, that's HUGE! I.E. easy to catch. It flops quite well, but it doesn't tilt much if you don't want it to. You have to try to tilt it. Trick-wise, it totally ate up anything I tried to make it stop spinning, including combos of my longest combos. Mio, Organized, Rancid Milk, doesn't matter. It destroyed everything I threw at it, and I left it thirsty for more. People say that it's just a metal X-con, but they don't know how wrong they are. The Agape is a high-performance trick Godzilla that can handle about five times the skill I have without breaking a sweat.

CONCLUSION
I'm not sure what the Agape will retail for, but whatever it is, it's worth the money. And it most definitely is NOT a knockoff of the X-Con or the Eneme; it has its own unique personality, and it is easy to love. It's honestly one of the best yoyos I've ever played with. Oxy smooth, Envy stable (OK, not quite), 888 awesome. The best way to sum up the Agape is that it's plain old awesome. It's smooth, it's got a reliable and maintenance-free response system, it looks cool, it's an absolute blast to play with. This has to be my current favorite yoyo just because it's more fun than a barrel o' monkeys. Casey said that there will be a limited raw run of 7075 aluminum, and then future runs will all be anodized; you better believe it's gonna be awesome! If you can get your hands on this yoyo, you will not regret it. I promise you. As a wise man once said, "It equals love, and it ain't a Duncan!"

Pictures

i thought it was fine to link to other forums if they werent associated to another store luke? or maybe im just crazy (most likely)
EDIT "But links to advertise other yoyo forums is a Big no no! (2/23/06)" lol i guess i havent read the board rules since 06....

You're crazy, dude

good grief i can't wait for mine!!!

Mee too!

Me Three. The Agape looks awesome.

Casey, you don't have to wait for yours; you're the guy that made them!

I'm waiting on my 150 of them!

My Review is here..on the Agape (decided to add my review into this thread too)

Specs
Diameter: 53 mm
Width: 41mm
Weight: I can't find my scale but it feels to be 65-67g



First Impression: Okay my first impression of this yoyo, well let me say that it caught me by surprise and wasn't expecting to get one of these but this is what showed up to me. I was pretty excited b/c the shape is like one of two shapes that I really like, and I heard many raving about it so I was excited to see how it played. I think I am going to get this bead blasted and anodized later in its life though, however this yoyo doesn't need it.



Play: This yoyo is smooth with just that little vibe that I really enjoy in yoyos so I know where they are and how they are spinning (probably due to my bearing). It was a bit grabby in the beginning do to the flush silicone but I think it was a good choice, so it will last longer. The yoyo is also so large that you will not forget about it (this is a good thing) It has an awesome feel in the hand, quite comfortable (unless you return the yoyo at high speeds then the sharp edges may give you a love tap) Also I normally don't like wide yoyos, however I really enjoy this yoyo; it has tremendous stability I haven't had this yoyo twist off its axis (by itself during play) yet.

[Grinds] This yoyo is amazing for grinding no matter what type of grind; finger, arm, IRG, or heck a face grind if you're into that kind of thing. But I think this yoyo is like one of the best all around grinding yoyos, I can get this yoyo to grind up my arm then back down and pop it back onto the string without any change in the stability. It also returns with a good amount of power and speed, I was able to do that little arm grind sequence like 5 times before I had to return it (I probably could of squeezed out more). But that is due to the raw metal, like if this yoyo was bead blasted and anodized it will grind forever.

IRG-This groove is very unique and one of the best IRG grooves, it is basically two angled flat faces thus when meeting forming a corner, in which your thumb or other finger of your choice will sit. The angled faces give you plenty of room, so if you have bigger fingers this yoyo can handle them.

This is hard to see but I took this for Brownfox (someone on another forum), the IRG groove..


oh and I guess there is also a preview of my painting that will be coming soon : P


Guts: Flush silicone, yes grabby when first gotten but it will wear down eventually. I actually like slightly more response for 5A so the flush silicone was a good thing haha. Then it has a 'C' sized bearing...nothing more to say here about the guts, well I may get a 10-ball for this yoyo b/c I think it deserves one haha

Final Thoughts: This yoyo is sweet one of my favorites for either 1A or 5A, it can handle them both with amazing control and playability. The yoyo is very solid and an amazing grinder for whatever grind you throw at it. Yes it does make sure you know where it is at all times b/c of its size but that doesn't make it play floaty (like jockeys said) it does play 'precise' all of its specs work with one another to create an extremely stable, solid yoyo. The Catch Zone is huge but at the same time you can control it to hit the exact strings you want and it doesn't really pick up random string segments as it's going through a trick. Catch Zone is also killer for the 5A, one of my favorite 5A shapes like a cross between a 401k and xcon. So if you are able to get one of these yoyos, it is worth it.

Awesome job Casey!!

SEE !..........I told ya'll monthe ago that this is an awesome yo-yo from an awesome guy. I'm glad that everyone else is finally catching on....