The Ultimate Beginner Fingerspin Yoyo - Reimagined as an Affordable Plastic Yoyo.
This is again Jeffrey Pang writing, and by now you will have likely seen the video for this project. Its funny because this was actually supposed to be the original Cheatcode but we didn’t have the time or resources back then to make this happen. As you likely know now from the video - making a plastic yoyo is incredibly hard, and expensive. The up front capital for injection molding is insane and the things that go wrong, likely will. My last proper injection molded project was the SKYVA and there was a reason why I never made another injection molded only yoyo.
But when Brandon expressed his desire to make a cheaper Cheatcode I was all ears. I saw how excited kids were about the original Cheatcode and we both knew that it was too expensive for a casual yoyoer or beginner to try out. After all - it was built using premium materials and we chose to spare no expenses. But with this new wave of yoyoers, we knew that we had to lower the barrier to entry by somehow lowering the price but keeping the fingerspin and competition performance. This was something that I thought at first would be easy but we both quickly found out would be very hard.
As you can see above, Brandon and I went through 9 different prototypes before we got to the end result. Brandon was also very strict about the performance of this yoyo. Although it looks very welcoming and toy like - he wanted to win contests with this yoyo. It had to be not just stable but competition level stable. With all the different changes, he was able to bring home 1st place at CZ national yoyo contest using this very yoyo. Not only was that a testament to Brandon’s yoyoing ability but to the Cheatcode’s ability to help him nail those difficult combos with its wider profile. This was the proof we needed that we were going in the right direction with the prototypes.
In my years of yo-yoing, I often got asked “What yoyo should I start with” and although there is a great existing selection, it is rare to find a yoyo that covered the performance necessary for 3 things - Responsive complete novice friendly, Insanely good finger spin capability, and unresponsive competition level performance. This is what we aimed to do and if you watch the Youtube documentary - it was not an easy task. You’ll see at one point we almost gave up. The amount of effort and prototyping we put into this yoyo has been the most of any yoyo project I have ever tackled - and was pushed to the limits with Brandon’s performance demands.
Luckily what you see here is the final result. A yoyo we are not just proud of, but proud to recommend to our friends and family. There was a moment when we ran the Offset Expo where I really felt that the new generation was here. They learned so quick, and they demanded products that perform. They wanted a yoyo that can do it all - and they wanted it at a lower cost. Also gone are the days of obscure unresponsive yoyoing - people are now learning about modern yoyoing quicker then ever through social media and are eager to try out this new hobby. This yoyo just made sense - it made sense that it is the yoyo that this new generation needs. At the same time its just a really fun yoyo. It has unusual proportions that does make landing your tricks easier. 53mm is no joke - but at the same time you get used to it so quick to the point that you pick up something else after and feels outdated.
I could go on and on about the design but I feel like our documentary really covers this yoyo well this time. Overall, this has been one of those insane learning experiences working again with one of the most talented and hardest working people in the world. Brandon’s input on the design and performance had pushed this yoyo to a level even I didn’t think was possible. There were times when we were actually ready to throw in the towel with the manufacturing difficulties we faced. But at the end it felt worth it. Seeing how much yoyoing has impacted the parents and kids at our Offset Expo event made it worth it. It was something that we felt this new generation needs - and I personally believe is the ultimate iteration of the Cheatcode.
