Recess First Base & First Base Fingerspin

The First Base was designed by Jeffrey Pang and Tyler Severance and first released in 2016, in that time there have been a ton of colors and special editions, and the First Base has become one the go-to yoyos for people starting out their new hobby. What sets the First Base apart is a few things; it’s really well designed to play as a responsive yoyo, and each First Base is still hand tested by Tyler Severance himself, so the QC is pretty high for a budget plastic yoyo.
Even though the First Base is marketed as a cheap beginner’s yoyo, it’s fun to go back and play with it as an advanced player. It’s just a fun yoyo. It’s well-balanced and powerful for a plastic yoyo, but doesn’t come across as overly bulky. Even though I’m an advanced player, I still go back to the First Base a lot, and I prefer over some pricier yo-yos.

The First Base Fingerspin was a bit different, it played identically to the regular First Base but had a fingerspin dimple bored into it. It probably worked pretty well, but I wasn’t very good at fingerspins back then, so I had trouble hitting it exactly in the dimple. I would probably do better with it today. Definitely a cool color, and I really wish I had kept one of these. Those sold out pretty quick even in 2018, maybe it’s time for Recess to bring this edition back?

Our first shipment of First Bases were Safety Orange, Teal, Clear, and Purple Fingerspin edition. I think we got what seemed at the time to be a huge number or about 60. We got a cool handwritten note from Tyler Severance, who I now consider a good friend.
Of course the First Base is available at the Motmot Shop, and we’ll stock it as long as Recess still makes it!

Super old and slightly awkward video of Tyler explaning the new colors.

iYoyo 2 and HiDRA by iYoyo

I don’t intend the Motmot Yoyo Archive to be the definitive archive of every aspect of certain yoyos. It’s more of a story and personal memories associated with yoyos we’ve carried in the Motmot Shop. I will be very honest and say that I cannot remember very much about either of these two yoyos, I have no recollection about how the play or the specs. They’re both early iYoyo models and probably played pretty well. In the early days, I didn’t have much of a budget, and didn’t keep many of the yoyos we ordered.
The iYoyo 2 was pretty interesting and came with responsive and unresponsive bearings, so it was pretty beginner friendly. The HiDRA was a more performance focused yoyo, and iYoyo recently released the HiDRA NXG.

There is one amusing story involving these yoyos. I few years earlier I made friends with a very cool dude from Argentina who went by the name of Ey Pacha! Ey Pacha! was a clown, literally. He wore big funny shoes, put on make up, and made people laugh for a living.
His parents were both circus performers and he went into the family business. He could play music with a saw, perform magic, and he made some very cool ballon sculptures. Ey Pacha! made his living by travelling around the world and performing at busking events, and he would occasionally pass through Austria. Fast forward a few years later and Ey Pacha! had also started to play yoyo, and so of course we became friends over our shared hobby. I do remember Ey Pacha! buying the HiDRA and the iYoyo 2, if I recall correctly, he left a bunch of yoyos on a train somewhere and had to buy them again. Either way Ey Pacha! is a very cool dude and a very funny individual.

What a wonderful world, indeed!

Iceberg (Classic) by iYoyo

The modern Iceberg (left) the classic Iceberg (right)

Hey time flies! It’s been about a year since I updated the yoyo archive. It’s coincidentally summer break, so I have a bit of time to rock this project, so let’s pick up where we left off. After receiveing our monumental first YoyoFactory order, I had recently discovered that there was a yoyo company operating out of Germany and they had some cool-looking yoyos. So I meekly contacted iYoyo, and within a few days they had arrived at our shop, in our original iYoyo order we received the Iceberg Classic, iYoyo2, and the HiDRA. Conicidentally, Estonian yoyo player Nicolas Lotman was visiting Vienna the day we recieved them. I didn’t know it at the time but Nicolas was pretty well known in the European yoyo scene, and he busted out some pretty dope tricks. I had just gotten back into yoyo and could barely do a trapeze, and Nicolas blew my mind!

The Iceberg is a hybrid yoyo that is made of machined polycarbonate plastic, and has beefy steel rims. As a result the Iceberg plays more like a bi-metal than it does a plastic yoyo. The original Iceberg was definitely a call back to some of the classic Yoyo Jam designs, and iYoyo has done a few modern updates of classic Yoyo Jam designs. But for iYoyo the Iceberg is the hit song. It’s a great all around yoyo, that has won a few competitions, and the Iceberg keeps selling.
We had a number of Icebergs of varing color over the years, and the Iceberg remains one of our top selling yoyos. In 2021 iYoyo released the new 4mm wider Iceberg, which managed to keep the feel and play style of the classic Iceberg, which is something of a small miracle in yoyo design.  
Here’s a fun fact; unlike most bi-metals which are a bit fragile, the Iceberg is a workhorse and you can beat the living daylights out of one and it will still play. I’ve seen people do “walk the dog” on concrete with an Iceberg and the yoyo still play decently well.

Back in the early days, I really watched a lot of yoyo videos. Tok Yo-yo was one of my favorite channels. T put in so much effort and there is so much great yoyo information from that era. Well worth a deep dive into the Tok Yo-yo archives.

YoyoFactory Edge

I remember when I placed our first yoyo order, we had to have the EDGE! Evan Nagao was the top player, and he would go on to win U.S. Nationals and the World Yoyo Competition in 2018 using the EDGE, Evan’s 2018 U.S. Nationals is still my favorite 1st place freestyle of all time. It was the hottest yoyo on the market at that time.
I remember ordering two of the red with gold splash EDGE, and I was really nervous about stocking something that seemed so expensive, little did I know that this was just the beginning!
There were numerous variations of the EDGE over the years, and the Motmot Shop stocked nearly all of them. This would be one of the early versions of the EDGE, but I do not believe this would have been the first run, it appears that each version of the EDGE had little tweaks and changes, and the 2018 edition was the second version, although YoyoFactory never officially called it the EDGE 2.0.

Weight: 64.6 g
Diameter: 55.04 mm
Width: 46.9 mm
Trapeze Width (mm)44
Material: 6061 Aluminum Stainless Steel Rims
Bearing Type C Center Trac
Response: YYF Red Pads
Released: 2016

Basecamp Expedition

Basecamp was a collaboration between Caribou Lodge and YoyoFactory that ran from 2016-2020. The Expedition was a mash-up of the YYF Aviator 2, CLYW Orca, and some Shutter mixed in for good measure. Featuring a strong Caribou Lodge inspired design, the Expedition is a competition focused yoyo.
When starting out in the yoyo biz, I was very attracted to the CLYW/Basecamp design style, and my first modern yoyo was a Basecamp Sherpa. Luckily for me, Basecamp was being distributed in the EU by YoyoFactory. However, the Expedition was one of those yoyos that didn’t end up in my collection, and I really wish I had hung onto one of these. C’est la vie.
They made a long-form promo video for the Basecamp Expedition, which has aged very well, if it has aged at all.

Weight 66.3g
Diameter: 55.61 mm
Width: 44.65 mm
Material Aluminum (6061)
Bearing: Size C Center Trac
Response: Caribou Lodge Snow Tires
Release Year: 2016

YoyoFactory Shutter

It’s the YoyoFactory Shutter! Signature model of 2013 and 2019 World Yoyo Champion Gentry Stein. We’ve had a number of Shutters in stock over the years, and our very first order had the classic Red, Black, and Aqua color variations. Like a lot of people, the Shutter was my first “nice” yoyo, and there was no way we weren’t getting the Shutter in the Motmot Shop. The Shutter has remained in stock at the Motmot Shop since 2018.
The Shutter remains a viable yoyo, over a decade after it’s release. A lot of folks online will tell you the Shutter is outdated, but I say the Shutter is still a great yoyo for anyone looking for a first unresponsive metal yo-yo. The Shutter has a lot of center weight so it’s extremely stable, but still has a decent amount of power. The shape is extremely versatile, and in many ways the Shutter ushered in a new era of yo-yo design, that we are still living in.
The Shutter has remained in production since 2013, and you can pick up a Shutter at the Motmot Shop.
https://www.motmotdesign.com/tshirts/yoyofactory-shutter

Diameter: 56 mm
Width: 44.40 mm
Gap Width: 4.75 mm
Weight: 67.8 grams
Bearing: Size C Center Trac
Response: YYF Slim Pad (19mm)
First Release: 2013

YoyoFactory Northstar Fingerspin

The Northstar Fingerspin was a pretty interesting, if flawed, yo-yo in my opinion. At the time I was not aware of the storied history of this family of yoyos, and that this version was, essentially, the last in the series that was pretty revolutionary for it’s time. The polycarbonate body featured an extra aluminum weight right to give it extra power and stability.
The origin of the Northstar Fingerspin began with the John Ando Protostar released in 2009, which led to the Jensen Kimmett Northstar in 2010. The 2017 Northstar Fingerspin, shaves off a few grams, and added a fingerspin cup. Unfortunately, the Northstar Fingerspin also had a serious flaw, the bearing seat was a made of aluminum, and was basically crammed into the body of the yoyo, if the bearing seat stuck to the bearing it wouldn’t separate, and it resulted in what some have called “death grip” which made the yoyo a vibey mess.
However, I don’t want to sell this yoyo-short, the Northstar was also revolutionary when is was released in 2010, and this yoyo was used to with the 1A world championship, and that winning routine is regarded by many as one of the best winning routines of all time.
We had these in stock for a long time, I mentioned to Vashek Kroutil that we still had some from 2018, and that there might be some collectors interested.
You can grab a reissue of the 2010 Northstar at the Motmot Shop!
https://www.motmotdesign.com/tshirts/yoyofactory-northstar-2010

Weight 64.6 g
Diameter 56.15 mm
Width 43.13 mm
Body Material Plastic (Polycarbonate/ABS/PS) Aluminum Rim
Bearing: C Center Trac Bearing
Response System Slim (OD 19mm)
Release Year 2017

Jensen Kimmitt 2010 World Yoyo Contest vistory using the Northstar. This routine holds up really well, and dang Jensen was killing it. So good.

YoyoFactory Replay Pro

The Replay Pro is a budget unresponsive yoyo, and signature model of yoyo champ Gentry Stein. It’s pretty interesting that Gentry Stein didn’t go for a plastic Shutter, but a completely different type of yo-yo. The Replay Pro is about as cheap as an unresponsive yoyo can get, and it’s still a solid performer. Gentry Stein went on to win the 2015 US National Yoyo championship with a Replay Pro.
The Replay Pro is available in a very wide array of some really cool colors, and it also lights up like crazy under a black light, if you’re into that kind of thing. It’s a testament to the design that, we still stock the Replay Pro to this day. The Replay Pro serves as a great gift yo-yo, and a low budget starter yoyo.
You can still get one at the Motmot Shop!
https://www.motmotdesign.com/tshirts/yoyofactory-replay-pro

Specs:
Diameter: 58.3 mm
Width: 43.8 mm
Gap Width: 4.80 mm
Weight: 68.5 grams
Bearing Size: Center Trac Size C
Response: CBC 19mm slim pad
First Release: 2015
Ships in a special Replay Pro YYF Tall Box.

YoyoFactory F.A.S.T. 201

The F.A.S.T. 201 came in our initial shipment, and I’ve always had mixed feelings about this yo-yo. F.A.S.T. stands for Fully Active Starburst Technology, and it was a pretty big deal when it came out in 2003. If I had gotten one of these instead of a Henry’s Viper in 2004, my life might have turned out differently.
By 2018 the starburst response felt pretty outdated, and honestly it’s not the nicest yoyo to play with, the feeling of the yoyo’s teeth digging into the string is not a pleasant feeling. I believe we only stocked this once or twice, I felt here are just better options for starting out.
It’s still in production, and the F.A.S.T. 201 is one of YoyoFactory’s best selling yoyos.
The FAST 201 largely lives on in the YoTricks Fizz.
There is a very cool promo that YYF shot featuring some well-known players.
Photos provided by YoyoFactory

Weight: 63.6g
Diameter: 56.5mm
Width: 55.6mm
Gap Width: 2.8mm
Bearing: CBC Small Spec Bearing
Response: Starburst Response

YoyoFactory Velocity

The YoyoFactory Velocity was one of the very first yoyos that we stocked in our shop. It’s a pretty interesting idea; and YoyoFactory put a lot of effort into it’s development, instead of opening up a yoyo and swapping bearings, you could use the dial for varying degrees of responsiveness.
While this is a cool idea, it’s not my favorite yoyo, and there are better options for beginners. I believe we stopped stocking it after we sold our first shipment.
These are still in production! Shipped in standard YoyoFactory small box.
Photos provided by YoyoFactory.

Diameter: 54.6mm
Width: 38.7mm
Gap Width : 3.7mm
Response System: Central Bearing Co - CBC Large Pad
Slim Pad Size 19mm OD
Weight: 62.4 g
Bearing Size: Size A

Some of my very early yo-yo photography work!

YoyoFactory One

The YoyoFactory One remains one of our core yoyos that we stock on a regular basis. It’s really durable and great for kids and casual responsive players. It ships with an unresponsive bearing, and is adequate for learning basic unresponsive binds and tricks. It’s still great for smaller kids looking for a good starter yoyo, or someone looking for a yoyo on a budget or for a group.
Comes in a standard YoyoFactory '“tall” box.

I still have my original orange ONE I purchased from Petr Kavka at Slusny!
Photos provided by YoyoFactory.

Diameter: 53 mm
Width: 38 mm
Weight: 56.5 grams
Bearing Size: YYF half spec / flat size “C’
Material: molded polycarbonate

Welcome to the Motmot Yoyo Archive.

Welcome to the Motmot Yoyo Archive! Since 2018 the Motmot Shop has been carrying yoyos from yoyo makers big and small, and we’ve had hundreds of models in stock, and we have some relevant information and photos of most of the yoyos we’ve carried over the years.
From a pragmatic point of view, we find it necessary to delete the pages of yoyos that we no longer carry, or that are out of production, and it would be a shame to lose all of that knowledge and information, I have noticed that information on old yoyos can be hard to come by.
Just a note: things like specs are provided by the manufacturers, so don’t come crying to me because some yoyo is 0.04g lighter than what I have posted here.
This will not be a review page, but if there is some relevant information, I will add it when it’s relevant or I just feel like it.

This photo was taken on the first day we started stocking yoyos in 2018. This photo is dated June 8th 2018!

The first day we stocked yoyo’s was June 8th 2018! Earlier in the year, I got bit by the yoyo bug in a big way, I had been yoyoing on and off since the late 1980’s, but this time was different!
Of course YoyoFactory was going to be our first order. I was happy to know that YoyoFactory Europe were located in Prague, and are really friendly and helpful people.
Receiving our first order was like opening up presents on Christmas morning, the feeling was pretty amazing, and just by sheer coincidence, a legendary Viennese yoyo player named Nico stopped by and showed me some rad yoyo tricks! I don’t have Nico’s contact so if any of you reading this know him, drop me a line!