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!