Yo-Yo France

SteamRoller 2nd run review

Let’s be honnest, it’s not everyday that one could associate « innovation » with the word « France« . But the truth is, our country is packed with hidden talents, hard working and passionate people able to design products of very high quality standards. You might remember, a few months back, pictures of the SteamRoller‘s 1st run, many people doubted this « novelty throw » would end up offering high level quality play.

We were amongst the first, here at yoyo france, to be able to test the prototype version, we were amongst the first to realize how serious this yoyo was, that it’s design was, in fact, very well thought and allowed high performance along with a very specific play feel. The SteamRoller is the kind of throw that keeps calling you back, making tricks somewhat easier, combos somewhat smoother, faster, better.

Now with it’s 2nd run, the SteamRoller confirms our first impressions and polished the few bits that needed it, making the SteamRoller one of the very first, if not THE first high performance french yoyo.

Packaging

While the prototype didn’t have any proper packaging, the current run comes with it’s specific cylindric box as well as a graou string and two high performance bearings. The string was already mounted on the yoyo and cut an an average length, which is no surprise as Alexandre Valin himself tests every SteamRoller before shipping, talk about quality control.

In the hand

It’s dimensions can be somewhat intimidating, but once in your hand, the SteamRoller sits very nicely, just like any other throw, and the same goes for binds, despite it’s sharp edges, the yoyo will not hurt you, unless you get it in the face, which is, usually, not the best place for a yoyo to end up.

In play

This is every thrower’s main concern, how well the yoyo plays? And with such a shape, this question is rather legitimate. Well, let’s put it this way: The SteamRoller is not only a yoyo able to deliver very high performance, stability and long spin times, but it’s also a very fun and rewarding throw. The unusual weight distribution might be one explanation here, making this yoyo so unique once in play. The general feel is hard to explain with words, but it definitely has something « else », some would say something « more », this little thing that makes you go back to this very throw every now and then, this « gimmick » that you won’t find in any other throw around. The general weight is on average’s light side with 63g, making it very well balanced and able to perform very well at any play speed. The spin in itself is long, very smooth and very stable which is rather surprising for a throw with that much character. This throw will build your confidence, invite you to try new tricks and combos and improve your skills. Really, the SteamRoller will make you comfortable in any given situation and surprisingly enough, once you get the hang of it, you’ll also be able to perform a few grinds.

Tech

Let’s check out the specs

Shape: U
Weight: 63g
Width: 47.80 mm
Diameter: 49.15 mm
Gap: 4.40 mm
Bearing: 5*11*5
Response : Cross Pads

The SteamRoller is now avalaible with high quality anodisation as well as laser engravings, each SteamRoller has it’s own number as this is a limited run (200 were made). You can find it in various colors, Red, Purple, Tiffany Blue and Apple Green, you can also find very few pink versions in some webshops (such as our partner: la tienda del yoyo)

When you look at the specs, you can imagine what kind of influence they might have on the general play, but also you can imagine the hard work necessary to make such a throw into such a performer.

To sum up…

Xcube really delivered a masterpiece in this SteamRoller. This is a well thought and well designed throw and Alexandre Valin really found the perfect balance allowing to get the most performance out of this uncommon shape. This is a very different yoyo, of course, but the SteamRoller is also a result of hard and passionate work, trial and error, leading to what we have today, which is a very high quality performer, on par with much more expensive yoyos, full of new sensations for the player. Don’t get fooled by it’s price, similar performance in other brands costs much more than that. We can already see it’s influence on other throws from other brands, maybe we’re holding a piece of modern yoyo history in our hands and, for once, the innovation came from France.

Xcube website

you can also download our SteamRoller desktop wallpapers

This entry was posted on Samedi, avril 9th, 2011 at 20:13. It is filed under In english and tagged with France, review, SteamRoller, Xcube, Xela. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.