;D
HUGE impressions from my first 7075 throw! I just cant get over how much better it is that the 6065 6061 ones.
Let me start over.
I have a summit (berry berry), and I freaking love it. But after lots and lots of hours, its starting to show its war scars. Dinged, scraped, scratched, and still plays like a baws. had to sand a few of the worst ones down with a 600 grit stick to eliminate the feeling of the dings.
Puttin’ the miles on it for sure.
WELL. . . .
The Vinson 7 Summits dropped and I caught one. I was hesitant to pull the trigger on one for a few reasons. I was not convinced that the 7075’s description of “more durable” was not much more than marketing ploy to make it sound special. Knowing that the 7 summits are very limited runs, I was also afraid that I due to rarity and price, it would be more a collector than a player, looking pretty on the shelf collecting dust. Also since I already had a summit, I wasnt sure if they would be different enough from each other to be “worth it” since the original summit was such a slayer!
I could NOT have been more wrong.
The Seven Summits is a masterpiece! The flow, the feel, the power, the sound, and most of all the durability! After getting this new one, i tend to grab it first and put more time on it than anything else I own. Its fast, but can roll slow, its powerful but still light. After about 20-30 or so hours on this one, IT STILL LOOKS BRAND NEW!! Granted I keep it polished with Buff, but there is zero marks, marrs, scratches, dings, dents, nothing! And ive hit some things really hard. My belt for instance. I straight up dinged my old summit bad on my belt. did the same thing (on accident) with the 7 summits, and its still flawless!
Bottom line, my thoughts on how the two materials feel to me side by side after a ton of play time: 6065 6061 = aluminum foil
7075 = stainless steel
Why isnt 7075 the “norm”? its SOOoooo much better in every way that I can tell.
The reason that 7075 isn’t the “norm” is because It can be more difficult to machine, the price of it is higher thus raising the price of the yoyo, and a lot of companies just don’t see the play benefits of it. Also, I believe that the first summit was made of 6061, not 6065.
Thank you for the breakdown of these two though! I’ve been interested in the differences between these two, and it was a nice little write up
7075 isn’t necessarily “better” than 6061. If you’re speaking of just pure performance though, then sure. 7075 can be better than 6061.
There are other factors though like pricing, feel on the string, and anodizing options that could make other people prefer 6061. Honesty though, I’ve used enough 6061, 6065, 7075, bi-metal, and even titanium yoyos to know that the material is truly not the biggest factor. It’s about the designer.
7075 is more difficult to anodize. You like amazing splash ano? Well flaws show up more often. Let’s say you have 25 of a colorway made and only 8 are smooth and without flaws. Not only does the metal cost more, but it can also destroy full runs of yo-yos. This runs up the cost on the companies end.
Imagine marketing a huge run of 7075 versions of all your models. You have almost 500 yoyos made and anodized, then after assembly you notice only 20% made it out okay. Your big run of 7075 greatness is now a big disappointment and your set back financially.
I didnt mean for this to be a review post, but rather just a rave about what I think to be an excellent material. The back story about the two was just that, a back story. Ill make the “real” review now…
I didnt know about the difficulties in ano’s and 7075. Make my 7 summit even more special then!
I think the feel is preferable as well. Not saying the the best but as far a durability goes, im blown away at both how well it holds up, and how soft the others are in comparison. Its really surprising to me.
You are indeed correct. The properties of 7075 do lend themselves to creating better performance and durability when compared to 6061. Many will like to focus on the “designer”. To me, that is a bit of a smokescreen since many designs have been executed in both 6061 and 7075 to wide acclaim. About the only negative is if the 6061 version is already a bit heavy (Code2/ Code2 GZR). If there was no difference in performance, however, there would be no 7075 throws being made for reasons of cost.
The most interesting comments come from the manufacturer above. Clearly, the reasons cited for making 6061 are about the yo-yo manufacturer; not the actual play of the yo-yo itself. It also explains why 7075 yo-yo’s are more expensive. The quality control problems seem to result in more b-grade yo-yo’s than with 6061. Cutting into profits, or increased yo-yo prices can explain why most yo-yo’s are 6061 not 7075, despite the obvious difference in performance.
FYI, I raised this issue with manufacturers years ago encountered a bit of resistance from many in the community (lets leave it at that). At that time only Yoyorecreation was using 7075. Now OneDrop has the GZR line (…get it? ;D) and there are lots of 7075 yo-yo’s made by many manufacturers.
Sometimes the “obvious difference in performance” is just a heavier feel on the string. 7075 versions of yo-yos can be great. Sometimes they’re better than the original. However, some designs don’t lend themselves to the material. They are simply heavier feeling versions of their 6061 brother.
Oh and yes, on my part it is a business decision. I’m barely getting my feet wet. One fatal mistake, and I’m sunk. Businesses have to assess risks vs rewards. The inherent risks in making a 7075 yo-yo are to much at this time for me. Should I make 50 amazing 7075 yo-yos and sell 10, or should I make 50 amazing 6061 yoyos and sell 40? I’m sure most people just starting out would pick the latter.
I don’t speak for other well established companies, just my own start up. Their reasons for not making a 7075 yo-yo could be the same as mine. Maybe they’re not.
My 7075 Prototype Phoenix is really heavy, but other than that, it is awesome. Out of concrete, brick, wood, tile, iron bars, the only the thing that has seriously put a ding in it was the brick. I definitely enjoy this factor.
I find this very interesting. It being so much harder to decorate I could see it impacting runs, at least until better understanding of the matarial and ano processes relationships, or find other means of decor, maybe hydrodip? Im really ignorant to how its done so forgive me if I am way off base here.
However, saying it being “more expensive” i dont see that much difference in price really. I paid 130-ish for my berry berry summit, and 160-ish for the Vinson 7 Summit. For it being 7075 AND limited to a tiny run of 50, I dont think its that much more expensive at all in perspective.
In this case of the summit and 7 summits, the 7075 is lighter by several grams, so my love for it is not for a heavier feel, but a lighter, more nimble, and so much stronger one. I know it wont always be the case, but If there is a choice of a 6061 and a 7075, ill take the 7075 now every time.
I did say some 7075 versions can surpass their original 6061 brethren. Especially if the design caters to the material. In the case of the 7 summit, CLYWxOD reworked the design to fit the material. This isn’t always the case.
Funny. The best anodization that I have seen have been on yyrs. A company that is known for ano flaws and uses 7075. 7075 makes ano pop so much more than 6061.
At least the splashes.