Japan Technology Frost: A Glenacius Review

Japan Technology Frost Review

Titanium is probably the best material for a yoyo. Its strength is comparable to steel, yet it is light and can be machined very thinly. However, it has taken a long time for manufacturers (with the exception of a few) to take the material very seriously. Just consider the common use of Ti puns.

One manufacturer that takes any material they use very seriously is Japan Technology. They carefully research the best materials for making yoyos and create the most suitable designs for maximising the potential of any material they use. They simply will not quit until they have achieved their particular goals for each model they set out to make.

Their previous (and first) titanium model was the Ribira and was in development for 2 years. It is an excellent yoyo to say the least, and as far as I can tell, has no lacking performance qualities whatsoever. It stands out as one of the finest titanium designs ever, and few who have used one would disagree.

The Frost is their second titanium yoyo. It uses the design of the Ribira as its base and was created for super stability and spin power, but to also retain maximum speed and manoeuvrability. But can a company make already one of the greatest performing yoyos even better? Japan Technology thinks so.

Specs:

Diameter: 56.5mm
Width: 42.5mm
Gap width: 4.5mm
Weight: 68.1g

The Frost comes raw with a very slightly brushed looking finish. Due to hardness of the material and how difficult it is to machine, this is likely just how it comes out from the lathe. The profile bears a hybrid between W and H shape, although it is further towards W. The steps in the profile inverse slightly which gives it an H characteristic.

Opening it up reveals JT pad and a JT concave bearing. The pads are great quality and give reliable binds. The bearing it comes with is fine. It’s reliable, but needs a good long break in for it to quiet down. I swapped mine out for a Pixel Bearing as you can see. The reason why I did not put the stock bearing back in the yoyo for the photo is because the bearing was difficult to get out. Bearings sit very tight in this yoyo, but it is possible to remove them. Note: the Frosts that YYE stock come with an NSK Double Straight bearing.

Performance-wise, the Frost lives up to everything it was designed to do. It spins a VERY strongly and has extreme stability. I realise that this can be said for many yoyos, and often is, but it really does have these performance characteristics to the degree I have stated. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this yoyo is that it feels unusually light when considered it is over 68g, and on top of this, it has all the manoeuvrability of a yoyo that is mid weighted (although it has heavy rim weighting). It can move every bit as fast as you want it to and changes direction with ease. It will keep up comfortably with any and all of your combo elements. It’s horizontal performance and ease of use is superb. How about feel? Hefty, yet very friendly. Although they have used a very hard material, they have achieved a soft feel comparable to many of my 6061 yoyos. The overall performance balance and feel of this yoyo is a remarkable feat that can only be achieved by a great commitment to research and development and design mastery. It seems to reconcile in one yoyo any performance characteristic you could ask for; not in the vein of ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’, but, ‘Jack of all trades and master of just about everything’ (perhaps finger grinding could be slightly better, but this is nitpicking).

The Japan Technology Frost retails for about $400 USD… This is without doubt a huge price for a yoyo, but if you can, I would suggest you use the majority of your yearly yoyo fund to purchase one of these. I have not played a better performing yoyo to date. So which yoyo comes second? None other than Japan Technology Ribira. The Frost has managed to best the Ribira in every area of performance and (in my opinion) play feel. I can hardly wait to see what their next titanium yoyo will be.

3 Likes

Thanks for this great review.
It is hard to imagine that JT can make anything better than the Rebira. I am already plotting my next bank-robbery to pay for this new beast.

It was hard for me to imagine something better than the Ribira, too. The Frost has a much more fuller and robust feel and performance than the Ribira.