the making of nation

Nate Dailey had asked to join the team back in late 2022, early 2023. We were originally hoping to have a yoyo done for him by Nationals that year, and to release in conjunction with his announcement. Instead, we decided to take our time, and to really make something that was perfect for him.

With someone as experienced as Nate, it’s easy to put on paper what he wants. However, his yoyoing is very dynamic. Generally, when I make a yoyo for someone, I try to design something that would aid their style. Nate has an eclectic collection of tricks, so it’s hard to design something that highlights everything he does.

Nate has demanding horizontal tricks. Yoyos that are designed for horizontal tricks generally have low walls. Nate also loves to do regen and moon tricks. Yoyos that are designed for regen and moon tricks have high walls. How do we make a yoyo that can highlight both?

When Nate first joined the team, I sent him a bunch of yoyos for him to get an idea of what he would want in a yoyo. originally, i designed the yoyo to be extremely capable for regens and moons, while still giving the yoyo decent horizontal play. after some stress testing, we decided that the yoyo wasn’t rim weighted enough, and that we put too much emphasis on the regen and moon. it needed to be a yoyo that thrives in horizontal play, and can still do moons, not a yoyo that thrives in moons, but can still do horizontal. we scaled back the higher wall on the yoyo, removed the dome on the cup, and it solved the problem. The cuts on the yoyo are carefully placed to allow the yoyo to still feel organic while giving clearance for the string on horizontals. The rims we decided to make round for maximum comfort, even on high speed binds.

We actually made two versions of this yoyo, one monometal and one bimetal. It was my original thought that the monometal would suit Nate more, but in designing both, we decided that the bimetal was more suitable for his demanding play. We’re really happy to be able to deliver this yoyo at a low cost of 100 USD to you all.

“left, prototype. right, final product.”