This is our first time issuing a second signature for a player. How do you improve a near perfect product? After failing three prototypes, we flew him over to the US to test.

We first started by addressing an issue regarding nimbleness. The Flash is already a very powerful and nimble yoyo, but we thought that we could increase the effectiveness. To do this, we changed the material from 6061 Aluminium to 7075 Aluminum. We removed about 40% of the wall’s thickness, and redistributed that towards the rim.

Finally, the rim is more friendly than before. With a rounder, heavier rim, no sacrifice is made for speed, and every return to the hand more comfortable than before.

Yuki’s first competition using production run Flashback was the 2018 World Yo-Yo Competition, in which he earned 3rd place in the 1A Finals.

Yuki Nishisako only needs the Flashback. What more could you need?

Cognition is a diverse yo-yo. Although its weight is on the heavier side at 67 grams, the distribution of the stainless steel ring and the yo-yo’s wide shape allows it to be able to move freely like a lighter yo-yo but have the stability of a yo-yo at its weight, making it able to tackle any trick type - something tricky to get right for Colin’s diverse style in two divisions, 1A and 3A. Primarily related to the other UNPRLD inner-ring bimetal yo-yo, the Ignition, the Cognition is a more stretched out version in width, increasing trick execution capabilities.

The name “Cognition” is defined as “the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses”. To Colin, this is one of the most important parts of being a competitive yo-yo player, and the Cognition gives him the technology to being the best player he can be because of its versatile capabilities. 

Designer comments:

Colin gave me a blank canvas for his signature yoyo. You may think that this provides me with an easier time to design the yoyo, but it was actually harder. Imagine people asking you to draw something. You have no idea. But if they ask you to draw something with a bird in it, an image pops up in your head. It was the same concept.

I reviewed footage of Colin throwing the yoyo, both with his left hand and his right hand. The key part of this was tackling his different approaches to 1A and 3A. The yoyo had to be heavy enough to withstand his long 3A combos, and bind with a shorter string, and it had to be nimble enough and unresponsive enough to do his long rail combos that often move through an antispin state.

Upon looking at the specs, you may think the yoyo is too heavy, but by placing most of the weight on the inner side of the rim, as well as having a bit more center weight, the yoyo stays stable, and remains nimble as if it were 3 or 4 grams lighter. The width on paper may seem too wide for 3A, but the profile is carefully made to accommodate both 1A and 3A. A key aspect to 3A is making sure the yoyos are straight for it's initial approach to the string. That is why the wall is slightly higher than other UNPRLD yoyos, to guide the yoyo vertically to promote success.

I hope that you enjoy the yoyo as much as Colin and the UNPRLD team does.

What started off as a proof of concept for another yoyo, ended up being a new yoyo altogether. I had found while making the first flashback, that weight in the center of the rim was not that crucial. By isolating the distribution into two key areas, we were able to create a extremely stable yoyo that allows for speedy play.
To make this happen, we teamed up with Top-Yo, and what we created was amazing.

Designer comments:

This yoyo was one that was so fun to design.  In the process of making the Flashback, I stumbled across the idea of dividing the rim into two segments, each for their own purpose.  I found that by manipulating the innermost ring, I could manipulate the sense of stability on the yoyo, and by manipulating the outermost ring, I could manipulate the amount of power in the yoyo.  

The yoyo was purposely designed with a more squre edge on the rim, in order to be more aerodynamic.  This makes the yoyo perfect for people who wear gloves, play 5A, or play fast.  The yoyo, although on the larger side, is shaped to allow minimal string contact, to prevent sleep loss. 

The Flash is Yuuki Nishisako’s signature yoyo. Designed for stability, speed, control and precision. The bump at the bottom is created for maximum control for sideways play. The flare at the end gives it a wide catch zone without accidents, and the weight is distributed towards the outer end and the center to create a powerful spin without feeling heavy; making it perfect for high speed technical play. Let this yoyo take you to your peak performance.

Designer comments:

Yuki Nishisako was the first person I scouted for Axis.  I was introduced to him by Yoshihiro Matsubara of Japan Looping Solutions as the next upcoming player.  What did he know about 1A?  He was a 2A only person from the THP days.  Boy was he right.  He placed 4th in 2015 at West Japan.  His freestyle later that year, at 44Festival West, was near perfect.  After watching more videos, I completely agreed.

He decided to use the Pulsefire for 44Festival Finals, where I met him for the first time.  His tricks seemed not as fast, but he did feel safer.  He told me,

"Yeah, it's heavier so I can't go faster, but it does make me feel safer on stage when I'm nervous."

How much do we value safety on stage?  Mickey designed the Anglam a bit heavier to have security on stage as well.

When UNPRLD was born, I decided he was the first one to receive a signature.   Starting from scratch, we made a yoyo that was both lighter and more secure than any of his previous competition yoyos.  By adding a chamfer by the wall, the amount of surface area the string would contact the yoyo was minimized, allowing for less tilt and sleep loss during horizontal play.  Although the rings are smaller, they are very thick and concentrated, creating depth that makes the yoyo spin longer than it feels like it would.

Yuki, after being sponsored for UNPRLD for a bit over a year, placed 5th at the World Yoyo Contest using Flash.

Despite its high-end body made fully of 7075 aluminum, the Abduction is surprisingly affordable, clocking in for less than monometal throws made of lesser materials! The design is based on the super popular bimetal Ignition. The concept is similar to the Corruption, but it has a heavy playfeel with an emphasis on power, so it feels like a very different beast in the hand. The great power means you don't have to try hard to get the right amount of spin, and even if you overdo it, Abduction's stability will keep it rolling steady and true through your wildest combos.

Designer comments:

Elliot was the one who inspired me to start UNPRLD, randomly in a group video call.  When he approached me with personalizing the Ignition, I was more than happy to oblige. We increased the size the yoyo slightly, and removed the rims from the yoyo. To address some durability issues that Elliot had with the Ignition, we changed the material from 6061 to 7075.  This allowed us to use a shorter axle, from 14mm to 10mm, and maintain durability. This yoyo, although heavier on paper than the Ignition, plays lighter than it's bimetal counterpart, and does not compromise much in stability as well. Elliot, being equally gifted in 1A and 3A, just as Eric is, requires different aspects of the yoyo to be tuned differently. Elliot requires something lighter, and more maneuverable compared to Eric.  This yoyo ended up becoming his dream come true.  

Weighing in at 66.5 grams, this yoyo has a light touch, allowing for movement, but also has significant rim weight, to allow for extreme stability and spin time. Modeled for Eric Tranton's needs, this yoyo has multiple cuts on the profile, allowing for very good control from all angles. Weight rings are fitted on the inside, to allow for more durability upon impact. In addition, an IRG cut is made to allow for more concentrated rim weight on the edge, and to allow for IRG. The cup is a "back to the future" type, with the outer cup area designed to match the profile, but the nipple is made, similarly to the early Yoyojam shape. The color is a dark to light fade from the inside to the outside, and is one of the most beautiful anodizations I have ever had done on a yoyo. The yoyo is then lightly blasted for a smooth finish that minimizes spin loss when the yoyo comes into contact with your skin. This yoyo will not only cater to 1A, but also to 3A and 5A, as the weight distribution makes the yoyo play solid enough for 3A, and nimble enough for 5A.
They will come engraved with the Unparalleled logo, designed by Elliot Ogawa on our team.
 

Designer Comments:

This yoyo was a huge pain to make.  Eric has very picky yoyo tastes that have never been satisfied before.  His hands are huge, making any yoyo seem small.  

Analyzing his 2013 World Yoyo Contest freestyle, where he placed 4th, you can see that his movements are intricate and precise.  A yoyo that would match his hand would not match his playstyle, as it would lack finesse.  Therefore, something drastic would have to happen.

The first prototype was too light, and not enough spin on the yoyo.  Eric had described to me,

"This yoyo is good, but it just feels like it's going to blow away."

Our revisal was to break down the yoyo into "zones," as shown in the cuts, in order to fine tune every gram of weight on the yoyo for distribution.  We ended up overshooting the weight distribution by adding a ring that was too heavy, causing in vibe.

Finally, we decided to approach it with an old school style, by adding a lip on the ring itself.  By doing so, we were able to concentrate the weight on the very edge of the rim, adding density, but removing weight overall, creating mobility.  The result is the Ignition as you know it today - full of cuts and a powerhouse. 
 

One of my goals being the overseer of Unparalleled has been to provide the best throws for my players. I believe with the Flash and Ignition, I have succeeded. However, this came at a price point, and with the Ignition never seeing retail stores in America, the market was smaller. Quite a few months ago, I was asked by FPM, a precision manufacturing company that created the budget Delrin Elfinyo, to create a yoyo to really break into the market of budget metals. I remastered my favorite design that I had from three years ago, and the result is perfection. Don't let the price fool you.  Unparalleled performance at an unparalleled price.  That is what makes us UNPRLD.

The Antidote has been a project I’ve had in mind since I started making yoyos. The yoyo is based off of the ever so pervasive Corruption shape. I have made pretty much every reasonable version of this yoyo. However, the ultimate version, in my opinion, is the plastic version. The product’s price point, combined with unparalleled performance, makes this yoyo an unstoppable force.

This yoyo is made with an injection molding, in collaboration with Top yo. I approached Top yo to do this project because the Mojo, their flagship plastic yoyo, was by far the best performing plastic yoyo on the market at that time. By applying the very adaptable Corruption shape to this plastic, adjusting the weight distribution, and adding a metal insert, we have created a plastic yoyo worthy of your pocket.

The reduction started off as a signature yoyo project. However, this fell through, and we were left with a really good design. We made our first 6061 yoyo for the softer feel on the hand, as the yoyo is designed to be forgiving. This yoyo is similar to the Ignition in that it was made to learn tricks on, but is also so different in that the shape is much less wide. The shape sports the same bump from the Flash and the Flashback, allowing it to perform horizontally, yet has organic rims for a lighter touch on the yoyo. The wall is higher allowing rejections, yet still does not tilt easily. This is the ultimate yoyo for someone who is looking to expand their trick repertoire.

Making Colin’s second yoyo was a challenge. The Cognition was heavy and very stable, but it was also nimble. However, Colin started playing 1A more, and approached yoyo differently. Although Cognition was still nimble, the extra weight caused fatigue during practice. To address this, we made the Recognition.

We first removed the stainless steel ring, and made the yoyo lighter. It was important for him to make the yoyo durable, so we retained the 7075 aluminum. In addition, we flattened the hub, and shifted the weight towards the rim. A round rim profile, combined with a multi-step H shape creates a nifty, light, yet powerful yoyo that is not only capable of doing technical tricks, but also speed tricks.