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[ta0]

I received a package from Yo-Yo Factory with tops of the Spanish brand Energía for review (YYF designed and produced them). We have discussed those tops on this thread. I got 2 Short Circuit, 2 Elec-Trick, 1 Big Shock and 1 Big Shock LED. The Short Circuit came fixed tip and the rest with bearing tips. I also got 3 replacement tips in a bag marked "pro upgrade tips", although Yohans warned me that they are still prototypes.

I'll start reviewing the Short Circuit model. These are the "beginner" tops in the line. But don't let that fool you, they play very well and were a nice surprise. They have latches to open like the Mexican tops (and the infamous Duncan Imperial) but the overall size and shape is that of an old YYJ Gates:



Here is one open:



All the Energía tops come with a cylindrical space on the crown where you can store the string and close it with the button that press fits in place. For this model the string is pretty short (58 in = 147 cm) and it fits easily inside (but I would use a slightly longer string, specially if not using the ring, to facilitate tricking). All the models came with a ring, but not pre-attached to the string. If you use the ring you need to pinch with the button the string coming out of the receptacle to close it, but it can be done.

These tops came with a plastic fixed tip with a thick neck, reminiscent of that of the old Acrobat, but a little taller and more open. I also got two replacement proto fixed tips, one plastic and one aluminum (I imagine a production tip would be steel), with thinner necks. Here you can see the three, the metal and the standard installed:



The original is press fit, the replacement are fixed with a washer and a screw.

I could do many of advanced fixed tip tricks with this beginner model. It feels good on the hand and the string.  With the standard tip is a fast walker and very good for the Elevator. In spite of the shallow neck I did not have trouble with whips. With the optional plastic tip it walks a little slower and has a little less friction on the string. Directly from the boomerang I could do 8 and 12 crazy eights with the standard and upgrade tips respectively. It has enough inertia to spin for a while on the hand (I tried the crossover trick).

I also tried the bearing tip and it worked very well: 50+ crazy eights, 14 gyro flops. But I believe it only sells with the fixed tip.
I did have a puzzling problem with the fixed metal tip. The top becomes unstable and on the string the vibration is so violent that it can be ejected from a trapeze when it is spinning fast. I still don't have a good explanation for this (but remember, this tip is a prototype).

One nice trick that can be done taking advantage of the string receptacle is Pencil Sharpener to a stretched finger. After a few tries I nailed it (popping it up almost immediately to a lasso).

The plastic tip may be a problem considering the hard surfaces commonly used in Spain, specially with the competition having metal tips standard. I also suspect that the very nice look when new may deteriorate fast under play, with the logo on the rim wearing out soon (but I might be wrong.)

Overall the Short Circuit is a clear winner.

I still have to take photos and play a little more with the other models.

[Shootist]

Nice review looking forward to the other reviews

I'll start reviewing the Short Circuit model. These are the "beginner" tops in the line. But don't let that fool you, they play very well and were a nice surprise. They have latches to open like the Mexican tops (and the infamous Duncan Imperial) but the overall size and shape is that of an old YYF Gates:

"YYF Gates     Maybe YYJ Gates

EDIT by ta0: Thanks Mike, corrected the post.

[studio42]

I don't know anything yet. I like the shapes. They look like they'd be super affordable. I wish the site was in English but I think I see enough for the time being.

[Jack]

thanks for reviewing these ta0! is there any possibility these will be available on the north american market in future?

[cecil]

Why don't top makers talk to advance spin top throwers before they make a top? I would like to see a Spintastic large Trompo in a four inch diameter. With a good steal tip. And a good price would be $40.00. I hope I see that happen.

[Neff]

I'm with you Cecil, it is hard for me to get excited about small tops these days.  I'm excited for new players but for me personally, yeah.  YYF is a yo-yo company.  We will never see a yo-yo company make a mass-produced spin top that is much bigger than a yo-yo.  A Juggling apparatus company might figure it out one day...

I have a theory on the metal tip equals chaos thing.  Han's tops are all real fat, low aspect ratio, like the Gates.  I have made quite a few tops now, and from this experience I have learned there are two forces on the vertical axis; the vertical height and total mass of the top, and the fat part of the top or weight ring portion.  One of these must be clearly dominant or the object acts like a sphere and the slightest imperfection of weight can make it spin erratically. In the Gates and most YYF tops, the weight ring is clearly dominant.  When you add the metal tip the vertical axis gets stronger and reveals the imperfect distribution of weight.  This problem occurred in some of the prototypes he worked with me on several years ago.  Hans did not like the idea of changing the aspect ratio I don't think.

I like the looks of the low aspect ratio, and I used to make some pretty squat tops.  Several of them ended up too fat and were un-balance-able until I reduced the diameter of the top, sometimes as little as 1/8" would make all the difference.

[ta0]

You may be correct, Chris. I also considered that possible explanation, but I would have expected the metal bearing tip to cause the same problem and it didn't. On the other hand, I don't see how a tip could unbalance the top otherwise. Maybe the weight of the fixed tip is just right to equalize the moments of inertia. I need to do some more experiments.

[ta0]

The Elec-Trick is the middle of the line of the Energia models. Its conical body is reminiscent of the old YYJ Top Dog, but taller and with less crown. It is about the size of a STB. It comes standard with a plastic bearing tip.  Here it is with the standard tip on the left, besides one that I fitted with the prototype metal fixed tip and the prototype metal bearing tip on the table:



To open it you need a 2mm or 5/64" hex key. The screws thread into the plastic, so I would try to limit the number of times it is opened.



There is a removable plastic weight ring inside. It weighs 5 gr. while the complete top weighs 59 gr. It is held in place by posts, but you still need to close the cap tightly to stop it from rattling.

The tip has one type-C bearing (1/4" 1/2" x 3/16") that is press fitted from the outside. I had to make myself a tool to be able to take it out. The standard plastic tip clamps into the inner race. The prototype tip holds to the bearing using a screw. One nice thing of the prototype is that you can make it fixed by just adding an included washer.

If the Short Circuit played better than expected, the standard Elec-Trick was a little of a let down. It has a decent spin time, but nothing special. And the two tops I got were not very smooth: they had a noticeable vibration. Nothing too bad, they can still do any tricks, but may bother some players. I could do 45+ crazy eights or 10+ gyros with them.

Now, after doing several swaps of tips and taking out and putting back the ring, I am inclined to think that it has the non-dominant moment of inertia problem that Chris suspected for the Short Circuit, but in the other direction. If I removed the bearing and put an all plastic fixed tip, the top had some crazy fast wobbling in the air. But if I replaced it with the heavier metal tip (the one that caused the problem in the SC) the wobbling was mostly gone. Likewise, if I removed the weight ring from the standard configuration it became smoother. Finally, without the weight ring and with the metal bearing tip it finally became what I would call smooth.  These observations are based on just my experiments with two tops, maybe somebody would want to try to reproduce them and see if the results are the same.

I would say that the Elec-Trick is a competent but not outstanding top that offers some interesting modding possibilities.

[ta0]

The Big Shock and its LED version are the biggest of the line. They are like a big version of the Elec-Trick, almost. The cone is a little more steep, so the aspect ratio of height to diameter increases from 1.3 to 1.5: the Elec-Trick is 3" tall and 2.3" wide, while the Big Shock is 3.66" tall and 2.5" wide. I think they are beautiful with their elegant shapes and clear or clear/smoked bodies (but this may change with use). On this photo I put a prototype metal fixed tip on one:




The construction is identical to the Elec-Trick. Here is the standard open in the foreground and the LED without the cap behind:



By the way, they have single bearing tips. The Energia website and the description in their ads say "doble rodamiento" what made me think they had two bearings but I guess they are referring to "two bearings surfaces" (the races of the ball bearing)   

I think most players will need some playing time to get accustomed to this top. The shape gives a high center of mass. My hollow points are close to the same aspect ratio and are heavier but their center of mass is lower. I am guessing the average player accustomed to more stocky tops will find them even more different. One nice thing is that you can hit the string over most of the long body and it will slide to the tip, so this could be good for catching trapeze, etc.

The LED version has a single multi-color (red, green, blue) LED activated by centrifugal force that goes through pseudorandom color sequences. Because the body is clear the colors trace neat arcs that are reflected and refracted by the walls. What you see changes not only in time but depending on the angle you look at it.

[jim in paris]

hi all
yesterday i got to meet the person in charge with launching the Energia tops in France;
he said that after 6 months of campaign in Spain they were very satisfied with the response
the tops will be distributed in shops all over france starting in March 2015
they plan to hire a team of french demonstraters and  organize demos in shops and department stores, a kind of buzz marketing approach, with targeted events like skateboard contests,street sports , juggling etc...
he left me a bag with the complete line of tops and last night we tried them with Lapin

short circuit ( fix tip ) very classy shape, easy to play, too bad the tip is glued
elek trick (bearing) standard shape a bit of wobble , most tricks work
big shock (bearing) unusual shape , very tall , needs a special throw : top horizontal,tip away

overall ,the bearing tops play very well,at the level of BK's and Blizzards
the Big shock has an incredible feel with this oblong shape it seems to precess more slowly
all tops had a plastic tip (nylon), very solid and durable it seems
 the range of prices is affordable (from 9E to 15E and 20 for the lightup)

great possibilities ahead !! next meeting soon

jim

[ta0]

I am so excited somebody finally will promote spintops in the French market!
This should be great for toupies!  Vive la France!

[YodaGuy5]

Steve, Mark, Takeshi and I got a chance to throw all the models with the stock tips and one with the new tip this weekend at the Las Vegas Open. I have to say they are pretty fun. I had no issues with the short circuit and the throw. It's a lot of fun and pretty smooth. The way the string and button are stored is pretty cool. The taller LED one did take a little getting used to.

Ben seemed really happy and excited by them. He told me that they are coming out with a second season of them with a few changes and also another top that will be YYF branded. He would have had them there for the weekend but didn't get the samples in time.

[CUPER]

me gusta el trompo de luz energia...como puedo tener unos ...

[lincolnrick]

Any chance Mark Hayward would be bringing any of these models to Madfest this month?  (Hint,Hint).

[Mike Durdak]

These tops look promising, especially the Short Circuit. Does anyone know of an online store that sells these? I've been trying to get ahold of one, and maybe a cometa.