Sweetle so sweet!

[kevinm]

Just received this, it is really cool. The images on line gave me a different impression, it is smaller than I thought, a very
interesting finish and feel, and super fun!
Thanks Neff!!

[JODA9395]

Haha. I never knew Shaun the Sheep played with tops.

[ta0]

Looks 3D printed. Just 3 different colors, or different materials?

[kevinm]

Three colors. Very nice feel, not too heavy, but not a 'soft' top. It feels more comfortable to play than some other similar size tops. It's a nice size too, not too big, but a better target for me to work on regens.

[the Earl of Whirl]

Shaun the sheep?  Good eye.  I had to look it up to know who he was.  I am way behind!!!  Nice sheep and nice top.

[JODA9395]

Shaun the sheep?  Good eye.  I had to look it up to know who he was.  I am way behind!!!  Nice sheep and nice top.

Haha, yes. There are only three fictional sheep characters I know from childhood. Shaun the Sheep, Lamb Chop and Sheep in the big city.

[Jeremy McCreary]

Impressive top!

Based on the Shaun the Sheep cartoons I've seen, I wouldn't leave him alone with any prized possession. Making good choices isn't his forte.

[ta0]

So, is this a BEARING 3-D printed top? 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CB13OhuFWsu/

Takeshi's skills and hair are vintage 

[Neff]

Hi folks! Very sorry I haven't been on here I've been trying to catch up with waitlist before I do a "launch". Yes, the Sweetle is a double bearing spin top with an O-ring below the bottom bearing to prevent bearing crunch! Also, there is what I am calling a Neff Nut which attaches to the shaft of the tip and makes it easy to lock down fixed tip, kind of like that red cap on the S8 Love. I hope to do a more formal post about it soon, working on setting up an online store and a legitimate business.

[ta0]

That sounds great! A cushion for the bearing and an easy way to lock the tip! 

I look forward to the official release.

Sweetle because it's sweet? 

[the Earl of Whirl]

Wow!!!  Good luck with all of that, Mr. Neff.  It sounds exciting.  Hope the online store is up soon and you have oodles of top top sales.

[CUPER]

Estoy ansioso de este trompo jugarlo siempre de las manos de Neff salen cosas geniales felicidades

[cecil]

Life is looking GOOD Mr. Neff. Great looking tops.

[Neff]

Joel Norris has been urging me to work on a 3D printed top for years. He had been printing for a while and I had a CAD file that I drew up as a guide for my Sodatops, so we gave it a shot. Joel printed the first prototype in September 2019, and a month later at the Kansas City Juggling Festival he had 3 more, and I cut the tips on a mini metal lathe. At the time we were planning on doing fixed tip only, but when I shared the news there was a good showing of folks who wanted it to be a bearing spin top.

Before I got into making my own wood tops on a lathe I remember collecting every top I could find and aching for a larger one, but not too much larger! I remember being intimidated by a 4" Watts top. I wanted a no-nonsense durable spin top somewhere around 3 inches in diameter, convertible from bearing to fixed. I imagine there are a few others who want this same thing. So the Sweetle is designed to hit that sweet spot; a workhorse for all levels of skill and a great transition out of the yo-yo sized tops and on to bigger and better things, without being too intimidating. The actual origin of the name Sweetle is a story for another time 

When it came time to seek out a metal tip manufacturer, I met Lee Brawley of Turning Heads Machining on Instagram.  He makes absolutely gorgeous finger spinners out of precious materials, you should check him out. Together with Joel we went through several iterations and stumbled upon the idea of putting a shock-absorbing o-ring between the tip and the bottom bearing, with a washer separating the o-ring and bearing so the o-ring doesn't sneak around the inner bearing race. Very exited about this innovation.

We made a first run (Batch 1) where Joel printed the tops, Lee made the tips, and I sold a dozen and so did Lee. My printer finally arrived in April and I have been printing ever since.  Joel's job situation changed but he plans to print some big-daddy tops in the near future. Lee is working with a buddy of his for another run of tips and in the meantime I found another local machine shop to make tips also. They made 50 for me, and so I recently finished assembling 50 Sweetles, which I am calling Batch 2. I thought with that many I would be able to take care of my wait list and launch the online store. Well, I'm already out  .  I am hesitant to take any more names on the wait list or I will never get the online store launched.

I will have about 16 that I am calling Batch 3 that will be fixed tip only. I changed some printer settings and did not double-check my bearing well size, they are way too tight. So I will make spacers to go in the bearing wells and put steel tips in them. So, look out for those.  I have about 20 printed for Batch 4 and more tips on the way so hopefully I can make another announcement soon.


Specs / Features
Diameter: 3.25" (83mm), Height: 4.25" (108mm).
Weight: 4.75 oz (135g).
Body: PETG 3D printed filament.
Tip: 304 Stainless Steel.
Tip neck: 0.25" (6mm).
Bearings: R188 (size C).
Suspension O-ring: 70A Durometer Silicone.
Nut: 1/4-20 thread nylock,  7/16" hex.
String: 4x4 twist, 7/64" (2.5mm) thickness, 72" (183 cm) long.
Button and Fixie Nut: PETG 3D printed filament.
Accessory: Scrap leather for tip removal.
Thick walls with variable infill to put the mass where it counts.
No print seam.

[mailman]

This looks like a very well thought out, and very high quality top.  And, at this size, it will certainly fill a hole in the market.  Good for you, Chris and friends!

I can already see a Sweetie in my future (and in my top bag!)....