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[DavidS]

Hello All,

I'm back after a long break. :-)

A few weeks ago I did some googling and discovered that many new tops have become available since I was last up to date. I did a bit of research and checked here, eventually settling on the Guilia top.

The top is beautiful, I purchased green. The price is steep but I don't mind paying for quality and actually appreciate that there are now high-end tops on the market.

The Guilia spins like a dream. I am getting spins much longer than I used to with my old style plastic bering tip tops. I'm also finding tricks that used to be out of reach are now coming easily. This was a pleasant surprise and I would have never guessed that a quality top would make such a difference. Quite the opposite with my other old hobby of juggling. No matter how expensive balls or clubs I purchased, it really didn't make a difference in getting to the next level. At least that was my experience.

Anyway, I digress,  I really wanted to ask a question to you all who own a Guilia. I am finding that when throwing the Guilia the string doesn't have enough friction against the top and slips during the throw, making my throw quite unpredictable. With my older tops my initial throw was about 90%+ success rate of throwing and catching it on my hand. Now with the Guilia I'm at 60% success rate. It's very unpredictable and I have to be really careful not to lose control.

Is this experience common with anyone else? Any advice on how to deal with the Guilia's slick body? I was thinking about treating the string with some kind of resin to add a bit of stick. Or maybe apply a layer tape to the top. I'd rather do anything but I don't want to keep losing it mid throw and risk hitting someone, myself, of smashing/breaking the top.

Thanks for advice!
 

[Shootist]

I had similar problems with my Giulia. I found that a larger diameter string worked better for me. I would suggest that you get in touch with Chris Neff on this site, He makes Excellent strings for Spintops.  I am currently using his string when I throw my Giulias and I have no trouble with slippage.  I would also suggest a tight wrapping of the string on your Top.

[the Earl of Whirl]

Welcome back, DavidS.  I am anxious to hear more about you.

Thanks for posting and joining all the fun on this forum!

[DavidS]

Thanks Shootist. I have a thicker string from another top and I will try it out. Being a bit more careful in wrapping and holding it tight is helping. I think I just need to get the knack of it.

Today I was doing the corkscrew (?) where you wrap the string around your arm a few times and the top follows the string. My 5 year old son loved it and said "Dad, how did you learn all these cool tricks!" My skill toy hobbies are much more fun now that I have a kid to show off to. They didn't really impress the ladies back in the day. LOL.

The Giulia is really amazing... What other high quality tops are on the market in the past few years that I should check out? Has someone here created a buyers guide?

What's up with those micro all metal tops I see on the forum! They are tiny! They must be really tricky to play...

[Neff]

When the Giulia came out several years ago, the performance and durability it brought to the table made it the best manufactured top to date, and in my opinion it still is.  The new Chico top is very similar in quality however it has an oversized tip that I am not too sure about.  Spintastics is still making great tops and you really want to check out the Quick Silver Hybrid.  Yo Yo Factory did a short run of two types of tops in 2009, they are very high quality but the materials are upside down:  metal top, delrin tip.  Before that the Gates by Yo Yo Jam and the Hollow Point by Spintastics were the best you could find.  The Bearing King has not changed in 14 years, but a modded BK is one of my favorite.  Try searching "Diet BK" on this forum.



I made this list of tops for reference:

http://yoyoexpert.com/forums/index.php?topic=25365.0

The machined finish on the delrin in combination with a somewhat thin string make for an unforgiving throw.  If you throw is too fast or if the pull of the string is not perfectly perpendicular to the body of the top,  you will get a botched throw.  Buffing / polishing the delrin smooth helps, but the tradeoff is that any contact with skin that is anything less than bone dry will kill all your spin.  With a long thin string and a relatively small top it is easy to overpower the wound string by throwing too hard.  Thick string allows you to throw harder.

[Jack]

welcome home sir @_@

[jim in paris]

hello
i've been playing giulias since they arrived on the market
the string slipping can be cured with a thicker string , for sure
(instant gratification)
but
it would be better if you tried to improve your skills with the standard thin string : wrap around tight, use a lighter button than the S8 plastic cap,throw smooth and delay your pull back till the very last time....
outcome:a lot more control on string tricks,longer spin times

about chris review of the marketed tops
i agree with most of the statements

the one top expected by many players would be

a standard 4 inch fix tip top (big top )  with the appropriate weight (hollow= less than 250 grams) and improved tip (swan style),  priced at no more than 40 USD

 


ciao

jim