Old but still Fresh - Part #2

This article is a continuation of the article “Old but still Fresh”. Today, we will look into another yo-yo which was regarded as a truly incredible performer, and fine and precisely made yo-yo of its time.

During the 1998 yo-yo boom, many companies wanted in on the trend, and began manufacturing yo-yos in order to make a quick buck. One such company which came to fame was Hspin, a Swiss company headed by Chris Kayatz. Though slim line metal yo-yos were not uncommon during that time, Chris offered to the masses, a different sort of approach towards metal-work, Bimetallic yo-yos.

Handquake 1.4b

The Handquake 1.4b is Hspin’s second attempt at producing a high-end ball-bearing metal yo-yo. Unlike the original Handquake 1.4, the 1.4b featured heavier bronze weights to add additional sleep time. This yo-yo was not only marvelled for its performance of its time, but also for its aesthetics. The deep rich dark blue and black tones of the yo-yo, coupled with the matte finish of bronze around the rims made the Handquake 1.4b an absolute visual stunner!

Technological Makeup

The Handquake 1.4b, as mentioned, sports two bronze metal weights fitted around the rim of the yo-yo. The bearing that came with it is small, smaller than a Yomega Raider bearing in fact. However, the bearing is not stainless steel and prone to rust if not taken care of properly.

The bearing sits on a set of washers that can be interchangeable to set the gap width for different setups depending on the preference of the player. More washes makes the Handquake less responsive, while less washes makes it more responsive.

Sizing Up

To allow the Handquake 1.4b to manage modern day tricks, we had it set to the maximum gap, then added a piece of worn out friction sticker for additional response.

The Handquake 1.4b certainly lives up to its name as a high-precision yo-yo. Apart from the modded response system, this yo-yo has enough spin (thanks to its bimetallic rim weight) in it to pull off pretty decent modern tricks. Gyroscopic flops proved easy with this yo-yo. Furthermore, grinds, slacks, lacerations, etc were done with little effort.

The Handquake 1.4b can also take multiple layers of string at its maximum gap, but being a slim line Butterfly-shaped yo-yo, more strings means more string rubbing against the side walls that will rapidly slow the yo-yo down.

The Handquake isn’t without its flaws. Firstly, and quite significantly, is the fact that the Handquake has a small gap, which made string tricks a little more challenging. With modern day yo-yos being extremely wide in profile and bearing gap, the Handquake 1.4b required some getting use to amongst our crew, who had a little difficulty landing certain tricks which they normally could with a Freehand Zero, YoyoJam Dark Magic, etc.

Conclusion

The Handquake 1.4b may be an old yo-yo, but it is still a fantastic player that can tackle the many demands of modern style play. Its only down side is its profile, which isn’t popular with todays players who are used to much wider-gapped yo-yos. Given its con, it’s definitely no “old bird” considering its performance. If you have one kept in your closet collecting dust, take it out, set it up, and give it a
throw once in awhile, and I guarantee you will enjoy playing with it again.