Cephas
After months of teasing, we’re thrilled to finally present the Cephas.
SPECS
Dia 54.3mm
Width 48.4mm
Weight 65.2g
Material 6061 AL
In case you’ve missed it, we wrote a bit about our Design Lines as of 2023 — in short, they represent different design pursuits in what we do here at Atmos Projects.
To that point, the Cephas is the newest installment to the Classic O’s line, which collectively focuses on minimalist organics, and is the latest iteration of the Noah and Abel.
Most immediately, the Cephas takes inspiration from forebears that share its flat capped visage. The foremost of the group is likely the SPYY Pure, which was released in 2009; the genre is also populated by others such as the Turning Point Bacchus, Core Co. Diesis, and most recently, the Duncan Freebird 3. The SPYY Pure in particular holds sway in the conversation for its unique manufacturing processes. As far as we know, the hub and the cap were separately machined, assembled, and then further machined on the lathe to render the already microscopic gap between the individual pieces invisible. This gave the Pure — very aptly named, we think — an iconic uninterrupted, solid-piece look.
The designs of the Bacchus, Diesis and Freebird 3, on the other hand, emphasize the point of assembly, rather than hide it. The “rims”, which encroach on the main body, somewhat resemble the Yoyojam-era of hybrids, or even how modern outer-rim bimetal rims look like.
Our intent with the Cephas was to recreate this former sense of purity and minimalism within our organic form factor.
In the prior designs mentioned, none featured a strictly organic silhouette – their inner walls feature straight lines extending towards the rims, even if the outer hubs eventually rounded off. Where the flat caps provided a simple, austere look, the side profiles were slightly busier, with harder lines and faux rims.
We were compelled by the notion of an extremely round, organic model combined with the simplicity of a flat cap feature, with no visual hints at joinery, or discontinuation between body and rims – the Cephas thus builds on the Noah and Abel’s physique, which features clean lines and round, uninterrupted curves, and the integration of its capped design gives it a monolithic, solid feel.
But beyond mere visual difference, a thicker, more powerful, hollowed-body version of the Noah and Abel was, to us, an interesting marriage of different design concepts.
The cap conceals the hub, the primary site where we overhauled the base weight distributions of previous designs. To begin, we carved out mass from the center portion of the hub, giving it a cavernous hollowed-out body, and also to allow for a disproportionate concentration of mass closer to the rims.
The Cephas weighs in at 65.2g, which is the heaviest of the Classic O’s line — the Abel clocks only 63.2g, and the Noah an even lighter 62.3g. A majority of this additional mass lies in the caps, which actually weigh 8g each — that’s about a quarter of its overall weight in the caps alone.
The effect of this adjustment is obvious – where there was nearly zero bias towards rim weight in the Noah and the Abel, this new weight distribution makes the Cephas the longest spinning and most stable installment of the Classic O’s.
This is assisted by a familiar schmoove-groove, which is less pronounced than those in the Fruitbowl Line. We made minor tweaks in the Cephas’ schmoove-groove for an even smoother play experience.
It still feels bubbly and extremely comfortable in hand, and features a familiar relaxed, agile playfeel, but it also has a steadier, more even presence compared to its two brothers.
The Cephas sits in a lineup of featherweight organics characterized by light, floaty playfeel – and it distinguishes itself in that company by its solid, grounded presence.
To that end, the name Cephas – etymologically connected to “Peter”, both of them loosely translating to “rock” – playfully overstates that relative heft. Where “Noah” gestured towards “rest”, and “Abel” towards “breath”, the name Cephas is a reference to its relative stability and solidity.
For those more literally inclined, don’t fret – it doesn’t actually play like a stone on the end of a string.
The Cephas joins the Classic O’s as a perfect everyday throw, best suited for relaxed, flowing play, and provides enough power and stability for uncompromised hours of pure fun.
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june 2023
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