Gravity

Atmos Projects is nearly coming up to a year since we first began, and I don’t think any of us would’ve guessed we’d be in a position like this before the year was up. We had a pretty clear initial vision of what we’d like our trajectory to be, but it definitely didn’t involve releasing a titanium model for a while.

We’re very happy to introduce the Gravity.

SPECS

dia 54mm
wid 40mm
weight - 63.1g stock with only Brass Ultra Light SEs, weight range is 60.4g to 74.2g, depending on setup
material Titanium

Elvin from Round Spinning Objects reached out sometime late 2020 to talk, and raised the idea of collaborating on a yoyo. It was still early days for us – the team and I were still in the midst of working on the Pomelo design, but we were drawn by the prospect of working on a design with Elvin. Juggling early-stage tasks of our own and taking a step into a collaborative project was not easy, but we’re incredibly glad we did.

Any successful design begins with a concept worth pursuing. We circled this for weeks, in repeated attempts to discern an idea substantial enough. On one of our many phone calls, we began discussing the possibility of working on a modular titanium design that could be customised in weight and feel – by adjusting various sections of the yoyo – however the player preferred it.

Customisability is a feature that is rare today. They do still exist – the best implemented instance of customisable tech is in One Drop’s Side-Effects system, where users can alter the physical makeup of their throw with ease. Personally, I am a massive fan.

Freshly Dirty also recently put out an incredibly innovative modular design in the Mod44 – the creative audacity embodied in that design is something I very much admire.

We began initial canvas work on a profile similar to the Cloudberry – fat, rounded walls, step-and-schmoove response area and all.

The idea of customisability and caps are very much linked. I grew up in the era where Duncan and Yoyojam ruled the design meta. I played 5A primarily then, and the Freehand Zero was – no matter how briefly – considered the premium performance plastic. That the Freehand Zero could hang with its other performance plastic contemporaries was affirmed when Tyler Severance took the World Title in 5A with one in 2007.

It used small A-sized bearings and response pads, and was held together with a simple hex screw and nut. It would probably not fare well in any modern performance test, but the Freehand Zero was beloved for many reasons.

The first was that it was customisable. The “modder era” has mostly faded, but tinkering with a stock Freehand Zero was something nearly everyone tried at one point – whether it was to recess its pad seat using a dremel and a jeweller’s screwdriver to make it less snaggy on binds, overhaul its guts with a SPR kit, irreversibly throw on metal weight rings (and accept the pulse vibe that usually was the cost of adding power to plastic), or even painting the insides of a clear Freehand Zero.

Caps were a crucial piece to the experience. They were swappable, and provided endless permutations of color choice. They also added a bit of weight, and this “hollow body” playfeel that is both full and light at the same time. It’s a playfeel that I am personally nostalgic about, and try to capture on some of my designs – particularly the Cloudberry.

Making the Gravity cap-compatible is my favourite of the many design choices we made. Fitting Freehand caps on a titanium body gives it a playfeel that is simultaneously nostalgic and new – more on that below.

Whilst tinkering with the CAD, we decided to also include a groove that would also accept rubber o-rings – a homage to older Freehand 2s, which used similar rubber weight rings to give its hollow body mass – and give the player yet another variable they could play with.

Implementing the Side Effects axle system made perfect sense for a project where the primary design goal is player customisability. It was also an elegant solution for cap removal – it allows the player to access the cap with an implement without much fuss; an issue that surrounds most cap-compatible designs.

The aspect that excites me the most about the Gravity is being able to add and reduce weight nearly wherever you desire, whether closer to the center of the axis, or the rim.

The complete possible weight range using what we include with each Gravity is between 60.4g to 72.3g – the upper limit of that range is extended to 74.2g if you install Brass Spike SEs, which are not included with the Gravity.

Every Gravity comes with Brass Ultra Light SEs stock, so that they’re at a comfortable, playable weight out-of-box (63.1g). Playing it stock is a pleasant experience – it’s light on the string, and is very amenable to directional change.

My personal, preferred setup is with Aluminium Ultra Light SEs and Freehand caps. At 54mm and 65.8g, it has a wonderful feel in play. It doesn’t lose much of its agility at all, but it is not flimsy or easily tilted; it has a nice, full presence as it weaves in and out of more complex mounts. The caps tops off the play experience with a bit of that nostalgic magic.

The upside of the Gravity is that you have a myriad of setups available to you out-of-box – whether you prefer a lightweight feel, or cherish a solid, more powerful throwing experience.

(Aluminium UL SEs do not come included.)