This collaboration between Duncan and Markmont. holds a very hefty spot in my belly and conscious as a yo-yoer. Throughout my entire yo-yo career, 90% of the time when in public have been asked the question of, “Hey man, what yo-yo is that; is that a Duncan Butterfly?’ This factoid has always reaffirmed me that, to both yo-yoers and spectators, Duncan has always been perceivably the ‘it’ brand in the craft - ie the Nike of yo-yo. 9/10 people are familiar with the Duncan Butterfly yo-yo as a result of Duncan’s history and involvement in pioneering ‘the’ standard of all things yo-yo. So to finally be launching a collaborative yo-yo with Duncan, and it being a Butterfly nonetheless, is an honor and privilege.

When I first tried this yo-yo at the 2019 World Yo-Yo Contest, I immediately could tell it was going to be a classic to add to my collection. It gels multiple eras of innovation, style and performance together into one. On the stock setup, it is a responsive throw on C-size big bearing. One of the most fun beginner trick yo-yo options I have tried in a good while. Additionally, the bearing size itself creates a large gap that enables advanced tricks to be done. The overall size makes for a solid go to pocket throw option when you want less pocket bulk on the go. The aluminum makes for a more modernized look and improved performance across the board. The aggressive sharp angle cut of the gap design feels nicely comfortable and secure in hand, while allowing for a very linear and balanced play value. You feel very ‘accurate’ when jamming on this yo-yo, namely when you cleanly execute a trick. The gratification of hitting tricks on this design is very noticeable and addictive.

The optics of the color shift a good amount depending on the light scenario you are in. Depending on the light, the logo graphic will either look solid black or slightly more on the muted dark brown side; this makes for a very nice reflective sensibility that makes the throw look/feel energetic.

From Duncan
”The idea of transforming the Butterfly into aluminum is a pretty bold concept. The original Butterfly design is really something you don’t want to mess around with. After a lot of thought, we finally decided to design something aimed towards modern responsive yo-yoing; maintaining the feel of the original Butterfly but gearing the yo-yo towards a trickset that wasn’t invented at the time of the original Butterfly’s release. Our goal became to keep that timeless Duncan feeling, to make the yo-yo play responsively without sacrificing performance, and, of course, to keep the look of the Butterfly AL as close to that of the original Butterfly as possible.

This design is responsive out of the box. It’s a ton of fun: it’s a yo-yo that will make you smile big on your first couple of throws, and smile even bigger when you keep playing.

Keep in mind that this yo-yo is designed for modern responsive play, so be sure to keep your bearing lubed! However, if you feel like playing unresponsive play, just clean the bearing seat, add an unresponsive bearing, and it will be a slimline sleep machine!”

Specifications

Diameter:
52.05 mm / 2.05 inches

Width:
32.23 mm / 1.27 inches

Gap Width:
4.02 mm / 0.16 inches

Weight:
62.04 grams

Bearing Size:
Size C (.250 x .500 x .187)

Response:
19mm Slim Pad Size

Material:
6061 Aluminum

Designed in:
USA

Made in:
China

Release Date:
August 2019