Snowberry
We’re proud to introduce the Snowberry – it’s plastic fantastic.
SPECS
Dia 56.4mm
Width 50.5mm
Weight 65.6g
Material Delrin
Most of our design journals pay a degree of homage to the lineage that precedes it, but a look back in history never made more sense than for the Snowberry. At risk of sentimentality, the significance of our first plastic design lies in the very roots of what we now do at Atmos Projects.
I came into the scene around 2006, a time where design sensibilities were starkly different from what they are now. I was always taken by the design leaders of the era, such as Caribou Lodge, One Drop, and Yoyofactory, but I got started on a steady diet of ball-bearinged plastics – I began throwing in high school with a Duncan Throw Monkey, moved on shortly to the Freehand Zero, and then eventually throws from other brands such as the now-defunct, but eternally amazing Yoyojam. The Patriot, Journey and Lyn Fury featured regularly in my rotations. Another fun fact was that I mainly played 5A for years before I transitioned to 1A, deciding it was what the cool kids did – but my taste for wide and round shapes that were suited for 5A play was forged in those years.
These plastics were perfect for the time. They could take the hits that came with perfecting counterweight tricks, and you didn’t ever have to feel precious with them. And they played so satisfyingly.
In 2007, Paul Yath released the Milk under his brand, Crucial. I never got to own one myself, but took every chance to play with one that belonged to a friend. It shifted my perception of plastics considerably; the machined delrin felt like an altogether different material from injection molded polycarbonate – softer, denser, more refined, and incredibly smooth to the touch. Years later, the One Drop Cabal was released, and again, I was fascinated by what I imagined was a Delrin reincarnation of the Markmont Classic. This time I managed to get my hands on one.
Sometime last year I doubled down on this Delrin exploration, and managed to acquire a Crucial Cream and Yoyopalace (now Sense) Sphere. In my book they are such joyful designs that are severely underrated.
All that to say – there’s an enormous nostalgic significance that sets the context for our first plastic design.
Sometime in 2021, I started toying with the idea of making a delrin yoyo. The reasons for not doing that as a small boutique gig like ourselves are myriad and endless. But I was keen to try, even if it meant the project ended with a couple of prototypes of a design that didn’t make sense for a larger production.
I began with the Cloudberry’s shape as a reference; this was the most instinctive starting point, given its big, round shape that isn’t identical to but reminiscent of the Milk and the Patriot. It was also a natural progression of our exploration of materials in the Berry line – two monometals (in the Cloudberry and Thunderberry), then bimetal (in the Stormberry), and now a fully delrin iteration. It features very similar features, such as the schmoove-step.
The diameter was kept to 56.4mm, which is consistent throughout the Berries, but we increased the width to 50mm. The idea was to keep the weight distribution similar to the Berry series, and the playfeel in the same zippy, floaty and light-stable range.
One thing we were insistent on was maintaining a fully plastic exterior. Modern machined plastic designs generally have an exposed metal insert in the hub, which are at times adapted to aid tricks like finger spinning. But what was entirely arresting about the Crucial Milk was its pure white structure. ditto with the cream and the sphere. We felt a metal nub in the hub would be a distraction, a visual disruption to an otherwise full and uninterrupted surface.
In later prototypes, we configured the spacer inserts to sit embedded within the delrin hub, and then be concealed by a small machined delrin cap, which features the “halo” groove signature to the Fruitbowl series. We worked with our machinist to experiment with multiple spacer constructions, and finally settled on one.
(L-R; early prototypes to final production version)
Initial prototypes came in, which made for a very exciting day. Prototype I was a wobblefest. Prototype II had a small, unobtrusive metal nub; it played more solid and was slightly smoother on string; Prototype III was full-delrin, was degrees floatier and lighter, but had a bit of vibe. I sent Prototype II and III to Coleman and Evgeniy. I preferred Prototype III, but wanted to triangulate my own thoughts with their feedback. After some play, their responses leaned towards the fully-delrin version. Evgeniy referred to it as the “monolith proto”, which I thought was cool, and mentally I referred to it as that from then on.
Coleman put the Snowberry through its paces in his own singular way, with flowy, relaxed combos that feel more like an art form than anything.
To fix the slight vibe, we adjusted the hub and spacer construction again for tighter and more secure fit against the delrin body, and they came out playing great. The production version also has a bit more weight – plastic designs have a tiny bit of variance weight-wise, but the Snowberry sits around 65.6g.
It’s very slick on the string, and has the classic Atmos lightness of feel. it has the same fluffy-oomph of the Cloudberry, but is even softer.
It’s an unapologetically wide and fatty organic, it’s very stable for a plastic, and spins long enough for a modern trickset. It won’t beat a new bimetal at sleep length if you’re counting seconds, but if you’re genuinely thinking about trick capability – have you seen what Evgeniy has done with it?
The modern market can feel like an arms race sometimes. This is a wholly positive thing – variety and availability of quality designs are great, and it’s never been a better time to be a player. Saturation generally breeds innovation and creativity.
In a crowded space, the ones I’ve personally found inspiring have a quietly oddball quality to them; the CLYW Arctic Circle 2, the A-RT 420, a-rt x sf dk, and the RSO Spaceship ES sit amongst our favorites; and amongst those we produce, the Noah, Abel, Fruitloop and Goji. It’s not a stretch to say all these designs are an imperfect fit for the median player who looks for least error, but in play they just make me go, oh.
The Snowberry sits in that pocket for us; it recaptures feelings of uniqueness and nostalgia, and also an excitement of old.
The Snowberry is a plastic yoyo — it’s plastic fantastic. It’s a thank-you note to its plastic forebears that kickstarted many yoyo journeys. It spins incredibly well, it feels slick and smooth on the string. It can take a tumble, it’s soft in the hand, it’s the one you chuck in your bagpack and bring on a hike, it’s the one you pull out to teach your younger cousin how to yoyo. it’s one for all seasons.
It feels familiar, like throwing snowballs in January.
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Snowberries are powered by premium hardware in Type I Concave Bearings, Stratos Pads, and Zipline CS50 Strings.
Our gap widths are designed specifically for this string, and we highly recommend using similar blends, or the fattest string you have.
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october 2022
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