Bottom Line Up Front

The Shout is Amplified Return Top’s first release. If one were to summarize the yoyo in a single word, that word would be “Impressive.”

A.R.T.'s branding is impressive, the professionalism of this brand new company is impressive, the anodizing and colorway choices for the companies first attempt are impressive, how well the yoyo plays is impressive, the attention to detail in packing is impressive. As far as freshman releases go, this should be what people try to live up to.

Specs

Diameter: 57 mm

Width: 43.5 mm

Gap: 4.3 mm

Mass: 66.95 g

Response: 19 OD CBC Pads

Boxing

The shipping option that A.R.T. has chosen is slightly more expensive than the standard shipping choice most companies go with, but the yoyo will arrive completely safe and well packed in a box large enough that there is no chance even the U.S.P.S could crush it. I don’t mind spending 2 dollars more for this option and appreciated that it was what A.R.T. chose. The box is the industry standard, but the packing is tasteful and neat.





Fit & Finish

Once you’ve got it out of the box, you’re greeted by one of the Shout’s various beautiful colorways. I really like this one, Desert Sunset. It looks pretty amazing when its spinning. The first run isn’t blasted, but the existing finish isn’t overly sticky either. In addition to how pretty the yoyo is, you can also tell that the chosen manufacturing is top notch and that the Shout was well tested before being sent. Out of the box, my Shout was very, very smooth.





Play

I found the Shout to play much lighter than its weight may suggest, being nearly 67 grams. This weight doesn’t carry over to the feel on the string at all but it spins as long as you’d expect a 67 gram yoyo to spin anyway. Its a nice balance. It is quick to respond to your movements and runs through tricks very quickly. One would describe it as “zippy”, but with a presence. Despite the lack of a blasted finish, it is capable of most grinds. Fingerspins work, it is capable of palm grinds, and due to the shape, it is also capable of fairly long finger grinds in dry conditions. Outside, good luck. I found the “IGR”, as small and insignificant as it is, to be passable when angled. I found the yoyo to be extremely capable at off axis play, holding the horizontal plane admirably. It is above average at regens in my experience and doesn’t wobble too much even with sloppier attempts. I won’t describe the shape to you, because you have eyes and there are pictures.

One thing, while it is definitely not lacking at all in stability, I wouldn’t classify it as a “very stable yoyo”… so if you like unshakable stability, this may be important. To me, it just checks off the box for stable enough while not approaching the territory of ridiculous stability.

Response & Bearing

The bearing is a grooved centering bearing and I don’t think its of any particular brand name, but it came very smooth and quiet. I am not normally a fan of this type of bearing as in my experience, the available brands tend to be noisy and a little less smooth than others of comparable price, but the bearing that came in my Shout is still in my shout. I normally switch out for a CT… so that’s nice. My Shout came with 19 mm OD CBC Natural pads, which just happen to be a personal favorite of mine. I find them to play well forever so I was pleased with this, but if you aren’t, the chosen pad size is extremely convenient and they’re easily swappable for silicone or the litany of other pads available in this size. As is, the binds are tight and reassuring. There isn’t any bite and the gap is wide enough that snags are not an issue. It handles low speed binds alright but definitely does not excel at them.

Summary

The bottom line was up front. Why are you still reading? The Shout is an excellent yoyo that anyone would be happy to own. It stacks up well with any other yoyo in the same price range, if you pick one up, I have no doubt you’ll be impressed. I am.