The last few months have been a balancing act of a full time programming job and maintaining Luftverk. I look back at how I did things when I was traveling - I'd set up shop and design, release then ship products from wherever I was. Back then it was a challenge because of space. But now it's more of an issue with time. Realizing that I dedicate 8 hours of my day to work, 8 hours for sleep, an hour for a morning workout leaves about 7 hours to keep myself alive (cook), keep the S13 running, and also work on yoyo projects. All this in the statistically least affordable city in North America. To say it's been a handful would be an understatement, but at the same time it feels genuinely great to be so busy with new opportunities. When designing the Alpina, it was spread across an entire month instead of a week when I had more time - which also gave me headspace to work out smaller details.
This design was based roughly around the theme of what a one off yoyo designed by an engineer in the 70s would look like. I don't know what brought up this spark of inspiration, but it is likely due to my obsession with all things nostalgic. And something about that created some interesting challenges. What would the branding or engraving look like? What would the shape be like? How would it perform?
I thought of things like the shape - well being machined from billet, something about a very square profile always had a hand-turned look to it. This square profile also ensures a massive amount of weight on the rim. It is borderline unforgiving in it's amount power and spin. And again, the hub design is very square and billet machined looking. Simple geometric shapes takes a page out of the brutalist architecture design language found in the original Evora. It just feels period correct - without ever existing in the past. Something about that gets me excited.
Similar to the Silvia line, "XP" is short for "Experiment", and the numbers represent the diameter of the yoyos. This time around, they come in a standard 55mm, as well as a much smaller 47mm. To put things in perspective, a typical undersized yoyo is near 50mm. With the tiny diameter, and slim profile this makes the Alpina XP47 the ultimate fit-anywhere pocket throw. It is the only yoyo that Luftverk has released that fits in the coin pocket in my jeans. With that said, fixed axle performance is much greater on the XP55 due to its nice diameter. For the ultimate understanding of the differences in diameter I'd recommend purchasing both, which will also reveal a rather silly (but satisfying) easter egg too. I'll keep that a secret.
This brings us to the next unique feature of the Alpina - it was the perfect test bed for something I have thought about for a few years. A fixed axle "bearing blank" collar that would fit into a bearingized yoyo. I prototyped this bearing with a full width C bearing, but it felt way to unresponsive and lacked the snappiness of a true fixed axle. After testing a few widths, I found that near the "half-spec" size was the most optimal for those fast gravity pulls but still allowed a decent sleep time. I challenge anyone to find a yoyo that gravity pulls as satisfying as an Alpina with the bearing blank.
These are made from 6061 aluminum and anodized to prevent tarnishing and durability. They are also machined slightly oversized to prevent galling, or getting stuck in the bearing seat. You will be able to purchase these separate and they fit any yoyo that supports slim bearings (short height bearing posts). Each Alpina will include a large bearing, a half spec, and a bearing blank for you to experiment how each changes the play dynamic.
With the old packaging stock running low, I thought it would be a great opportunity to incorporate a redesign. Gone is the sleeve, but a beautiful grey/white split tone that signifies something very personal to me. The inside is still muted for that center-of-attention pop when you first open the box up. All accessories now include its own pouch for its accessories with a sticker designed after automotive OEM parts stickers.
Summing this run up - its been a mountain of work since not only was it two new throws, but a packaging redesign as well. I think including three bearing types for users will really show how different each will affect play. I personally have been switching from half-spec to the bearing blank a lot, and really feeling the difference between responsive bearingized vs response fixed axle. It's really cool to be able to differentiate the two. I love doing slimline projects because they manage to really let my creative juices flow. With the Alpina project, it is no exception.
Dropping Thursday, February 14th 10:00pm EST.
Alpina XP55
Width: 23mm
Diameter: 55mm
Weight: 64g
Response: Luftpad
Price: $300
Alpina XP47
Width: 23mm
Diameter: 47mm
Weight: 63g
Response: Luftpad
Price: $290
Includes Center-trac, Half-Spec, and Fixed Axle Bearing Blank.
Will you be reissuing 000 or dropping new models in the near future?
Jim Maneri
July 19, 2019
This isn’t for public – having the 55 in my hands – anyway I can tell the Easter egg. I would have bought both if I could have, only able to buy one before they sold out – had to lobby for this one! So if you make another batch, yea put that coating on them and sell me a 47 so I can sit them on my desk in an “Easter egg”. Also, while I here, 57 yr old me dreams of a dream of a slimline throw like the Alpina, but with super thin walls and massive steel rims – you know, slimline but maddeningly stable like say the iyoyo iceberg and ippon with their weight so much more concentrated outward. idk from design, but you just made my previous dream Yoyo, maybe the next one too! Keep making art however you can! We see you!
Jim Maneri
July 19, 2019
I’ve had the Alpina 55 in my hands for 48 hours. I’ve been throwing 49 years and spent a decade with the SB-1 then the SB-2, which mKes this design appealing to me. Anyway a beautiful spot-on homage to machining design of the 70s – unfortunately for those of us yoying at the time in the wasteland of 70s Yoyo, nowhere outside my 1970s Yoyo dreams did anyone apply the beautiful machine design aesthetic of the age to yo-yos – although for decades I would dream of a super-slim classy pocket throw that actually performed. until now, 40 years later. With advances in Yoyo design over the last 15 years I got over that longing. Gave up on it. Your design made me thing of many things about yoyoinh, design, the place of Yoyo in my life… THAT’S the provocations that when provided the appreciator, reveal the true artistic nature of an expression. Don’t let anyone’s poo-pooing of your Yoyo musings deter you from creating more art, be they in the form of yo-yos, or titaniu, or none of that.
Know your artwork will be appreciated for its design and functionality, in my hand or in an old SB-2 holster on my belt, in rotation with a few other slimline throws. I’ve had a yo-yo holster on every day for several decades, and now the Alpina 55 will be there quite often. Especially while I’m infatuated with it for a while.
It has been a while since Ive written much - the second half of 2023 was insanely busy with project management. Since the release of the plastic lineup, I had very little time to focus on the roots of what made Luftverk so exciting. I realized this was a huge problem - I needed to guide Luftverk back to it's roots of exploring new materials and build product lineups that told a story stemmed from exploration. I had done this with plastics last year but in 2024 I would like to also focus back onto some more products that use exotic materials. While being incredibly late to the party this recent project is Luftverk's first Magnesium ever, which was at first canceled and almost never released.
It has been nearly 4 months since Ive been in Japan, and 5 months since I left Toronto. Writing that out makes it feel short but in reality it feels like forever ago. The last launch of the Plastic Peak was an overwhelming experience. I felt so grateful to work with CLYW, a company I grew up with. When the World Yoyo Contest hit I didn't know what to expect, but I had started noticing a feeling of burn out after grinding out so many yoyo related projects and in a weird introverted way I was a bit reluctant to go.
CLYW is a Canadian brand that started in 2006. I was 14 at the time when I watched this new brand unfold on the Yoyonation forums. They released their first yoyo named the "Peak" with 50 pieces retailing for $85. Today, that yoyo has used asking prices north of $2500 making it one of the most insanely rare and expensive yoyos to date. This "OG Painted Peak" featured a custom painted surface by a Canadian airbrush artist named Levi. Overtime as the Peak was impacted or dinged, the paint would chip off meaning there are only a handful of units in the world that survived in mint unused condition. Later versions would be released in more durable anodized finishes, but these first 50 "OG Painted Peaks"cemented CLYW into yoyoing history.
Jeffrey Pang
Author