Almost 2 years ago, we released our first slimline, the Isthmus.  It was also our first rim weighted model, really meant to be a pocket-performer!  Almost a year after release, I got asked the question, "What if we made the Isthmus, but wider?"

I drafted that CAD so fast, we got prototypes made right away and we were all simply blown away.  This soft H shape really stole our hearts!

Fast forward to production and a pre-release at the NYYC earlier this year: Scrub is a hit!  How much of a hit?  Well, Mark D coined the term "Scrubonite" at the event, due to the number of kids running around with our Scrubs!  We even had  few gathering signatures on theirs, did you sign a Scrub at Nats?

This top also marks our first performance oriented design.  Scrub is meant to play, and not just fun, but well!  Rim weighted with an ample profile for finger grinds, large lips for inner ring grinds, and an M4x12mm axle to endure the heaviest of hits on the hardest surfaces.  This top is meant to be thrown in your bag, smacked on the concrete, kick started, dog walked, and to generally take a thrashing!

Available on November 1st at 7pm Eastern at several retailers and our direct store, you'll be able to find Scrub's in the following colors:

-Clear (discounted due to anodization flaws, tiny shiny pin pricks)

-Black

-Beach Sand

-Florida Bay Fade (Blue on blue fade)

-Dragon Fruit (Pink on purple acid wash with green splash, discounted due to anodization flaws, tiny shiny pin pricks)

All Scrubs have the classic TRT logo engraved on both sides.

We received such magnanimous feedback from everyone who got to play the Cenote ([se-no-tae], it's a fancy word for sinkhole!), we had to go again!  I can't even begin to thank everyone enough who's helped us with this project.  Between you (yeah, you!), our retailers, and those who've showered us with positive feedback on this top.  Between reviews, posts, and messages online to in-person feedback... we've been more than overwhelmed.  THANK YOU ALL!!!

There have been no changes made to the original CAD, Cenote is perfect as is.  However, this production does consist of all new colorways... and a new limited art series from our friend, Vanessa Harper!!!

Available on July 12th at 9pm EDT at several retailers and our direct store, you'll be able to find brand new Cenote's in the following colors:

-Red (with TRT logo & Hibiscus engravings)

-Beach Sand (with TRT log & "I Spy" engravings)

-Clear (discounted for anodization flaws, no engravings)

-BRO Splash (Blue-Ringed Octopus is back!  No engravings)

-Final Frontier (Black with limited art series engravings)

Over the past several weeks we've had the honor to announce our 2 newest member's to Team TRT!  Help us welcome Ram Marana and Adam Reeder!!!

We met Ram at Florida States in 2023 and his tenacity as a new player was immediately clear to us.  Ram is dedicated to the sport, constantly learning new tricks and getting involved in the competition scene.  We're excited to support him as he begins his competitive career!

To be honest, Adam had been on our radar for awhile!  He's been excelling in 5a competitions and we suuuper dig his punk rock vibe and modest composure.  We're ecstatic for the opportunity to further elevate him and see his success continue!

You can find more info about both of these excellent member's of the yo-mmunity over on our "Team" page and their social medias!

Cenote is our first undersized return top. Pocketable and light on the string, this top lends itself to long play sessions and rewards clean play.  Cenote does not fight against your movements, instead, it floats about on the string and is very comfortable to catch. The response bump/schmoove groove allow for controllability without being too frustrating, and the higher walls lend themselves to satisfying regens. An over-rounded rim makes this slimmer throw feel a little phatter in the hand than may be expected. And the inner ring grind lip further adds to the catch comfort and allows for thumb grinds.  We love grinds!

We reduced the overall weight of this design to be more in-line with our other floaty throw, the Buoy! The final production version weighs in at only 63g (+.2g for Sugar Sand/Moon Rock/Micro Arc Oxidation). Don't let the lighter weight fool you though, Cenote still has plenty of spin to power through combos, without feeling like a rock at the end of your string.

We've also widened the response gap from our previous 2 releases from 4.2mm to 4.4mm. We wanted to give the player more room for string layering, without sacrificing a satisfying super snappy bind. This is also helped by the Round Spinning Objects Type 50 Landing Pads that are installed on each Cenote.

With this latest model, we are proud to present our first Artist Series, Secrets of the Seas!

We had the privilege of working with our longtime friend and tattoo artist, Vanessa Harper, to bring our watery visions to life. Each of the 5 unique designs in this series is an original art piece hand drawn by Vanessa and then optimized for engraving by Bruce. We hope you'll discover as much fun and fantasy in exploring these scenes as we have! You can find Vanessa on Instagram @vanessaharpertattoo.

Each design is limited to 6 pieces, for a total of 30 tops in the entire series. Each top will have the limited art engraved on one side and the word art "Secrets fo the Seas" on the other. Secrets of the Seas will not be reproduced, this is a limited series!

Cenote will be available in 2 different colorways:

-Sugar Sand (Micro Arc Oxidation)

-Secrets of the Seas (Blue with engravings)

Each Cenote comes packaged in our standard hand stamped box alongside a TRT sticker, TRT Series #2 POG, TRT Button Pin, a Zipline Executive Class Lite string, and RSO Type 50 Landing Pads installed.

Cenote will be available tonight, September 15th at 8pm EDT on our web shop and at these fine retailers:
http://www.yo-yoshop.com

http://www.yoyosam.com

http://www.yoyoexpert.com

A warm welcome aboard to our newest team member, Michael Hart!  A lot of you may know him from his awesome trick videos he posts on Instagram or his excellent yoyo reviews on Youtube.  We love Michael's positive energy and his super flowy/fun trick style, and we know you will too! Learn more about our latest TRT team member in his bio. Find it on our Team page and make sure to checkout his social media!

Please help us in welcoming our newest team member, Jake Long!  We got to meet Jake at the 2022 Florida State Yoyo Contest where he competed.  We decided then that he would be a perfect fit for our team.  Jake competes in several different divisions of yoyo, you could even say he spans the genres!  Go checkout his bio on our Team page and follow him on social media to catch his tricks and tutorials!

For our sophomore  release, we are proud to present to you: Isthmus.  A full sized, pocket friendly, slim line power house packed with stability and power...spin time for daaays!!!

This project is near and dear to me, as slim line yoyos are one of my absolute favorite form factors.

We originally received the first prototypes along with the production run of the Buoy! and began testing immediately.  Over the course of several months, this was practically the only yoyo I played (other than some nice new things here and there...oh and other slim yoyos to contrast and compare!)

Now, this wasn't the only prototype we received with the Buoy!'s, but it became our absolute favorite right away.  David started throwing horizontal with this slimline on the first day, crazy!  Grant told me after the first month or so that it hadn't left his pocket as a daily carry.

We also snuck one out with a Buoy! as a special gift, maybe we'll do that again?

After listening to feedback from my team and others, we decided the weight distribution and profile were right on the mark for the purpose of this design: stability, power, spin time, and pocket-ability.

The cup, however, needed a slight adjustment.  This change doesn't affect the play to any noticeable degree, however, I believe a much more pleasing aesthetic was achieved.

The initial production release consists of 2 different colorways:

-[Florida] Bay Fade (a 2-tone blue on blue fade with engraving)

-Beach Sand (solid sand color with a balck washed engraving)

Each Isthmus comes equipped with our favorite Round Spinning Objects Type 40 Landing Pads and a Zipline Skyline III string.  Each box will also include a limited edition TRT POG and sticker!

Officially available, in person, at the Florida State Yoyo Contest in Groveland, Fl this weekend (December 10, 2022) and here on our web store next Friday, December 17 at 8pm EST!!!

Our first official release is here, come bob with the Buoy! for a full-sized floaty experience.  Designed for chill sessions where you just want to relax and let the tricks flow, but still capable of going "god speed" as the kids say.  We pushed more weight to the center for float, while keeping the catch zone wider with a more competitive style response bump to give you space for tech.  A rounded profile makes finger grinds a joy and a nice wide rim surface to cushion your catch.  

Buoy! comes unresponsive with a C bearing and M4x10mm axle installed.  If you're feeling froggy though, the bearing seat has been designed to accept a slim C bearing and M4x8mm axle* for responsive play!

Buoy! is available in 4 different colorways: Atlantic Blue, Hot Pink, Citrus Splash, and Moon Rock.  Laser engraving in the cup ensures that you'll know you're riding the waves when you pickup your Buoy!  Please note, we have omitted laser engravings on the Moon Rock colorway.  As far as we can tell, there are no ocean waves on the moon...so we figured you'll have to learn how to moon walk instead.

All Buoys! come equipped with Round Spinning Objects Type 40 Landing Pads for snappy crisp response.  We've also included a Zipline Strings Executive Class Lite string for plush feels.  Each Buoy! also includes a TRT citrus logo sticker and a limited series POG, enjoy!

Come find the Buoy! on sale here this Friday at 8pm EST!!!

August 8, 2022

As I'm sure many of you have seen on our social media accounts, we received our first prototypes back in late May and began testing immediately!  The orange and yellow acid wash anodization was something completely unnecessary for a prototype run, but we wanted to make our first something extra special.  I was instantly taken aback at the vibrant colors and reminded of simple Florida things like sunshine and orange juice.

The citrus-y goodness has fueled a lot of fun as it's been passed around to our team members and a few lucky local yoyo club enthusiasts.  After several weeks of testing and feedback (and some minor tweaks) we decided to push forward with production!

We are now testing, grading, and packaging to bring our first production yoyo to market, keep your eyes peeled for more details coming very soon!

FYI, we are also still accepting entries for two separate giveaways on our social media accounts, Instagram and Tiktok!  You can find links to both accounts on our Contact page, entry is free and we are covering shipping to the buyer.  Entries are open until midnight EST August 27th...go check it out and win a prototype!!!

April 8th, 2022

Wow, how exciting this is!  We just recently announced our first 2 professional yoyo team members a few days ago on our Instagram (@turnerreturntops) and the positive response from everyone has been overwhelming, thank you!  Everyone, please give a warm welcome to Grant Nichols and David Chapman!

If you haven't yet, go visit our Instagram to checkout their reels.  We felt that Grant and David both have incredibly unique styles that fit the vibe we want to generate with the Turner Return Tops team.  Fun, chill, laid back, Florida, however you want to think about it...yoyoing is fun and that's what we want to communicate and promote with not only our designs, but with our team as well.

Both of these fine yoyo-ists are longtime members of the hobby and community.  They readily accepted me when I wanted to participate and help organize the local yoyo group, Central Florida Yoyo Club.  Just as they supported me, we now want to support them and the local scene as best we can.  We hope to see you out and about so we can yoyo together!

Congratulations again to Grant and David, it is an honor to have you both with us on this great yoyo journey!

Links from this post:
Turner Return Tops Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/turnerreturntops/

March 14, 2022

My name is Bruce Turner and I am a lifelong yoyo enthusiast!  Like many others, I was introduced to yoyo in Elementary School by the Duncan team.  My friends and I played yoyo throughout Elementary and into Middle School, where at some point I put my old Spintastics Terminator Tornado responsive roller bearing yoyo into a drawer.  

Fast forward to 2016, I had decided to quit smoking cigarettes and I wanted to quit "cold turkey" with no gum, pills, or any other kind of medication or chemical substitution.  So I found that old yoyo!  Sure enough though, the string had turned into some sort of petrified fossil and the bearing a block of rust...whoops.  I took to the internet where I found videos of pro yoyo-ists busting out these amazing tricks, unlike anything I could remember from my youth, what was this wonderous new style of yoyo?!?  I had discovered unresponsive yoyo...but I also felt like it was over my head at the time, so I ordered a Yomega Raider off of Amazon and started yoyoing instead of smoking (this was just over 5 years ago now, and I'm still cigarette free today!)

Let's jump up a few more years now to 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic and "lock downs".  In the Fall of 2020, I finally got my stones together and ordered my first unresponsive 1a yoyo, the Recess Snack!  I learned how to bind the first day and began learning about combos, flow, and the differences of all of these crazy new yoyo that I had been unaware of for so many years.

Little did I know at the time, I was truly rekindling this great love of mine.  I began buying this shape and that shape from this manufacturer and that to get a feel for all the different shapes and weight distributions, to find what I liked best (and to satisfy my inner Dragon...need more shiny things!)  

Next, I came across some tutorials for yoyo design from Mark Diehr of Mk1 Yoyos (links below) and started learning the CAD process for yoyo.  I dove in head first and hit the ground running!  Months later, Mark furthered my experience by inviting my wife, Jess, and I to assist him with quality control and packaging of one of his yoyos, the Mk1 Contact (second run).  After having truly glanced at the inner workings of Mk1, Jess and I talked the whole way home about how we wanted to follow in these foot steps.

Now, to the present.  2022, the year of the Tiger (my year!) and we have finally taken the leap!  Our first prototype is currently being machined and we cannot express how happy we are to finally bring our dream to fruition.  Our goal with TRT is to create fun and accessible yoyos for the community to enjoy.  Please follow along here and on our Instagram page @turnerreturntops to keep up to date with us as we progress towards our first release.  I hope you will join us for this journey, thank you!

Links from this post:

Mk1 Yoyos Website:

https://mk1yoyos.com/

Mk1 Mechanics Yoyo Design Youtube Series, first video:

https://youtu.be/fjU1yv1Urq0

Turner Return Tops Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/turnerreturntops/