It is well documented that the Spinetic brand spinners are the best range of budget spinners on the market at the moment. They have made a name for themselves with top quality spinners that are incredibly smooth and spin for a long long time. However, now their trademark design has had a makeover and the Y+ is upon us.
The Y+ takes its name from the original series of Y, X and I spinners which resemble their namesakes. Of the second wave however, there is only the Y+, there is no X or I… yet. The latest model comes with the same reliable and time tested bearing. So, now that we know the spin time and quality is going to be top notch, what is new?
Spinetic Y+ Price
All of the different choices you make when building your own Y+ have small impacts on the cost, however all of the combos come in between $50-$60
At the moment there is no option to add another set of weights, though this is apparently in the works.
Spinetic Y+ Design
What makes the Spinetic version 2 different is its customisation options. This was likely inspired by a lot of owners of the original Y choosing to paint the weights different colours with nail varnish or other paints. The focus has been on creating a reliable spinner which has weights that can be changed for different materials and colours.
On the site you are given the option to “build your own” with the starting price of $0.03. Some things are constant, like the bearing being an R188 (though you can pick the make-up of the bearing) and the size of the spinner. Everything else can be altered.
Y+ Bearing
Though the bearing is a fixed R188, you get the opportunity to choose what the composition of that bearing is. There are five choices: Steel, Stainless Steel, Hybrid/SS, Hybrid/nylon, and Shielded Hybrid. Of these options the best choice for long smooth spins is probably the shielded hybrid, but it is a matter of personal preference. A lot of people prefer an all stainless steel bearing for example because of the noise it makes.
Y+ Frame
The main body of the spinner comes in three different metal options. Sadly we don’t have the same choices as in the original Y (Stainless Steel, Copper, and Brass). For the Y+ you have the choice of Matte Stainless Steel, Electroplated Stainless steel gun metal, and Electroplated stainless steel black. Essentially these are light grey, dark grey and black. It’s not certain whether there will be more metal choices here in the future, as there would undeniably be demand, however these are the choices for now.
Y+ finger pads
The finger pads (also known as “grips” or “buttons”) have the exact same metal combinations as the frame. However, you have the freedom to mix and match, so you don’t need to have the same material button as you do frame.
Y+ Weights
The final part of the build is where things get interesting. These weights were the main focus of the new design and they don’t disappoint. There are 9 different options: matte SS, Orange, Green, Purple, Gun Metal, Black, Blue, Copper and Rainbow.
The weights are held in with a little screw. The original idea was for these weights to use magnets, but that fell through. Instead you will receive a small Alan (hex) key with which to change your weights.
Overview
The choices of the metals in the frame and finger pads is ok, but not great as there isn’t really any difference other than the colour, and even then it’s a limited spectrum. However, the choice of bearing and the multitude of weights is a really nice change of pace, and is the only main stream spinner with that level of versatility at the moment.
There have however been early rumours of the weights not being perfectly weighted, and so there are some wobble issues. Also some people have noted that the screws are hard to get perfectly tightened. However Spinetic have acknowledged and are working on those issues, so will undoubtedly have them addressed in no time.
Coming in at around $50 plus shipping, the spinetic Y+ is venturing further out of the budget spinner category. While it is still cheap compared to some of its more expensive counterparts like Rotablade, or CKF, its arguably no longer a “budget spinner”.
However, this is a great precedent for Spinetic and for the fidget spinner industry in general, it will be interesting to watch this design grow. There will likely be more frame options and weight options, as we are still in the early days. Hopefully we will also see the X+ and I+ on the shelves soon!