Henrys Viper

Viper
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Manufacturer	Henrys
Release date	1998
Shape	Butterfly
Color	Various
Weight	53 grams
Dimensions	Diameter: 65mm Width: 34mm String Gap Width: Adjustable
Material	Aluminum hub with rubber shells
Bearing size	5x9x3mm
Response system	None

The Viper is a yo-yo made by Henrys in Germany, first released in 1998.

Description

The Viper was the first yo-yo product ever made by Germany-based skill toy maker Henrys, consisting an aluminum hub with large rubber shells that form a narrow Butterfly-style shape. It also features a ball bearing axle for super-long spin times, and no response system. However, the yo-yo also features an adjustable string gap width, so that it could be used for looping or string play, satisfying the needs of players in all skill levels. It proved popular for 1A, especially when modified. The Viper was also one of the very first yo-yos to popularize the then-new 4A (Offstring) style, thanks to the rubber shells acting like shock absorbers as the yo-yo bounces on the ground when a trick is performed.

One popular modification by Viper owners involved making a recessed starburst response system onto the inside of the Viper's aluminum hub. This caused Playmaxx to lock horns with Henrys, because this modification supposedly infringed on the patent for the Brake Pad response system. To make a jab at Henrys and to compete with the Viper, Playmaxx created the Mongoose, which featured BPT response (which they thought was superior) and is compatible with the Viper's shells.

It was also licensed to Bandai for the Hyper Yo-Yo line as the Hyper Viper.

Modern variants

Building on the Viper's success, Henrys released new variants of the yo-yo in the 2010s.

• Viper Neo - Modern rendition of the Viper featuring silicone Gecko Pad response.
• Viper Neo XL - Variant of the Viper Neo with larger rubber shells.
• Viper AXYS - Another modern rendition of the Viper, adapted for the AXYS System of interchangeable axle parts.
• Viper Flux - Variant of the Viper featuring hubstacks.

Photos

Top view

Profile view

a Henrys Viper in red

Player Reviews

I have Henrys Viper with the AXYS system. The yoyo came double looped and very responsive. After some adjustment and a single loop the yoyo was tug responsive, but still sleeps. This yoyo needs a lot of break-in to get to that sweet spot with the bearing. The new AXYS system does not disassemble and there are not really any shortcuts with cleaning & lubing the bearing. After a few months of play the bearing started softening up along with the rubber shells. Im not sure how popular this yoyo is in today's market of long sleeping, non-responsive yoyo's, but the Viper is still a fun yoyo to play with.

The rubber shells make for soft impact with the hand and any other objects in the house :-) however the light weight of the Viper may be a turn off for some people. The fact that this yoyo is a bit narrow, but has a very large diameter may be a turn off. This is a really good yoyo to use to get practice making your 1A tricks smoothed out. The Viper is also decent for 5A, but not to be compared for other offerings from YoyoJam or Duncan. This is just a different yoyo.

Any more I think this yoyo is for collectors who enjoy playing with a variety of yoyo's. I wanted a Viper for many months and was a bit dumbfounded by the thing when I first started throwing it. After getting use to the size I find this yoyo to be a lot of fun to play with. And with the rubber rings you don't have to worry about breaking anything! --redgrape

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I have a Viper classic (gen1) with no mods, all original bearing axle system. I bought it a few months before the Gen2 came out, so missed the AXYS revolution. The rubber rings were a plus since I am a massage therapist and need unbroken fingers and other body parts for work. This was the 2nd tranaxle yo-yo I purchased (the first was a used roller woody. . .ouch) so the response was about what I expected. The bearings on the viper come clean out of the box (at least that was what I was told at the shop) and had a nice quiet whine while sleeping. The response was clean out of the box with a double loop but still produced 3 minute sleeps (my own personal best, no tricks involved). The weight of the Viper was something I needed to get used to since throwing a "No-Jive" and "roller woody" previously made the Viper feel almost too light. The adjustable twist gap is stopped by a rubber O-ring keeping the two halves from twisting each time it hits your palm, but it eventually wears out making the gap adjust with every throw. The biggest downside to this is when the gap gets too wide, it exposes the edge of the bearing and the string can get caught if you are unaware (making an unexpected return trip). The gap is way too small to do many of the newer string tricks and the spin is too slow to keep it going. The yoyo is too light for monster sleeps, but still my favorite yo-yo to learn on. Over all, I love my Viper. I rarely play with my roller woody, and my other yo-yos just make doing loops fun and easy. Easy on the hands, heads and furniture, I recommend this yo-yo for beginners learning how to do long spin string tricks, just don't get too many layers of string in the gap or you will be doing the Knot trick. --bstullis