The Pandora is billed as being the most complex ever spinning top from Billetspin. That’s al down to the inner working of the machining, and how t
he top falls together. But often a top is more than the sum of its parts, no matter how well they are designed and manufactured. So, does the Pandora live up to elite manufacture behind it?
Billetspin Pandora Opening
On first impressions I was a little underwhelmed by the top. When you open a new top you like to be surprised and have a brand new experience from seeing in real life the product you have only seen on screens before then. I didn’t have that experience with the Pandora. I think this is part down to having seen so much about this top on the Facebook page that I felt I knew the top inside and out (literally) before I ever held it.
So, within about 10 minutes of opening the parcel I was having the internal conflict of whether it was actually worth $300 to me, or if I should part ways. This is the same conflict I had with the thrust (preceding Billetspin top), and I actually wound up selling it. However, I gave the top a chance and spun it throughout my work day.
It was only as I got used to the top in hand and the spinning that I started to fall in love. The stem and grip on the Pandora are brilliant. They make getting a good purchase on the spin so much easier than with a regular knurling technique. Not only that, but the weight distribution is vastly superior to any top we saw in 2017 with the exception of possibly the Nexus.
As I kept returning to the top spin after spin – instead of going for any of my other wonderful tops – I realised that the Pandora was fast becoming one of my favourite spinners. Now, as I write a few months after receiving the top, I stand by this analysis. Is it my favourite top? No, but is it the one I like to spin the most? Absolutely.
The design of the top is well documented by Billetspin, so you can check out their info for the intricacies of the tops making. But what I will say is that the continuity of sixes and the different ridges all bring the look together in wonderful fashion. It’s not immediately obvious that everything lines up, but the whole look ties together extremely well, and just works.