I was just a little curious about what people thought about, and preferred, regarding A-grade & B (or C) -grade yoyos.
I will generally buy A-grades, and if I miss the drop, I generally will not pick up a B-grade. There have been a few instances that I’ve picked up B-grades on drops, but it has to be something I really want (B-grade RSO YWET comes to mind).
I choose A-grades generally because they seem to hold their value better. Off the BST, I’ll only pick up A-grades, even if they have a little damage, over B-grades. I’m not a vibe monster, but I prefer a relatively smooth yoyo.
I do appreciate the B-grade market. It’s an excellent opportunity to get a deal on something you could really be looking for, something to really beat on or do 5a with. it when push comes to shove, I really would rather scoop the A-grade or pass.
B grades for me every chance I can I feel like quality control these days is so strict that i barely can ever tell why something was made a B grade over an A grade.
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fradiger
(the world is a beautiful cat and i must meow meow meow)
3
Honestly I’ve never had any dealbreaking issues from b grades outside of YYF plastics. My main reasons for avoiding b grades is just they tend to not sell as quickly on the BST unless you drop the prices very low.
I think most companies that put out B grades know people are sensitive to string vibe so I usually just see some slight nail vibe or ano issues. Perfectly fine with me. Honestly like easily 50-60% of the time I get a B grade it’s literally just an A grade to my eye.
I like using B grades to speculate on yoyos I’m hesitant to pay full retail for an A grade, or on yoyos I want to try but not necessarily am ready to commit to yet.
B-grades are a gift from heaven for me, I’m always real stingy with how I spend my yoyo budget, so having a cheaper option for a high quality yoyo with slight imperfections is very easy for me to justify :))
Kay is also super right here, The last three B-grades I got had minor fingernail vibe (which is basically some companies version of A-grades) that I was able to tune out with a new bearing or cleaning the bearing seat. All of them played perfectly smooth on the string, even before the small tune. If its not a yoyo ive been wanting for months (Klondike), I’ll always go b-grades
i think the point @Kaylinity brought up regarding qc is a big deciding factor, and i think @fradiger pointing out that there are variabilities in the qc control depending on brand, really drive the value factor of B-grade yoyos
my Peak 2 is a B grade for slight vibe (it’s so minor) and this cup came out too shiny apparently. The nipples have that clear spot at the tip that I don’t know if it’s wear or what but this thing was a steal at 40 bucks from the clyw nats booth.
Ya Frad has a good point! Larger brands pumping out way more yoyos seem to have less quality for their b grades from what I hear. Definitely a little brand dependent
another value of b-grades is the return on investment on the producer. the qc is so tight for some, they need the b-grade market to keep them above water. there are a few particular brands i don’t mind b-grades from.
Many companies’ B grades are other companies’ A so it depends on the company. Like MK1 for example no issue with any B grade and would sometimes struggle to know what made it a B grade. I personally tried to have that same high standard with my release, replacing two bearings that seemed a bit wonky though everything else was fine and two had the tiny little ano flaws. Shipping also comes into play and can change things up with like bearings.
i want companies to start releasing C grades, especially with how nice B grades are in recent years. as long as it doesn’t effect playability i would totally buy something with major ano flaws and decent string vibe for a good discount. mark it w a big ugly engraving or whatever if you’re worried about it hurting the value of A grades. sure some yoyos i want to be nice and beautiful and smooth but most of my yoyos i toss loose into my purse and they’ll inevitably get scratched and dinged and bounced off pavement. i’m less much hesitant if it’s already got an ano flaw or some vibe to begin with.
not totally related but i really really really wish loose bearing posts would become the norm because i don’t care about a nail vibe or slight string vibe at all and not having to use a tool to remove the bearing (and subsequently not having to worry about messing up the post by using a tool) is so worth it to me. not gonna happen because collectors want nail vibe-free yoyos but a girl can dream…
I love getting b-grades. I’ve never looked at a yoyo and thought of it as a investment, I always buy them to play with and if I can get one slightly cheaper for looking a little off or with a bit of vibe then that great.
I picked up a B-grade TiBowl from RSO recently. I traded my last A grade away a while ago and I saw it as a good opportunity to pick one up relatively cheap so I can play it without worry.
Already added a few new dings to it and I love it even more now!
I’ve never bought a B-grade. I feel like I’m a little too OCD. I know people say that such-and-such brand’s B-grades are impossible to find a flaw. I’m pretty sure that I’d find it!
I think it is a way to keep the quality standard for the yoyo brand. I would only get the b grade if there was a big cost difference a grade and b grade. That being said I have ordered some a grades that should have been b grades and some of the b grades that should have been a grades.
For me it depends on the company but I will say that having tried Yoyofriends B grades next to A grades, half the time I can’t even tell the difference because they’re just so good. I can tell with my Pheasant because it was previously damaged, but even then the vibe is quite minimal and doesn’t affect play at all. I agree with the sentiment that the standard of quality for machining lately is so high that B grades are still exceptional yoyos a lot of the time.
On the other hand, my CLYW FG Avalanche has had intense vibe ever since I got it in 2010-11ish and that does bother me. That’s one I wish I had spent the extra $30 or so and just gotten an A grade. I bet I could minimize some of it with a centering bearing, recessed response and a replacement axle but even then it’ll most likely never be very smooth.
I feel like quality control these days is so strict that i barely can ever tell why something was made a B grade over an A grade.
