The Quail is definitely an A bearing leading throw these days, especially being in the A-RT family with the looks of its big brother Grail. Seems like some folks it is just not there thing or they aren’t giving it enough time. Just for the fact that the World YoYo champion applied the followable silicone to these is awesome and worth every penny. Sometimes I think of my Confusion GT as a poor mans Quail. I really enjoy mine as well and am glad I was able to get one.
Gee thanks for keeping alive. 
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underdog, by matt schmidt…
mgodzilla
cloudy…
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I pulled my old YYF Velocity out a couple of weeks ago after I saw one at a new toy store that opened which was their only yoyo offering next to some yoyo balls. Like most things trying to be a “Jack of all Trades” it becomes a master of nothing. But does it deserve some love? I think yes as it serves a purpose that the others can’t. It is available outside of this realm of enthusiasts and can be found on the shelf of several stores and can be an introduction to modern yoyoing to a new buyer. Unresponsive YoYoing is by no means in the mainstream consciousness, let alone a bind return. I wouldn’t be afraid to walk the dog on the street or give this one away to a friend or a kid on the street. Like anything with limitations it provides challenges to overcome. There is a lot of talk about how “good” a throw is here in the forums, but at the end of the day it comes down to the individual player. This offering is helping spread the good news of Yoyo and it can be played right out of the box by a novice. I hadn’t played mine in a while and personally I’ve come along way since first played it. Reflecting now it really make me appreciate those premium throws. The shape is very similar to the G2 Hawk if you notice.
YYF Whip, YYF Velocity and G2 Hawk Swirl
Pads on easy Pads on Pro
Pads Pro and Easy
YYF White Pads up on that dial.
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Yeah, I admit
may have been a bit of a stretch, especially for the Velocity.
However, I still contend that the adjustable gap allows you to get the response just the way you like it for responsive play, and makes them good choices for that style.
Plus this thread was about A bearing yo-yos, and it “feels more right” for responsive play than many of the 1/2 spec C bearing yo-yos I’ve tried.
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The Velocity looks like a Hawk
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I still dislike the mechanical/tweaky/can-break aspect of the Velocity, but it’s not an affront to human dignity like the DV888 is.
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Question for @yoyospirit … just got mine, also in green 
, and I wonder why the axle is so long? That is one suuuper long axle! Was that a design thing? I’m curious.
Is there anywhere you can buy blank Duncan end caps to decorate with art? That’d be cool!
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Haha, so part of the axle being long is my own paranoia. A bearing yoyos can’t be cut for larger size threads, once they’re stripped, they’re pretty much done, so a longer axle will hopefully prevent stripping for a long while. It was also designed with enough material that in the event the yoyo did strip, an experienced enough modder could cut the yoyo for helicoils and Duncan spacers. The other reason is I felt like there would be no way to create that FHZ feeling without adding a decent amount of center weight, and I wanted that old YYJ look. And unfortunately, I could not find any clear caps, I think Spingear sells some clear Ballistic style caps which will fit.
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This is a question for anyone who wants to answer: why does a longer axle help prevent stripping?
More thread engagement and the ability to fine tune.
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Exmime pretty much hit the nail on the head. The more threads there are to grab, the more the force is spread out rather than just on 3 or 4 threads.
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The 888GT is basically and unresponsive GT with hubstacks, but it’s nearly double the price!
I also wanna mod one myself
Also where did you get a size A KK bearing?!
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Yeah good eye, I noticed that this Independent V2 has a size A centertrac (flat with flared edges) bearing which I’ve never seen before! Usually A bearings are flat, the ones I’ve seen…
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The Duncan KonKave (Size A) - (5x10x4 mm) is here at YYE. This is also the same bearing in the Quail. The Indy V2 FHZ is a Center Trac.
Dif-E-Yo KonKave Bearing
Dif-E-Yo - A Smoother Way To Play - The ‘Original’ Centering Bearing
YYF Center Trac Bearing
YoYoFactory - Smooth Unresponsive Play
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the ‘trac’ like bearings are nice…however, i still maintain.
they’re a millimeter or two from a copyright infringement.
mgodzilla
mostly sunny…
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Been spending some time with my Cat. The Core Co Alley Cat 650B is definitely the A bearing YoYo earning and deserving of a lot of praise. Being one of @edhaponik primary weapons of choice to amaze our consciousness with modern responsive maneuvers. I haven’t play anything else with such control and potential possibilities. The only down side to these is trying to get one, there are rumors out there of another drop coming soon, and a few have had luck on the BST, but mine is definitely not for sale.
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Actually the Raider does not use a “A” bearing…
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I’m surprised know one has mentioned the legendary Duncan Freehand Zero (FHZ) as being their most loved A bearing yoyo. Yes I did give some love to the @yoyospirit Independent V2, in making a stellar updated reincarnate version, but the original is still a lot of fun in it’s own right. At 57mm diameter and weighting 66 grams (with caps) these were a generationally defining throw. There are so many special released, some that are amazingly modded and customized painted and dyed FHZs out there along with the highly coveted magnesium. This one is from 2007 and is still set up stock with friction stickers that are in their semi-responsive stage and I’m playing it with slick 6 50/50 strings.
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