To each their own I saw.
Both are good yoyos. I have both.
Both are modern designs. The DM2 is a bit more dated, but it’s still valid as a yoyo suitable for not only beginners, but advanced, expert, master and competing players. With the high-wall design though, it’s not suitable for a lot of current trending play styles, namely the horizontal play and gyro tricks. I still play mine very frequently. I enjoy it a lot. The highwall forces you to learn cleaner, which translates into better overall play. It’s also forgiving as well. I honestly can’t say anything bad about the DM2. It’s a top seller for a reason. I have 4, and I’m looking for a few more in different colors.
The OneStar is I’m hoping the end of the line for the *-Star series. It’s good, really good. I think it’s celcon. It’s slick, great for hand, finger, palm and arm grinds, which gives it a great boost over the Protostar and Northstar. The Protostar and Northstar are smooth surfaces and crappy grinders as a result. My issue with the ONEStar is merely the weight because I prefer heavier yoyos. Even so, it doesn’t feel light in the hand or light on the string. It’s got a nice good feel and balance. This is a $15 yoyo that really performs like it should cost at least twice that. However, it is light, and often when playing outside, it actually gets blown around, which sucks for someone with my low level of playing ability. I have not had this issue with my WHIP or ONE, but that’s because I’ve rarely played them outside.
At the same time, the Kickside is also a great yoyo, but yes, with the hybrid response and adjustable gap, it is a bit “dated”. You can remove the weight ring and silicone it, clean the bearing and shim it and it really performs a lot better. I have one and I do like it. Loads of fun and shows the kiddies that inexpensive plastic yoyos can be fun.
But then again, the Lyn Fury is loads of fun, so is the Speed Maker, and so are many other “cheap plastic yoyos”.
I don’t think the Kickside was necessarily a mistake, but it might have not been the ideal choice for now.
I kind of think like this:
Beginner is tug responsive.
Advanced is bind return/unresponsive.
With the intermediate yoyos, you’re not quite there either way. It’s like, jump from beginner to advanced, then back-track to intermediate after you’re very comfortable with your bind and some of the “harder” tricks in Intermediate and Advanced 1. This fall-back to intermediate let’s you fine-tune your game and address issues.
I honestly have little problem recommending either the DM2 or the OneStar. I however DO NOT recommend the ONEStar to relatively new players. Why? Unresponsive is not good for NEW players(I prefer people start responsive) and the weight isn’t good for those “demanding” long spin times. However, if you can bind and feel good about it, yeah, OneStar is a great yoyo.
But if you don’t mind, I would take a DM2 over the ONEStar any day. Why? It’s just my preferences.