I drifted away from yoyoing about 10 years ago and came back to find a lot more options than I expected.
Rather than ask for recommendations, I read a lot of threads and reviews and picked a couple that looked like they would be a good fit for my playstyle, which is really all over the place, except without much (any?) looping, and competent but certainly not competitive.
I picked a YYF Shutter and a OD Gradient, and had a YYF Horizon in the cart right until checkout, at which time I removed it as partly redundant with the Shutter. I’m very interested in what other members think of my choices and what I can expect from them. Particularly useful would be input from folks who have experience with both, or even all three.
I also had a Draupnir in the cart at one point, too, but mostly because it appears to be the ne plus ultra of today, and I remember buying a Cold Fusion back then for exactly that reason, meaning it was a great throw, but pricey and in the end not really that much better than a SB2. Just how great is that thing, anyway?
A draupnir definitely isn’t the same type of deal as the cold fusion. Having thrown many other yyr’s (not actually a draupnir) I think its a super safe bet that it’s an incredible yoyo. The yyr’s I’ve tried and own have been the top of the top in terms of quality and play.
I’d grab one of those new rebellion start the riots before I grabbed a draupnir though if I were getting back into things.
Bravo on doing some research before you buy! Seems to me yoyo’s in the past 5 years are a pretty safe bet. Very few play poorly, all just boils down to personal preference. It was not the same 10 years ago for sure.
C3 makes some really fantastic yoyo’s in the 50-70 range you may wanna look into, one of my favorite companies.
I think you’ve made some A1 choices for getting back into things.
Be sure to get some good strings! I and many others like kitty string, but there’s many to choose from. Seems like kitty string fat in particular is really popular.
Great choices! The shutter is my favorite throw right now, it does so many things well. And One Drop is great to have because you can try different side effects and get different feels for a lot cheaper than buying new yoyos.
Welcome back. It’s great to see someone who has done a bit of research and reading before then making up their mind on which yoyos to get.
I haven’t played either of your choices but OD are definitely a great company and their yoyos are of really high quality so you should be very happy with the Gradient. The shutter also seems like a very safe choice and should be a good yoyo to get you back into the spin of things (and because of its price, you won’t have to worry to much about dinging it).
It’s probably best that you didn’t get a Draupnir. As someone who has a YYR Valkyrie along with several other YYRs, they are amazing yoyos but definitely not something you want to get until you’re sure that they will fit your tastes. And based on what I’ve seen on YYE, the Draupnir definitely seems like a love or hate yoyo which can be a bit of a risk when it is so expensive. If you find yourself looking for a bimetal and a YYR then, as Colbywill said, a Start The Riot should be a good choice due to being much cheaper while still having that YYR seal of approval.
I picked the pink with aqua splash for the Shutter. I tend to avoid darker colors because I can lose them in background too easily. Plus, I don’t remember having access to anywhere near the kind of cool color variations that are available now. Visually pleasing and I’m really looking forward to it. Everyone seems to agree on the Shutter, so that was the first one in the cart.
The Gradient looked like a winner because the company seems like one I’d like to support, and the shape looks like it will be a nice cross between a V and an H, which I don’t even think I remember being a shape back then. I like V’s and a big catch zone, and the semi-H elements seemed like a good bet for adding stability and speed. Plus, I’m guessing it will be more comfortable than a straight V (until my first knuckle duster, at least).
I do agree that the cold fusion is night and day between the Graupnir. I only drew the comparison in the sense that it was one of the very “high end” and expensive yoyos back then. Honestly, I thought it was a bit of a disappointment and still have it - barely played with. I should have kept the can it came in. It’s probably worth something these days.
Thanks for the tip on the Start the Riot. I hadn’t come across that one, but I’ll definitely check it out. I do like the bimetal concept, as it makes intuitive sense to me. I had a few plastic “bi-metals” back in the day because I liked all that mass at the rim.
Thanks for the string recos, too. I admit I was relying on the spare strings I have, but they’re ten years old and I have to believe there’s been plenty of progress there, too.
Anyway, thanks for all the responses. This place is a really amazing resource with a lot of helpful folks.
Edit: Oh, and TotalArtist, where did you get that amazing EVH/Frankencaster-looking Aviator? While I was browsing the forums before joining up I tried to find one in the store, but no joy. It’s absolutely beautiful. Any chance of a reissue?
You are totally right with the comparison as the cold fusion being the elite back then compared to a bumblebee or something, and the draupnir is the elite compared to like a replay pro.
Only difference now is the replay pro is night and day compared to he cold fusion. Yoyos in general are just way “better”!
Have fun!
I think you made two great choices in yoyos and the Horizon would have been a third great choice. I really like the Horizon and Shutter. You can’t go wrong with those.
Starting back up with budget metals is the way to go if you already know how to bind.
Dude, you are ON POINT! Just wanted to say thanks for being informed and welcome back! I look forward to seeing you around here. Your gonna love your choices, no worries at all. Shutter was my first “Getting back into it” throw. No regrets at all. If I could go back and do it again, i would not change a thing. OD is excellent. Get a variety of sie effects (domes, ultra lights, spikes) and try em all. you gomnna love the weight of one more than the other but thats what makes OD so good!
Thanks to everyone for their responses. Very helpful.
I should have ordered a bimetal. I spent so much time waffling on the Draupnir that when I removed it from the cart I forgot to add a cheaper replacement.
For those recommending a Start the Riot, how would you compare it to a Steel or a Nightmare? I looked at a lot of bimetals, and apart from the Draupnir those looked the most appealing to me. The Knight as well.
I noticed that the Knight and the Start the Riot are at one price point, and the Steel and the Nightmare are at another. Do folks think the premium for the first two is worth it over the second?
I’d wait a bit and try your gradient and shutter for a while before deciding to get a bimetal. They’d be better for reacquainting yourself with yoyoing then an expensive bimetal. Once you played them for a bit then feel free to have a look at bimetals.
The Phat Boy is great. I was throwing it this morning, in fact.
Along with the Night Moves it’s the reason I wish I’d included a bimetal in my order. I always liked their concentration of weight at the rim, and the bimetals look like they take that idea to the next level.
The posts about waiting are probably right, though, particularly given how long it’s been since I’ve been active. I’ll try the first two for awhile and take it from there.
In the interim, any responses/comments regarding the bimetals I mentioned would still be great.
I’ve been playing with them both for a couple of days now and it’s really amazing how the equipment has changed. They’re both great, and easier on the eyes than anything I had before.
I did misread the photos a bit, so unfortunately the profiles are more similar in person than I expected, but they’re both a hoot to throw.
I do have another question, which is how much vibration should I be expecting? Is it a function of break-in, do I have to change my throwing style, or do I maybe have something that’s out of balance? The Shutter is very smooth and I only get vibe occasionally, but the Gradient seems to always vibrate, and sometimes it’s all the way into extreme wobble territory. None of my others vibrate.
I agree on the plastics, too. I’m planning on picking up a Velocity for my daughter as soon as blue is back in stock (tween girls are particular), and I’ll look at the Replay Pro for myself.
You can check whether it is your throw causing the vibe by placing your nail against the edge of the yoyo while it’s spinning, if it still has some vibe then you can try tuning it.
Thanks for the tip. I tried holding my thumb against the rim and discovered that the gradient did need a bit of adjustment. I’ve done that and now both are very smooth.
I needed to work on my throw a bit as well. It’s been a while. Plus, the design of today’s yo-yos is a bit different, presumably to account for more layers of string in the gap.
And a replay pro should be in my mailbox today… I’m glad I decided to get back into this. Having a great time.
