Hi guys,
I want to get a yoyo for my turning 6 year old cousin.
I have narrowed down the yoyos that would be good for him to 2 yoyos.
The yoyofactory Velocity, and the yoyojam Journey.
I have used both of these yoyos and was wondering which one would you choose as a first yoyo and why.
I am really stumped so the more people’s opinions I get the better.
Thanks
Lucas
I’ve got small kids getting into yoyo. My 5 year old can bind now. Not reliably yet, but he needs a longer string.
I’ve also been buying a lot of “cheap yoyos” recently. By cheap, I mean sub-$20 stuff. It’s fun, it’s cheap.
Now, people say I shouldn’t given advice based on the concept of anticipating failure. However, this stuff costs money and we have to decide “just how much are we gonna dump into this before we realize we’re wasting out time and money?” Yeah, it may be bad, but I have a different point of view. Enough said, but keep that in mind as you read.
OK, there’s two styles to think about: string trick and looping. String tricks get the most attention, so we’ll assume string tricks. This helps weed out modified shape yoyos out of the equation.
With that in mind, there’s a few I recommend. The ONE is nice and inexpensive. At $10, it comes with 2 bearings if you order that package. This will take you from beginner to advanced with a simple part swap. It’s a great value, fun, durable and light. The drawback is the weight. Heavier yoyos are often more stable and spin longer. The ONE is pretty darn stable though, but due to the weight, you’re not gonna get the super long spin times. However, even so, the ONE can handle nearly any trick thrown at it. I’m debating on getting a second ONE since it’s been redesigned.
Jumping up, we have the YYJ Lyn Fury. I am a bit of a YYJ fan, having more YYJ yoyos than anything else, and my inventory proves that. Duncan is a close second. The Lyn Fury is affordable and at $15.30, it’s semi-responsive. It’s got good weight and is stable. The semi-responsiveness is amazing because it will sleep a long time, stay stable, but you don’t have to bind all the time as it will often come back with a tug. This option is an interesting mix that makes this yoyo good for beginners and intermediate. If you want it advanced, you can clean the bearing and remove the o-rings and silicone it. Case and point I will be buying a second Lyn Fury just for the purpose of modding it as described.
Now, I’m going to take you up in prices. The YYJ Legacy II, at under $24, is like an all-plastic version of the Dark Magic II. Like many YYJ products these days, it comes with 2 bearings. The pre-installed slim bearing makes the yoyo tug responsive, making them perfect for beginners. The included YYJ Speed Bearing is a full C-sided spec bearing, and when installed will make the yoyo unresponsive. Whats odd is that they do this to yoyos as high in price as the XCon Pro and Hitman Pro. The choice YYJ offers you is amazing, but price becomes a concern for beginners. Again, it’s that “anticipating failure” thing I do. The weight of the Legacy II is good, it’s very stable, spins a long time, has good weight and is responsive or unresponsive based on the bearing you stuff in there.
Similarly, if you don’t mind spending more, the Dark Magic II is what I’d generally recommend, but for a 6 year old starting out? Plastic all the way!
My take on adjustable gap and adjustable response yo-yos is that I don’t like this because I know me personally, I will constantly be tweaking it.
Having a yoyo that can go from beginner to advanced by changing the bearing is the way to go in my opinion. This saves money.
Thank you so much. I have been yoyoing for quite some time and I dont want to be the freak in te family so when I remembered that my cousin’s birthday was coming up I thaught “Hey all boys go through a yoyo stage. Maybe now is a good time to sart for him.” This didn’t work on my nine year old sister though. I got her a one and I used it more then her. I even gave her my speed maker and she still showed no interest and “lost” them.
I have a legacy (original) and I loveit. I made the transition to unresponsuve play with it and it has been close to my heart ever scince. I did no know that the v2 came with a spare bearing one responsive and one not.
BTW I grew up with yoyojam so yoyojam all the way! ;D
I was thinking the Velocity though because Jensen Kimmit (2010 world champ) won BAC with it and it can be used as a responsive yoyo as well.
On the other hand the Journey used to be the beginner yoyo to get. It might have been replaced but I still would consider it.
Have you heard anything about these yoyos?
I have heard of the Velocity and Journey. I just don’t have any interest in those models. Adjustable items like that are too distracting to me. Sometimes I like fewer options!
If cost is a concern, YYF ONE. If cost isn’t a major concern, YYJ Legacy II. Narrowing between the 2, the Legacy II hands down. I had to buy my own Legacy II so I’d stop playing with the one that my kid has. I have to debate if I’m going to make it responsive or not!
My 5 year old has a ONE, Brain, Raider and Protostar.
The Brain got him started. The ONE was his upgrade. The Raider was bought so he could do Rock The Baby(he needed a narrower yoyo, should have got him a BumbleBee!) and the Protostar is his first unresponsive yoyo.
The 8 year old started with my Brain, then upgraded to a ONE. She then got a Shinwoo Loop and a Duncan Keychain yoyo. She now also has a Starlite, but she can’t bind yet. She likes to throw her Legacy II, but is not as interested in it and isn’t doing so well on her tricks. But, girls vs. boys…
The 3 year old I have has a Reflex right now, and when she can gravity pull it, there’s a Limelight and Mosquito waiting for her. Toys R Us is selling those bundled in a 2-pack for $10 right now. I may pick up a few sets for beaters for noobs to throw at my yoyo meets.
For the most part, I tend to recommend from what I have. I also have plans to get the Speed Maker and Kickside soon. I’m also debating the Prelude. YYJ does not include a second bearing so I’d have to go snag one from my parts kit, which is exactly what it’s there for.
I can see why you want information about those two. No extra parts to sit around waiting to get lost. my 8 year old lost her box for her Legacy II, so she’s lost her bigger bearing. My kids lose a lot of stuff. I just know my preferences. But as I said, I recommend from what I have. This doesn’t make what I say more valid, it only means I speak from what I do know but also from what I like. So, I’m biased but I won’t deny that fact either. The go-to beginner yoo can change, or it can stay the same. Maybe you should go with the Journey and start a family tradition?
I have both of these throws, and I recommend the Journey all the way. Cheap, durable, and excellent for beginners. At 62 grams its on the lighter side, but still has a decent amount of spin, and should your cousin unscrew it, he’s not going to have a bearing parts explosion on his hands.
I would recommend this over the One, which I feel is just too light for decent spin,
and also the Velocity 3, which I feel suffers from all sorts of problems: It vibes, the spacers are nigh impossible to remove from the bearing without damage, the little screws on the outside will fall out, but the biggest problem is the response. If, (or I should say When) your cousin smacks it on the ground, those plastic response shuttles inside the yo-yo will crack. YYF has excellent customer service, and will replace them, but that’s kind of a hassle for a $20 throw.
(To be fair, The Velocity version 1 does not suffer from these problems, and is a great throw, but is no longer in stock)
Thank you both so much.
I think either the Legacy II or the Jouney are my 2 best options.
Does anyone else have a preferred responsive yoyo?
6 years old? Butterfly. start them out right.
my first yoyo was an imperial shaped one that my grandfather gave me from a seniors center (???)
i learned loops, trapeze, and double or nothing before it breaking and i got a duncan pro-yo. then i got a pro-fly. them i went to a contest and bought a raider.
that’s the way it should go. work up from a fixed axle to ensure a strong, straight throw.
I’ve used so many yoyo’s to teach very young groups of children. Yeah groups of young children and it has made an impact on my own perspective.
Things to consider:
- Simple for you doesn’t translate to simple for them.
- More parts = more problems. They lose the parts, don’t put them together properly, find that parts will fit in noses and ears.
- Must, MUST, disassemble if possible and reassemble (seldom properly), over and over.
- Will do much more than yoyo with it. (Just use your imagination here because they will)
I’ve used the following yo’s to teach kids to yoyo:
- Imperial and butterflies.
- YYF Speed Dials
- YYF velocity.
- YYF Precedent/Spinstar
- YYJ Journey
- YYJ Bolts
- Duncan profly
8.Yomega fireballs. - and many others.
Conclusion:
Spinstar all the way! Hardy yoyo that doesnt have a bunch of parts, bearing stays on axle, and the thing can take an incredible beating. I know it’s tricky to find but it’s still my first choice for young throwers.
1 Like
in my 8 years of yoyoing I’ll go with the Journey. That thing can be beat to death and still play. It will be responsive when you get it and if it’s not a little thick lube in the bearing will keep it responsive for a long time.
Not a bad choice at all Icthus.
Necro
Buy ONE, it comes with a responsive and a unresponsive bearing:)