So I realize from the many many threads on string everywhere I look that string generally doesn’t improve things that much snd is incredibly subjective.
I’ve heard descriptions like heavy, whippy, light, thin, fat, soft, smooth, grippy, and all kinds of other descriptors that make buying string sound like I need to be a string sommelier to appreciate the differences and should just get what looks good and fits my budget.
However I would like to try string various brands and types. Nylon, poly, cotton, blends. Thin, reg, fat, xl. My issue is I can’t for the life of me find an easy way to try various string types or brands without spending an absurd amount of money or getting hundreds of strings that will take me decades to go through.
Anyone have recommendations on ways to sample yoyo strings without breaking my budget or ending up with mass string storage in my own home. Color honestly isn’t important to me but I’m struggling to figure out what string I like to use.
Yeah the sampler packs are the way to go. $4-5ish bucks lets you try a company’s most popular blends/thicknesses. Order 5 of those, each from a different company and you’re still not even to the price of a 100 pack of Kitty First Class.
Also tightness of the twist matters too…I tried all the materials and “thicknesses”…then realized how relative that is because tighter strings feel way thicker and ropey even with the same amount of threads technically…I just got strings that feel amazing to me and gave up trying to figure out exactly why….you do need a sommelier of string
I’ll definitely have to try some sample packs to figure out what I like the feel of.
I prefer a more measured approach but with yo-yos I feel more and more it’s all preferences more than hard facts. So many variations can be had. Maybe that’s why I like yoyo to begin with.
I could go the route I was not wanting to go and ask what’s y’all favorite string or string preference and least favorite string. Maybe a common consensus will show a direction vs spending hundreds on every string sample pack. I have a hard time with the 3 string for 8 dollars packs feels like im being taken on a ride but maybe those are hyper good string or something. Idk feels like going wine tasting with a wine snob when I can’t tell the differences of an 8 and 100 dollar bottle…
Yeah it’s incredibly complicated i recommend trying to buy at least one string try that is really tightly wound so you can see how that feels, it’s so different. Like there is more material twisted into the same length so they are literally heavier. This is why more expensive strings are more expensive sometimes because it is literally more material packed into the same length of string. I think they’re easier to sense as they move through the air idk I just realized this like 4 days ago too and haven’t even broke any of these in but they feel like little ropes and I love it. I did what you’re trying to avoid and bought a ton of 10 packs of strings early in my Yoyo journey to try and it didn’t really help that much so that’s where I’m coming from
At the beginning and probably the first couple years I just kept buying 10 packs or sampler packs of brands and types of strings I wanted to try before buying a 100 pack or whatever. That was the cheapest way I could figure to do it. It took a while to narrow it down to a few that I liked enough to buy on the regular.
Also, you could try getting in on one the pay-it-forward threads. People usually throw in various strings to try out as well.
Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to buy sample packs of yoyo string. When you buy the strings in sample packs you usually pay 3-4 times the value the strings are worth.
I may be wrong but I think if a yoyo string company wanted more people to buy their yoyo string it would make sense that they would make trying their strings more accessible by having a more competitive price with their sample packs or find a way to distribute samples even if the samples don’t contain many strings. Right? The only bulk string company I have found that allows you to try their strings is twisted strings which ships their strings out with every order from a certain yoyo website.
As far as trying strings go Alphaline is the best bulk string I have found available in the US. Project44 is great too but shipping time takes forever.
Honestly, this sampler is worth the price for me. Yes, its almost $1 a string, but your also paying for the experience of getting to try 5 different string types so you can then make an informed buying decision in the future, helping to save money on bulk purchases for years to come. It helps you find what string type may fit best with your play style.
No real info in any of the descriptions for any of these strings about how tightly wound they are. Seems like the variance is all in material composition and thickness ie. number of threads. which is the most important factors probably but I underestimated what an impact a really tight wind can have and I’m going to keep stanning for tight strings because as soon as I tried some, all my whips and slacks got better. Like the function of the whip is still the same but the extra weight of the string gives more presence. Ime
I’d just ask on the BST if you could buy a bundle sample strings from another person who purchased a bunch of excess in pursuit of trying to find their preferences.
I just tried several samplers till I found what I liked (nylon 1.5, it’s awesome at holding tension even with normal thickness and is pretty whippey imo)
Mable is right though I bet a bunch of people have different kinds of string lying around because they didn’t like it
Im planning to send some sizable sample packs for customers soon under one person for US distribution since there are people interested to try our products but hesitate to pay the shipping cost from philippines and I understand that. We can’t do it yet as of now due to upcoming big transistion for our company but I’ll explain it on our blog site soon, our aim is to diversify our offerings for players who wants to find their perfect string for a specific setup and help narrow down the limited offerings from existing competitors and thats why we created a options from different string thicknesses, textures, and materials outside of regular poly realm.
This is one of the biggest things I have learned on my string journey.
There is no “Silver Bullet” string. No 1 string to rule them all.
While one string works great for Yoyo A, I may not like it in Yoyo B.
I started with the single 100 pack poly string. Thought that was all I needed… I learned different.
After going the Sample Pack route, and ordering some of the boutique strings, I have found what “I” like.
I recently bought a Regular and a Medium thickness bulk pack for my General Use string. I still order 5 to 10 packs of strings I like with certain set ups.
Strings are a consumable commodity. Some strings are “Thrash and Trash”, while others seem to last a long time. The latter being more expensive per string.
Favorie String? What Application/Play Style? Gap width? Feel (Soft, Course)?
We sell our strings via monthly subscription for the most part, but we always send free samples to anyone who wants them. Feel free to DM me and we can get some in the mail for you (Same for anyone else who wants to try them out)
