Got a skyva and been practicing.
Usually if I landed in the middle it would fingerspin for a long time. However, if I am not dead center, the yoyo doesn’t seem to guide it’s center to my finger. Is that true?
So are there other good yoyo out there that might be more forgiving? I heard that Horizon is good but doesn’t really center the yoyo on the finger either.
Also I need to work on the laceration bind. Are there strings that works better for that?
Thanks!
Get yourself an eternal throw Elysian, or curvy donut man. Those are very forgiving, and are hands down the best fingerspin yoyos for me.
They easily beat out the horizon, jackknife, space cadet, ect.
Kitty xl it perfect for laceration binds.
My ideal fingerspin setup is an Elysian, with kitty xl.
To be honest, I would be surprised if there is anything out there that is much easier to fingerspin on than the Skyva.
Eternal Throw Elysian is the easiest yoyo to fingerspin on, if you can’t fingerspin on that, you can’t fingerspin at all. As for the Horizon, the Skyva is easier to fingerspin on than the Horizon.
What you need to understand is you don’t need a yoyo that centers your finger to be able to fingerspin. Some might even say it’s unnecessary. The skyva doesn’t need to be centered to fingerspin, you can still do a fingerspin on the skyva around the hub, and you can still bind like that as well.
As for string, I don’t think there’s a particular string that makes fingerspin binds easier. I think standard string such as YYE poly or Kitty string works just fine. Some of the more unique strings might actually make it more difficult to bind. If you have a string thats on the thicker side it’s more likely to snag just due to the thickness, and if you have a string that whips too fast it’s harder to control the amount of string that needs to be fed into the gap without it snagging. Therefore, I actually think it’s best to use a typical, standard string like Kitty Fat for binding.
Though it isn’t going to be easier, the space cadet is great at fingerspins! Also the 2sickknight does a pretty good job as well (it’s more automatic then the space cadet, but it has the hub so it doesn’t have a true center finger spin).
I personally find kitty 1.5 to work really good for everything 
I wouldn’t recommend super thin strings because it can be more difficult to bind and I wouldn’t recommend super fat ones either because of snagging.
I’m finding I can get about a four to five second finger spin on the 2016 duncan barracuda. I’m just learning this trick so I can’t say for sure that another yoyo would be better. The discussion on the tricks board might be a better place to look because if you are having difficulty with the skyva then stick with it and don’t spend more money, you have an ideal yoyo to learn the trick from what I’ve heard.
Probably the most useful bit of information I got with others on the board is that you get a more consistent spin if you throw the yoyo diagonal just enough that the finger on your non-throw hand can catch on to the rim of the yoyo’s side. You also have to keep your non throw hand relaxed as the yoyo spins on your finger. The idea behind it is that the finger will transfer some of the wobble from the yoyo as it is slowly adjusting to a horizontal spin. Watch a video of plate spinners, they do the same trick with a semi flexible rod.
The C3yoyodesign MOVE is without a doubt the best finger spin yoyo if you ask me. As for strings, thicker=better.
Only to an extent. After an extent, the string will start to snag if it’s too thick in my experience.
I only learned Horizontal Finger spins in Jul-Aug so I’m not an expert, but this does give me a successful-beginner’s perspective to share.
There’s a YouTube Video that explains the non-centering dynamic you were asking about. Do a YouTube search for “horizontal finger spins” and it should be the #1 return. (runtime ~13:39)
What I’ve found (personally) is that the Yoyo used is a huge factor in the finger-spin.
Wide shallow cups like the Horizon (for me) have too much circular motion and never center on my finger. I can use them… but they’re much more difficult for me. It’s worth noting: This is an inexperience problem on my part… others can finger-spin very very well with these Yoyos. (The C3 Move is like this for me… It is one of the regaled champions of the finger-spin, but I cannot get it to be stable to save my life).
---- My point being… I’ve formed the opinion through experience, for a beginner, some Yoyos that are championed as great for finger-spins by our veterans, may actually be difficult to learn on.
My favorite Yoyo’s to fingerspin on have been the Skyva and Firrox. The shutter can be really good, but you have to catch it in the inner cup.
I have been guilty of purchasing more Yoyos than I need. My collection is larger and more diverse than my skill-level really warrants. (just > 1 year of throwing) However, it was awfully nice to have a diverse collection while I was learning horizontal finger spins, to deduce what works and what does not.
For string I use Poly-Contest string almost exclusively. It works well for me, but I haven’t tried enough of a variety to claim it’s better or worse than anything else.
Again, My personal favorite Yoyo’s to fingerspin on have been the Skyva and Firrox. Shutter is pretty darn good also if you can hit the center cup.
Just my .02 
I’d just like to add something. No matter what skill level you’re at with fingerspins, it’s always more difficult to do fingerspins with stuff like the Horizon and C3 Move. If you’re skilled, you’ll have an easier time getting it centered and having a long fingerspin but when you begin doing hops and adding other flairs to the basic fingerspin it’s definitely more difficult with yoyos with a concave cup than one with a flat cup. You have to land more precisely than with yoyos with a flat cup which makes them more difficult to pull off.
