I just assume that most folks who see a topic title like “Best …” read it as if it said “Favorite …” instead since best requires consensus (on too many things, not the least of which is a valid measurement/assessment protocol), which is nearly impossible to reach on something so subjective. I kinda think everyone realizes this and treats topics like this one completely informally.
3 Likes
I think this question was easier to answer pre 2015ish, but the past few years we’ve had too many great yoyos released within a given year to have an even semi general consensus answer
I’ve also noticed people have been focusing on “fun” more than performance and even getting them mixed up much more often over the past few years
5 Likes
I am also going to vote for the Mustang. I am not sure what it is either, but @aragorn mentioned that he wanted to try one and he has a Ti Walker, a Diaspora and a Tundra so it must be really good.
2 Likes
Yea, obviously “best” should be “favorite”, but we like to make definitive and powerful statements about our opinion.
So here goes my opinion. I began unresponsive yoyoing earlier this year. Out of all the yoyos I bought, the 2018 models I purchased include the SF Cadence, 2sick Promotion, 2sick Decoy (both SS and brass), Magicyoyo Hotdiggidy, One Drop VTWO, Rain City & Oh Yes Yo Sk8er, and Monkeyfinger Conspiracy. All of them have strengths and weaknesses, but ill try to make an in order top 5: 1. Promotion 2. Cadence 3. VTWO 4. Brass Decoy 5. the rest.
4 Likes
Well then the Quail and the Walnut Harbinger are my Favorite 2018 releases.
Thus far, that is. I still have the 000, and an Oak Harbinger waiting for me!
5 Likes
Yup! 
3 Likes
i’m not sure how an opinion can be formed without ever holdin’ the yoyo. that seems very desperate and bizarre to me…
however, to address your inquiry mo:
“And to better validate your choice for ‘Best’; I think your choice would have more substance if you could name the best 5 2018 yoyos you have personally thrown. And name what you feel is the very best of those 5”.
no. 5 - loop 900
it’s last on the list mostly 'cause i can’t 2a worth much. however, it should be mentioned as a novice that i am - i can still recognize the badassery of this yoyo.
no. 4 - radian bbba bead blasted black annodized
spyy was great. this yoyo met their mark. perhaps my fondness for this throw was that it reminded me of a tighter barebones with tapered edges. nonetheless - you did somethin’ special with this one steve, imho.
no. 3 - GTO by dif-e-yo (OG version, non-recessed)
yes, i am guilty of brand loyalty. but at the same time…the way i throw, what i know - is dif-e-yo. the GTO is sentimental choice - given to me by my hero, facilitated through my dearest friend.
no. 2 - gladiator slave by dif-e-yo
i’m not sure if mr. difeo went with a CNC mill or what changed in his process - but this is the ‘smoothest’
dif-e-yo to date, imho. consistent play, adjustable weight and a solid feel - the form and function of this yoyo kept bringin’ me back.
no. 1 - tinman by kyotoys & my dearest friend
i know a guy…who had a pic of every colorway hitman by yyj in his signature picture. for a long, long time - this was my favorite pic.
the hitman is still one of my top 5 favorite yoyos.
to forge a similar form factor in titanium and coated with diamond - is somethin’ out of a scifi novel. but more on that later 
mgodzilla
the rains are comin’…
4 Likes
I vote for the Loop 2020 for 2A players
1 Like
FWIW another yo-yo store (sacrelige!) outside the US posted the 10 most popular yo-yo models in their store for the year 2018…
Number one? Wait for it… WAIT FOR IT @sfyoyos … WAIT FOR IT…
obama-not-bad.gif
4 Likes
The only one of those I have is the Loop 720, and I haven’t even strung it (them) up yet. Clearly my tastes are not aligned with the masses.
This is also the masses from another country with very much its own culture, so it could be that in the US the top 10 sold would be different.
3 Likes
-flexes in the mirror-
20 Likes
-we got em bois-
2 Likes
At least as for what you buy, but maybe not for what you’d like. Unless you’ve tried them all?
I wonder if it’s sales by revenue, or units sold? Either way, it seems even more impressive that SF did so well in a foreign market!
2 Likes
It was their worldwide ranking, not their domestic (Japanese) ranking. We did not win in solely the Japanese market, the 720 did.
1 Like
The thing is, I don’t know if I’m going to like a yoyo until I’ve bought it (a prerequisite for trying it out). Consequently, I have to make my buying decisions speculatively, based on factors like shape and size, available colorways, etc. Only 2 out of the 10 yoyos shown triggered any urge in me to buy-and-try, which suggests to me that my taste in yoyo designs and/or yoyo companies is not so well aligned with all the buyers who put those throws into the top 10 for the year (for that retailer).
C’mon guys, we all know the best yoyos of 2018 were the Beeboo, Sidekick Pro, and the glorious and much loved (by Jeff) DV888.
4 Likes
Also I just sustained another concussion, but I doubt my traumatic brain injury influenced these findings in any way.
4 Likes
Another yo-yo I would like to nominate:
The DK!
3 Likes