Recently I have acquired the yoyofficer imp and the 44rpm rhythm. They are both below the fifty dollar mark and are pretty good throws. I don’t have a yoyo in my collection over a hundred dollars and was wondering if yoyos that hit the one hundred dollar mark or go over are genuinely better than the budget throws?
Usually, yes, but it may be only marginally better. Once you get to high end high performance you pay alot for a little more performance. 10% better performance may not mean much to an aspiring noob, but may mean the world to someone looking to step their game up.
Price doesnt dictate performance though, there are cheaper throws that are excellent in the -/+ $50 mark, but spend some time with a higher end one, and youll soon likely finding that there is something special about them, maybe? everyone is different. I knew instantly after throwin a summit after spending time with a shutter that high end, for me personally, was worth it. But Im older, i have a little bit of disposable income and I work full time, a student or young one may never be able to convince their parents or save up enough for 100 or more throws, and thats ok! you can do every trick on your imp that you could with a draupnir. Its all about preference and feel.
There’s not gonna be a performance difference.
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This day in age a $50 yoyo will play as well as a $150 yoyo for 99% of throwers. The differences only matter when you’re at the top of the food chain.
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I agree with the other posters that you’re not going to see a huge performance difference once you get into the $100+ throws. The yoyos you have should be able to handle whatever you throw at them. When I started yoyoing, there were no “budget metals.” Metal yoyos were a luxury back then whereas now they’re commonplace and very accessible. In my opinion, most metal/good quality plastic yoyos from any of the well-known brands are going to be more than sufficient to meet the needs of average yoyoer. You certainly do not need to spend over $100 to play casually or compete. For me personally, it’s more about the quality in craftsmanship, unique designs, and anodizing techniques that make high-end $100+ metals so appealing, not necessarily their performance advantages.
Gentry won nationals with a $16 yoyo and I don’t think it gets any more budget than that. 
The imp cost the least and I like it the most. I’ve been in the game for 6 years playing on and off, and I am thinking about competing soon. I was just wondering if there was a huge gap in performance. You guys say there is not so that’s good for people like me who don’t want to drop a hundred on a good yoyo yet
Most of my yoyos are from 2010 btw. So these new yoyos are a little different in some aspects
the one with looks.
You’re not paying for “performance” per se. You’re paying for something more. Whether it’s exclusivity (small runs), made-in-the-USA hand-testing (like OD), interesting features (enclosed weight ring of the Knight), brand connection (any number of people are loyal to favourite brands) there are things that cost money… but at the end of the day, those things aren’t usually pure performance.
My $60 TooHOT stands up to any yoyo in my set. But I still didn’t mind paying the premium for the Evora.
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i agree with everything said in this post.
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yes I completely agree with you. Some people have a passion for collecting as well. Some yoyos are kind of like pieces of art in a way
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I have quite a large collection. Some of them were considered high end yoyos a few years back (dif-e-yo, anti-yo, spyy, hspin). None cost more that $85 new at the time. The majority of what I have are under $45 (primarily YYJ). I like them all and at this point I don’t see paying a lot for “top end” yoyos. $70-$80 was my limit and I’ve been very happy with recent purchases in the $40-$45 range. My own opinion is that I no longer see paying a lot extra for just a bit more in the yoyo. I don’t think the price premium is worth it at the level I play at. It’s a case of diminishing returns. To each his own.
At the same time, I won’t buy the super cheap stuff you can pick up on ebay.
I’m one of those who likes to try different throws out. I have some high end throws that blow others out of the water, and I have some budget throws that are able to keep right up with a $100+. I own several bimetal throws and that’s where I can feel quite a difference in performance - more power!
Are bi-metal yoyos pretty good then?
The price of the yoyo depends on its production cost.
This is a great general-purpose guideline, but is not necessarily true.
Actually, the price of the yoyo always depends on its production cost, right Greg? It’s all a matter of how much it depends on it 
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I have a 2016 superstar and absolutely love it! I haven’t tried any others but I would assume most of them are pretty decent.
In fact, there’s something about yoyos which inspire the collector in me. I keep buying yoyos because of the colors, or designs. I’d love to own some of the fancy splash colorways. And yet, I see youtube videos of guys who have dozens of yoyos and I think “Oh I’ll never buy that many.” Then I see the next YYE blog post and think “Oh, that’s so cool! I want one.”