Hello everyone. My daughters 4th birthday is coming up on 9/9/12. I am thinking about getting her a yo yo or a spinning top....maybe both. I would like some input on this. I am thinking that she would enjoy either of them and she is daddy's girl so she will want to play with daddy and not just throw them around like a toy. She does not throw things nor is she hard on her toys or rough in her play. Her favorite color is green. What advice would you have for me in getting her a child's yo yo or spinning top? At this stage I think this would be more or a toy/fun for her and not about skill so to speak. :)
Duncan - Imperial, Butterfly, Butterfly XT, Proyo, Profly
Yomega - Fireball, Brain, Raider
These all have a starburst response or wood axles(proyo/profly), so you won’t have to worry about replacing the response.
These are great for children just starting out. Fun for adults too. Hope I helped.
get a yomega smart switch yoyo. its can be changed from auto return yoyo to trasaxle yoyo. its really fun, and helpful especiallly as a beginner looking for some fun!
I find with a 4 year old they just seem to often lack the arm strength to really throw it. This is more of a problem with girls, who even when they do have the arm strength, will often refuse to throw it hard enough because “they are girls”. I’m not being gender biased, I’m just going by what I see. However, my boy could and he ain’t big, and if he can, many girls CAN, just will they. And the strength to disengage a clutch yoyo is a bit more than most might want to consider, which makes going with a responsive yoyo wiser.
Recommendations:
The Duncan Imperial and Butterfly are cheap in price, solid, proven classic designs. But the fixed axle play will only get immediate results and long term, well, it’s something to come back to for a challenge these days, not a main throw for most people.
So, we step up to ball bearings.
Fortunately, Duncan has an ideal solution. The ProZ. It goes from modified shape(stock) to wing shape via the included Mod Spacers and longer axle. However, there’s small parts involved, such as the metal spacers, and I know with you vision problems, this may be frustrating, but it’s not impossible. $10 at YYE, $8 at a big box retailer. Either way: affordable.
Another option is the YYF ONE, with 2 bearings and not the DVD package, letting her upgrade when she’s ready. $10. All the DVD content is on YouTube and looks better there than on the DVD.
The Duncan Butterfly XT is responsive unless you clean the bearing, but then I find it too light once the bearing is cleaned. I think $10 or less.
The Yomega Power Brain Wing XT is neat. You can engage or disengage the clutch system with a simple flip of a switch, but it will always be responsive at best. Start with auto-return, then switch to responsive play. $15 or so.
Legacy II: we’re jumping up but we’re going to a good shape, size, weight and set of features for around $25. 2 bearings for “upgrading”, can be maintained easily.
The Legacy II and ONE are your best return on investment yoyos due to the 2 bearings, letting them grow with you and avoiding a round of upgrades. The ONE is smaller and lighter, but still good for what you need to do. I can do all my tricks on the ONE as well, but I just have to hit cleaner and better.
Spin Tops:
I personally have no hesitation recommending the Duncan Bearing King. It ships fixed tip but includes what you need to convert it to a bearing tip via extra tips and bearing. $12 or so. Awesome. Excellent starter package with a built in upgrade path. Some people have claimed they’ve busted the plastic tips. I haven’t had that issue.
After that, I hear good things about the Spintastics Trompo, but I don’t have one yet. I’ll be talking to some people here about what to buy as I need a mid-range top. I went and got a Strummol8 Sophia but I’m afraid to throw the darn thing yet, but my spin top skills are a bit lacking. Don’t spend Strummol8 bucks right away. But, seeing as these are rare and not easy to get, I took advantage of it and snapped it up so I’d have my “target” in my grasp.
I don’t feel spin tops are harder than yoyos, but they are very different. I’m having a lot of problems with spin tops, but hey, that’s what practice is for.
The issue with spin tops is that it’s even more niche than yoyo and the best way to learn is, just like with yoyos, is to either “buy and try” or come to some place like here and ask. I appreciate and respect the amount of time you’re putting into this both here and on the IRC channel. For me, I’m lacking in spin top knowledge. Spin tops, I started LOW, then went to the top. I know it sounds goody, but I NEED stuff in the middle range categories for personal experience. I can afford it, so I might as well.
We also have to keep in mind that this may fail, so limiting costs is a key factor. If she loves the ONE and learns to bind, the sky is the limit. If she loves the bearing king and can do top tricks, then again, the sky is the limit. You can dive in for an affordable price, but with built-in upgrade paths making them outlive the misleading low prices. That’s value. That’s smart, and that’s stretching your dollars. this leaves you budget for strings, lube and a YYF multi-tool.
I like your idea of getting items that are basic in nature but also come with a built in upgrade path right in the package. To me this provides good value for money and the up front cost is inexpensive as well. :) I will have to look in to this. Thank you very much. :)
you can always count on studio42 for amazing advice!! 
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For a first yoyo, I would go with a simple unscrewable yoyo with extra strings, beginners (especially little kids) are bound to get plenty of knots. A few recommendations I would make is:
Duncan Butterfly XT
This is the original Duncan Butterfly with a bearing and this can be unscrewed for removing string and maintenance. Lightweight, great shape, and easy to maintain response/bearing, the perfect yoyo for a beginner.
Yomega Fireball
This was one of the most popular yoyos in the 90’s. While there are many other yoyos that are far better than the Fireball, this yoyo still stays as a great yoyo for beginners. The imperial shape is good for looping tricks and mainly just practicing how to use a yoyo.
i would say something simple like a butterfly or a fireball
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[quote=“frozen bee,post:10,topic:41348”]
Not everyone can have Ed’s fix axle awesomeness!
But, fixed axle is something to kind of work backwards to these days. I know, we used to only have fixed axles, but now we don’t. Start with Ball bearing yoyos. Then, buy a fixed axle yoyo and go nuts. Keeps you humble and keeps you real!
Duncan Butterfly: $5. Cheap, durable, classic, and metal on string = less friction that wood axle and string. We should all have one in our collections.
Unless we’re Ed!