Hey guys,
I’m a casual thrower. I use one throw per week, rotating my throw at the start of the week, with each week having 4-5 X 30 mins sessions (I like getting use out of all my throws). However, I rarely change my strings outside of bad knots or really obvious wear and tear.
How frequently are you changing your strings? I feel I should be doing it more often than I am, as surely I’m experiencing negative effects of using string longer than I should be (eg. tension).
Thanks,
I use YYSL venom’s on my main/ most used throws for about three weeks and then I transfer it to my Butterfly XT that I take to work.
Usually once an aluminum gets a “thunk” at the end of the string I feel it’s time to change. I could probably go longer but I play wherever life takes me and plastic can suffer a string break better than aluminum. I’m an intermediate player and I throw almost every day, whenever I can, if that helps.
Side note: I’ve had a @BadWolfeCo (RIP) Goldilocks on my 23 Butterfly AL and it’s been bouncy and consistent for about a month and a half now. What great string, I’m glad I bought some in bulk 
Usually until there’s some fraying and the string doesn’t feel nice on the fingers anymore. Bulk poly usually lasts a few hours - a couple days, nylon and blends will last aloooot longer, maybe too long… fresh string is nice 
I wasted a lot of strings by changing them too early because I didn’t know fuzzy = broken-in not over used. Now I wait until they get stiff or I hear a thread pop for bulk poly…it depends a lot on preference though because fresh bulk poly does feel good
For way too long when I was starting out I also thought that a string being fuzzy or losing its bounce/stretch meant it was dead and time to change. So I thought strings only lasted like 30 minutes lol.
I play for 1-2 hours every day, sometimes more, and mostly play the same yoyo. I’d say I change my string maybe once a month. I use Kitty first class, but all bulk poly lasts about the same to me. I change string as soon as it starts to look dirty, not really because of a change in how it feels/plays.
String can be replaced, dings from broken strings cannot. About a month ago I popped a string with a popstar that had less than an hour of playtime on it. Got lucky with the 4a trajectory it took and didn’t break or ding anything. So it really depends on how hard you throw/what you throw but 30 cents for a string vs cost of a yoyo is an easy decision for me.
There are yo-yos I play hard and often I change the string often and there are yo-yos I’ve had for years that don’t get much attention and have the same string
I change mine every 1-2 hours of play. So it depends, if I play 30 minutes a day it will last 4 days, for example.
I am a monkey so don’t take me as example, I change it once every month or two, I tend to play with the same yoyos in rotation, I change it only when at some point is very dirty or is impossible to do any slack with it because the torsion start to take its own life, I play around 4 hours a day more or less sometimes even more.
I think playing one or two hours a day maybe once every 2 weeks can be a good idea, have to say that I like more when the string is broken in, at the beginning is very bouncy and also it start usually to roll on itself and slowly slowly get “normal”, do like the feeling on a new string on the touch and the colour but usually I keep that for when I record videos.
I change my string every 5 minutes, sometimes after every throw. I just HATE when there’s any sort of wear or dirt on the string.
I change much less frequently. (I use Alphaline btw) I’d say just try changing string at different times and see what makes the most sense for you
I like to live dangerous and see how close I can get to the string breaking before I change it.
Seems like a lot of people do 
On a serious note I go for about a day or two tops. As long as the tension holds and it’s not too dirty or anything it’s fine. But I also feel like when string starts getting really frayed the particles break off and get into the bearing more easily, especially if you’re not rocking any shields
Unless I’m really grinding hard on a trick or something, at least a month. When the response gets noticeably looser that’s usually my signal to change.
If anybody is actually experiencing string breaking I’d say that’s hardly an issue of time between string swaps. That’s more of an issue with bad old poly strings from the early 2000s, cotton strings, a flaw in the response design of the yoyo, or an extremely rough blast/sharp dings.
You can visibly see threads broken off and hear the pop when they do, the only yoyos I’ve ever had string breaks on happened with brand new strings while throwing horizontal because of a flaw in their response bump design.
I agree with mable. Play 1-2 hours a day. Maybe change string once a month. I seem to be on the longer side.
There are 3 phases of string condition in my experience:
New - rough and need of break in. No fuzziness.
Broken in - string softened, little fuzzy, whips are fluid.
Overused - “stiff”, very thinned, whips are no longer fluid, string flies too quickly in whips BC so worn down, etc.
Hard to describe. You know it when you play it.
Broken in phase lasts a long time in my experience with kitty regular/fat and onedrop poly.
Overused condition easiest to identify in kitty fat of the 3 because thickness changes the most and whip performance between broken-in/overused.
Oh I agree I’m just messing around mostly, although those Duncan cotton strings will get ya sometimes if you’re not careful lol. I probably do change strings wayyyy too often though now that I read some of your guys’ thoughts on it. But my cats get new balls of it all the time and they’re happy so in the end it’s not a complete waste
I change the string when it either gets too grimy or response degrades. Or if I’m gonna play in a populous area and want a bright new string to show off with.
Or if I’m tired of the color and want to switch it up, in which case I’ll usually save the old string for use later.
Ivan
I’ve have had a markmont on my edc for 3 months, just wash and it’s like new. Pretty heavily played
I had an old string I took off and left in my pocket through the wash one time and it did come out looking brand new lol if I used more expensive and limited boutique string I’d absolutely be doing this