Hi guys, I’ve recently got back into yoyoing. Ive been learning everything on my Duncan Metal Drifter and I feel that it’s time to try a better yoyo. While I like the undersized characteristics of the drifter, being light, rounded shape is comfortable in the hand, and fairly easy to learn on, I think its time for a more unresponsive throw that doesn’t tend to snag on binds and is more stable on longer tricks without slowing down or “waking up” lol.(not sleeping long enough) I am not sure what limits a yoyos size to undersize, but I have owned a Yomega Xodus ll in the past and that thing was too big and awkward for me(Diameter: 67.22). I’ve been considering OD or YYF because I’ve heard great things about both brands(also a lot of hate towards YYF haha) . I initially looked at YYF because of the rave reviews and the brand name is all over the place, but I started to look more into the OD line after hearing more about them, and let’s face it, I usually am an “underground/ against the big hype” type of guy.
I am looking for a good 1a yoyo. I’m leaning towards a roundish shape and (smaller than a dang xodus ll)size because that’s what i liked about my drifter. My price range is $50-100.
side note not related to performance: I love the color purple, not a necessity, but a plus!
What have you guys tried? Do any of your fav. throws fit? What would you recommend for me?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank You!
For learning tricks, I’ve been starting out with my CODE1. It’s not undersized, but it’s very smooth and stable. But for comfy, light, and smaller, right now I prefer my Gnarwhal (not by OneDrop though, don’t know if you’re interested in CLYW or not).
I’ve been told that the new CafeRacer by OneDrop is a nice undersized yoyo that has many of the characteristics that I like about the Gnarwhal, so I might have to get one of those next.
Wooly marmot. It is a CLYW but I can tell you the yoyos they make are just as good as any one drop or YYF. I’m not sure there are any in stock, but you could almost definitely find one in the B/S/T (and there are some pink/purple acid wash marmots that I’ve seen up for sale). It is undersized, and has a rounded, pretty comfortable shape to it. It is dead smooth, but unfortunately compared to my other throws it is not very forgiving (i.e., it is not very stable) and because it isn’t very stable, when it starts to tilt it loses its sleep time very quickly.
The gnarwhal, however, as said above is another great choice. I love mine.
Thank you to both! It’s nice coming home from a hard nights work to help from my fellow yoyoers. I’m definitely looking further into clyw. It looks like they have some very nice quality yo-yos. @ guitar yo, do you prefer the wooly marmot or the gnarwhal? Which do you think is more forgiving? Is the marmot your favorite yoyo you’ve tried? Thanks once again guys
Going to post a neutral thought on this for you as a means of helping you out man. I say that due to I work for Onedrop so I supose there would be some sort of bias but I am going to say honest opinions.
CLYW and Onedrop are both great companies to get into as far as yoyos. Both of their own sense of “Flavor” when it comes to their throws and both companies happen to be good friends. Each company has a set of different throws in all varieties that can key in on any thrower’s personal preference on yoyos.
So with that all said, It looks like you want to start out small but also to get into the unresponsive setting of yoyos. Reading your specific tastes and or wants for a throw, the two suggested on here is by far the way to go.
The CLYW Gnarwhal and Caferacer are both excellent choices for to get into the unresponsive type of yoyos. Both have a round similar shape while still obtaining a unique experience for throwing.
There is two different aspects about both throws however. The Gnarwhal was design for competition aspect versus the Caferacer. The Gnarwhal is the little brother of the Sasquatch, so it is specifically meant to be undersized and speedy versus solid and built to destroy things. The Caferacer is the replacement for the M1, which was the yoyo “Metal for everyone”. This throw was not designed for competition based play but as to have an upgrade from the original M1 while keeping its simplistic design and more important, cost effectiveness. The Gnarwhal at base value was always around 100 dollars, but the Caferacer is a mere 60 dollars for a metal throw that is meant to be a carry around and to have fun.
Those are the only two differences for them. Both throws are indeed amazing and you would not be disappointed with either of them.
For CLYW yoyos, The Wooly Marmot, although undersized and had a great shape, nearly every one I tried had some sort of vibe to them and this has been a known issue with them. So to be honest, I suggest not getting that throw since its an older model, stick to all the new shapes and designs. My most favored CLYW throw has always been the Sasquatch but that is due to my likeness for full sized throws.
Thank you for your expertise, even though I think it made my choice alittle harder lol. You mention that you prefer full sized throws such as the Sasquatch. Is there a major difference in size like there is with my drifter vs. xodus ll? All I’ve really used at this point is undersized, but I wouldn’t be opposed to full sized. The only problem is that I don’t know anyone who yoyos in person or any local shops, and cant try anything out before I buy it. I’m just trying to be as educated as I can before I buy offline. thanks!
Full sized yoyo’s like the Sasquatch or CODE1 are both WAY smaller than the Xodus II. They are much closer to the size of your metal drifter. Don’t let the Xodus II sway you away from full sized yoyo’s because they’re quite different.
If you want to try out a good full size yoyo without spending a lot of money, try the StarLite. It’s not very expensive, you’ll be able to see if you like the size or not, and you can still learn a bunch of tricks on it. Plus, it glows in the dark.
Then once you get a better idea of what size yoyo you like, you can make a better decision on which one you want to spend your money on. And even if you end up going with an undersized yoyo, you still have a fun glow in the dark yoyo that works really well.
The Code1 feels more stable, so it’s a little easier for me to learn tricks on. But I think I enjoy playing with my 54 more. I just find the shape more comfortable. But I love both of them.
One bonus with the 54 is that it comes with 2 different side effects. The Code1 only comes with 1.
Whatever you will get, you will rave about it. Don’t be shy making a decision, because you will probably enjoy any improvement over the Metal Drifter that you get.
The Metal Drifter has design elements that make it undesirable for high-level, unresponsive play.
Frankly, I like the Protostar. Knock it if you want, it feels smaller than the 67 mm outer-diameter because the diameter next to the gap (where your fingers fall) is really small. But it is really my favorite (and not a big financial risk).
I think I’ve decided. I’m going to go full-sized with the code 1. I could use that stability for learning new tricks and who knows, I might buy an additional set of side effects to have a different feel. Change is good right!
the code 1 is a brilliant throw, can’t go wrong with it
arguably the best 1drop play wise, but I admit I didn’t play either the dietz or cafe racer, but the code 1 is my throw of choice when practicing for new tricks, uber stable, spins for years
