Gap width to me isn’t intuitive,
e.g. all c bearings have the same width (are the same size) therefore all c bearing yoyo’s have the same minimum gap or gap width,
I know this is ignorant. What is gap width actually a measure of? With all the shapes yoyo’s come in now days, I think the term would be confusing.
Gap width is essentially the distance between the response pads. This varies from yoyo to yoyo, even though bearings are the same width (within certain tolerances), because the depth of the bearing seat can vary, depending on the design and the desired gap width.
Somebody could probably explain it to me, but the general idea is if the bearing seat is deeper in the yoyo the smaller the gap width.
Pretty sure that’s exactly it.
Great question. I would think the answer is the distance between the yo-yo halves at the outer rim of the response recess. Seems like the most consistent metric.
Of course what really counts is the distance between response pads, but I wouldn’t expect it to be a terribly accurate measurement because of the response squishy-ness and unknown tolerance of pad thickness.
I’m curious what YYE does.
Ah, wouldn’t of thought of that. It still makes me wonder that yoyo(s) with wider gaps are often purported as being better. but the actual distance between the pads must be slight. Right?
so, let’s show an extreme example that’s been a topic of discussion recently - the dv888. the dv888 comes set up stock with it’s own pads, responsive with a half-spec c-bearing. despite the depth to the response recess, the pads extend well beyond that… causing this yoyo to snap like an alligator. putting the full spec c-bearing in may widen the gap in the response recess, however the pads will still impact that overall distance. i did not have a micrometer handy, so i didn’t measure the differences, compared to specified
now, with silicone, if properly poured and when cured, should form a meniscus to the interior of the recess wall - which i tried to show here. preferences may vary, but that’s the overall gist. this is an mfd sea monkey
No but this is a good one. The sticking-out pads are so weird on this yo-yo.
For a size C bearing, I believe the maximum gap width is somewhere around 5 mm. The Yoyofactory Nightmare is a recent example of this. No minimum really exists, but if the gap width on a yoyo is smaller then a half SPEC bearing, the company might put that in instead. Smaller gaps mean that the response pads are closer together, which usually makes for tighter binds, but also less room for string wraps. I have kitty fat and kitty XL, and the XL usually goes on yoyos that have 4.60mm gap widths or more, the fat goes on smaller gap yoyos. Gap width is much more of a preference then a performance measure, string and pad choice can usually fix any issues you might have with snags or slipped binds.
They do the same thing to the Replay. 
And the moonshine 2.0 has two different pad thicknesses, but it’s intentional, and it plays grrrreat.
had to trade stock edgless pads for some red yyf, are they even supposed to take yyf pads? Idk it even effects vibe. Feeling like a major newb now.
Does anyone know what thickness the different yo yo factory pads add? (preferably mm)
most are 19mm which is normally how deep the yoyo response pads seats are so none. although they sell green response pads which are a quite a bit thicker for snappier responsive play
Doesn’t 19mm refer to the diameter of the pads, not the thickness?
ye oop my bad
so that’s sort of my question. the response pad thickness, which yyf color coordinates, should in theory, by the information in the rest of this topic, determine the gap with, with the thicker pads decreasing the gap width. I was just wondering by how much these pads change the gap width (the width between response pads)
you can pick up a digital micrometer cheap, as well as a calculator, and just calc it out… $14 you’d be set for life on every yoyo you’d ever own… and there are sooooooo many more uses for the boxes they come in.
