I bought a Basecamp Sherpa, and I’m considering getting a DV888. I’ve learned a lot in the past few months, and I saw a review of the Sherpa that said that it was more experimental than serious because the construction is not standard. I’m wondering if maybe this is contributing to some tricks being harder to learn, like the hollow construction doesn’t contribute as much to spin stability or longevity as a more traditional construction style would. So, I’m trying to decide on another yoyo that still isn’t very expensive (just starting out with yoyos and whatnot).
I really like being able to chose responsive or unresponsive with a single yoyo, and one of the reasons I bought the Sherpa first is that it came with both types of axles/bearings. It looks to me like the DV888 uses the same type of bearings and bolts, so am I right in thinking that I can use the bearings/axles that came with the Sherpa in the DV888 too? They’re both size C. I can’t tell if the pads are the same size, and the Sherpa only came with 1 set of pads; so maybe if I want the DV888 to be responsive I would need to change the pads too. But it really seems like I wouldn’t need to buy the whole YYF Responsive Upgrade kit, since I already have both un/responsive bearings/axles for the Sherpa.
Advice? Either on the upgrade kit question, or there is another suggestion for a yoyo that might be a better option than a DV888?
Recess first base comes with a slim and standard bearing, and is much cheaper and more well received than dv888. Not the highest performance plastic from what I hear (but definitely not bad by any means) but if you’re set on something that can do both responsive and unresponsive it’s a great choice.
And put the money you save towards eventually getting something higher end when you feel you’ve worked up to it.
DV888 is fine as unresponsive but has some issues when responsive. My advice is to go with two yo-yos. Frequent bearing changes has to lead to eventual problems.
Honestly, I wouldn’t bother with getting a sharp metal yoyo for responsive. Dv888 comes with pads which stick out, so you’d have to change them for responsive play. I’ve heard it hurts when it slams into your hand. Why choose pain? The recess first base is highly regarded within the community as far as I can tell, and the shape won’t hurt you. It will also perform better unresponsive compared to the sherpa, I have one and it is set up with the slim bearing with thick lube, it is pretty bad as am unresponsive throw. If you want a throw that can do both, that’s ok, but why not go for a unresponsive yoyo? That way, you’d have a great responsive and a great unresponsive yoyo to choose from.
Do you really often change your Sherpa from responsive to non-responsive ? In my experience, I like to have my yoyo ready anytime for any play style.
So I’d keep the Sherpa at what it does the best (I suspect responsive), and buy a full non-responsive yoyo aside.
I don’t change the Sherpa often; after an initial switch from responsive to unresponsive and then back again, I’ve left it responsive since January. I’ve only just switched it to unresponsive last week. I started trying to learn Kwyjibo, and it kept slamming into my hands because it would bind on the loose string.
I hadn’t played with any yoyos since the early 90s, and then i bought my daughters yoyos for christmas. I wasn’t deep into yoyoing back then, I had a brain and a butterfly and probably an imperial and the most complicated thing I ever did back then was rocking the cradle.
So, I felt really sold on “modern responsive” yoyos, because I didn’t even know what “un/responsive” meant before January. Generally speaking, I’ve enjoyed playing a responsive yoyo more, simply because getting it to come back doesn’t require an extra step. But, after some initial frustration with the unresponsive setup, I’ve gotten to the point where I can bind about 70% of the time I’m actually trying to bind. Another reason I like responsive better is that I’m close to mastering a snap wind, and I can’t seem to get anywhere close to spinning an unresponsive yoyo with just my fingers fast enough to get it to bind.
After reading these comments, I think I can discount the option to switch play styles, and just try to make a decision between the ones that are recommended. It seems like The Wedge, Skyva and the First Base would be good choices, and it also seems like the First Base is one of the most widely recommended yoyos.
I really like the look of a metal yoyo, but it really seems like these three plastic yoyos are just as capable as all the <$40 metal yoyos. And maybe the only detractor for the Skyva is that it is more likely to break if slammed into the ground (which has been happening more recently for me because I just started trying tricks with an unresponsive yoyo).
There probably is. When I mention the DV888 what I am actually referring to is the $10 B stock unresponsive. That is probably the only $10 yoyo that I would recommend. If they are willing to go $20 - First Base. If they are willing to go $50. LOTS of choices for great yoyos.
Do you mean that you consider the Sherpa a bad unresponsive yoyo, and it’s better responsive? Or did you mean that you think the first base is not as good responsive?
I’d like to spend less than $30.
Material doesn’t matter.
I think I’m leaning towards unresponsive, and I’m leaning towards the Wedge. I’ve read a few comments that said the wedge was a little better than the replay pro, but I like the look of both of them. I’m still hitting the floor a good bit, so I don’t think I should get a skyva.
Im not sure if I’m happy with the Sherpa as responsive either, but I don’t really want to buy 2 more yo-yos right now. When I first started using it, it wasn’t responsive enough so I added a bit of thick lube. That seemed to make it pretty consistently responsive. But then last week it seemed like it was too responsive for the tricks I was trying to do, so I switched the bearing and I’ve been trying it unresponsive. I’ve hit it against the floor hard enough to loosen the caps a few times, but I don’t think I’ve damaged it. I can get a real smooth spin sometimes, so I think when it doesn’t spin smoothly it’s because of the way I’m throwing it.
the wedge did not feel comfortable to me–I bought it for my daughter and she did not like it either. Actually, I just sold it few days ago.
Skyva plays very nicely if you want to do fingerspins, in my opinion.
Now, I got this yoyo last year and it plays great–take a look at it:
One last thing–I was like you, I discovered the unresponsive yoyo 3 years ago and love all the different things you can do including the different bindings. Go for it!
The Wedge is a great yoyo. But look at the shape and think “would I be ok with this slamming into my knuckles when I am learning tricks”. The Replay pro is a heavy beast of a yoyo, but it won the national yoyo contest, and won’t hurt quite as much. I have both.
Wondering if it’s the yoyo or the way you throw, I can relate !
Slamming the yoyo down on the floor when starting unresponsive as well
I guess it’s a good reason for having 2 differents yoyos too: the feeling in your hand, the shape of the yoyo, triggers a different play style once you get used to your yoyos.
I would rather consider stability than avoiding pain. After about a week of unresponsive Sherpa, my biggest problem is stability. It’s not slamming into my hands like it was when I was attempting Kwijibo with a responsive setup. That hurt. I’m more likely to miss a bind then to have it slam into my hands.
