I know nothing about fixed axle playing, but wouldn’t including a short axle as well as a long one be rather cheap and easy?
I’ve never really had too many problems with my Eh, LoveJoy or IrvingPro. I have noticed with a brand new cotton string it takes a little for the response to pick up. Normally just a few throws or so to wear it in a bit. The Baldwin feels a little too unresponsive for me too and a little light. I do know some like Adam Brewster and Blake Freeman that absolutely love it and do most their fixed axle tricks with them.
In the case of the “modification” I was talking about, we’re really talking about a couple hairs difference, which is more down to a preference thing than a change of functionality (like swapping slim bearings into yoyos that can accept them).
Regarding the toxicity, enough already! I mentioned it in passing along with this: “More likely, it’s the ready availability of the woods he normally uses.” Ready availability covers both cost and supply. I already said that’s the more likely scenario, sheesh.
In the guitar-making world (which is where my woodworking familiarity lies) a lot of people working with mahogany and maple get by with a simple filter mask; whether that’s smart or not is another question. I think if wearing a full respirator in the wood-turning world is the more common thing, then the wood-turning world is doing it better. 
On the other hand, the guitar builders also advocate full vacuum and ventilation in their shops (probably the same as wood-turners) and a shower after working with certain woods (like purpleheart). It just seems like there’s a different set of approaches and cautions in that world . Point being, I already said that’s not likely to be the primary motivation…
Basically True Throw is a very negative and nonconstructive blog about the yo-yo community. The authors disparage anything/anyone they have a negative opinion about. I visited it once and it’s not worth your time.
Your post could have been more constructive. Pointing out QC flaws and why their stock designs don’t work for you is fine, but saying that “they feel guilty for charging $50 for their lame product”… that’s probably not the way to go.
Colin is probably a very nice guy. He didn’t have to privately send you a free proto back with the new Baldwin only to have you publicly declare it to be crap. Some things don’t have to be made public.
Polyester is really not the right string for fixed axle play. It might not fix your other complaints, but try some thick cotton.
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The short answer that I should have stuck to, by the way, is “Yes, I actually like TMBR.”
Doesn’t mean I don’t think they could improve. They’re not perfect by any stretch, that’s for sure!
But two of the original complaints (responsiveness/gap width, weight) are either easily resolved or accepted with minimal fuss! 2 minutes to set the gap to your own preferences, and the wood is what it is; until they start adding weight rings, there’s no other way to modify the weight!
Maybe a little information card titled, “Need more response? Here’s how to narrow your gap!” would make for a more user-friendly package, though!
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Tmbr is okay, not best quality. Hildy makes nice stuff
Would love a Hildy, but they’ve been sold out every time I go to buy. Also leery of non-screw-apart design. Admittedly, I hardly ever get axle knots. But I dread the day I get one with a yoyo that doesn’t screw apart!
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I think Blake Freeman still has a few more special editions of the Currier that Luke did for him with his RGAP Greyhound charity logo on them for sale.
I do have a couple. I’ll message Greg!
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I’m aware polyester is not ideal for wooden axles, that sentence was in response to somebody telling me to use Kitty String.
I’ve met Colin once, PNWR 2007. Nice enough, but boy was he talking all sorts of crap while Ben was safely on the other side of the room.
I see no reason to sugar-coat my opinion. The yoyo he sent me was flat out terrible. This is you know, a place to talk about that kind of thing, right?
True Throw seems to get off on anonymity. I, on the other hand, get off on all y’all knowing exactly what I think. Lol.
So no, not me.
To get to the point after three pages: a fixed axle yoyo should come back to your hand. Ya’ dig? Have yoyo makers forgotten how to make that happen?
I actually think that the response level out of box would be on purpose. That way it can be made to whatever you like. He apparently likes to play at the lower response. And some people like higher. I think Colin made it at the lower instead of higher because its easier to add responsiveness then take away. That way in the end it can work for everybody. Although I do think a card or something telling you how to make it more responsive should be included.
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I know it’s already been stated, but I’m going to state it again because it is a really good point. You should be using thick cotton string for fixed axle play. It makes a world of difference.
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Here’s the way I see it. It seems that people say it’s very easy to adjust the yoyos response, so it seems to me like you don’t want to like TMBR.
Response is not my only complaint. Including shipping I spent about a hundred dollars on them, quite a lot for wooden fixed axle yoyos. I tried to like them for months. Can’t do it.
Now, that yoyo Jensen was playing in his latest video? That looks like something I can get behind. Very large diameter and what looks to be a really nice hardwood, that’s gotta have some substance to it.
Yeah, that’s the problem I have with fixed axle yoyos. They seem so overpriced IMO… And Jensen’s yoyo did look very good.
Did you ever try the proper way to fix response? According to your post you didn’t. This probably would has saved you a substantial amount. I’m also pretty sure he uses woods that are fairly local to him. So he may not have a lot available.
Proper way? Wasn’t aware you were the authority on the proper way to maintain yoyos.
Like I said, coming up on a decade of throwing these things around I’ve learned a thing or two. Not claiming to be super talented or anything, but I know how my yoyos work and I know how to use them.
How would sanding down the axles save me money? I haven’t broken one by using it the way I do, so I never had to pay out of pocket for one since the original purchase.
Since you’re an expert on my posts you probably already know that.
I can understand feeling you didn’t get your money’s worth. However, I do suspect you didn’t know about sanding the axles (through no fault of your own!) since you talked about crushing the gap and putting stickers in… and I do think that by saving yourself some “maintenance grief” with a quick sanding you would have had a more pleasant experience.
I doubt that would have made you idolize them or anything. There would have been other flaws that prevented them from becoming a favourite. But I suspect (who knows?) you’d probably be at a “ehhhh… they’re not really for me” stage rather than a “Hey guys, these yoyos are crap, I don’t know how anyone can like them!” stage.
$100 is a lot to spend on something you don’t enjoy. I probably would have stopped at $30.
I’m not sure if this helps. Here is a post Ed did on YoYoNews that talks about his setup.
It discusses a lot of the things talked about in this thread; like tension, string, throw, and response.