If I get an axle knot on my Shu-ta, I unscrew it, still smooth.
Shutters are pretty durable yoyo’s, most of the vibe is probably from the rim damage. However, if you feel in the very center of the shutter and there is a slight bump, the yoyo is compromised.
Bearings are tricky, it could be some crud in there requiring a clean, or it could be done just from hard hits, bearings can cause vibe too.
In my unpopular opinion, I should be able to open all my yoyo’s as many times I want with minimal effects on play.
I see your questions have already been answered, fiddling with the bearing and messing with the axle are the only way to fix this issue, other than having a bearing seat issue, these two options usually work best.
If I recall correctly, Steve Brown once said something like, “We fought a war so you could take apart your yoyo.”
I think the biggest risk of taking apart most yoyos is the possibility of misthreading the axle, but if you know how to avoid that it’s usually not an issue. The two key things, in my opinion, are keeping the two halves parallel to each other and rotating counterclockwise until the thread clicks into place before screwing it together.
The second risk is overtightening to the point of causing damage to the threads or to the hub wall. This is mostly just a practice and experience thing, but you don’t have to hulk out to put it back together. Many yoyos have a very thin wall between the end of the axle hole and the outside of the yoyo and if they axle is just a tiny bit longer than the available space, overtightening can cause a little bump in the center of the hub.
There is a third risk if the bearing seat is very tight that you can cause some damage to the bearing seat or the threads as you put it back together, but usually if you can get it apart cleanly this is not an issue.
You mention unscrewing it to change the string and I just wanted to point out that some recommend never putting a string on while the yoyo is unscrewed since there is a chance that you will inadvertently get the string between the bearing and the yoyo half which will usually cut the string or prevent it from sleeping at all. I personally don’t follow that advice all the time, but I always double check to make sure the string isn’t caught after put it back together.
As others have said, your vibe issue is probably just due to damage sustained on the rims or something you can tweak with the axle and bearing. Some people try to never take apart their yoyos for fear of introducing vibe, but unless it’s really bad (pulse vibe or excessive string vibe), a little bit of vibe doesn’t matter for most tricks anyway.
Is this vibe after you’ve smoothed out the spin with your fingernail?
Most yoyos will last indefinitely unless/until you damage it beyond repair.
I wouldn’t say you should replace it, but you should totally buy more yoyos.
It vibes a little after smoothing it out. I’m no expert so I might just be crazy.
I would like to think that I have been careful when opening it up. Thanks for this tip about the string getting caught. I’ll keep an eye out for that and try to change habits.
It does have a good amount of scratches and scuffs as I bought it to learn unresponsive tricks, and often handed it out to beginners to learn how to bind. So I guess this is the cause.
If I learned anything in algebra it’s, (X+1=N). N being the needed number of yo-yos and X being the current number.
You have to take it apart to lube or change the bearing, or change the pads, but a good rule of thumb is, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Steel is harder than aluminum, if you are not careful it is easy to cross thread the axle.
I have worn out a couple cheap yo-yos, but that was after tons of use/abuse.
I always unscrew the yoyo to change the string, I don’t see why it’s a big deal. I’ve been doing it this way since I was a kid and it’s never caused a problem.
Just twist the string until it opens up and you can slip it off the yoyo. It’s easier than taking the thing apart and lessens the chance of your axle falling on the ground and getting lost forever. Taking a yoyo apart to change string is like taking the engine out of a car to change the oil.
You have to unscrew an unresponsive yoyo sooner or later. If it vibes its probably from any impact its had since you said it was pretty abused. Any yoyo that’s quality isn’t going to vibe from taking it apart. Just wouldn’t reccomend doing it over and over, only when you have to
