Hi, sorry to be one of those people that starts a new topic for their first post (and a topic I’m sure you’ve seen 200 times before) but there was nobody active in chat that i could ask. Sorry :-X
Okay, so i found a yoyo that my little cousin had in the back of the cupboard and i started playing with it out of curiosity. And i’m really enjoying it! I’ve always wanted to play “properly” but never got round to it but I’m 20 years old now and i want to play with yoyos and you cant stop me mom and dad
I’ve been practicing for the past few days and i’ve gotten okay, from zero knowledge to pulling off a few basic tricks and string mounts. However, it is quite a sillylittle thing, I found out what it was called (a PowerYo Fx7) and reading reviews and opinion i dont think i’m making excuses for my lack of ability too much. So i would like to buy a new one.
Did some research and now I’m torn between two of the most recommended, the Duncan Freehand Zero and the YoYoFactory Velocity. I was just about to buy the fhz before i decided it’s probably just better to ask.
My first choice was the freehand zero as i would also really, really like to learn how to do the freehand stuff cus it looks sick but i read it uses “pad” friction stickers which needs to be replaced often and i’m not looking forward to doing that. And then the Velocity because obviously the design caters for a range of skill levels and I dont really want to buy another yoyo soon after (if ever) i get out of novice level.
So urr what should i do? I’m looking to mostly string tricks but once i get a few down i seriously would like to learn offhand - could i do that comfortably with the velocity? Price-wise their isn’t much between the two (the velocity is a couple quid more). So, what say you good people of yoyoexpert.com/forum? The DFHZ or the YYFV?
Thanks!
And yes I am aware this post is longer than it needed to be.
Hey, first of all— 10 points for you for trying to find someone in chat before posting this
Now, i never played a FHZ… but i played the velocity, and i really dont like it, IMO it plays really bad and unstable. if you really want one of those 2, get the FHZ (it also comes with good counterweights i think).
Now, if i were you, and i didnt want to spend a lot of money, i would look into the MagicYoYo´s they are cheap (from about 15 dollars to maybe 30 dollars) and they play very very good! also they are full metals. i would maybe look into the N6 N9 N12(if you want to do offhand the N12 would be good i think) and T5. but there are a lot more of them and they all play better than both the yoyos you were talking about. if you get a magicyoyo you won´t need to buy a yoyo for a long time if you dont want to… once you get more advanced you might want to look into buying a better bearing but those cost around 15 dollars but you wont need one for a while.
about the response pads, you will probably not find any good yoyo without friction stickers, but thats no problem since you need to change them maybe once every 2 months and a pair costs about 2 dollars, so that shouldnt be a big deal.
So if i were you, i would get a MagicYoYo N12 (Shark Honor) later you can get a counterweight or make your own, and if you ever need more power you can always slap a new bearing in there. you won´t find better value anywhere, and definitely not in a cheap plastic like the FHZ or the velocity. learning stuff on a unstable short spinning plastic can be very frustrating btw
so thats my opinion however have fun YoYoing and feel free to ask questions
EDIT: MagicYoYo´s are easiest to buy on amazon
EDIT2: actually, i just saw you were from the UK, so you might wan´t to buy it from yoyoz since shipping probably is cheaper and quicker. i think the mods are gonna hit me if i post the link to another shop in the forums its the yoyoz uk store, youll find it if you google it, they have a wide range of MagicYoYo´s
Thanks for the PM Gambit, very helpful!
And i guess I’m looking to get quite an unresponsive one, I’m getting used to that as the current one forced me to learn a bind to return it.
Benetan, thanks for your detailed response! I’m more than happy to hear other suggestions, i meant to put that in the OP!
I had a look at the MagicYoYo n12 and it is a little bit pricier than the other two but if it is as good and reliable as you say it is i’ll definitely consider it strongly. I’ll check out the other N(X) ones too.
(edit: just found the Magic yoyos in other places for similar prices to the fhz and velocity so price still isn’t much of an issue, although they are from ebay so i dunno)
Thanks for explaining the stickers to me, wasn’t aware how long they lasted as a review for the FHZ i read said they barely lasted a week! I guess that the ones that came in the package were poor.
Thanks for the responses, I’m in no rush to buy one ASAP so i still have time to mull over other thoughts and suggestions!
Cool, did not see your other edit when i posted but I’ve seen that site, they sell the n12 for almost twice as much as the ebay sellers. I don’t mind waiting a few weeks.
Don’t really have a strict budget, but i guess up to £16ish
I would recommend to you a regular Freehand 2. It’s great, and gives you a throw that has a GREAT balance between responsive and unresponsive. Plus, replacing the stickers is not that frequent. It will play fairly unresponsive, but responsive, as well. You won’t be able to do all string tricks with it, but remember that responsive gas it’s place too. As you progress you’ll want to go purely unresponsive, but will visit responsive from time to time.
Get an inexpensive looping yoyo like the Duncan Speed Beetle or other.
The Velocity is a good option, too. Inexpensive, plays well, adjustable. I disagree with the earlier poster who didn’t like it.
Of these 2, I would go with the FH2, first. If you get a Magicyoyos, you won’t need a Velocity.
Magicyoyos are great options for purely unresponsive play. Cut your teeth using one or three to see what you prefer in a yoyo before going higher end (should you want to).
I checked out the Freehand 2 and it also seems like a good choice! What does it have over the Zero? I do quite like the idea of the responsive as, to me, it looks cool when they fly back to the hand lol but if it’s going to limit what can happen in the ~future~ then it might be good to just jump right in and learn full unresponsive perhaps? The yoyo im currently using is more responsive now that i triple looped it around the bearing and it is quite fun and working better, so i’ll have that too.
Or maybe the magicyoyos will be too much for a mostly complete novice like me.
What happens if stickers aren’t replaced - are they there to increase or lessen response times? That’s just out of interest, because the n12 magicyoyo benetan recommended has silicone pad so im not sure what they do lol
Hmmmm… now i’m conflicted between 3/4 yoyos now!
I think i’ll either for for the Freehand 2 or the MagicYoyo N12 (if that’s the best one for freehand play)
ya i gues i didnt take into account that you might want something with response… for me responsive play got very boring after a short time… the spin time is very reduced and your pretty limited… also even hitting the easier string tricks is harder with a responsive yoyo… with a MYY N12 you would be able to do pretty much everything there is… including 5A (offhand)… i cant even imagine how frustrating offhand would be with a responsive yoyo but in the end you need to know what you want from your yoyo.
but the N12 is better for string tricks and in performance for sure!
I mentioned responsive because responsive is a legit style and there are tricks out there where you need responsive. Just depends on your playing tastes - which develop - but the FH2 is good (IMO) because it kind of gives you the best of both worlds.
I didn’t recommend the FHZ because I don’t own one - don’t know how it plays.
So, consider:
getting a looping yoyo
a responsive, non-looping yoyo (or, a yoyo that will give you responsive, like a FH2 or a Velocity)
complete unresponsive - Magicyoyo, or other
This way you’ll cover a lot of bases and have a lot of variety to choose from.
It seems like everyone in here has overlooked the classic by yoyojam.
This is by far the best yoyo you could go with considering it comes to you responsive but with a new bearing and silicone it becomes a great unresponsive yoyo as well. It also has a very durable body and nice comfy shape.
Of the 2 you have listed the FHZ is the better choice but I prefer to not recommend yoyos that take response pads since they require replacing. You could also take a look at the yoyojam kickside but I think the classic is a more up to date throw.
The velocity does however alow you to go from unresponsive to responsive play by either changing the response or the depth or the response and doesn’t require pad changing like the fhz.
Would also like to note that any trick can technically be done on a responsive yoyo although it may be more difficult if you can do it your appearance performing the trick will be more smooth. I’ve always pushed to have people start responsive but if you really want to go unresponsive I’m gonna have to recommend the speedaholic.
The Velocity is a great yoyo that can go from responsive to unresponsive quickly. It’s what I’d recommend of the yoyos you’re asking about.
Now, on to starting responsive vs. unresponsive. I recommend starting responsive. It helps you learn to control the yoyo better, and makes your tricks smoother. Also, some people have a hard time learning to bind straight-off when they can barely throw the yoyo. I’ve seen people try to start unresponsive, and they seemed to have a harder time starting off than people who start unresponsive.
oh man im more confused than ever!
ahh ill take a day to review all the information and get back to you guys lol
im thinking i might just +1 that Classic yoyo as it is very cheap. But i’ll need to think about all this lol
Another thing to bring up as well is the unnecessary parts within both your yoyos. The Classic has it’s bearing seat built into the mold so the total parts is the 2 yoyo halves, axle, and bearing. The fhz on the other hand uses spacers for the bearing along with an axle that uses a nut system. I’ve seen several people who end up losing the spacers when unscrewing the yoyo. The velocity has even more parts with the extra shuttles used for changing the play along with the dials. I believe it may also use spacers but could be incorrect.
The YYJ Classic comes responsive, but to make it unresponsive you need to get other parts to change the bearing and response. The FH2 allows for a good bit of both, without needing to change anything.
Just saw this on the Yoyo Wiki for the Freehand 2:
“Put some duncan silicone stickers in these, clean the bearing, and you have yourself one of the finest playing unresponsive plastics EVER.”
Thought I would give it a try. Took out the standard stickers, put in a couple of silicon stickers I had laying around, and cleaned the bearing with mineral spirits. Voila, unresponsive.
That said, I don’t agree with the last sentence, but it does make the FH2 even better than it did!
to see what you prefer in a yoyo before going higher end (should you want to).