I know this is a relative term, but debating on buying a high end throw. My priciest one now is a nightmare and i was thinking about getting a new one from one of the non major distributors or one of the smaller shops. I looked at CLYW MonkeyFinger and brands like that and see that the yoyos are upwards of 150-200$ and I am trying to figure out if this is worth it. I am sure my current yoyos arent limiting my trick growth at this point so thats not a good reason to upgrade. But what is it with these âhigher endâ throws that justify the price as far as playability. I know that they may be in lower production and the colors are a little more one off which are cost drivers, but do they really play any different? Wife is out of town so I can make a big purchase without getting yelled at for the moment!hahah
The nightmare can perform any trick a more expensive yoyo can for sure. You are paying for different things such as material, location, size of the manufacturer etc.
For example I am selling a masumane for 200$ and it performs very well. Long spinning, stable etc. But so is the nightmare. The pricing has to do with materials used, the manufacturer and the quality of production.
Then you have titanium yoyoâs where the price is the result of the materialâs difficulty to manufacture and price.
Then there is clyw yoyoâs where price is partly related to where it is being manufactured, ie china tends to be cheaper then making the same yoyo in the USA or Canada. Also CLYW has a name and a reputation which also affects price.
The thing that makes a difference unless you are a proffesional the differences are insignificant between the nightmare and most other higher end throws.
This is an opinion though :P. Send me a pm if you want to buy a higher end throw, the masumane is hands down one of the best out there, that said it wonât make you a better player, you will make you a better player
Nobody can justify the cost of ANY yoyo for yourself other than yourself. Any reason that someone can give you to justify the cost, asthetics, or performance of a yoyo is purely speculative on their part. Just a word of adviceâŚthink very carefully before not acknowledging your wife on major purchases because if sheâs anything like many wives out there (especially mine) her right hook can out perform ANY yoyo you may hope to purchase 
With the smaller brands their yoyos are often American/Japan made products. Companies often have similarities between their yoyos (e.g. CLYWs often feel very flowing while ODs have a solid, âclassyâ feel) so if you identify with a yoyo from whatever brand then you will often like their other throws (not always though). There isnât always a performance increase between something like a YYF and a CLYW and it will vary depending in what direction you compare (many YYFs will perform better than some CLYWs and vice a versa).
If you have a budget of up to $200 then itâs probably worth considering some of the Japanese yoyos or higher end bimetals which are often closer to the 200 mark.
Is it worth it to buy from a smaller/overseas, more expensive brand? It will depend on you (hah, no straight answer for you ). Speaking as someone who couldnât care less where my yoyos are made, my CLYWs, ODs and YYRs are my favourite yoyos and I have found them completely worth the price of admission. It may take a bit to find a brand whose âfeelâ suits you but if you do then I think you will be very happy despite the higher price.
Again though, thereâs nothing wrong with the more inexpensive yoyos and definitely no obligation to buy anything more expensive.
Nothing⌠NOTHING will hold back your trick progression if you already own a Nightmare.
Nothing would hold your trick progression back with an even âlesserâ yoyo. You definitely do NOT need an upgrade if trick progression is your only concern.
As others have mentioned, there are other reasons for spending money on yoyos, but none of them involve unlocking tricks that the Nightmare couldnât handle.
Thank you sir