Probably have to be these little mofos
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I have a question relevant to this thread.
Even though many years ago, I was known for attempting to somewhat push the envelope and getting people to recognize that high-performance could actually be built into smaller yo-yos.
And even though the MiniMo was the name of one of my yo-yoās, I have never suggested the definitive answer in what diameter or specific range can be identified so we are all on the same page about what particular products fit into that category.
So can we chime in and identify the largest outer diameter for a mini and approximately the smallest diameter before the yo-yo moves into another category that would be considered micro or sub mini or whatever?
Like I already said, I donāt have the definitive answer. So this isnāt a trap where somebody could suggest something I would consider is the wrong answer.
I donāt think it should be classified or qualify as argument, material, lol. But Iām sure some people might want to fudge a little bit, to place a certain yo-yo in the mini category.
For example, letās just say a dozen of us get together in this thread and decide that 48 mm or less is a mini.
We post that suggestion on the forum. Somebody respondsā¦ Well, I got another yo-yo but I think is my favorite mini but itās 49 mm and thatās close, right? Or somebody would suggest, well to me anything thatās 50 mm or less I would consider a miniā¦ Especially since I have big hands everything around that diameter is mini to me, lol.
I mean, I donāt want to start something where people are gonna go round and round. But think about another categoryā¦ Pocket yo-yos. Somebody starts a thread and says what yo-yo do you not mind putting in your pocket? So the first 10 people to respond say things like SBās and deep states and things of that nature. And then the 11th guy says I donāt leave my house without putting an 4A yo-yo in my pocket. And the yo-yo is 60 mm wide and 66 mm in diameter. And the says, well, it makes sort of a lump, but as long as it fits in my pocket, Iām good, lol..
So Iām guessingā¦ the maximum diameter for a mini is going to be somewhere between 48 and possibly 52, top end?
Or should the top of the mini range be? Letās say 50 mm? And then where should the bottom end be? Maybe 40 or 38 thereabouts, before it gets to sub, mini or micro range, like a flea, for example?
So the bottom line is kind of simpleā¦ Can we agree on identifying a minimum maximum range that would classify mini yo-yo?
Or is it just easier on the community to go the casual route and let each person decide what yo-yo they think is suitable to be called a mini? Maybe somebody will get a yo-yo thatās smaller in diameter without reading the specs or without caring at the time what the specs were for that particular yo-yo. But their personal view on the yo-yo was something like boy this is pretty small. They never measure it. But they have a dozen other yo-yos and itās the smallest one so to them itās a mini.
So can we identify a range or get close to agreeing on one? Or is it better to just let it ride and say yeah that he looks kind of mini to me.
Any thoughts?
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zipline possum
Prob not the best to give this answer but I kind of view it as follows (these numbers arenāt set in stone):
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56-58mm - Full Sized
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53-55mm - Midsized
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47-52mm - Undersized
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41-46mm - Mini
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<41 - Micro
As for āpocket yoyosā in my opinion, diameter can vary, lies more in the width and what feels good in the pocket. Good example is the One Drop Yelets - itās not small by any means but it is a tad narrower and for its size, feels better in the pocket than something wider. Also subjectiveā¦what pocket are we talking here? What kind of pants? A 4a yoyo would easily fit along with a few others if one is rocking the JNCOsā¦heck, might even be able to stuff a small diabolo in it
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This is from what I consider the āKing of Mini Yoyosā himself. BatracTheLooper on reddit every year does a pocket yoyo roundup guide where he basically buys every mini yoyo for that year and gives a review. He has been doing this for years now. So I have always just gone off his categories. I donāt think he has done 2025 yet but here is the 2024 version.
2024 Pocket Yoyo Roundup Guide
He must have recently made his account private because I canāt see his old posts now on his profile without searching for them directly. I looked at it a couple of months ago so hopefully everything is ok and he comes back. These posts were super helpful for people like me who love minis.
Categories:
- Pathological: Under ~30mm Diameter
- Micro: ~30-40mm Diameter
- Mini: ~40-45mm Diameter
- Undersized: ~45-53mm Diameter (some may say ~45mm-50mm is SuperUndersized)
- Mid Size: ~52-55mm Diameter
- Full Size: ~54-58mm Diameter
- Oversized: Over 58mm Diameter
But I agree it would be nice to come to a consensus on this.
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That sounds excellent to me.
Matter of fact, that sounds Perfect.
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W1LD - Adrenaline SS
Stainless Steel throws are becoming my favorite!
I would say the new C3 - Mico, but that thing is full sized pure SS power.
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my personal categorizations put āundersizedā at 50-54mm, āminiā in the 40ās and āmicroā at under 39mm. 55-57 is fullsize and anything bigger (58+) is oversize. (i have small hands)
This feels right to me
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Yall got me back in the mini/micro kick again pulling out tiny YoYoās to play with and looking up obscure silly tiny stuff.
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Iām REALLY starting to miss my Mini Star 2.
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TRTās new mini bimetalā¦ 
Heists and Little Evilā
Actually, we may have to come up with a sub category to the categories, already mentioned. For example, these are what would be considered smaller than mini yo-yos, correct.
But at the same time, I would consider the general yo mini star to pretty much be a definitive mini size yo-yo. But if you put it next to the little evilā¦ And then right about the time youāre gonna nod your head and go oh yeah, I got itā¦ Then somebody pulls a yo-yo factory, mighty flea out of their pocket and sets that on the table. All of a sudden youāre back to square one.
ā¦ā¦. To be continuedā¦..
Angry gumball and yo-yo knight both provided what looks very close to standardization charts.
I canāt say which one is better? Because itās not just one guy thinking here. I mean if we start saying show your best standard size show your best oversize show your best mini size show your best subcompact hey thatās a good run along sentence right? We got people all over the world looking at stuff. And if one guy says oh yeah man, I got big hands so that yo-yo small to meā¦ Actually, that doesnāt mean beans.
I mean, this isnāt a big mental challenge when you think about it. Itās just basically that when one of us says the bucket is full or the bucket is empty you know like the old glass routine, then the other ones no right where things stand.
So a general yo mini star, obviously has the word mini built right into the name, lol
But does that mean when Ernie came up with the name that he called it that because he identified that as a standard size yo-yo that would be considered a mini? Or did Ernie just decide to call it a mini yo-yo because to him personally itās smaller than most of the designs that he had come up with to that time?
Once weāre all on the same page, then nobody is in the dark and when you hear somebody else or read something where a guy says I have this such and such size yo-yo, you know what heās talking about
Simple said Simonā¦..
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This has been my favorite mini for a while now. Plenty of power and stability, and is easy to throw in your pocket. In terms of the Smol, itās very hefty, but doesnāt feel like a brick and is still fairly maneuverable. Tried one earlier today and enjoyed it quite a bit
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I really love the mini star 2, plays incredibly well. Also quite like this dingo that was given to me by a generous member of this forum.
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Favorite is probably the General Yo Mini Star 2. Bimetal organic shape, maximum fun. 48.83 mm more justifiably mini than the glut of undersized at 50mm.
Yoyofriends Mini Peregrine X is the most performant one Iāve tried. Itās like its big sibling, bimetal V/W built to perform. Itās also one of my wider minis, with a 0.99 width:diameter ratio. Itās fun being able to pull regular-size combos on it. Itās a design and machining feat, and fills a niche. But not as pocketable as slimmer ones.
Yeah, Macaron is cute and fun at a great price, and similarly sized the Minirage that can be made responsive with a slimmer D bearing. In the same 40mm-47mm size range weāve also got the Dingo Gen 2, a great organic monometal, and the Sense Anti-mono Mini. That one is a great-looking hybrid, and it feels great tracing the contour with your fingers. It belies how well it plays.
On a budget? Magicyoyo N8 at 47.40mm diameter punches above its weight at $12.99 MSRP. I have a red one attached to a Layer Infinity Monster Ball for 5A and kids get a kick out of it.
Crane Palace Lion Dance Mini is just wider than it is tall at 48mm diameter and 48.6mm width. Itās funny since Lion Dance is an oversized 1:1 at 64mm. Got the Mini for about $16 from a āshopping for treasureā Chinese site and it plays performatively as a V/W monometal.
Rain City Skills gained a lot of experience in the 30-40mm range and it shows. Loonies, Toonie, Busker, Mobile Gamer, et al., theyāre all good. If youāre looking for a brass mini, might be easier to find dead stock of the Aoda Littles/Storm at 35.35mm.
āPathologicalā is correct for < 30mm. This is where Iād like to see what YYFr did in the 40mm-50mm range with the Mini Peregrine X done by anyone willing to try. Weāve got the Strum Panzer SS-001 Mini Panzer at 17.50mm diameter. It is the smallest truly playable one Iāve used. Shell 001 Mini is a little bigger at 19mm, but I favor the SS-01.
Thereās also the Kun in Brass at 27mm diameter. Relatively playable and picks up a great patina.
The Smol is relatively gargantuan to these at 1:1 46mm. It is a bit of a departure for Atmos as a decidedly more competitive shape, based on the Hamr. It performs very well, with a disarming weight on the string. Not a rock by any means, but more than youād expect from something that size. Float there is not. You want to see what a monometal can do at 46mm, this is it.
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Canāt pick one! But hereās my favorites. I love the feel of stainless steel minis, 88% 888 SSā
dead smooth and spins forever, alpha steel is a hard second with very similar specs. Yyf boss is a budget beast, and the M1 is a nice edc. Anomaly euphonious is a fun h shape, and Huge shoutout to the slightly larger YYf/sus mehanics Deft! And last the 66% haymaker is just an alienā
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Huh Iāve never thought of the alpha steel as a mini but neat