I am currently trying to master finger spins (my only non-responsive yoyo is a Horizon). I have gotten spin part down and am able to do the laceration bind successfully about 10% of the time. I know with more practice I will get it down.
My question is about what makes a yoyo good for finger spins? Is the concave cup of the Horizon better than a flat surface? Does writing on the flat surface affect things?
I am thinking of getting a higher end, bi-metal. I have heard that the Horizon plays very well (which I agree with, but have nothing to compare it to), but want to see the difference for myself. And the Bi-Metals look really cool ;D
The iYoyo Steel looks like it is made for finger spins, and people seem to say good things about it. But I am also looking at the iYoyo FiRROX and the Sengoku yoyos - but they have the flat surfaces with writing/engraving on them - so i don’t know how that affects things.
Thank you for these thoughts. I looked up these yoyos and they look really nice - but I have a question: These Eternal Throw yoyo’s seem to be one metal, not bi-metal, but they are priced in the bi-metal range. My question is, what do they offer that the Horizon doesn’t? I get that a bi-metal would likely have better spin times and be more stable because the steel puts more weight at the rims.
Don’t misunderstand, the ET yoyos look awesome, but before I spend that much money, I want to understand why/how it would be noticeably better than what I have. I understand the question likely says a lot about my newness to modern 1A yoyos.
The centering ability of the finger spins is much better. From what I have heard, all you have to do is get your finger to the cup and it takes over from there pretty much.
Yup. The Elysian requires the least amount of technique to get a good, centered, perfectly horizontal fingerspin. You can flub it up, but with minimal technique it’s not hard. By contrast, I could hardly ever get Horizon into that zone. Now, it’s true that I didn’t practice as much as I should to develop the correct technique. But that’s the entire point… the Elysian is almost like “cheat mode”.
That said, and in my opinion it’s an important point: the Horizon is just a great yoyo anyhow. It’s not all about the fingerspin hub… it’s big, powerful, and the thin rim profile means it can weave in and out of formations nicely and you can make catches easily. It’s a cool yoyo.
Another yoyo I find that works surprisingly well with finger spins is the upcoming CLYW Manatee (drops tomorrow). I think it’s stablility, buttery smooth/silky finish, and its larger size helps a lot. It doesn’t exactly have a bowl as it actually has a small post in the center, your finger can still ride around it in the little groove.
I agree, it is not all about finger spins - but if i am getting an expensive bimetal yoyo, and there are lots of them out there, I want one i can do finger spins on. I am practicing all kinds of other tricks too - but I enjoy finger spins (when i was a kid i used to finger spin frisbees, books, lunch trays, etc. all the time).
Is the elysian still made? Someone also suggested Curvy Donut Man which looks very similar.
I believe it was AngryGumball who mentioned to me that the Curvy Donut man isn’t QUITE as easy as the Elysian, but that it’s still capable.
The non-centered fingerspin is where it’s at for me… I actually prefer the style of fingerspin referred to by AngryGumball WRT the Manatee. The Knight is like that, too, and it’s awesome.
There aren’t too many yoyos out there that are impossible to fingerspin. Good luck fingerspinning an El Ranchero in the way we’re discussing. But then, with spiked yoyos you can matador instead. Different thing, and you can’t throw it into a combo the same way. But it’s still fun.
The Elysian has that bowl like the Curvy donut man but in the center there’s what I like to refer to as an inverted hub, where your finger rests nicely in.
I know there’s the C3 Move, but I think there’s too much center weight (I have from the original run). I heard they tweaked it a bit too give more stability and looks like a deeper cup.
Out of all my yoyo’s, the steel finger spins the best. Once you get it in the center you literally don’t have to do anything the yoyo does it for you.
The Horizon is easier to learn on because you can catch it pretty much anywhere and it’s pretty good at centering your finger.
As for the firrox and sengoku yoyo’s, they dont fingerspin badly and they are great yoyo’s, but theres nothing special about their fingerspin capabilities.
All in all, If I were you I would definitely go with the steel, as its easily my most powerful and stable yoyo, with awesome finger spin capabilities. Its my go to yoyo for learning longer tricks on.
most high end yoyos will be able to finger spin just fine - just not necessarily optimally (except those with some type of hub that prevents it)
Elysian and Donut seem optimized for it - but elysian is no longer made
The Steel, which my own research had led me to, for my next yoyo - will do a great job in general, and is very good for finger spins - i won’t be disappointed with the purchase.
flat surfaces and engraving in the cup don’t prevent finger spins, but simply make them less effective (last less time)
My Horizon was likely a very good first yoyo for me.
I should also probably find something in a V or O shape - just to contrast with my H shaped Horizon and see how they feel.
curvy donut man I believe is still available on this site though…
