Was thinking last night. Is there a thread in here that discusses general advice when purchasing a first metal Yoyo? There are several general maintenance, cleaning, and modification threads, but I haven’t seen any general info on what a metal YoYo is like compared to a plastic in regards to durability.
The reason I ask, is because when I got my first metal YoYo, I had been using the sage by ■■■■■■■■■■, and took for granted the durability of a plastic starter Yoyo. After purchasing my first metal yoyo, I learned a lot of “what not to do” by trial and error. My first metal was a Duncan roadrunner, and within a month, I had smacked the concrete a few times, half stripped one side of the threads, and almost entirely ruined the Yoyo. Fortunately it is still playable, but I could have avoided most of my mistakes had I known what I know now. There is plenty of info out there on what can ruin a yoyo, but I feel it would be beneficial to have a consolidated, concise list of general do’s and dont’s For a first timer with a metal yoyo.
I know it’s pretty much common sense not to slam the yoyo into the ground, but as I mentioned above, some plastics can take a beating the a metal yoyo just can withstand. For example, I didn’t know that hitting the ground with a metal yoyo can potentially strip the threads. I’ve hit the ground with my sage quite a lot and it still plays great, the roadrunner on the other hand is pretty much on its last leg lol. Maybe a read this before buying a metal yoyo thread? Or is the information best learned by doing?
Overall id say it is quite simple. If you arent at least at an intermediate level of play when you buy your first metal, expect to just about destroy your first unless you always play over carpet/grass. Which is generally why people recommend you start out on a sub-$50 metal. People will suggest just about any yoyo under the sun, and quite frankly unless it is some very unorthodox shape/size, any modern yoyo will suffice.
If you play with your yoyos, you will get dings and scratches. It happens to the pro competitors and it happens to scrubs like me. It is always nice to have a “beater” throw that has enough dings that you don’t even cringe when dinging it anymore, but before long even your good throws start getting dings. I have nothing against anyone spending $100+ on a first metal (it isnt necessary at all, but I didn’t need to buy 2 yoyos last week either), but don’t hang yourself because you put a nice flat-spot in the rim on your 2nd throw. It’s cool, it happens. I just don’t recommend going bi-metal right off the bat since they don’t hold up to abuse in the same way a monometal does.
I think the thing that helps a lot of people is SAFETY THROW. Make sure your string isnt knotted by throwing a soft throw and binding it in the easiest most reliable bind you can before a hard throw. Second thing, start out with short string, no longer than belly button height. Yea, a lot of guys today use long strings for slack tricks and stuff, but if you are looking at a advice for a first metal yoyo, this almost definitely isnt you. Don’t worry, you will have had to change your string many times before you need a longer string for those more advanced tricks.
Buy bulk string. It doesnt cost much at all to get 100 count of Kitty, and it will prevent you from using your string past its lifespan.
How to tighten a yoyo: make sure that the axle is threaded well enough into one half of the yoyo. Make sure bearing is seated properly. Put yoyo halves together and lightly rotate the end without the axle until the threads catch. Do not force this part or you will crossthread. Spin freely until you meet resistance. Then snugly rotate just a little more to make sure that the bearing is now inside of the other bearing seat. In most yoyos this should be at most the amount of pressure you turn a doorknob with (sometimes you can “feel” the bearing fit into place, but sometimes not). If the yoyo doesnt wobble or vibe to any significant extent afterwards, you were successful. If not take apart and try again.
I’m not sure a thread would really help. As others have said and as you’ve noticed, it’s just gonna take practice to build the skill and kinesthesia required to not hit the ground/surroundings. The only other thing I can think of is to be prepared that the metal might feel significantly heavier than your plastic, esp a lighter throw like the Sage. I started on a Sage and when I threw the Shutter after that, the weight difference was jarring. Granted the Shutter is a heavy throw—might be less jarring if you’re throwing a lighter throw—but be prepared for that.
In addition, 7075 and 7068 aluminum is harder/denser and a little bit harder to ding/damage than 6061. But I wouldn’t say it’s worth it to splurge on those as you can still ding them.
After that, it’s just common sense. Don’t buy something you’re gonna be heartbroken to potentially ruin. If you’re ballin’ and don’t mind ruining a $100 throw, by all means have at it. But if you’re on a budget, maybe don’t get a G2 as your first metal lolol. Don’t go bimetal at first since it’s possible to dislodge the metal rims. Diving into the BST for steals or beaters is a great way to get your first throw for cheap; alternatively b-grades can be excellent as expendable throws.
At the end of the day, the best advice is simply that you’re gonna likely to ding your first metal throw(s), just like new drivers are more likely to ding up their first car. Just accept it as a reality and have fun.
^ this. This is life. This will save your safety and your face/knuckles/other fleshy bits that would rather not meet aluminum traveling at high speed.
Pretty much treat all yoyos the same if you don’t want to destroy them. Metals don’t need any special treatment. To tighten any yoyo, get the threads started as noted above. To avoid stripping it, hold the yoyo between your palms and tighten w/o grabbing with your fingers, when it starts to slip in your palm, quit.
I agree that one will most likely thrash their first metal. It might not be a necessary to make it a pin. maybe we could make this thread a place where a beginner to go to that had general all around advice ( that I wish I could have had) without having to dig around multiple posts/ searches. Again going back to the axle size. Had I known that snaller axles stripped easier I probably wouldn’t have gone with the roadrunner as my first. My 2nd is a paolista and is certainly much more durable in all aspects including the axle. Hindsight site 2020 it would have been a much better first metal throw, especially being a bgrade
Start off with maybe a shorter string so you gain more control, then start adding length to your string as time goes on to open up more possibilities for denser tricks.
I agree with what pretty much everyone is saying here: if you are on a budget, or you aren’t sure if yoyoing is for you (especially unresponsive play), then hedge your bets by investing in a decent metal throw that doesn’t cost much and won’t break you if you break it. Leading candidates are yoyos like the MagicYoyo Y01 Node, or its more well-known predecessor the N12 Shark’s Honor. You can make all your beginner mistakes on one of those and it will only cost you $12-15 to do so.
Nope don’t have the Oracle. But still rocking the sage! It’s a good yoyo, and has become my beater/ beach yoyo. Lately I’ve been playing with just below chest length string, and have continued to smack the ground occasionally with it lol.
I’ve discovered that I should probably be practicing Kwijibo with one of my plastic yoyos (rather than a beloved One Drop) since I usually miss the first “catch”, and the yoyo falls straight down and comes awfully close to hitting the ground most of the time right now.