So I’ve got a young pal who’s just starting out, and I think he’ll be ready to try unresponsive in a month or so. Looking for recommendations for an unresponsive that’s friendly to a young beginner.
I personally started out with a Replay Pro and it’s an excellent throw, but I’m checking to see if there are other yoyos in that price range that might be better for players in the 9-12YO range with smaller hands than mine.
The Freehand Nextgen looks interesting and it’s a little cheaper, does anyone have experience with both? I’m also open to recommendations for other unresponsive plastic throws in the sub-$20 price range.
The replay pro should be fine for smaller hands, as long as he can already throw and catch the yo-yo. I know someone in that same age range who has progressed nicely with a replay pro.
If you can find a freehand pro. Id recommend it over tbe next gen. The lower wall shape and longer spin time of the Freehand Pro made it more favorable than tbd NextGen.
The freehand nextgen is a fairly vibey plastic. It does spin pretty long for a plastic though and comes with a difeyo concave bearing. It is also a fairly skinny yoyo so it may be harder to learn on but easier to fit in a pocket.
I’ve trained quite a few young people to go unresponsive so here’s a goto set I’ve encouraged new players to buy:
My top 3 for new Players:
Yomega Glide XP - it’s a tank, so it can take the drops and pavement hits yet still maintain good play, It can also be both responsive and unresponsive, plays really well for the price ~$30
Magic Yoyo Node - cheap, solid bang for your buck ~$20
TopYo Silenus - plays way above it’s price range, just an all around great throw ~30
Honorable Mention -
Shutter - Gentry rips on the Shutter, and sometimes thats what kids need to stay inspired ~$45
edit
I re-read your post… if you are looking around the ~$20 range, I’d also toss the Magic Yoyo Sharks Honor in there. My 8 year old started on a Butterfly XT and moved to my light metals like the Sharks Honor very quickly.
If you’re set on Plastics, the Fizz and the Sage from Yotricks are solid as well.
If you’re good with spending $20 and can find one, the First Base is my top choice for a plastic unresponsive. It’s a great throw for any skill level. Fun, quality, and performs well.
I started on a Sage and it’s a solid option, but it doesn’t really hold up to other modern plastics. The only other sub $20 one I’ve tried is the Whip and it is great as a responsive and is surprisingly solid as an unresponsive too. It’s also kinda smaller, so could be good for a kid or someone with smaller hands.
If you don’t mind spending slightly more than $20, I think the ThrowRevolution Neo is a seriously good choice. You get a machined delrin yoyo for your money and it’s a fantastic player while not being too large. The organic shape is very comfortable to hold in the hand but it doesn’t compromise on stability. It comes with both a slim bearing and a full sized C bearing as well.
I’m still learning unresponsive. I have several very nice throws. While learning, I have been using using a MagicYoYo V3. It was very inexpensive at the online big box store and included several useful accessories and 5 extra strings.
This one works very well. I keep it on my desk to experiment with.
Again, being an outlier old guy, I still prefer responsive…
I have attached a photo beside my RBC for size comparison.
Thank you all for the suggestions! Based on the input and limited to what’s available here on YYE, I’m ordering a Mojo this time around (I’m interested to try it myself honestly) and will be keeping an eye on other options to come back in stock.
@Shapapy I totally forgot that the Whip can be set up unresponsive! He’s got a Whip right now so I might try that with one of my spare bearings, for science.
It’s really not too shabby. I was surprised how stable it was, although a bit vibey. I even replaced the pads so they fit flush and that gives it a little performance boost, but will make it a little less responsive if you play it responsive.
