Flying Squirrel 5A... ditch stickers?

Yo-Yo Mods and Maintenance
1

So I got a Flying Squirrel for Christmas, mostly because my wife liked the name.

It comes stock with Friction stickers, and the bearing that was inside mine was unbelievably bad. I replaced it with a YYF one I had from a Velocity, and it’s now sort of usable.

One friction sticker was installed out of alignment, so I just ripped it out, discovering a starburst response system underneath. I kept the other friction sticker installed.

So…

  1. do people actually use these yoyos for 5A? Out of the package, I can’t imagine how you could even do a Lindy Loop to trapeze (whatever that’s called). With one sticker removed, it’s sort of usable. Sort of. I also still suck, so there’s that.

  2. should I remove the other sticker? Will the starburst response be enough to bind?

  3. should I just give up entirely on the Squirrel as a 5A throw and put the counterweight on another yoyo?

Thanks!

2

First of all, Duncan friction stickers are absolutely terrible. The worst response sticker, by far, bar none, hands down, the worst. However, their silicone responce stickers are actually pretty solid, as well as cheap. Pick up a pack of those.

As for doing 5a with a flying squirrel… Meh. I’d much rather be using the pinnacle, the lyn fury, or even the classic for beginner 5a. You’re going to be dropping the yoyo a lot when doing 5a, so you want a plastic yoyo. Heck, I use my cascades for 5a, and even after years of 5a experience I still drop them dozens of times a day.

3

The starburst in the Flying Squirrel isn’t enough by itself for decent response.

You can learn 5A with a Flying Squirrel, but it’ll be a lot more difficult than with a cheap YYJ or YYF plastic. Personally I’d go for one of those.

4

Thanks, guys. I have a Lyn Fury and Classic hanging around. Put the counter-weight on the Lyn Fury although I suck so bad (so far) that I should be going for the more stable Classic instead. :wink: Only, my wife started throwing the Classic a little bit yesterday so I want to encourage that…

Also have a Trigger and Chaser, but I think I’m enjoying the Trigger for 1A for now, and the Chaser is a bit too heavy unless I get a second counter-weight.

Anyhow, Lyn Fury it is! Thanks. :slight_smile:

5

Little Takeshi won 2008 Worlds 5A with a Lyn Fury:

Somewhat inspired by that I decided to try my hand at 5A with a Lyn Fury. The positive is that it’s awesome durable. Main negative is that it doesn’t have a lot of spin time to help with learning tricks. Kinda gave up on 5A for while though.

I’ve read on these forums that the Trigger can shatter on impact so I’d probably avoid using it for 5A.

6

i don’t think he played it stock, did he?

7

Not sure. I’ve always assumed not, but besides replacing the O-ring response with silicone and opening up the gap a bit (with or without spacers) I’m not sure what else can be done with the Lyn Fury.

8

Mine is siliconed with flowable. Apparently it was satined, too (bought it on the BST) but I don’t see any remaining evidence. That kind of treatment will eventually polish out on plastic. Doesn’t matter; fun throw!

9

I believe that I sold you that lyn fury.

Delrin/Celcon have interesting properties. If a celcon yoyo is satined, it can be “polished” by rubbing it on a hard, smooth surface. I chucked the yoyo in a drill, and used a piece of smooth hard wood to polish it. It gives in an interesting finish that I personally enjoy.

10

Indeed you did! Been great to me (that and my fave yoyo the DNS)… Was with me for the birth of my second child! Said to my wife the other day, “might be close to retiring this one,” but now it will live on for 5a practice!