I have been really in to monometals as of late, and I am looking for my next purchase.
I feel like monometal yoyos often fit into either the fun category, or the competition category. There are those that find a way to fit into both categories.
Below is the current list of Monometals that I believe may fit in both the fun and performance categories at the same time:
It is important to me that I can feel weight distribution. If it is overly balanced, excessively light, or excessively heavy, it is likely that I will find the yoyo to be stale. The yoyo also has to have good spintimes. It doesn’t quite need to be at the level of an average bimetal in spin time but it needs to be close. I also don’t consider a yoyo a competition yoyo if it is less than 44.5 mm wide and I would like to keep the diameter between 54-56.3. I like bigger yoyos but I want something a little more standard at the moment.
Please let me know if you have played any of the above yoyos and if you have any thoughts on whether the yoyos may fit in both the fun and competition categories. Also if there is a yoyo that I am missing for one reason or another, let me know.
For reference, some of my favorite Monometals are:
Recognition
Alter Ego
5-0 Culprit
Mirage (new one)
Tropic Alien
Thank you in advance for any insights. I understand that yoyo preferences are subjective and the way a yoyo plays to you will likely be different for me, but I want to hear your thoughts regardless.
The emotion has a good flow to it, its great but It could have a bit more rim weight in my opinion.
You can’t go wrong with the shortcut, spotlight and gulch
If there was one mono-metal yoyo that I have tried that has the best feel and performance it would be the Unity yoyo’s affinity.
The spotlight is a super fun yoyo to me, but it’s also in a more balanced/light/agile category. It doesn’t have the same presence as something with a lot of rim weight. If you want a zippy/floaty type of throw, the Spotlight fills that spot and is unlike the rest of your list. The shape is ultra comfy too.
Also, I would choose one or two out of your favorites list by deciding what is the most “fun” to you.
That will help narrow down the choices.
If you look at the Diff, Pheasant, Shortcut, they all exhibit a similar weight distribution concept. The Emotion is closer to something like the Summit. The Geedorah is closer to your Alter Ego. Narrowing down your choices like this helps you find more yoyos that are similar to what you like, then you get into hyper specific types of yoyos within your “style” preference.
Biased answer is emotion. It doesn’t “feel” as powerful as something like a recognition but it will get through all your combos with stability to spare without tiring you out from the heavy inertia/rock feeling that all performance yoyos have.
Non biased answer would also be emotion but I’d say JDS shutter is my #2
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fradiger
(the world is a beautiful cat and i must meow meow meow)
5
Can recommend the Pheasant mono if you like heavier/beefier yoyos. Plays a bit like the recog but with more heft and even more power. Also huge shoutout to the MK1 Dynames.
I have a silenus. It has always felt too heavy and sluggish to me. I believe it is one of the best monometals a new yoyoer can get though due to its incredible spin times, comfortable/catchable shape, and its slower pace.
I have tried it at multiple lengths. It is part of the reason that yoyoing is so subjective. One yoyo does not feel the same to every person. I new when I bought it that the yoyo could feel a little weighty, I was definitely hoping it wouldn’t be, but unfortunately for me, it is not my cup of tea. Sluggish was also probably the wrong word for the yoyo. It is not difficult to go fast with the yoyo, but the yoyo definitely prefers a slower more flowy style of play.
Honestly, a more powerful and hefty recognition kind of scares me. The recognition already offers bimetal level power. I have a hard time imagining a more powerful and hefty recognition that is also maneuverable enough to feel pleasant on the string. I would love to see a review on the Monometal Pheasant.
I thought the pheasant looked very similar to the recognition. I love my recog. Ive been wanting to try the gulch. Your list has a lot of names I also have been considering. A couple others I been curious to try are the sf cadence and thesis Invictus. I think of the 3 I’m leaning towards trying the gulch next.
but I’d say JDS shutter is my 