It is hard to believe that it has been seven full years since I reviewed the first Mini Star. The first Mini Star holds a special place in my heart, it was the first yo-yo to feature my wife’s artwork. Even if my wife had not done the artwork, the Mini Star has still been one of my favorite pocket throws, I still have a Purple Heart Edition in my collection. When it comes to this new version, I was completely caught off guard with the announcement of the Mini Star 2. Ernie is one that keeps things close to the vest, without even giving a sneak preview most of the time. When he did announce that he had a new pocket yo-yo coming AND that it was going to be a bimetal, my curiosity was definitely piqued. Now that I have it in my hands, it is time to see if this new model lives up to the first iteration’s name.
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The Ministar 2 is amazing! I haven’t bought any new bimetals except for the Legato and Ministar 2. General-Yo has consistently produced quality yoyos. Most minis fall into the trap of having the same weight as a full sized and feel super heavy on the string. This is super nimble and feels light on the string. I definitely recommend this to anyone in the market for a mini!
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Hands down the best pocket yoyo out right now. Plays like a full sized yoyo in a small form factor. It’s very stable and can handle anything you throw at it.
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Fantastic review and I’m always impressed by your spot-on attention to detail. In fact, when I got into yoyo’s 5 years ago, your reviews played a big role in what I tried and what I passed on. The General Yo Mini-Star 2 is hands down my favorite undersize throw. Undersized throws tend to sacrifice spin-time and stability (obviously as they tend to spin down faster). And with my oversized mitts, the return always feels like an assault to my hand. The shape feels great and it plays with better precision than many of the 53-55mm throws. The shape is definitely unique in the General Yo line-up and that’s a plus. It takes the V-shape of the Amplitude and then rounds out with an organic feel. There seems to be such a trend to just throw stainless steel rings on yoyo’s. But with Ernie Kaiser’s Engineering and precision aerospace machining experience, I feel like they do serve a purpose other than hype. The SS rings on this really do add to the spin time and perhaps the stability of a smaller diameter throw. I love the blood stone color way and finish. General Yo is one of my favorite artisan small batch yoyo manufacturers and this release doesn’t just support the brand voice of quality and innovation, it makes the brand voice clearer and louder!
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You nailed this review on the head. The ministar 2 plays fast but also has that floaty relaxed feel that I enjoyed with the legato. Very smooth and stable. Definitely an amazing throw.
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Loving my ministar too, fits nicely in your pocket, found myself grabbing it when I didn’t feel like a full sized throw.
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Such a great review. . . and I couldn’t agree more. The Mini Star 2 is hands down the best undersized throw in my collection. It really is the perfect pocket yoyo. When I first took it out of the box, I was concerned it was too light. I had nothing to worry about. The SS rings seem to really give it some rim weight to make it handle like a full-size heavier yoyo. Ernie did such a great job, and it has quickly become part of my EDC.
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The Mini Star 2 is by far the best pocket yo out right now. It can handle anything you throw at it. Was a little worried about the weight but the rings make this thing spin. The colors are bright and vibrant!! That
“Teal”, awesome! It throws smooth, no vibes jumping from string to string with ease. As usual Ernie and General Yo have made another rock solid yo in mini form perfect for taking anywhere. This yo is small but plays WAY BIG!!
It’s a player , Way to go General Yo !
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Thanks for the review! I’ve haven’t been too active in buying throws lately, but I did purchase the Ministar v2. I loved the finish and addition of the weight rings. It plays great and the review is really spot on.
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The Mini Star 2 is a fantastic throw. Very stable and plays splendidly. Has a nice feel on the string, solid yet nimble. It’s stability is really surprising too, it feels as stable as some of my full size throws but in a pocket friendly form. Definitely a great throw to carry around all day when out and about.
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I agree with everything said about the MiniStar 2!
Easily my best and favorite small pocket throw, and it ain’t close.
I gots me a purple version!
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Mini-star 2 is a pocket sized yoyo but it performs on the level of any high quality full sized yoyo, dead smooth. If you havent tried general yo, prepare to be amazed by the quality. Always dead smooth, if they put out a throw, i will buy it. They are that good. I heard yoyo expert is about to have some in stock. Dont miss out. I might even buy a second one to use as an every day carry!
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The MS2 is a fantastic pocket throw and is my EDC. I think pocket throws are one of the best uses for steel rings. The MS2 is light on the string, but the rings give it excellent spin times and stability. I would say it takes a little more concentration than a full size throw, but that’s part of the fun! You can definitely hit all of your tricks on it. Two thumbs Way up.
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Easily the Best ‘Smaller’ yoyo I have ever thrown.
For me, it plays better than most other yoyos I have; regardless of size.
I am completely puzzled at the moment on how this Mini2 generates so much spin?
I don’t feel I am trying to throw it any harder than any other yoyo I throw. But it just feels like I get more ‘juice’ out of this beast than I am putting into it.
It has a great feel on the string. Very ergonomic in the hand. Smooth as glass in flight. Extremely pocket friendly.
Grind friendly finish.
An Amazing yoyo…
Yup.
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Yes indeed.
I just received my mini-star and I’ve noticed it’s got some vibe, very noticeable on grinds. Anyone else have this problem?
Unfortunately this is my first general yo and I’ve always heard they are dead smooth. I haven’t tried a different bearing or anything yet.
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That’s odd, mine is very smooth. I’d check to make sure the axle isn’t off or anything like that. You can do this by rolling the you on a flat surface and seeing if it is even. Otherwise I’d contact the store your bought it from or possibly the General-Yo service email.
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Mine was the same at first. I thought it had alot of vibe. After a couple adjustments and playing it a couple hours it doesnt seem to be a problem anymore. Mine has a acid wash on it that visually gives the illusion that it is shaking.
At the risk of sounding like I’m piling on: the Mini-Star 2 is a great yoyo and I’m always happy to pick it up and get throwing. The original Mini-Star has always been one of my favorite pocket throws, and the 2 is a worthy successor, with a few key improvements. It’s not just the weight ring, either. The cone over the hub is smaller, allowing more weight to move rimward but retaining a little of the trademark shape. The finish went from nicely textured to perfectly satiny, and an already pretty grind-friendly design went over the top - the increased angular inertia comes into play here too, since it’s harder to brake.
One thing retained from the Mini-Star to the 2 is the excellent pocketability for its size. The shoulders are comfortably rounded, and the width is modest, which are important design features given the larger-than-usual diameter for an EDC yoyo. The end result is a remarkably long-spinning yoyo that still fits in the side pocket of a pair of jeans.
I do wish the Mini-Star 2 came with a star graphic, just for nostalgic reasons. This is literally my only complaint.
I did pick one up after all.
It is portability over play-ability though. I had to put some thin lube on the axle, everything including the bearing was tight. The MS2 played much better after the lube was applied.
Its a good small yo-yo, I have a stackless YYF Skyline which is a bit bigger which is also excellent.
Anyway, the MS2 is very comfortable to carry, and that’s the point. It’s certainly not my best playing yo-yo, and wasn’t intended to be.