Reminds me a lot of when I was building up my collection of Go and Shogi sets. The good stuff comes from Japan (and sometimes Korea or China), and shipping from the far east is quite expensive unless you choose surface freight, which can take a long time because your package sits in a shipping container going nowhere until the vessel is full enough to depart (this is the literal slow boat to/from China, as it were).
3 Likes
As someone who also lives outside the US, I really, really feel you. I carefully plan my maildays (about 3 or 4 per year?) and try to take advantage of sales as much as I can. Not complaining even a little bit. I do own more yoyos than I need.
Actually, this is a great way to transition into my opinion about @beeebon question.
Iām still playing through a 100-pack of Buddha XL that I got like last year (kindly sent to me by @codinghorror), which is on the lower end of decent bulk string, and Iām my opinion, fresh string is more important than anything. I cannot count the number of times a fresh string just shifts the feel of a yoyo completely. It also makes you land your stuff better and cleaner.
Being honest, even if different brands and types of string feel different (because they indeed do), I feel like their differences donāt translate into executing tricks so much to bother someone whose main focus is just slaying tricks hardcore.
But, if you enjoy the experience of yoyo as a whole, both in collecting and playing mostly casually, then yeah, string make night and day of a difference. Itāll make your throwing sessions better, and thatās all that matters.
9 Likes
One thing about yo-yo. You donāt have to have the best equipment and new strings every few days to do well and have fun.
3 Likes
But even if we disregard the possible benefits of boutique string brands over mass-production brands, donāt you think it is crucial to find the right string type/thickness for the yoyo in use and for oneās style of play?
I weep for the player who has a wide gap yoyo, is into regens and other tricks that demand a snappy response, but is stuck with nothing but old, worn out Kitty Slim strings.
2 Likes
Yes. this is true. Maybe Iām not so sensible to string as others, but in a world where 95% of designs sport a gap between 4.3 - 5 mm, I think kitty fat or xl (and any other string thats around that thick) almost always does the job.
3 Likes
Maybe so.
But just last night I put a MFD Vine on a Deep State, and it made it a little too semi-responsive (i.e., not quite responsive enough). I should have left the stockāand considerably thickerāstring on it, but I wanted to put on a string that color-matched the copper Deep State better. Important (string choice) lesson re-learned, I guessā¦ 
1 Like
I imagine. Wildly different scenarios. Responsive yoyos are extra sensible to string choice.
4 Likes
It seems Iām the opposite to you, where Iām quite sensitive to the impact of string choices, regardless of the type of yoyo involved. I like tight, snappy binds, and not all my yoyos have narrow gapsāthough all my favorite ones do. For those throws with wider gaps, I have to put thicker strings on. Otherwise I am constantly frustrated by how much I have to adjust my binding technique just to get the yoyo back into my hand.
1 Like
I never realized that yo-yo was was so much like guitar. I play a bit of guitar. Itās like my 5th best instrument. There was a time that I thought I needed the best strings for the guitar. Then I met a good friend who is a working professional in Nashville. I remember him picking up the worst guitar in a shop and making it sing. Watching him taught me āit is not the strings.ā
3 Likes
On the other hand, a recent YouTube video came out which showed how much of a difference string gauge choice makes in the tone you get. Guys who swore by the āthicker strings equals richer toneā equation were shocked at how wrong they were. Rhett Shull is stringing his guitars with 9s now (instead of 10s or 11s).
The right strings wonāt make you a better player. But they will usually make the playing experience more enjoyable. At the very least they will make hitting your (creative) targets easier.
Itās never not important to have the right gear for the job at hand.
3 Likes
Was their music bad before they changed to thinner strings? Did they not enjoy playing before they changed strings? Sure it makes a difference, but how much?
2 Likes
I think it mostly comes down to whether they were getting the sound out of their rig that they had in their heads. They would spend way too much time fiddling with things at the console trying to dial in their target sound, when it turns out that 80% of that time and effort could have been saved by simply switching to lighter gauge strings. 
2 Likes
Even with lighter strings you have to dial in your sound. For electric, the amp, pedal board and microphone have more to do with sound than the strings.
2 Likes
Well, the string gauge plays a role in the different harmonics that feed into the amp, and those are really hard to tweak at the console, after the amp and effects have had their way with the original guitar signal. But donāt take my word for it. Discuss it with Rhett to get a more detailed understanding of his experience.
2 Likes
The wood that makes up the fretboard has more affect, and most professionals have a preference between maple or mahogany. But I donāt know any that obsess to the point that they think they cannot play maple when their preference is mahogany. Itās just not that big a deal. The last thing I think about when I set down at a drum set is āOh no, these shells are oak. I need maple.ā
2 Likes
I have resigned myself to the fact that itās more than a little dependent on what youāre doing. But I have found a good all-round length for me to be about 5 fingers above my belly button.
3 Likes
I love this! (sending PM)
8 Likes
I donāt what youāve done over there when making string formulas, but the combination of ammo might as well be kept in the same vault as the KFC chicken recipe.
7 Likes
When you have nothing else to do at midnightā¦ You sort out select yoyos by size tiers going from micro, mini , undersized, mid sized/normal, and oversized.
11 Likes
Which do you like more? The Masamini or the Executive?
Of the 2 minis those are the 2 Iād like the most. Iām leaning more towards the Masa.
2 Likes