Right in the first post. “around 40”. 
It’s a bit light which is why I wouldn’t recommend it for now.
Indeed they did. Thank you!
Still standing by my advice of the Classic with YYJ Speed Bearing and YYJ silicone response or flowable. With around $40 budget, get an Alpha Crash too.
Two high quality yoyo’s for the price of one.
The Alpha Crash is my favorite yo-yo with the Classic coming in as a close second.
plus the fact that these two can really take a beating.
I won’t recommend the Onestar though, every single one I tried had ginormous vibe+wobble, and I’ve tried a lot, like 20+ Onestars…
I really do enjoy my onestar. Mine doesn’t have more vibe than a psg or other cost effective plastic IMO, plus it gets me through what I need it to do. The pink is a little distracting and not really my style but I normally go for more abstract colorways. Other than than however, I do enjoy mine quite a bit and probably throw it over my other plastics like the psg and sever.
The lack of weight is why I recommend against the One Star since the OP is looking for something for a beginner.
My OneStar is super smooth on the string. It’s white as I got it at BAC 2012. I find that in general, brighter colors help me land on the string. As far as preferences, I do prefer it over the PSG and Asteroid. It’s a really good yoyo. It’s cheap(in price), durable(got one guy BS’ing about how his chipped, but I know he’s full of crap about it, he had to slam it into the ground). Doesn’t this not have spacers in it? I think that’s what contributes to it’s high play-ability. The material also adds great grinding capability to the *-Star series, which has otherwise been lacking.
In general, it’s a yoyo I have no hesitation recommending. I like the OneStar a lot. However, I just feel it’s not the right yoyo for the application being presented here ONLY because I think a heavier yoyo would be a better solution.
The downside to the Classic is the fact that stock, it’s not appropriate for this application and needs “upgrades” from the get-go. This upgrade path shows the strength of the Classic, but it can be a weakness to new players, especially young and/or inexperienced players. Small parts can cause problems and get lost. Parents don’t understand parts, and bearings have too many options and the response is either going to be a stick-in pad or a $5-6 investment at an auto parts store and time to learn a new skill. Even so, I still recommend the Classic with upgrades.
bark!
Ill throw in some useful advice for ya hun…
Two yoyo’s mentioned are two that I would consider to be the best possible choices: PSG, and Onestar, and Ill list the reasons why I would place the two over the others that have been mentioned.
First, PSG: The PSG is obviously a very cheap choice which is great for someone starting out who doesn’t want to spend very much to try out the flow. The shape is unique and the looks are eye catching, so the “psychic income” of sorts is there.
Stock, the yoyo comes with a very nice bearing, and good response. The design allows for good consistent play, and the yoyo grows with the player as time goes on. The yoyo is a good yoyo to start with but is also by no means a strict “beginner” yoyo. I have used the PSG’s in serious competition play, and it’s worked wonders. Agile, consistent, perfect set up, low maintenance. Its high up on my recommended list.
Next, Onestar. This yoyo is a bit newer to the market than the PSG, but for a similar price range. Like the PSG, the onestar has some very bright and eye catching colors as well as unique shape. Yay for more psychic income! The shape and weight distribution is slightly a bit more balanced than the PSG, however, don’t let that be a negative against the PSG. A new player who gets spoiled by an “overly” balanced yoyo, WILL develop bad habits due to having those training wheels constantly strapped to them at all times. Learning to correct natural precession and tilt with a yoyo that is slightly not as balanced (but yet balanced) is something highly valuable. That said, the onestar does have the upper hand in the balance realm. Also worth mentioning, the onestar has a nice grinding surface. a surface that the psg does not have. Not saying you can’t do grinds on a psg, but when learning, it wouldn’t be as easy. The onestar comes stock with a decent bearing as well that is low maintenance and should keep a new player spinning for a long time.
So with that said, either of the two would be great. I honestly don’t think I would recommend some of the other options listed, but take my advice, one of the two mentioned will last a long time and help a player grow quite significantly. That said, thanks to the low price, one could buy both and have two awesome yoyos to throw for some variety and still not empty their entire saving’s account!
Hope that offered some insight and wisdom for you.
awroof!
Haru
One thing I’d like to add:
HaruRay has/had a reputation of using QUALITY yet super affordable yoyos for competition before he got picked up by Mad House. Now, he uses MadHouse yoyos whenever possible.
What I found cool about this was that you’d see all these other amazing players using top-dollar stuff(good stuff too), and here comes HaruRay, usually using his top-dollar throw for 1A, but then for 2A, he’s using usually Raider EX’s(which I have a pair he set up, they are awesome). For 3A, he’d use a pair of PSG’s, then add CW’s and turn around and use them for 5A.
Youl should want some of his contest performance videos. Proof positive it’s the player and not the yoyo. We may not agree on everything, but he’s still one of my favorite players to watch perform. I also don’t think he’s peaked yet. I think he’s got a lot of growth. He’s geting better with time and a bigger threat on the competition circuit. I am looking forward to seeing him in the finals for all 5 styles at BAC!
The PSG is great for the price. Just put some better response in there and maybe a new bearing. The trigger is also very good but might be a bit too expensive for what your friend is looking for.
The Trigger comes in well under $40, a price which was stated in the original post and then clarified later on…
Trigger is a phenomenal performer. I have a hard time recommending it ONLY because I have biases around noise, and it’s just so noisy… but I forget sometimes that other people don’t have such hangups. 
So yes, seconded on this recommendation.
If you are going to spend $40. I would say either the Duncan Raptor of DMII. If he can splurge a few dollars more, YYF Severe.
If he wants to save, there are many good cheaper plastic yoyo: C3 Alpha Crash, Duncan Flipside, Adegle PSG, and pretty much any plastic YoyoJam.
Other than response, what does he like and dislike about the Luminator? Does he want something wider, smaller diameter, different shape?
Duncan Metal Drifter or metal Zero with dry Center Trac.
Done and only around $30
and its $20 if you choose Metal Drifter.