Does anyone here own both?
Currently own a grasshopper GTX 2 but I’m looking for something with a wider gap and a little more weight.
I’m a big fan of the huge rims on the Haymaker X.
How do they compare?
I own both, and I own most of the Duncan Bi-metal lineup.
The big difference with the Haymaker and the GH2 is that there’s a sort of “refinement” within the GH2. I would say that by now, there has been 5 “versions” of this yoyo; while not official, to me they are all within the same design bloodline.
The Haymaker X is an amazing yoyo, and severely underrated imo, but it’s just due to the passing times. It released in 2017, and has kind of fallen to be overshadowed by “newer” releases.
I felt like a lot of the bimetals I tried were still playing catch up to the Haymaker X until recent years, and I know someone at Worlds this year competed with one.
The Haymaker X has the weight spread out in steel rims thickness going along the X axis. The GTR has thinner rims, but thicker going along the Y axis. They kind of just straight up play and feel different with equally great performance. I don’t think the Haymaker X feels heavier than the GH2 at all, mainly because of this weight distribution difference. If you wanted something like the GH2 with more weight that you could notice, or feel, I would look into something like an Aster, or MSG.
On that note, I would buy a Haymaker X for sure.
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Thank you for the detailed response!
One thing I forgot to mention about the GH2.0 is that I don’t like how thin the gap is, on Duncan’s website it’s listed as 4.09mm and I find it snags quite easily on my thick strings.
The haymaker X looks like it has a bigger gap.
From what I’ve read online the GTR Js is the best Duncan bi metal however I’m into tech play so I prefer a more narrow yo-yo
I would silicone recess your GH 2.0, it’s worth it. I don’t play my Haymaker that much anymore after my silicone recess finally broke in to allow me to use fat string without issues. (huge bias, I loved the GTR a lot and wanted a more powerful narrow version of it, and the GH2 is exactly that.)
Best is subjective, The JS to me is just … okay lol, I hardly ever play mine. The JS is a less powerful, more nimble version of the GTR, definitely not tech oriented. If you bought the JS, you would be going backwards in performance. I would take a Haymaker X over a JS any day of the week.
I think the Haymaker X is still a top tier yoyo, but at the same time, in the last 2 years, designs have caught up to it, and I definitely think the GH2 slaps so hard that I just prefer to play it overall, despite the small gap.
Again, if you want something tech oriented, or heavier, Aster or MSG, even the Hades would be ideal.
If someone asked me for a tech yoyo from Duncan I would just tell them to 180 and look elsewhere tbh. It’s too backwards in theory to have the GH2 be their best “tech” oriented yoyo with a gap smaller than a dedicated 3A yoyo would, when most tech revolves around dense formations and often multiple wraps around the bearing.
I could not recommend anything else to someone as there’s much better options available on the market if you’re seeking a tech yoyo.
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One thing I forgot to mention about the GH2.0 is that I don’t like how thin the gap is, on Duncan’s website it’s listed as 4.09mm and I find it snags quite easily on my thick strings.
I asked @bjardin once and he told me that 4.09 gap is a typo. I forget exactly what it actually is but more like 4.5mm
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