Haven't thrown since 2007, bring a "back to beginner" up to date during Halloween Sale!

TLDR;

  • Haven’t thrown in over a decade
  • close to beginner
  • don’t want ‘classic beginner plastic yoyos’ like the sage
  • want premium metal yoyo, recommend me one (want not need)
  • max budget, lets say $200 give or take, no real budget but don’t want to go nuts
  • Halloween sale is on, want to capitalise on that (@yoyoexpert.com store)
  • Like to get H or W shape in monometal or bimetal
  • what else should I buy beside the yoyo
  • something to help me learn tricks easier that I can grow into
  • already own a dove

Hi guys, MoonageMin here,

I used to throw a little bit up until 2007, and haven’t thrown since.
I was never that good anyway before I somehow stopped, not quite sure why, more interesting things to do I guess in my adolescent years.

Recently found my old yoyo collection and sold most and in the middle of selling the rest.

(I had OD - Project, YF - '07 888, Hspin - Pyro, Hspin - G&E4 Black Lily, Spyy - Addict, Spyy - Spyder, YYJ - Legacy, YYJ - Lyn Fury, Duncan - Bumblebee, Henry’s - Viper)
(Pyro, G&E4, Legacy, Bumblebee still for sale btw)

This has re-sparked my enthusiasm for this hobby and I am now starting again from scratch and going through each and every video one by on yoyotrick.com level-up and also on yoyoexpert.com tutorials.

I have been throwing a little every night for the past week, progress is a lot slower than I expected to relearn the tricks, but I am almost done with all the ‘first 50 tricks’ on yoyotrick.com tutorials. It’s not quite like riding a bike and I have lost a lot of feel, but at the same time, I am now not too far off from where I left off back in '07 in terms of tricks, just doing everything less smooth (to how I remember at least).

I bought a Dove by YoyoFriends which arrived yesterday and I spent 3 hours on it last night practising, and to get a feel for what a modern plastic is like and I like it so far.

Also bought a pack of 10 kitty fat and 10 kitty xl as there wasn’t really thick string (or at least to my memory) back then and was curious to try these and have been using the xl for those 3 hours (haven’t tried fat yet, but I feel like I will like it more. Like the thickness of the XL but it feels a bit too thick?)

I bought these from yoyovillage.co.uk here in England and I did enjoy the service, great shop, and Luke the owner seems awesome from our little conversations, but their selection is quite small.

I always wanted to have at least 1 metal and 1 plastic yoyo, plastic mainly to carry everywhere with me and also it’s always nice to have a plastic anyway.

My initial plan was to play with the Dove until roughly Black Friday hoping there might be discounts around then for the yoyoexpert store, and by then I would have figured out if I like the new strings, if I like the feel of modern yoyos, if I like the H shape, etc etc and figure out my current preference a bit more (H and W wasn’t really prevalent back then and most yoyos were O or V).

Decision to get the Dove was easy as I always liked the idea of Milk, a Delrin yoyo back then, and wanted a milky white Delrin for my plastic, and it seems Dove is recommended a bit around here (albeit still new in the market) and it is easily available, although I would have liked to have the Cabal if I could. (no particular reason, just like OD, and I like the look of it too)

Now with the Halloween sale, my timeline is a little more accelerated so want to make the most of it and get a new metal yoyo now rather than later.

My favourite yoyo back then was my brown project by OD, but I think I would like a W or H shape now having tried the dove and from what the characteristics of those shapes offer.

No real budget for a yoyo, let’s call it $200 so there is a bit of a ceiling, but I don’t need super expensive yoyo, just something that will make it a little easier for me to learn tricks and get better on, I guess more stability, tilt resistant, control would be cool. Although I know this is something I need to work on with my throw, doesn’t hurt to have something that makes it a little easier.

Minimum budget is $150 for the total basket as I want to meet free international shipping to England if possible.

Basically, I know most often recommended for a beginner is a good plastic (already have one) or a budget metal (looks like it is something like a shutter now days) etc. but I’m not that interested. Don’t want to get something I won’t enjoy playing with as I’m not a complete beginner, have the money, and don’t mind dinging up a premium yoyo if that were to happen. Maybe not a popular opinion, but I like yoyos as much if not more than throwing yoyos itself sometimes. Makes sense?

I like the idea of OD because I have good experience with the project etc and was looking at the Kuntosh 5000QV as my first modern day metal, but I am open to any suggestions OD or not.

Also looked at the Ti-Vayder, might still get one but seems silly to buy outside Yoyoexpert during its sale period, and also want to try a more modern size and design if possible.

Other considerations were things like Edge Beyond, Iceberg, Top Deck (but not really keen on the looks), VTWO, etc just based on reviews I have read.

On top of this my basket looks like this.

  • OD V4M Lube ( I still have a bottle of YYJ thinlube, but it is like 15 years old, I know they don’t really go off, but 15 years? thought I would pick up a fresh bottle)
  • a set of 4 OD flow groove response pads (if I bought a OD yoyo, or some other pad if I didn’t)
  • a set of 4 OF thin pads (for the Dove, or would you recommend anything else?)
    ( tried flowable silicon before, like it, nothing wrong with it, but it’s a hassle, pads are easier, and I can afford the difference in cost)
  • Thinking of picking up some Ammo or Plutonium strings as it seems well recommended

What else??

And any advice for someone like me in general?

Thank you for reading my super long post.

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If you want some premium competition perfonmance I’d go with the hummingbird. However, many people here can make better and more accurate reccomendations. Good luck!

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Thank you for the suggestion, I should add that it doesn’t have to be competition performance, although I do understand that for what I am looking for that is probably what I am describing. :slight_smile:

I want something premium that will make it easier to learn on and looks good.

I did look into the Hummingbird, but given I already have a Dove, by yoyofriends it would be nice to try a different brand maybe for the metal one.

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my friend says the Haymaker X is good

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Bet that Meerkat plays well (YYF)

Sure looks good. Most newer YYF’s play well imo.

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Monometal recommendations:

  • One Drop VTWO
  • One Drop Top Deck (not sure what’s not to like about the shape…its playability is breathtaking)
  • One Drop Kuntosh 5000QV

Bi-metal recommendations:

  • YYF Hummingbird
  • Mowl Surveillance
  • Duncan Grasshopper GTX

As for accessories, here’s what I like:

  • Boss Rage bearings
  • YYSL Type X or ZipLine strings
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If you want something a bit off the beaten path (though I know OD is good, their modern stuff is really nice), I released my first yo-yo design here on Yoyoexpert earlier this year:

It’s gotten some good reviews, and I’m really happy with the design.

You can read more about my yo-yo company here.

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That is such a beautiful photo, Mark!

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Thanks, @YoYoExpertGarrett took the photo!

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how do you guys make the yoyos stay at that angle where they are tilted up?

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:rofl:

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I second the Diffraction 2! It’s a beautiful throw, feels great in the hand, is very high performing (spins forever, doesn’t vibe, and doesn’t tilt) and is just a very fun yo to throw around!
Plus it helps support an awesome guy! :smiley:

Another you might want to consider throwing into your order is a Shutter. The 15% Halloween coupon doesn’t unfortunately work on it…but it is on sale right now for just $30…which is a $15 discount!
Just a suggestion!

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Hi zslane,

Thank you for your suggestions.

I should have phrased it better, I know all the ones I mentioned, VTWO, Kuntosh 5000QV, Top Deck etc are all highly recommended yoyos from One Drop and without having thrown all 3, there is no way really of telling what I would like the most. But I figured I couldn’t go wrong with any of those 3 if I decided to pick a OD yoyo, and out of the 3, I just least liked the design from an aesthetic point compared to the others. Totally vain I know but seeing as all of them are equally as good for my purpose, I figured why not go with ones that are more pleasing to my eyes. Having said that seeing how much they are recommended to new comers looking for premium metals, I wanted to keep it on my short list. Design wise, the Kuntosh 5kQV looks best in my eyes, but there isn’t exactly a colour way that really grabs me that is available, so that cancelled the two out.

Thank you for the other recommendation too, I know Bi-metal is the hype right now or so it seems, but I think for this purchase (I know I asked for mono or bi) after some thinking decided maybe it’s best I stick to a mono.
Reason being, I have something new and different to look forward to for a future purchase and keep things interesting.

Out of the 3 one drops you recommended what are you thoughts on the differences?

Thanks again.

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Hi Mark,

I am adding this to my short list.
I can’t promise that this will be the one I buy, around 50 bucks I think I would have just bought it regardless whether this is my pick or even if not as a second add on to help you out but right now I know nothing of this yoyo.
What I do promise I will do is to get on YouTube straight after dinner and start watching all the videos I can find and also look on this forum too before making a decision! :slight_smile:

I am a sucker for a story though ^^

Thank you for the recommendation and everything you are doing (I don’t know the background as I am new to the modern yoyo scene, but I assume this is a good assumption to make) for the community. I think the yoyo community is such a fantastic place, and it always has been since my forum days at yoyoz, yonation, theyo etc. and I have high respect for everyone who works to further progress and helping new players like myself.

Thank you again!!

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No worries! There’s LOTS of people here who completely understand this!
The way yoyos look is one of the most important things for me personally when I’m considering a purchase. I take it a bit further and only collect 1 color (green=love :green_heart:).
If the way a yo looks doesn’t excite me, I really don’t even consider it.

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that actually made me laugh IRL

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The VTWO is just an awesome all around performer. It is my favorite yoyo. But some folks just don’t like V shapes and so turn their nose up at it. The $99 price tag can turn a lot of people off too I suppose. The VTWO is my “desert island” throw.

The Top Deck feels like a super comfortable bi-metal. I mean, the spin power on it is astonishing, and if you put a centering bearing in it (something I recommend if you get any One Drop, by the way), it will be as stable as any bi-metal, but it never feels static on the string like, say, the Draupnir.

The Kuntosh is a strange beast, IMO. It has performance for days, much like the other two, but it is bigger and bulkier and takes some getting used to. If you like big, bulky yoyos then the Kuntosh is the one for you. You’ll be amazed at how something of its size and shape can be both nimble and powerful at the same time. Being a side effects yoyo also means you can kinda tweak the weight distribution a bit if you like. I like to have ultra-lites in mine so as to maximize the percentage of weight that is on the rims, but if you don’t mind the added weight, you could put a set of brass side effects in and increase the center weight for a more balanced–if heavier–yoyo.

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I have a lot of respect for YYF and their yoyos.
But for some reason, the shutter doesn’t really give me that spark of joy feeling I get when looking at new yoyos.
I looked into it because it’s also highly recommended it seems, but I like to buy yoyo’s that just thinking of buying gives me this little spark in my mind and oddly this one doesn’t.
Not a very good reason to count it out, and I hope I get to try it one day, but I am not putting it on my short list for this particular purchase as my first forray into modern metals.

My theory being I need to love just throwing for hours and learning new tricks, which I do, but having something that makes me want to take it everywhere will help too.

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Beware of the knock offs. I bought one, and it’s hard to calibrate.

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Absolutely! Me too! Part of what I love about this hobby is how much it can bring out my inner child! I LOVE the feeling of nostalgia, and a lot of the yos I end up purchasing and playing the most give me just that! The way a yo looks and feels plays a huge role in how much I like it!
I have a ton of nice high end metal throws now, yet one of my very favorites is a cheap $10 Duncan Pro Z just because it floods me with nostalgia! :heart:

Makes perfect sense to me!

/agreed!