Yeah I totally agree, thank you 
For me I like yoyos that are either popping in colour (like very vibrant) or something more subdued and elegant like the project (I think the VTWO might be the same colour) brown.
But it’s not necessarily a specific colour it’s the way it looks with that particular yoyo together with the colour.
I do love a dark green too.
Also like the look of blasted finishes more than polished. coarse finish looks great in my eyes
Amazing, thank you for the detailed feedback.
So in your personal view the TD plays more stable than the other two?
Maybe it comes from the super thin cross section of the TD.
Also if going for a centered bearing do you recommend any that is on this website’s store?
NSK CT?
Boss Rage I will google, but anywhere in particular you recommend buying from?
I didn’t liked grooved bearings back then in '07 but did enjoy the KKs Frank Difeyo used to make. (never tried their ceramic one though but I didn’t really buy into that being better)
If I had to give them rough ratings (scale 0-10) on spin power and stability, I’d probably rank them like this:
The main difference between the VTWO and the Kuntosh is how they feel in the hand, because even though they have extremely similar power and stability, their size and shapes are distinct enough to make them feel different in overall play. Do you want something that moves quickly and slices through the air like a blade? Or do you want something with heft and mass and feels more like a warhammer than a sword?
The stability ratings above all assume a centering bearing of some kind. When I try to play them with flat bearings, stability basically drops in half. My favorite bearing is the Boss Rage for numerous reasons, but if you’re not into grooved bearings, then I’d recommend either:
To my mind, CenterTrac style bearings aren’t quite centering enough. But if you don’t want the string gravitating to the center that much, then an NSK CT is probably the way to go if you don’t mind the premium cost.
I’m kinda late to the party but here’s me 2c:
What is your goal with yoyoing? Where do your interests lie?/ Where does your joy come from?
If you want to learn lots of tricks, go with a more performance orientated yoyo like the hummingbird if you want to spend a lot, or really any other metal yoyo as imo the only feel-able difference is the impact on your wallet.
(Anything V, W, H, or bell shaped and monometal or bimetal. 7003, 6061, 7061, 7075, bimetal, and ti depending on how much you can justify spending. This market is so saturated, it doesn’t really matter what exactly you buy unless you’re the kind that cares for brand names. YYF is reliable but isn’t particularly exciting apparently; OD, CLYW, SF, etc. are smaller US companies that have strong followings; TopYo provides great, affordable yoyos; C3, YYR, and sOMETHING are some of the more premium Asian companies (premium as in the price)
If you’re a persistent person and are determined to become a skilled yoyo player, go for a less forgiving yoyo. These kinds range from more “organic” grass-fed monometals, bimetals, and plastics to old fashioned wood. It won’t give you a lot to start with, but will help you grow (like that exercise routine you’ve been meaning to start but won’t). Given that you seem to be gravitating to more modern trends, going for an “old-school” unforgiving yoyo probably isn’t going to be your first choice, but here are some pointers anyway:
There have been some recent movements to modernize unforgiving yoyos in slimlines like the OD Deepstate and organic throwbacks like the YYF California. Much of OD’s lineup falls into this category, especially if you choose to keep the stock flat bearing.
Outside of yoyo choice, it’d be a good idea to stock up on the consumable items.
OD V4M is a great choice and lasts (nice one). Picking up a thick lube is also a good idea since you might want to pickup some responsive yoyos so you may as well get one while it’s cheap. The particular one you get really doesn’t matter as they serve the same purpose and don’t cost much.
Flowable is a pain and doesn’t last, but pads can be expensive. I don’t think anything super fancy is worth it so I’d go for generic buddha pads or something. But you want to buy everything off yoyoexpert so the next best option would be to pick up some Katana pads since you can get them in bulk, or better yet, the recent pouse pads are at a great price so I’d actually go for those instead of Buddha pads.
String actually does matter since it’s the only thing connecting your expensive chunk or metal or whatever to your flaily bits so invest in a quality string. I’d still go for bulk though since it’s much cheaper. 100 packs of kitty, sochi, even Knot Bads, etc. are good choices. Since the string is what you’re going to be handling for the most part, be sure you settle on a feel you’ll enjoy before buying bulk. I like a really thick and soft string so I currently have Kitty XXL in hot pink (more of a red orange).
As for bearings, if you take care of what you have, you shouldn’t have to stock very many bearings. Bearings don’t have as much of an impact, but you may still want to buy a variety and sample them to find what you like. (@YoYoExpert pls sell bearing sample packs so people can get a feel for shapes. Like a CT, KK, Grooved, DS, and Flat are just a few suggestions, although the price would end up near 30-50$) I wouldn’t spend very much on a bearing since there are tons of great options at lower prices, such as Airetic choice and G2 Boss Rage.
That covers most of my opinion and although I talked a lot about buying cheap and buying bulk, small(er) companies rely on business from people like you to help keep then running.
some Honorable Mentions:
Zipline Strings
G2 Yoyos
Sochi
MonkeyFinger
etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.
There are too many people who want to work in yoyos and not enough people to buy them. Go and introduce yoyoing to others to help grow our cult community!
What my cart would look like:
Bearing samples in addition to what the yoyos come with, sample and bulk string, maintenance oils, a fixed axle because everyone should have one, an origin for a metal organic, a cheap performance metal, bull response pads to last you a while (I like to change pads as sparingly as possible), a yoyo case to carry the stuff you need and some of what you want, a yoyo holder for your jeans that doubles as the essential tools (bearing remover and string cutter), and a yoyo shirt to flex on non-yoyoers with your infinite coolness
Back then grooved bearing used to look like this (basically a flat bearing with literally a groove)
So I have no idea what modern grooved bearing is like.
hm, I actually like the sound of both the blade (that I don’t quite have the skill for yet) and the molinier hammer lol
choices choices.
are the Dif-e-yo KK bearing still relevant today? This was good back then, no improvement in the industry since?
If I didn’t mind paying one off to try a premium bearing once, is NSK the one to go for?
I have no frame of reference other than 10 ball from OD that came with my Project (mk1), KK bearings, and stock bearings that came in Hspin, Spyy, YYF, YYJ etc back in the day. The only bearings I bought other than stock (or replacement stock) was the grooved pictured above and the KKs.
Modern grooved bearings like the Boss Rage do not look like your example. Nowadays grooved bearings are concaves with a more subtle groove in the center.
Dif-e-yo KKs are still regarded as the best concaves, though it is hard to really measure that objectively. It could just be sentimentalism born out of respect for Frank and his patent. 
The premium brand for CTs is definitely NSK.
The best flat bearing is One Drop’s 10 ball. I don’t like playing with flats, but I can’t deny that they are amazing bearings just the same.
If you can find a Draupnir Overdrive it is honestly objectively I think the best performing bi metal out there, it is insanely stable.
…
Also, very nice write up man! You put a lot of effort into this!!
Thank you for your recommendation, I decided to save bimetals to my next purchase so that I have something new to look forward to still.
oof was my response too long ignore? or was it not me what you’re asking about? lol I spent way oof too long making that
Not at all man! I thought it was really thoughtful for you to take your time and put so much effort into your reply! 
Also, just to be clear…I was laughing at the ‘grass fed’ bit haha, I just thought it was cute.
Not late at all and thank you for the effort in that reply!
So to answer your question on what my goals are and where does the joy comes from I need to give a little insight to my history.
I’m 32 now and back when I was 8? 9? yoyo became big at my school when ProYo 2 came out and YoHans became popular.
I had an omega brain yoyo back then that my parents bought me, and I had one of these books and learnt all the tricks on there.
I was always super jealous of kids that had a Bumblebee or a Henry’s Viper which was the best thing since sliced bread back then, and something way out of my reach as it was really expensive and not something I could get my parents to buy me.
And then yoyos became banned at our school. (everything got banned once it took off, marbles, pogs, crazy bones, tech decks etc)
Later in high school I did finally buy a Henry’s viper with money I earned from part time jobs, but internet wasn’t much of a thing then (so no forums or communities) so I got bored quickly doing the same trick in that book over and over again.
When i got to Uni, I found yoyoz, theyo and yonation forums and started getting back into in (this was 2005) and learning all the tricks on Yoyojam website back then (basically same tricks as those on yoyoexpert now) and I also had a “Yomega mania” dvd of yoyo tricks. (which I still do, and 2 copies of them for some reason).
So naturally I got a bumblebee first as nostagia was the reason I started in the first place. Quickly realised it was not a 1A yoyo anymore haha and got a Lyn fury, etc etc.
Back then, my joy came from nostalgia and being engrossed in my lost hobby that I was not allowed to continue at school. (Why you would ban skill toys like yoyos I still don’t understand)
I was so into it at school, I practiced more than anyone, and I was better than anyone with my Yomega brain even though other kids had Henry’s vipers and pro yo’s and bumblebees. (Have you ever tried doing double or nothing on an imperial yoyo? lol
But at uni, I bought a lot of things, I loved the yoyo community and forums, but being adolescent in university, there are much more interesting things that steals you away. like…girls for one. (And yoyo wasn’t considered a cool kid thing, not sure if it still is either)
Finding my collection last week from 2007 has fueled me to restart what I always wanted to get into properly.
I have no interest really in competitions, I just want to play and get better and fuel my self satisfaction on a hobby I always deep down loved, longed for and still do.
I want to carry a yoyo everywhere with me, mainly for personal satisfaction, but good enough (in my mind) to be confident enough to just casually pass the time in public and play, right now I am embarassed to.
My “good” here as I know its a very relative and subjective word is to be able to chat and yo as in can yo enough on bread and butter combos, have some combos that are impressive enough for casuals looking so that I don’t look like a loser that is also a noob. (unfortunately, the truth is yoyo isn’t the coolest thing to do) but mainly just enjoy myself whenever I feel like it. Don’t want to show off, or draw attention intentionally, but if I did I don’t want to look like wtf either.
so TLDR, my goal is to be decent enough to be at a level that in my mind is good enough to casually throw even in public with my kids. and once I get there to keep improving for personal satisfaction, fun, and well… a hobby. Bit like golf in some way.
My joy comes from the community, the satisfaction of nailing tricks and seeing improvements, and just having a hobby that has always rang so close to me.
Now that I have more disposable income, I want a yoyo that will help me learn faster, once I get better and itching for a new yoyo, then I can think more about trying things to find what rings fun for me.
I did that before, and at the time, the project was that yoyo for me.
While I agree with your statement wholeheartedly,
I am at this school of thought (same as I do with golf, longboarding, etc all my hobbies) that it’s difficult enough as it is, when you first start make it as easy as possible on yourself and when you start pulling off shots, tricks you are happy with then you can use less forgiving tools to hone your skills then.
So for now I would like to use a forgiving yoyo as possible to help me learn and push through new tricks easier, although I do plan on picking up a responsive organic fairtrade GMO free yoyo a bit later to sharpen it.
For now, I just want to have fun and minimise frustration.
Also most of my yoyos before were organic so I want to try more W/H shapes
Speaking of which any one know any UK based yoyo groups, communities etc?
I am of exactly the same school of thought. That’s why I gravitate towards yoyos that are almost entirely performance oriented.
So I have some kitty strings I just bought, and speaking of bulk strings I have like 200+ of yonation highlights left.
Going to pick up some YYSL strings to try though, can never have enough string over the long run.
Lube I have a bottle of YYJ thin lube that is like 95% full, seeing as you only need so little each time.
But it’s 15 years old, I know it should keep long time, but given how old it is going to pick up some V4M OD lube just to refresh.
Holster I already have something I made and it is sufficient as string cutter I just need some brick wall, steps, anything really for the excess on the go.
Pads, I know there are cheaper ones, and silicone is just as good if not better and cheaper.
But at my age (not saying I’m old old, but with things to do and 2 kids) it’s too much hassle for now especially with just 2 yoyos only (1x plastic dove and 1x whatever metal I pick up today) it’s not really worth it.
I figure if I change pads every 6 months per yoyo, I need 4 pair of pad a year, that is $8 roughly assuming OD flow response, I can live with that.
Also silicone while super easy, I can foresee nightmares happening with a 1 year old and a 4 years old.
Pads are easy and I think I can live with the cost. Are OD flow pads good and recommended? I liked the response on my OD project and basing my decision off that without having tried any new pads.
Bearings I am still looking.
Yoyo t-shirt I still have some lol like this one
Let me make a basket actually
I was actually looking at this one and the plastic hybrid version too.
And decided to get a monometal this time though, so that there is something to look forward to and save bimetals for a later purchase to maintain the wow factor and keep things interesting and fresh for my third yoyo
Ah sorry, I was replying to shorter comments on the phone in between replying to you on the pc and giving your response the proper thought and contemplating that I thought it deserved as it was very insightful.
