Just joined and want to ask a few questions.
I picked up my yo yo a week or 2 ago and can’t put it down. I use an old f.a.s.t. But I’m not sure if it’s 201 I got it maybe ten years ago or so it’s purple if that helps cause I haven’t seen a 201 in purple I might be wrong, but a long time ago I broke out the teeth so it didn’t tear up my strings and it works great with bind returns, but it doesn’t sleep quite long enough for a wormhole. So after a little research I’ve ordered a kickside, now come the questions. What’s your opinions about both yoyos, and what size and where do I get a speed bearing, a link would be super appreciated. Also is there a better long sleeping yo yo that’s on the cheap side cause I love string tricks. And any tips on breakaway tricks I never used to do them but buhdas revenge is fun. Oh and hello yo yo world. 
just call me ZXeN.
Welcome to YYE.
There are MUCH better options than the Kickside, especially for the money. The Kickside and Fast 201 can’t handle alot of today’s tricks and are considered now to be very outdated. These are professional level yoyos that are extremely popular and great all around yoyos:
- YYF Protostar / $35 / Plastic
- YYF Shutter / $55 / Metal
- YYJ Dark Magic II / $45 / Hybrid
Best value to me would be the C3 Speedaholic, which is $13 and plastic. A great throw.
All of the yoyos I recommended are fantastic and I would recommend getting at least one of them. As for the bearing, you can buy that here. YYE has a wide selection of bearings.
If you have any other questions just ask.
Ok… So I’ll get the bearing later. I’m torn between the protostar and the black magic 2, I like the way the protostar looks, but if black magic 2 really performs better I’ll spend the extra to get it, stupid question about the prices, do the special editions cost more? Ok so does black magic perform better than protostar and can I afford the special editions? I don’t wanna have to buy more bearings if that sways any decisions as well.
Like SR said, best bang for the buck right now is the c3 speedaholic
13$ a steal. Speedaholic Yo-Yo by C3yoyodesign – YoYoExpert
I find it to play up to par with the protostar and at a third of the price you might as we’ll add in an alpha crash! You could start building your collection with 2 modern high performance plastics. So for 33$ add some variety and skip the protostar. (35$)
As for the fast 201, it was also first real throw! And I remember paying 12.99$ for it! I wish I wish I wish the speedaholic existed back then because the lack of performance from the fast 201 really deterred me from wanting to yoyo more. The difference between the fast 201 and speedaholic is night and day.
I have tried many many yoyos. So if you could just tell me exactly how much you wanna spend I’ll give you my very best recommendation!
Hmmm ok so I think I might get that speedaholic, then save up for a maybe a black magic 2, the alpha crash just doesn’t appeal to me for some reason. But I just wonder if I should forget about the protostar or not, it looks really cool. But there are some cool lookin black magics As well. I really don’t wanna buy a lot yet just want a good that looks cool. As long as it’s user 50 bucks I should be fine. Kind just wanna know at this point if I should get the protostar if i am gonna get black magic 2. I am gonna get the speedaholic, I want an extra good one for friends to play with.
Just so you know, a better yoyo will NOT make tricks magically easier. I can do all of my tricks (excluding horizontal) on a $5 Projam, I’m sure I could do them on a Kickside. A better yoyo may help a little, but it all comes down to practice, drive, and determination.
For the budget-minded person who wants to step up, I’mma put the Werrd Minute out there. Not that I want to overwhelm with options, but it’s great. 
Since plastic is an option, there’s also the One Drop Rally which is phenomenal.
To your earlier question about DM2 vs. Protostar: it’s all a matter of preferences, but you don’t have those yet! The DM2 comes with a slim bearing if you’re still interested in learning responsive tricks, the Protostar is for bind only… but it sounds like you’re moving right into bind territory so that’s probably a non-factor.
I love the DM2, and it spins really long. But if you forced me to pick one to be a daily player for the next 6 months, I would pick the Protostar, actually.
Just in case your wanting an extra opinion: I love how my protostar plays compared to how my Dark Magic plays. I would get a ProtoStar any day over a DMII.
It’s up to you however.
I like how we’ve got a contrasting opinion on the DMII, choosing the Protostar over it. Thank you. This helps keep things in check.
I have both the Protostar and the DMII. Both are fantastic yoyos. The Protostar is a bit more modern in design and is seen regularly in competitions. The DM2 is great in its own ways. I do prefer the DM2 over the Protostar. The DM2 has the advantage of shipping responsive and by swapping with the included full width bearing, you convert this to an unresponsive yoyo. The Protostar is strictly unresponsive.
The main thing to keep in mind is:
Preferences are key, but being as new as you are, you haven’t had a chance to form any preferences yet. This makes binding the real determining factor. If you can learn binding from someone, this helps a lot. If not, you CAN learn it, it will just take longer before you get it.
The other thing is money. As you’ve no doubt noticed, this stuff can get expensive. Learn to budget, stick within that budget. However, more money doesn’t by default mean better. The $13 Adegle PSG Gem is amazing, as is the $13.50 C3 Speedaholic. It doesn’t take a lot of money to get a great yoyo. Also, there’s many expensive yoyos that I simply don’t care for, but this is a factor of preferences, not quality.
Personally, I feel that the Rally has made the Protostar pretty obsolete. It’s a similar design but better in almost every way.
Protostar = Lower build quality, annoying spacers, tightening issues.
Rally = Better build quality, machined bearing seat, no issues with unscrewing.
Plus I feel that the Rally performs better. It’s just an awesome yoyo.
^ This is great advice. The Shutter is an even better $45 price tag though…a spectacular value. It is the price of some plastics…and a lot better too. You have color options, finish options, and it is all metal. DMII is easy to learn on, has the responsive and unresponsive bearing, so it is more “versatile” for learning in my opinion. More color options on the DMII than any of them. Protostar is a great unresponsive plastic throw. It is often compared to throws in the $45 price range…that are more expensive. I prefer the Shaqlerstar though, but I’m in the minority I think. :-\
Welcome, and good luck.
I think more people prefered it when it was still the “Northstar”. I loved the luminous colourways a lot more than the pale blue on the Shaqlerstar. I’d still buy a Northstar now if they were still available.
I’ve personally been debating whether to get a Shutter for a while. I have many a high-end metal so it’s not like it will be anything I don’t have, but theres just something about it that I find kinda appealing…
I highly recommend the Shutter. It’s different than anything else I have, and I was both surprised and happy to find that to be the case. The price tag is also fantastic, so it’s just really hard to pass on it. I agree with you, and preferred the “NorthStar” name, and the other colors were better. What a shame. I just feel lucky that it did not get phased out altogether. Honestly, I own a blue NorthStar, and never bought a Shaqlerstar, I just call it a Shaqlerstar when I speak of it, so people won’t be looking for a NorthStar. 
I plan to get the Shaqlerstar eventually.
One of my friends picked up a classic and a rally for his first throws. He had previously borrowed my classic when he did. Both him and I loved the rally. I hadn’t purchased it yet but I plan on it sometime soon. He’s advancing quite fast with it as well.
Welcome to YYE and the yoyo community.
I have a F.A.S.T. 201 and it is the one beginner yoyo I know I will not get rid of. It is great for beginning yoyo tricks and I can actually do a few Loops with it.
I do not have a KickSide though. But, from what I hear, it’s not that bad. I would recommend a ONEstar for a long-spinning beginner unresponsive, low-priced yoyo. It only costs $15.
Then, there is the Speedaholic. I do not have one, but I hear it is really good. It only costs about $13 and is brilliant.
I also have a Yomega Ooch Yo that I find very fun for beginners and is only about $22. It is probably better for beginner to intermediate but I would try one anyways.
Hope this helps,
-Zorro
The protostar has a metal weight ring so wouldnt it be considerd a hybred
so you have a lot of opinions already the DM2 is “ok”… i really dont like mine, the performance is ok for a beginner, for sure! but i think there are better options. the protostar is pretty awesome, i dont have one, but i played it before and i was amazed! IMO way better than the DM2.
that said, i would STRONGLY suggest you get the “Shutter” its pretty new and a full metal, and the price is similar to the DM2, the Shutter is a KILLER in terms of performance, it just came out a few weeks ago, and already won US nationals. So if the DM2 is in your price range, i would say get the Shutter instead, if you take good care of it, you will never need a new yoyo ever
if you want to go a little lower in terms of price, look at all the “MagicYoYo” Yoyos, they are full metal aswell, but very cheap and still perform very well they are not available on YYE but you´ll find them on ebay or amazon. they go from about 13 dollars up to 40. i would recommend one of those if your price range is at the lower end.
I love the shutter aswell I dont own one yet but Ive gotten to try one and I plan to buy it as a christmas present too my self
you wont be dissapointet^^ its just amazing… havent seen anyone say they dont like it^^
yup!