I own a few expensive metal throws that I love to throw (gnarwhal, sasquatch, wooly marmot, stardust, messiah, oxygene, night moves 5, 888, Rooyo Kaizen, difeyos and some others im forgetting) they are amazing yoyos I must say! The funny thing is though that i find the most joy in yoyoing when im using my original yoyos like the metal rimmed yoyojams. My main throw that i carry everywhere is a mini motrix. I have more fun with this 40 dollar throw than i do with any all metal throw even though they cost more than twice as much. Of course for competition i would use my messiah or something similiar. There is something special about a plastic yoyo. Maybe it reminds me of when i first started yo-ing or maybe its that its more light hearted and still seems like a toy rather than a high dollar luxury/performance tool. Its also fun being able to pull of tricks with a cheapie throw that others cant with their 150 dollar toys.
I can sort of but not completely relate.
My favorite is the Anglam, but not just because it’s so darn expensive, but because I actually really like how it performs, how it’s weighted and how it feels in my hand. I’d say this is an ideal yoyo for me.
I also have a constantly growing collection, mostly growing at the $100+ a pop kind of level. So why am I playing “cheap stuff”? Because I can? Because I enjoy it? Because I like it? All the above. Unless I’m playing a yoyo for evaluation purposes, I’m rarely exclusive. I’ll let my mood and my feelings guide me to a yoyo and that’s what I’ll play.
I also don’t compete, so there’s no need for me to assemble a competition set of matching yoyos together and then just play those exclusively. However, having an expensive set of yoyos to compete with doesn’t impress me. Having the right set of tools for a player is all that matters. If they are all expensive yoyos, then that’s how it was meant to be. I’ve also seen people lug up a mix of stuff all over the place as far as price, shapes and diameters too for their competition set. Hey, use what you got, right? Of course!
My collection is based on diversity and variety. I have brands I like and I do have preferences, but I buy a bit of everything. I also take this collection out to meets for others to try out stuff before they buy. The only downside of this is that I cannot and do not buy absolutely everything out there. Even I have my limitations! My collection is full of stuff I enjoy. There’s no point in me having something just to have it. Every single item is to be played and enjoyed and shared.
So, don’t mind me if I’m playing something expensive or something super low in cost. I’m just having fun. I do agree with you. There’s something great about being able to land the trick on something expensive and something super affordable. Since I’m out and about at my kids’ school throwing nearly every single day, I interact with lots of kids and parents. I’m usually throwing something $100+, and people want to know “how much did that cost” and I tell them, that often discourages them, so I will bust out a Classic I have set up and talk to them about that, doing all the same tricks in unresponsive play. I’m not a great or even a good player, but I can show the parents that it’s the player, not the yoyo. Of course, it doesn’t help that my favorite set up Classic is next to my Anglam either!(and a Phenom and a V. They are in my YYE 5-pocket bag).
Fun is fun. There’s also nothing wrong with plastic yoyos. I think if a few of us would concentrate more on the enjoyment we get from playing, things would be better.
I can relate. I have a thing for undersized throws. They were popular when I first started throwing. Every time I pick one up, especially the older models, it takes me back. Undersized yoyos generally have small catch zones and shorter spin times, so it’s more about the feeling I get from them. I get those feelings of joy and wonderment that I had in the beginning and why I started in the first place.
I prefer metals, but I like plastics too. Plastic yoyos feel like a toy to me, which is a good thing! I think it’s good for anybody to remember what it feels like to be a kid, enjoying playing with a toy and using your imagination. I try to remind myself as often as I can to look at the world as a child, trying to see things as if you are seeing them for the first time, and feeling amazed.
screw all those other throws, get a Nostalgia! Just a side note a Nostalgia is kinda pricy…
Hahaha I had forgoten that “Nostalgia” was the name of a yoyo!
I agree with you Studio42 it should be more about fun. I think my favorite yoyo would be one of my yoyorecreations as far as how well it performs (japanese yoyos are amazing and expensive) but i would have a hard time picking it over my mini motrix or X con because of the joy they bring me and the sentimental value i place on them.
I know exactly how you feel bro. Let’s hug 
I do actually prefer the Nostalgia factor over the play factor because I’m sorta sentimental when it comes to yoyos 
Freehand zeros make yoyoing more fun. this is fact… well opinion, but I hold this opinion with conviction.
There is something really cool about busting out moves on $10 Classic.
Totally agree with the plastic yoyo sentiment. I don’t know why, but there’s a sense of fun when I’m using a Whip that I don’t get when I’m throwing a Chief.
I do think it has something to do with it’s seeming more like a toy, which makes what you’re doing with it feel all the more amazing.