how deep should i set in my response pads?

Agreed. Now to test how well it plays.

If you want color, go for annodizing and maybe a nice bead blast. Paint is nice too, but it might not grind as well

thanks for the kind words all. and what i have in mind for the yoyo is for it to be all black with the face rims purple similar to how the new buddha king is. would it be possible to anodize it like that? i haven’t done much research or anodizing witch is odd considering i’m a mechanist =P

Yes

any recommendations on who could do it for me?

You can do it yourself with battery acid. Google a tutorial on anodizing.

Anodizing. Grunt Bull, notfailanodizing.com (Vendetta), England114?