The problem I foresee with only using one main throw all the time is that you get so used to that one yoyo, that anything else you try feels weird and awkward and none of your tricks land with any consistency. Putting lots of (different) yoyos into rotation keeps you nimble and versatile. And maybe even chases away the Same Old Yoyo doldrums.
5 Likes
Well yes but 6 versus 60 (or even god help us 600) is the question 
3 Likes
But on the other hand using one yoyo exclusively gives you that same comfort, consistency, and familiarity. Itās why competitors always use the same yoyo for practice and ideally have the same ones for backups.
5 Likes
Oh, sure, I get that.
Itās like my computer keyboards here at work and at home. They are the same model (as each other), but they are also very different than any other keyboard where I work, or anywhere else I routinely visit for that matter. Any time I find myself having to type on some other keyboard, my typing speed and accuracy take a severe nosedive and getting anything out becomes a real struggle. But given how profoundly I prefer my own (customized) keyboard, it is a sacrifice I willingly accept. Nevertheless, I am keenly aware of the cost of such exclusivity and specificity.
3 Likes
I have three different spin tops, 2 in the mail, and have thrown 5 different ones. I definitely find that switching it up between tops regularly helps me learn the tricks much more thoroughly. I can certainly see that being the case for yoyos but I just havenāt had the money to get a good upgrade yoyo from where Iām at and overall spintops are wayyy cheaper.
2 Likes
I think a part of the fun in yo-yo for me is trying different styles and peoples / manufacturers takes on how that style should play or what a yo-yo should be. There could be something you appreciate about each yo-yo. Also the appeal of collecting is part of what keeps the industry alive. Are many throws necessary, not at all. However itās a hobby make it what you enjoy if thatās a few yo-yos cool, if that means a few hundred cool! I have a few (7). But plan on growing the collection over time.
3 Likes
I have maybe 25- 30. I started 8 or 10 years ago with the 888 as my first metal first non responsive. I still have it, but rarely throw it anymore. I buy mostly similar styles, but vary sizes, colors and manufacturers. Some I buy because they are different from the normal (magnum as an example) Being a small business owner myself I like to support the small companies and I also purchase based on what I think look cool. I try and keep them mint because thatās what I like and I can trade or sell it if I donāt really like how it plays. Iāve unloaded a handful or more recently but snagged a few more I really like. I rotate through most of them quite often and itās really fun when I have time to yoyo for a while and can try this one then that one . It really gives you a feel for the differences.
And speaking of differences then you add the string choices and what works best in what yoyoā¦ Then you really have too many choices.
3 Likes
I may only be at the earliest phase of learning 1A, but I like having a collection of high quality throws so that at any given time I can reach into a case and pull out a yoyo that fits my mood and practice goals. Sometimes it is a particular colorway that calls out to me, other times it is the shape and feel of the yoyo that calls out to me, and sometimes I just feel the urge to throw around something light, nimble, and powerful.
I figure that eventually I will settle on a handful of favorites and sell the rest. But in the mean time, I am having a good time curating my growing collection.
4 Likes
I keep a low count of yoyos. These are my reasons for it. Yoyos are meant to be played with not collected although there are some exemptions from this rule. Since I started yoyoing I nor anyone in my circle sold our yoyos. We just ended up giving the ones we did not use anymore away to people who were genuine in wanting to learn because they did not serve a purpose for us. Those yoyos completed itās duties and functions to the point of me growing apart with it. I rather see someone get what I got out of it, if not more. I feel more invested this way.
7 Likes
I am a string connoisseur, I love trying different types of nylon and poly.
So it isnāt trying new yo-yos that I live for nowadays, itās new strings and bearings.
2 Likes
Iām old (52) and I still buy CDs because I want the liner notes and the whole tangible package as the artists created them. Do I have enough? Yes. Will I buy more? Yes. Different music for different seasons, moods, etc. Iāll go a month of old NYHC, then early 80ās synth pop, etc. same with yoyos for me. I get tired of certain shapes so Iām switching a lot for the different feels. I have to quit buying for awhile though and Iām excited to meet someone in person who wants to get into yoyoing because he or she is gonna get some nice surprises from me!
7 Likes
I currently have maybe 20 metals and 20 plastics. Iām trying to cut that down a bit to my favorites. There is nothing wrong with having a ton of yoyos, but I donāt like paper weights and I like money 
If there is something I really want, Iāll get it. I plan to be more choosing of what is let into my collection.
2 Likes
I have hundreds of yoyosā¦ not to go too far off topic; but I have something pretty interesting to share about yoyo numbers.
Over the years on various yoyo boards; I have sent people up to dozens of yoyos and in one case; over a 1000 New strings.
One guy posted in a thread that he only had a few yoyos. He just didnāt have the funds to experience different shapes and sizes. He didnāt ask for anything. So I got his mailing info and sent him 6 yoyos to try. I included a message in the box to ākeep the Yoyos. (I Never saw him on the Boards again)
In another instance; a young guy was talking about trying to get a yo-yo club started. He said there was interest in his school. But several guys would show up and he only had a few yoyos to pass around. So I sent him a hard case with about 18 yoyos in it. I put the case in a larger box and instead of using foam or newspaper for packing; I used hundreds of string.(That was the last time I saw or heard from him on the board).
In another instance; a guy mentioned he was looking seriously for a certain very limited edition yoyo he just couldnāt find anywhere. I sent one to him(I just happened to have two) and to weigh the box down; added a few other good quality surprise yoyos to the package. The guy was nice enough to thank the heck outta me and was thrilled(seemingly) to get this particular yoyo he had been looking for). He told me he had tried them all out and enjoyed every one of them. (A few weeks later; he posted āallā of them on the BST. Andā¦ he listed them as new in packages; never thrown).
One guy posted in a thread about giving away used string as necessary; to people that either had no string at all or just giving them a better string than the dead string they had been using. I PMād him and asked for his mailing info. I sent him about 1200 New stringsā¦ maybe more? Never saw or heard from again.
I could go on for quite awhile. What the heck does this even have to do with the how few yoyos a person can get by with?
My abstract point is simple. I think the number of yoyos a person has; is far less important than his level of enthusiasm in using them. Whether a person pays for yoyos or gets them for free or has 6 yoyos or has 600 yoyos; you either throw what you have and enjoy them or you donāt.
If a person has 6 yoyos and says that is enough; then for him that is enough. But that doesnāt throw shade on a person that has 600 yoyos. There is no magic number to own.
Even owning just 6 yo-yos could be for different reasons. A guy either doesnāt like more than 6 or thatās the only number he can afford.
ā¦So; how many here get by on just a handful of yoyos?
My personal opinion is a large number probably do.
If you have a few good ones and you are having fun with them; then that is your magic number.
My random examples of things I have given away just show that people can have any number of yoyos. Whether they pay for them or not. And if their head is not in the right place; no number is the correct number.
9 Likes
Iām surprised how many times you have had this experience!
Makes me think that some people are just out there fishing for yoyos.
Iād actually like to send you one of my wooden unresponsives one day soon. 
4 Likes
I only have 8 yoyos. I really donāt have the urge to get anymore.
3 Likes
My yoyo collection is the size it is primarily because I am deep into the phase of figuring out what I like. This is especially tricky since the first year of yoyoing is probably the most volatile in terms of what will fall in and out of favor with me over time. So I stock up on a good number of yoyos across the range of types, shapes/designs, weights, colorways, and price/quality levels as I navigate my way through the Personal Preference maze.
And, as I think has been mentioned already by others, having a variety of yoyos increases the chances that I will pick one up and practice since there is likely to be one in the case that perfectly fits my mood at any given time.
2 Likes
After awhile and too many itās like picking what brand of ketchup you want to use today.
3 Likes
Wow, thatās crazy. Especially that dude that threw all those up on the BST. Like, what the heck? Who does that?
Do you have any experiences where you gifted somebody in the community something, and they actually stuck around?
Oh, total left fielderā¦ Being only about two years deep into this hobby, how long have you been around? Both active in the yoyo community, and actual throwing.
2 Likes
I bought my first yo-yo at Golden Apple Comics is 1998. When I got back home; I was throwing the yo-yo and could do little else. My girl asked, āBig boy get a new toyā? Obviouslyš¤
She said is sleeping a yo-yo the only trick you can do? Since I already had many years of experience customizing cars and Harley motorcycles and having a reasonably equipped machine shop right in my garage; I just smiled and told Karen, āI think I can come up with a few more tricksā.
To me; a yo-yo just presented another custom adventure.
That same day; 20 years ago; my yo-yo modding adventures began.
You could say that I have been around the block a few timesā¦
And Iāll be around for awhileš
11 Likes
Woah cool, what kind of mods do you typically do? Are they mechanical mods, or aesthetical mods? Do you have some sort of portfolio?
3 Likes