Im new to throwing, just over a month. And I had no clue just how much variety and how many options there were for yoyos, bearings, strings, ect!
I know most of it is just personal preference. But while Im still learning the feel of things, are there any tips for what to look out for/feel for in a yoyo? Id like to move to unresponsive, but so far just have a duncan butterfly, K2 & arrow.
I like metal yoyos. I would check out yoyo friends shortcut or paragraph or honestly anything else that looks interesting to you. Most yoyos are good and it really does just come down to preference. You can just buy something that looks cool and you feel like you would want to throw a lot! There are a bunch of great options here on YYE. I would say just browse around until you see something you like in your price range. You can also run it past the forums to get opinions on it if you want. Have fun!
Width and weight are the two things to look out for IMO. My first yo-yo was a horizon and it’s a great yo-yo but it’s a little too narrow so it doesn’t see as much use as my shortcut, even though the horizon is better for finger spins. But every yo-yo is going to have trade offs. I wish the yoyofriends shortcut was the first yo-yo I bought. I wouldn’t have bought half the other ones I have. Lol still love my horizon though.
I agree with picking something that looks interesting in your price range and giving it a try. You won’t know what your preferences are until you’ve tried some different yoyo’s. So it’s hard to go by somebody else’s recommendation. That said, you can look at a bunch of commonly recommended ones and then pick what appeals to you most of those. That way you know you’re getting something good regardless of whether it ends up being your style.
If you want to stick with plastic for a bit and go unresponsive, I’m a big fan of the Speedaholic XX, which are pretty popular. For metal in the lower price range many recommend the paragraph and shortcut. In that price range, I like the TopYo Null that was recommended to me by another forum member. At the time I was also considering the Colossus VI, and Cyber Crash 2, which might also interest you.
You wont know at this point until you try.
Set a budget and do your best to stay under it.
My suggestion is to look at yoyos on the BST. Buy used and try.
Also, dont be quick to judge a yoyo at this stage. As your skills increase, a yoyo you dont get along with now, may surprise you later.
I think it’s tough to say simply because only you will know what you like. It took me a while to figure it out for me, but I like the “standard” specs—55-56mm diameter, 45-46mm width, and around 65g. I also like rounded, fatter rims. A fantastic example would be the Dressel Designs Emotion. It just clicks for me.
That said, I recently picked up a OD Diorama which is pretty far from my favorite specs, and I love it, too. I also really enjoy my YYF iQ, which is pretty opposite of the Diorama.
My point is what most will tell you—you’re just going to have to go with something that appeals to you. There’s not really a bad throw these days, but you can certainly get some great advice on a particular throw here.
On a side note, you didn’t ask for any recommendations, but if I knew then what I know now, I would have bought a Speedaholic XX earlier and saved a lot of money. For just starting out in unresponsive, it’s fantastic.
I think it’s just trying out yoyos and finding what you like. I have been yoyoing just under a year and I really just am starting to realize more what I like somewhat. I’m still confused with bimetals as I haven’t played many yet. Also, sometimes weight can be deceiving because it all comes down to how the weight is distributed. With diameter I have small hands so I like more smaller diameter yoyos around 55mm. What I found is it’s all just figuring out what you like over time and trying things out. If you ever can meet up with other yoyoers and try their yoyos that helps a lot. Like Henry said above there’s a lot of good budget yoyos in the $30-45 range that are really good and basically can handle whatever you throw at them.
Solid advice everyone. Thanks! Such a helpful community 
This is the best advice
I see that you posted in the Boston Yoyo Club thread that you might attend in the future. This is a great way to get to try a bunch of different yoyos without having to spend a bunch of money. Once you try a bunch of different yoyos, it’s much easier to target your purchases for yoyos you know you’ll love.
Lolol I always fear ppl will think I’m trolling when I say just pick whatever looks cool but it do be like that hah
Its the truth, i’ve yet to play an objectively bad yoyo. Only yoyos I didnt end up liking. When you’re new the best thing you can do is have fun and its way more fun picking something that looks cool instead of stressing over whether other people recommend it
I haddnt even considered that!
People just leave their cases open with the invitation to try any yoyo you want. It’s a great perk!
Yep I bring odd yo-yos to meets and let folks try them. Occasionally something might get dinged but it’s not the end of the world.
I created an Google Sheets (or Excel or Numbers) to track sizes and weights of yoyos, then when I see something I’m interested in I can compare with what I have and what I like.
