Reposting this because I made a really bad typo in the other one that got in the way of my point (calling the YYF Arrow the Shutter)
I already had the YYF Arrow and didn’t like it too much, it was hard to use (only spinning for a few vibey seconds before becoming impossible to bind and soon after dying) and overall not that fun of a throw. I am looking for a good cheap (<$20) plastic yoyo to replace it and just have fun on, as well as a yoyo that I can start using for competitions (similar in price and performance to the YYF Shutter). I have heard a bit about yoyos like the Mojo or skyva, but I am wondering are there any yoyos that would really play better?
I never tried an Arrow but I can’t say enough about the Shooting Star. The Speedaholic, and AOE are often lumped in with the Shooting Star as being closely similar. I am throwing some amazing Bi-Metal and Mono metal yo-yos, and switching back to this plastic does NOT make me feel like I’m taking a step backwards. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with any of these 3 plastics.
I feel like plastics have a hard cap to how well they can perform. Like, any budget monometal yoyo will out perform even the best of the best plastic ones. Having said that, some of my favorite plastics I’ve tried are the Speedaholic XX, Skyvaa, and First Base. First Base is my favorite but it’s not as versatile as the others, I just like how it plays and feels.
As far as a competition throw, the Shutter would be fine and anything else in that realm of price and shape would be similarly usable in a competition. It really just boils down to what you’re comfortable with and fits your style and trickset. I don’t compete, so I don’t have many competitive yo-yos. Basically just the Duncan Barracuda and Mowl Vigilancia which are both beyond my skillset and play phenomenally as far as I’m concerned. I heard Justin Dauer’s new signature, the Duncan Evolve, is very good. The Spotlight or Spotlight Ultra might be another good option.
Ramblings aside, I always say to get something you like the look, specs, and feel of and just go with it. Whatever you will actually pick up and enjoy on a day to day basis is going to be the throw for you.
this, so hard! wish i had taken it to heart before i did but as weve seen ppl do amazing things with yoyos the rest of us would struggle to do anything on, it’s totally a “bring the player, not the yoyo” deal
The Mojo is a very good yoyo for the price. It’s molded plastic, so you should still expect some vibe, but it has good rim weight (more than the Skyva) and should have a good spin time if you’re looking for something to practice anywhere with.
I don’t have a Shooting Star, and it’s a little higher than the budget you set, but a machined polycarbonate like that should arrive smooth and stand up pretty well to hard landings. (I say this with reasonable confidence because it has almost the same shape as one of my favorites, the Yoyo Empire Boreas, but with a slightly different finger spin dimple.)
