And a lot has changed! I was with my son at Toys’r’us and picked up a Yomega Maverick. Why not? I was pretty good circa 2000. So I have my responsive tricks down. My favorite yoyo back then was the Super Spin Faktor II.
So anyway, I know the talk of “what’s the best yoyo” has almost as many answers as this forum has members. What I’ld like, if one or more of you are so inclined, is a bit of a rundown on the 1a yoyos - shapes, bearings, strings. Basically a when and why of what’s current. This should help me decide what to get. I know I want something better than the maverick. I’ve seen h and v shapes. What’s the difference in play? When I threw regularly their were cotton and slick 6 strings. Now there are 30 different brands?!? I’ve seen several different bearing profiles. Help me out?
Like I said, I have the basics down. Which by the way used to be pretty advanced. Yinz guys are gettin crazy
n’at! So give me a quick primer to get me back into it.
I was looking at a shutter. Also the gradient and the civility. Mainly the last two. It was the v vs h shape that I was wondering about the most. Strings and bearings, whatever. I’ll buy a bunch and figure out what I like.
And I should look into a club. I didn’t really think of that.
H shape- I am pretty sure this shape (in general) is more stable. However, I feel that v shapes are more popular, just my opinion.
For me, I just use whatever bearing is in the yoyo. There are string centering bearings that have a “curve” in them to keep the string away from the walls of the yoyo, thus reducing string friction and allowing for longer spin times. Also, there are ten ball bearings, which I believe are quieter. Oh, typically sting centering bearings are loud. I have heard of ten ball string centering bearings… Like I said before, I just use whatever bearing is in the yoyo.
For string, I don’t replace it nearly as much as I should, but when I do, I like to make my own. You can search for videos on how to make strings if you are interested, or I could make a quick how to video. Typically, there are pretty good descriptions on what certain strings are for in their product description.
I would take a look at yoyofficer for buying a new throw. They are great yoyos, and they are inexpensive (for a “modern” yoyo anyways).
H shape pushes more material out to the rims, making it longer spinning and more stable. I dont believe anyone has mentioned responsiveness yet. Are you able to play unresponsively?
Can you bind …? You said you play responsive… You’ll need to learn to bind if not… And I would also say the shutter or yoyofficer… Amazing yoyos for the$$
lol, my exact thought after reading the topic. The Shutter is really more than anyone needs and at a great price. Everything else is just preference and feel.
Yoyofficer Lava and Kilter are also great performance and cost value throws. Though I suggest replacing pads and bearings on these guys.
I have more expensive throws, but honestly they aren’t doing anything that these more budget oriented throws can do. I’d suggest starting with any of the quality budget throws mentioned and then later getting some different throws just to try some different stuff.
Actually it’s quite the opposite, it may seems like it but it doesn’t. Theoretically you can push the weight better with organic shape, V shape, and then H shape, but then again you don’t want to make it too rim weighted. Explaining here would be exhaustive though, and I don’t want to derail this thread too far.
With the majority of today’s metal yoyo, basically you can simply choose whatever looks good for you, you can’t go wrong with any of them really.
There’s a lot to cover here so I’ll try and do it quickly:
Shapes:
Lets look at Onedrop’s Benchmark Series for comparison
Left to right: V Shaped, Organic, H Shaped
They all weight the same and have the same stats, so the only difference is the shape. You can read a good write up of how the different shapes affect play here:
The weight of a yoyo will have a large affect on how a yoyo plays. For the most part,
60-64g yoyos tend to feel lighter, bouncier and faster on the string.
65-67g yoyos tend to have decent performance with a comfortable weight for most people.
67-70g yoyos tend to have the best spin and stability and play slower and heavier.
If you’re unsure of what you like it’s best to aim in the 65-67 range to begin with as it’s a pretty safe zone for most people to play in.
Bearings:
[quote=yoyobrandon]For me, I just use whatever bearing is in the yoyo. There are string centering bearings that have a “curve” in them to keep the string away from the walls of the yoyo, thus reducing string friction and allowing for longer spin times. Also, there are ten ball bearings, which I believe are quieter. Oh, typically sting centering bearings are loud. I have heard of ten ball string centering bearings… Like I said before, I just use whatever bearing is in the yoyo.
[/quote]
This sums it up pretty well, here’s a picture of a curved bearing for reference:
There are many different types of string centering bearings. Some have a groove down the middle that the string sits in:
Really, it doesnt matter all that much which bearing you use. I don’t like flat ones myself, but I’ll be happy with any sort of string-centering one. I tend to use Centre Tracs for the most part since they’re pretty cheap.
Strings:
There are a lot of different strings out there at the moment and it all boils down to preference. Standard 100% poly will work fine for most people, but for those who want softer strings (Such as YYSL Ammo) or faster whipping strings (Toxic Strings), then there are more expensive options to cater for them. You’ll only really know what you like after trying a few out. Fat Kitty and Blueprint strings are both two very popular options since they’re well priced so you can get them in bulk:
These tend for the most part to be cheaper than metals, and usually a tad more fun (although thats entirely subjective). They have a charm of their own but will rarely play with the same performance as a full metal. Good for everyday use since they’re fun and cheap so you can throw wherever without having to worry about dinging your expensive metal.
(I know people will be all “where the Yeti at?”, but since they aren’t readily available I haven’t included them. That being said, the CLYW Yeti is easily the best full-plastic that I’ve tried.)
Hybrid/Bi-Material:
As you can see above these tend to be plastic bodied with metal inserts or weight rings. They typically have better performance than a full plastic and tend to play closer to a full metal, but at a lower price than most. I’m personally a big fan of Hybrids since you get all the fun of a plastic but with better performance.
The go-to standard nowdays for most people, and the majority of the yoyos currently circulating on the market. Great performance in a wide range of shapes, prices, sizes and weights, there’s guaranteed to be a metal to fit everyone’s needs. Since most modern metal yoyos play well, it’s more just a matter of getting which one you like the look of, as there is no clear “best” yoyo.
Personal Recommendations (I could be here forever so I’ll just go with a couple):
But honestly, there are so many fantastic yoyos out there; these are just a few great ones for the price that came to mind.
Full Metal (Titanium)
http://www.latiendadelyoyo.com/610-6038-thickbox/oxygene-hyperion.jpg
Titanium throws are usually the most expensive yoyos out there. The properties of Titanium allow it to be machined more precisely without sacrificing strength, as well as having a beautiful shine and resistance to damage. For the most part these are collector’s pieces, and performance wise they don’t outstandingly excess their aluminium counterparts (I’m sure some Ti-Walker owners will be inclined to disagree, I haven’t tried one myself so I can’t comment.), so you aren’t particularly missing out if you can’t afford to shell out $500 for one. That being said, if you can, you’re in for a treat.
Bi-Metal
These, as with the Hybrids, tend to use a variety of metals in order to achieve more precise weight placement. The company Yoyojam owns a patent on weight rings in the USA, so most of the current bi-metal yoyos are coming out of the East, mostly Japan.
Performance wise, these tend to be some of the best yoyos available in my humble opinion. The ability to put more weight precisely where you want it allows it to go past the boundaries of a single material such as aluminium, and also allows you to break the matrix regarding specs. To illustrate, the Yoyorecreation Draupnir (aluminium with steel rims) weighs only 64g, but is not subject to the normal lower performance associated with lighter yoyos since the weight is placed so heavily at the rims. As such it has the spin and stability of a much heavier throw whilst playing a lot lighter and faster.
I don’t own too many of these myself so whilst I only have one recommendation:
Yoyorecreation Draupnir
I can roll off a few examples that have gotten good write ups from other players:
If you had a gun to my head, I’d say that as a first unresponsive yoyo you really can’t go wrong with the Shutter. It’s a sensational yoyo at an amazing prize, and it was just used to win the World Championship so it shows it’s more than good enough for anyone’s needs.
The Onedrop Rally is my favourite yoyo, so if plastic is more your thing, I can definitely recommend that as well.
So there you have it! I know there is tonnes more stuff that I could go into, but I don’t want to overwhelm you with information. I hope this helps you in making your decision. Pretty much any yoyo you get you will enjoy, so just grab the one you want the most.
Why thank you sir! I do think a beginners guide sticky would be handy, but it’d need a lot more information and a lot less of my own opinion in there I think.
Might start working on it now just for the lulz. ;D
Wow! Gambit, that’s exactly what I was looking for. Thanks a bunch. You saved me hours of trolling. Thanks for the recommendations too. Some really good starting points.
