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:
http://www.highspeedyoyo.com/reviews/n-z/one-drop-yoyos/one-drop-benchmark-series-2013
Weight:
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:
http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v2/890832083_1/50-PCS-10-Ball-Concave-Grooved-YoYo-Ball-Bearings.jpg
Others have a flat middle and raised edges rather than a sloped curve (Centre Tracs):
http://www.yoyos.fr/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/centre_trac_bearing_1.jpg
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:
Blueprint Strings (Werrd – YoYoExpert)
Fat Kitty Strings (Kitty String - 100 Count (Fat) – YoYoExpert)
Materials:
- Full Plastic
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.
Personal Recommendations:
C3 Speedaholic (Speedaholic Yo-Yo by C3yoyodesign – YoYoExpert)
Yoyorecreation Diffusion [New] (Yoyorecreation Diffusion – YoYoExpert)
(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.
Personal Recommendations:
Onedrop Rally (One Drop Yo-Yos – YoYoExpert)
Yoyofactory Protostar (YoYoFactory – YoYoExpert)
sOMEThING Addiction (Addiction Yo-Yo by sOMEThING – YoYoExpert)
- Full Metal (Aluminium)
http://www.vliegeruit.com/image/cache/data/images1/YoYoFactory-Shutter-Aqua-500x500.jpg
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):
Yoyofactory Shutter (Shutter Yo-Yo by YoYoFactory – YoYoExpert)
Onedrop Benchmark (One Drop Yo-Yos – YoYoExpert)
Yoyofficer Lava (http://shop.yoyoexpert.com/product/1197/YOYOFFICER-Lava)
CLYWxOnedrop Summit (One Drop Yo-Yos – YoYoExpert)
Onedrop Valor (One Drop Yo-Yos – YoYoExpert)
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:
sOMEThING Anglam (sOMEThING – YoYoExpert)
sOMEThING Anglam CC. (ANGLAM CC (Christopher Chia Edition) – YoYoExpert)
Yoyorecreation Laser (http://shop.yoyoexpert.com/product/1148/yoyorec-Laser)
Turning Point Isotope 2B (http://shop.yoyoexpert.com/product/1156/Turning-Point-Isotope-2-Beta)
“What yoyo should I get?”
Really, the best yoyo for you is one that
- You like the look of
- Fits what specs you think you’ll like
- Is within your budget
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.
Any other questions, just ask. 
