Why’d you buy it? Just because of the tutorial videos? Trying to figure out why it endures and that’s the only reason i can think of.
I bought a ghost edition a little while ago for the light up effect, and was very disappointed. I thought it would actually spin well, which it does not I found. I then bought a clear rally, and that’s been great for what I wanted!
It tilts, it loses speed when the string hits the high plastic walls which aren’t blasted and have high friction. I played it for a day or two and bought the Rally. I will probably be selling it soon.
I’ve also been very surprised by the lack of negative reviews in the reviews section, are they there and did I miss them?
I, like a lot of forum members, bought my Black Spade Edition Dark Magic II as my first ball bearing yoyo. Mainly because it is used in all the videos on YYE and it allows both responsive and unresponsive play. It was my daily for about a month or so. I thought it was the most incredible yoyo you could have until I received a summit for Father’s day. No contest, but that’s not really saying anything. The Dark Magic remained my daily throw while the Summit was a once in a while treat. Learning tricks on an expensive metal made me nervous at the time.
Then One Drop released the Rally. I couldn’t believe how close to a metal it played. The Dark Magic just seemed to play hollow and slow after that. Since then I’ve added several more metals and plastics. I still prefer to learn tricks on plastics, turning to the metals for tricks I’ve mastered. I have a one star, protostar, rally and yeti. They all have a different feel, but I pretty much prefer all of them to the Dark Magic. I keep the thin bearing in the DMII now and use it once in a while for responsive play.
If your going to buy a lot of yoyos, I think it is a great one to have in your collection. Even though I don’t use it much I wouldn’t consider selling mine. However, if you have limited funds, or don’t plan on buying many yoyos, I think there are better ways to spend your money. For the same price you can get a Rally, if you prefer plastic, or a shutter if you prefer metal. Both exceptional throws that are a lot of fun and can handle any trick you throw at them. If you want to spend less, I think the protostar is a great option that I personally prefer to the Dark Magic II.
When I started throwing over a year ago the dm2 already seemed outdated to me. For the price I knew I could get something better. I wasn’t duped into thinking that because andre uses it; it would help me get better quicker. I’ve never played one tbh, but I have a feeling I would be underwhelmed.
standards - meanin’ it’s collectible value, perhaps.
standards - meanin’ playability, i disagree.
i don’t really see any trick that can’t be done on a dm2. this pretty much meets my standard. i understand the nuances and dif-ferent feels of other yoyos. but in terms of straight up play, standards don’t really get any higher, imho.
if the yoyo is ‘broken’, defective, etc. beyond playability - then this would be an exception. however, i get the impression this is not the case here…given the subject.
to me - i’m more impressed if a yoyoer can pull off tricks w/ a 2$ yoyo…as opposed to a 200$ one.
mgodinez
rain…
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Can you not buy a thinner bearing sized right for say the shutter and play it responsive?
You can. Then you also need a shorter axle.
It would be easier to just add thick lube to the bearing to make it responsive.
I’ve screwed a few of my yo-yos together without the bearing in and they get really thin. It’s likely that with most yo-yos you wouldn’t need a new axle. I’ve done this with about four with no sign that you would need it to be shorter. Granted you might with some 
If anyone wants to be rid of their Dark Magics, I’ll be happy to do you the service of taking it off your hands. PM me and I’ll send you my address so you can send it to me and never have to deal with it again. I’m here to help!
If we’re going by “it can do any trick so it’s good enough.”, then I’d rather spend $13.00 on a Speedaholic that can still do all the tricks that the DM2 can do, but with better stability and at less than a third of the price.
And that’s for free right? =P
Agreed xD
This is just another case where you are looking at the wrong end of the string for the problem.
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Oh I disagree. From my scientific data points, I perform far better with yo-yos other than the DMII. Granted I could perform 50% better with both of them, but the relative performance between the DMII and my other metals would remain the same. I would still perform better with a different yo-yo, and granted, I would perform better with both in that case. I do know that practice is the only way to really get better, but I also believe that so long as you focus on good form as you learn new tricks, and learn them thoroughly, you’ll learn faster on a better throw. I don’t have as much data on the last point, having learned very few tricks on the DMII, but I suspect it is correct.
I also very much believe in switching your throw frequently throughout practice in order to get you used to different feels and different ways of doing tricks. My ADD has aided me in this sense! (I switch yo-yos every five minutes or so.)
What’s the obsession with responsive play in a ball bearing yoyo? Start unresponsive, there’s no reason not to. Takes 10 minutes to learn to bind and from there out you’re set.
A lot of current yoyos are a lot more forgiving in terms of sloppy play and will allow you to create some nasty habits though. It may perform better for you and that’s great but I suggest going back and mastering the tricks on your DM2 after you get it down on the rally. It’ll definitely help you learn the trick better. I’ve always had fun relearning my tricks on a FHZ after getting it down on something unresponsive.
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All you’ve really proven is that the DM2 isn’t an ideal fit for you. Nothing more, nothing less. I like the DM2. You don’t. There’s nothing wrong with either position. Preferences. It’s what I said in the beginning.
Your standards didn’t rise, your preferences just led you to stuff way more compatible for you. That’s what we all need anyways.
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I read some reviews here, and being new, asked other players. Pepos who are senior members said it was a solid choice and I don’t disagree with them. The tutorials were a factor too. So with all that said I went with it. Plus when your just starting its super overwhelming to choose the best choice.
The Dark Magic is a great yoyo, just that it doesn’t match modern day standards. I still consider one of the best throws ever made, I still have my Red DM1!
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The DMII is revolutionary, clearly loved by the population at some point in their yoyoing career/life.
I will leave an interesting point i thought of. The the DMII may have aged but it’s rival (at least in my opinion) the northstar back when I first bought the DMII, the northstar just seems to play well. in the end it could just be the shape maybe or just that i’ve dinged my DMII on the ground one too many times.
How I justified getting the DMII, it just had more variety in tricks possible because of the ability to play responsive and unresponsive, having an IRG and being able to arm/finger grind a bit. With the trend of yoyoing with V shapes northstar is a better competitor these days. Still got both in the end, I would still do the same thing starting with a DMII then moving on to other yoyos after learning basics, except the genesis (first metal) I wouldn’t buy that if i had to go through it all again…probably get the superstar instead 
(bearing grip of death -_- and disappointing color orange of the undeniable edition looks more like rust color…)
I made this post originally because i considered getting a new DMII hoping it would be good again but I feel maybe memories should stay as memories.
