Ever since I put the training wheels back on my bicycle, I’ve been endlessly frustrated with those plebeian two-wheeled contraptions. My excess of skill clearly dictates that things that are harder to ride are inferior based solely on their design and I see it as completely non-representational of my own prowess and absolutely un-picky and un-spoiled tastes.
This:
Is a better Tennis racquet than this:
Give me the pro model and give Roger Federer the old wooden one, and he’d still run rings around me all day long. However that doesn’t change the fact that objectively, the Wilson is the better performing racquet. If you asked Federer, I’m sure he’d agree that he’d rather use the better racquet.
Yes, given a high level of skill, any yoyo can do incredible things. Heck, Jensen Kimmitt can do things on a fixed axle that some people couldn’t do on a Dazzler, however admitting that one yoyo is objectively better than another doesn’t mean you lack skill. Saying “the DM2 is rubbish, I can’t do any tricks on it” would imply that you lack the skill required, yes, but saying the DM2 doesn’t perform as well as a lot of modern throws is simply an objective assessment.
I’d like to think that someone would be able to say “The yoyorecreation Sleipnir is better than the Yoyofactory One” on these forums without people automatically accusing them of lacking skill.
You’re taking my quip to hyperbole, which of course makes me seem ludicrous. The jump from a Dark Magic II to a “competition ready” yoyo is hardly on the same scale as your comparison.
The dm2 feels really cheesy and cheap to play with for me, but i think its mainly the plastic hubcaps. Its still a yoyo and can bring countless hours of fun.
Well said my friend. Your debate skills need no professional microphone to improve your talent, a mere megaphone will do.
Touché I say!
Certainly he’s versed in explaining this case, but as a response to my argument in specific, he’s misunderstood what my intention was and thus replied in a manner that leads to misdirected debate.
I really, really hate to pick at an analogy, since I introduced with one, but a more apt situation would be two models that are no less than 10 years apart. The two types of yoyos in question both feature modern response, fixed gap width, bearing size, and comparable bearing seats. To derive from this that it’s comparable to technology nine decades apart and drastically different holds little light to the actual conversation.
I’m sorry if I took your post out of context.
Agreed. I wouldn’t say that the DM2 is “outdated”. Whilst it’s true that a lot of modern throws are featuring low walls for horizontal use, there are still throws coming out that feature mid walls and less rim weighting.
Au contrair, the zero-wall approach doesn’t handle rejections all that well, and I have much better rejections on the DM2 than I do with the new YYF Superstar. I don’t see the no-walled approach as necessarily the best one for my style since I don’t do many horizontals but love a good rejection.
As Pat pointed out, once we got to the point of bearings and unresponsive play, yoyo design hasn’t changed all that drastically. Refined slightly, perhaps, but not re-designed.
I think that as time has gone on, more manufacturers have cropped up, and as they’ve made more profits they’ve been able to offer good throws for a cheaper price by outsourcing or in-house machining. This coupled with all the new manufacturers leads to a more competative market, further putting on the pressure to deliver more yoyo for less money. Therefore I think the overall standards of yoyo design have gone up in the lower price ranges.
That being said the DM2 is still a great yoyo, it’s just that nowadays you can get a whole lot of yoyo for a cheaper price, so with the arrival of the Shutter it’s fading into the background a bit.
Also, I agree that I was using a slightly overblown example, for which I apologise. I’m sure I’m guilty of a classic debating faux-pas that Gregp will soon call me up on. 
My original argument was not with you personally, but simply against those posts implying that one isn’t allowed to speak negatively of a yoyo without being assumed to have a lack of skill.
Not much???
I think in the past 2.5 years, which is all I know, the technology really hasn’t changed. What is being changed are designs and more experimenting with weight distribution. Designers are getting better with where, how and how much weight they choose to put at a location in a yoyo.
I think the DM2 is just fine as a yoyo. It is showing its age as far as it’s shape and features are concerned, especially in regards to competition. With horizontal being more and more important for today’s competition, the DM2’s shape isn’t well suited for that. The way the outer portion of the halves are designed, finger spins just aren’t really all that feasible. It can grind, but lots of other stuff can grind better. IRG’s are something that I can’t do yet, but it seems other yoyos can do this better as well.
Trends change. Preferences change. Requirements change. Just because something is a bit older doesn’t make it irrelevant. I’m perfectly happy throwing a DM2. Terms like “better”, and I certainly have stuff considered to be “better”, don’t hold much meaning to me. I look at things as like/don’t like when it comes to yoyo. I don’t need to complicate things more than that. And at the same time, not single yoyo will please all players. These days, people have choices. Maybe people have too many choices.
(Grouchy old man)Back in my day, we had the Imperial and we had the Butterfly. That’s the way it was and we liked it!(/Grouchy old man)
Yeah, choices. Amazing.
The same holds true in the world of pro audio. There’s the analog vs digital realm, and then within each world are analog/analog comparisons and digital/digital comparisons. Better is a relative term. However, just like with yoyo, it comes down to “is it the right tool to get the job done”. As as been stated, put a dated bit of gear in the hands of a pro, and amazing things will be done. It’s not like someone won’t be allowed to compete because they choose to use a DM2, or anything else for that matter.
I think the tennis racquet comparison was a big extreme. That’s more along the lines of comparing an original Flores yoyo to a SE-enabled One Drop.