Some poeple say yes, some people say no. Some people prefer the gasket-type stuff, some people prefer flowable. I’ve tried both, because I’ve gotten some yoyos off BST where the previous owner used the red stuff. On ones where they used the flowable, I like it better. It seems a bit softer and a bit “stickier” and it seems to do a nicer bind in my opinion. Still, it’s about preference. Both will work and both will work great. The thing is, with flowable, it’s also a bit easier because since it’s flowable, it will self-level so you DO need to work on a level surface. Either way, it’s best to leave them a full 24 hours to fully cure. If the package gives a different number, you can go with that, but longer is always better than shorter. Use another yoyo while you wait.
I find a ton of variation. the skill of player will be able to tell you what they like and dislike about each type of silicone. for instance flowable grabs the string way better than regular silicone. I prefer regular silicone better though because it gives me that slip right before the silicone grabs the string.
I’ve never done it this way, but it seems like 1. you’d be wasting a lot of silicone, 2. it’s more prone to air pockets, and 3. you should let it set longer.
I find this video a bit better.
and how I do it:
remove old response
clean the silicone recess well. toothpicks, q tips, rubbing alcohol
apply new silicone as shown in the video (optional step after this is to run a toothpick around the silicone to make sure there are no air pockets.)
remove excess with a spoon (as shown in the video again)
wait about 4 hours for it to dry some before cleaning. this way the stuff outside of the recess can just be easily rubbed off because it will be dry, and you won’t mess up what’s already in the recess.
wait 24 hours for the silicone to fully set.
put your yoyo back together and play
and as far as difference in play, I’d just be reiterating what icthus said.
oh, and difference in colour is pretty much negligible. when you go to a store (I buy mine at 99 cent store) they have like clear, blue, black, grey, and red usually. the first 4 are all the same, and the red is a high temp silicone. meaning it can withstand slightly higher temperatures. but unless you’re yoyoing in a volcano, I don’t think this will make a difference. it’s like… 650-750 degrees as opposed to 500-600. I don’t think those numbers are right, but it’s something like that.