The words I usually use to describe the series are not appropriate for a yo-yo forum.
A more polite way might be to say they seem like the type of fantasy a weird middle aged woman would enjoy. Like trashy romance paperbacks but with a vampire and werewolf instead of a cowboy.
I don’t believe in the idea of learning aids or bad form as a result. It’s my experience that the biggest deterrent to good form if not landing the trick at all. Regardless of the advantages a form factor may bring, the very definition of refinement requires that you can perform the trick at all. I believe that putting yourself at a disadvantage in the learning stage will only prolong the time it takes to learn the trick.
Example: Ann Connolly used a 4a yoyo to learn boingy boing. Why? Because it made it easier to hit the string. This gave her more time to focus on the core of the trick, the rhythmic bounce back and forth. Consistency with a narrow yoyo came naturally.
Even BMX pros learned to ride on training wheels. NBA guards hit a layup before their first three pointer.
When my friends and I are learning new tricks with other props(most don’t throw), we keep the mindset of :start big - work small.
Big and open before fast and tight. It will help with technique.
Always liked the SteamRoller (the 1st wide yoyo?) but still haven’t found one with those thin rims not being dented.
Hand size might have something to do with the preference for wide too?
I’m still firmly in the beginner stage but I’m going to give an analogy that fits my point of view. To me, wide and narrow corresponds to electric and acoustic guitars. Electric is a bit easier for a beginner to pick up and make sound decent. Distortion and sustain can cover mistakes, and the strings of an electric are easier to press against the frets. Acoustic forces you to really pay attention to technique. It is easier to move from acoustic to electric than the other way around. I do most of my throwing with a Deep State. I have a few unresponsive ready and waiting for me to transition. All are wider. I assume that will make the transition easier.
As a soloham player who barely has 1000 hours of quality yoyo practice, I can say that most of my tricks can be hit with the spire, and I usually practice with the Flight (for durability), but I still would prefer a 65+ mm wherever I could get it. Especially since I’m still learning. I can still learn consistency because it’s quite obvious when my catches are off (the yoyos tilt), but I can’t learn new tricks if my yoyos are set up wrong.
