To what degree does having a high quality yoyo help in the early stages of learning? I would assume that since a solid high end yoyo has better spin time and more stability, it would be more forgiving with learning tricks and make the process easier. For instance, let’s say learning on a $100+ bimetal yoyo versus learning on a $25-30 monometal yoyo. I realize that it’s not the yoyo that determines skill level but rather the time and effort you put into practicing, but the question is whether or not a high end yoyo would make that process easier and less frustrating.
Also, do most of the high end yoyos come with higher end bearings? Or are their bearings essentially the same as the average $20-30 yoyo, and the only difference is in the yoyo itself?
The price to me doesn’t necessarily determine how good a yoyo is for a beginner.
For me, what would make the best beginner unresponsive yoyo would be a wide, stable, longspinning, slow yoyo.
More expensive yoyos, especially bimetal yoyos tend to be lighter and faster. Because of this, they may not be the best yoyo for a beginner. Bimetal yoyos are also affected more by being hit on the ground.
I would say the topyo silenus may be the very best beginner unresponsive yoyo. It spins as long or longer than most bimetals and is stable and slow. Its only $35.
The recognition at $45 is also a great option, but it plays faster so it may be harder to control for a beginner.
Gentry Stein is one of the best players in the world. He can tie a shoelace to a pipe wrench and do a good combo with it. But for someone who’s still learning, I figured that the extra spin and stability of a higher end yoyo could be helpful.
Get something normal sized, i.e., 56mm or less in diameter, 44mm or less in width, and 65g or less in weight. Go with an H or V shape, and don’t spend more than $30-35. A perfect example of such a yoyo is the C3 Cyber Crash.
Obviously, the point isn’t so much price but the quality, i.e. spin time and stability, that the price buys. I already have 8 yoyos, of which 6 are unresponsive, and their prices range from $15-$35 each. I can definitely feel a difference between the one that’s $15 and the one that’s $35. So, my thinking is that I would likewise feel a similar difference between the $35 yoyo and one that’s $100.
As for bearings, I know that Mazal Top yoyos use hybrid ceramic bearings that are faster and better, which is why I was wondering if other companies do the same.
It would make it easier but at the same time then the beginner wouldn’t learn to improve their throw since the yoyo would help with their lack of skill
It essentially creates a handicap and you would get the person getting upset with yoyos that may not have as much stability or rim weight.
I already have a bunch of yoyos like that. I’m making progress with them little by little. Part of the reason I was wondering about the higher end yoyo is if its speed and stability would make it more forgiving for mistakes. If I’m completely honest with myself, there’s also a part of me that is considering a higher end yoyo because it will help motivate me to practice more and more.
Or it could help you develop skill more quickly that you can then put into play with cheaper yoyos as you get better. Kind of like learning to ride a bike with training wheels, which then makes it easier to ride it without the training wheels.
Kind of sounds like you’ve already made up your mind based on your replies. If that is the case, then go for it.
My 2 cents is the same as given above. There are plenty of yoyo’s in the much cheaper range than $100+ bi-metal that will provide more than enough spin time and stability to learn on.
I haven’t made up my mind 100%, but I’m leaning towards getting one. For some reason, so far, none of the yoyos I own have the kind of spin time that people talk about, where it’s several minutes long. The best of my yoyos gets under a minute of spin time with a good hard throw. My unresponsive yoyos are Duncan NextGen, Magic Crystal, Magic N8, Magic Silencer, and Fetesnice D303LS bi-metal.
The Fetesnice seems to be a questionable brand based on what I’ve read, but it’s my best spinning and most stable yoyo. I got it for $35 on Amazon. The MYY Silencer and MYY N8 are both equally second best, the Duncan is next, and the Crystal is last. The Crystal spun a lot better when I first got it a month ago, but now it doesn’t spin nearly as good. I wouldn’t think I’d need to clean or change the bearing after only a month. The rest might spin for 40-50 seconds on a good throw, and the Fetesnice might spin for up to a minute or so on a good throw.
In my experience it is the stability and power that allow you to take time working through tricks without needing to untangle strings from the yoyo when it stops spinning mid trick.
There are cheaper yoyo’s available that offer the power needed for working through tricks my go to is:
R2FG Halbert
YYFR paragraph
YYFR Shortcut
More expensive yoyo’s that have I used:
Duncan GTR
Speedaholic Fx
JDS Shutter
I have not found the increased performance that a high-end bi-metal has over a high-performance “budget” monometal like the Cyber Crash is worth the investment unless you are training for competition, which I assume a “beginner” is not doing. The increased performance isn’t going to have a meaningful impact on the beginner learning process, IMO. It might have a noticeable impact on a competition trick routine depending on the tricks being performed, but that’s presumably not the yoyo play domain you’re in (or talking about).
I kinda feel like I wouldn’t be as good(or bad depending on your perspective), or at least wouldn’t have stayed as interested, as I am if I hadn’t bought more and better yo-yos. I think variety helps a lot.
Yo I think just buy a nice Yoyo if you want and then you can use it also when your skills get up too. It does make it easier to figure out tricks from tutorials and stuff if you have extra spin time. I like to learn w nice yo-yos and also take time to refine tricks on less good yo-yos.
One thing tho, this is not really true like ceramic bearings aren’t gonna be faster and better.
Like bearing quality should be very low on your priority list like you’re not going to notice a difference ime
Generally speaking, you actually shouldn’t be learning fundamentals on higher-end yoyos. I can personally attest to the fact that it can really butcher execution.
As for learning higher-end tricks, it’s not necessarily a higher-end yoyo but a certain kind of yoyo can help. Generally heavier, super rimweighted, and more powerful yoyos can help you learn more difficult tricks because they can just power through the longer combos.
My advice would be get something that if you bang it, you will not cry yourself to sleep. I learned (or relearned if you like) the basics with a velocity and a sage afterwards. My first metal was a yyf shortcut. Do not go beyond 40 euros at start. 50 at most. Not worth it imo.
Throw all the clumsy breakaways on concrete you like with a cheap one mate.
Sometimes 30 minutes of play can get you to a point where a bearing needs cleaned or replaced. If you have a yo-yo that doesn’t spin like it used to it’s time to clean the bearing. Also hits to the floor can cause damage to the cage inside the assembly that holds the balls in place. That can cause it to scrape inside the bearing and not spin as well. That would need replaced.
I prefer a slightly heavier, more rim weighted and stable yoyo when I’m learning new tricks. So, I’d say it’s worth picking up something in that category. Others mentioned that a lot of bimetals are actually lighter and can be more difficult to control, especially for beginners, and I agree with that.
For years, I’ve mainly used the One Drop Top Deck (66 grams) for learning new tricks and it has worked wonderfully. I recently got a Mowl Vigilancia (66.6 grams) and it is fantastic as well. Go for heavy and stable if you want it to keep spinning while you’re figuring out tricks. The TopYo Silenus would be another great option, as well as some of the others mentioned already.
For dialing in technique once I’ve got the trick down, I prefer to practice with something less forgiving so I can be more aware of where I’m being sloppy. I kinda work my way down the forgiveness chain, ending with the One Drop Panorama to really dial it in. Once I can do a trick cleanly on the Panorama, I consider it truly learned.
If I’d have to change or clean my bearings and string every half hour, on top of dealing with knots and string tension, I’d probably give up yoyoing altogether. There’d just be more frustrations to deal with than enjoyment. If a bearing needs to be cleaned within half an hour of use, then I’d have to assume that it’s a cheap bearing, unless, like you said, it was banged against something and damaged.
