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What do you think is important when it comes to yoyo design?

What are some things you think should be utilized more?

What are bad designs?

List some pros vs cons.

Anything noteworthy is appreciated.
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  1. Heavy competitor involvement in the development of designs - VERY, VERY good yoyoers are an absolute necessity during this process and come in handy when pointing out weaknesses, etc.

  2. Previous yoyo design experience

  3. Well known, high quality, certified classic and or modern banger performance yoyos to use as a reference point/for comparison when designing… no reference point/nothing to compare your design to = bad

A-RT Inhaler, OD Aitch come to mind as some of the worst offenders I’ve owned in recent memory

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Inhaler fun and good. So many other bad yoyos to choose from.

Honestly I don’t have many yoyo I don’t like in some way then again it’s all subjective. The yo-yos I started off not getting along with i tinkered with till I absolutely loved like the turbo bumblebee.

But out of the box I would say yoyos with weight rings that have no purpose like the turbo bumblebee are bad design. Really any design element that’s a flourish with no real purpose other than distinctiveness is bad design but that opinion might earn me hate from the makers out there…

This is also a very broad question what works for responsive doesn’t for unresponsive without giving up something. There are allot of personal preferences also from what era of yoyo someone started in and style of play they like. I lean more towards rounded designs geared toward responsive play so high walls and round edges are ideal to me but that might be a flaw to someone more competitive focused.

Honestly getting feedback from the anticipated audience is key I don’t think comp players are end all be all and a design passed around different meets is more likely to hit the general yoyoer that’s not gearing there play style to the rule set of competitions but getting well known players involved obviously earns legitimacy in the eyes of the community so I guess that’s gonna stay the norm.

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For play? Don’t pump a yoyo full of centerweight. For aesthetics? Make sure you do proportions right and don’t add unnecessary cuts/bumps/ledges, etc. Makes for an ugly yoyo.

Ski jumps and longer axles. The TP/Hydrangea shape is also essentially a JP-only shape atm.

OneDrop Aitch, Atmos Fruit Loop, YYR Comic Sans… The list can go on. Most yoyos that I strongly dislike end up being because they just don’t have the means to do like, tricks.

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I feel like heavier weight yoyos and some super rim weighted yoyos get a bad rep. I’ve heard ppl call them reluctant to move or slow or sluggish but ime they are just easier to control and it’s easier to identify where they are in space and how they are moving and respond. I like a yoyo that is really present on the string. I want more yoyos at heavier weights. They also care less if you mess up and bump it with your hand and generally spin longer but the ease of control is what I like the most.

Edit: I cant stand the rubber rings on the myy N11 because they can fly out relatively easy and I spend half my play time w those yo-yos on my hands and knees trying to figure out where they went.

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@KirbyRobot ski jumps?

It’s a term mark uses to describe this little cut here (or transitional cuts in this area in general)

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Does look nice!

I think @SR1 and @KirbyRobot summed it up pretty well… A good design needs professional-level and/or customer feedback, a simple elegant design (no extra crap for the sole purpose of being different), design experience, etc.

I’m just curious, what’s so bad about the Aitch? Never played one but it’s something I’ve considered picking up.

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I’m not really big on looks (as in build), but I’m really big on colors and how showy it is. I’m a big fan of the red/blue/gold showpony yoyo by Rain city because of it’s eye catching colors, but I’ve seen it play really well also. Also the MagicYoyo M001 is also very pleasing to me because of the sleek and cool looks, not to mention that clover. Anything shiny, colorful, and eye-catching is a yes to me really.

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wim weight

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When I hear regarding what makes a Yoyo great at horizontal play I hear stuff like less friction like low and polished glossy walls, as well as “center weight” but I’m unsure, is there any advice to making a Yoyo that fit these standards?

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YYF Shutter

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Nope. Shutter is one of those yoyos that are doable for horizontal…if you’re already decent at it. in my opinion.

My best yoyo for horizontal is the Mazal Top Vindication.

Extreme RIM weight is more what I’d associate with zontals. Shutter played an important part in yoyo development I think. But in my opinion it gets outshined even by later iterations like the Wide Angle, JDS and Bimetal shutters by MILES.

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