Hey all, I am brand new to yoyoing. Had one as a child and it was fun but I didn’t learn very many tricks. Now gearing up for my retirement years and getting back to the simple things in life.
I plan to travel the world with one smallish backpack. During my travels, where it is legal, or a non-issue, I plan to do a little bit of yoyo Street Performance AKA busking.
Both ounces and total size are very important.
Living out of one small backpack for a year or two years requires you to make very precise decisions and focus on ultra lightweight and compact gear.
So for street performing, highly technical tricks are not necessary, but pizzazz and tricks that will be awe inspiring to people who don’t yo-yo is what I’ll be doing. I won’t be doing any 4A because well I don’t need any lawsuits from whacking a foreigner in the head!!
With this in mind:
general flashy tricks,
lightweight and
smaller,
versatile
Preferably under about 35 US bucks per yo-yo
I like the idea of being able to do 2A and 3A tricks but I’m not sure I’m coordinated enough LOL. And again no off string tricks while traveling.
I’d like to only carry two, maybe three yo-yos at most – if that’s reasonable. and like I said I’m a complete beginner.
Right now I have a velocity and and N8 that I am learning on.
Many thanks for any advice you all have on a two or three yoyo set that I could travel with.
I agree. A bright bold color(maybe orange or blue, no engravings or symbols) and of a good size- something that will draw attention from across a courtyard or street.
If you truly serious about weight, Aceyo Air is the absolute lightest modern yoyo coming in at a ridiculous 52g and is around $34 USD shipped. Great performer–fast, nimble, and stable especially considering it’s weight. It’s one of my favorites, even after trying and owning titanium yoyos costing over 10 times as much. The only drawback is it’s limited availability. The only place I know that has it, is an online retailer from China, so shipping would take a few weeks.
That said if you are a complete beginner it may take a while, a few months at the very least, for you to be able to get to the “pizzazz” level you are referring to. And by that time you may find that you develop a style of play / preference for a heavier yoyo. I’d submit that you are over-thinking carry weight. Most yo-yos are currently in the 62-65g range to get a decent balance of spin time, stability, and maneuverability. We are talking about a weight savings of around 3g to 12g if you go from heavy to light or superlight. That’s the equivalent of just one or two euro coins. If carry weight is an issue, I’d go with fewer yoyos; you’d be better off having just two 66g yoyos that you really like and enjoy using vs three yoyos under 60g that don’t really click with you and that you have to push hard to complete your harder tricks.
Below is a list of lightweight yoyos (most are above $35 retail):
Yes you’re right. now that I went back and had time to do the math, 30 grams difference for three yoyos is still only a little over an ounce more, and while I am counting ounces( literally) I think I can go an ounce without being a big deal to get better yoyoing. My flashlight weighs just under .5 oz. Packing for a couple years on the road and keeping it under 25 lb including the backpack is a little bit of work! Things weigh more than you realize!!
Thanks for the suggestions I will look through them!
I think that I heard someone say that the neon green string is fluorescent and glows in the dark. is that true of all neon green string?
any suggestions on what colors you think would actually show up best besides for red there are some cultures in which red is just not something you use for any old thing.
I have to stick with smaller yo-yos because I’m just not going to have room in my backpack as it is. I don’t have enough room, lol without yo-yos, swimming Hampton get rid of something that I kind of maybe need to take the yoyos!!!
dang I like the idea of actually carrying one on my belt loop what a great thing to spend time doing waiting on a flight or train or something, thank you. Do you normally buy all your stuff off the internet or are there stores around that tend to carry a decent selection of yoyo stuff? I live in a smaller Midwestern City but I’m only a little over an hour and a half from two big cities.
Agreed. You’re basically stuck ordering online. I’d also echo a recommendation for yoyoexpert.com.
I’ve never tried to use the N8 but @Roy_Dodge has a review and throws down a few tricks with it. Unless you want to try something new, you could get away with just using your N8, which seems to be a good enough performer for what you are looking for. Looking at the specs, it’s going to feel heavier on the string than most given it’s small size (47.4mm dia) and dense shape. Most normal yoyos are in the 55mm range–which gives them more stability and spin time. If you want to stay small, I’d stick with what you have. If you want something better, I’d take a look at the Colossus V or the California, both in the 55mm dia range. They both seem like they’d be nicer and better balanced yoyos with more capability.
How long are you going to be on the road, a year or more? Thinking about your situation, I’d be concerned with how much string to bring. On the road, you won’t be able to buy yoyo string in a shop and you won’t be able to reorder replacements online. If you are yoyoing everyday I’d think you’d need a pack of 50 strings. This is also going to take up space in your pack.
I was just going to mention STRING. It goes quicker than you think. After a couple of hours of play you’ll notice tension loss and fraying. Other maintenance items might be extra bearings, bearing tool (yoyofactory has a nice combo tool), lubrication (Thin and Thick depending on your yoyo), Response pads, cleaning agent for bearings. If any one of these items it required and you don’t have it your yoyo might not perform! I’ve had afternoons where all I wanted to do was throw and every one of my yoyos was “acting up” for some reason.
If you can take a full-size yoyo you might want to consider the MagicYoyo Aurora - it’s a light-up yoyo which looks very cool in dim light:
For small throws the N8 is a decent choice. Another option might be the YoyoFactory DV888 (with the upgrade kit) - it doesn’t get a lot of love on here because it ships as a very snaggy responsive, but with the upgrade it’s a decent throw and quite bomb-proof:
After having an N8 for a couple of years…and not to disagree as these are all opinions - it’s kind of heavy on the string, too small, and not the most comfortable yoyo for extended play. But there’s so much personal preference that comes into play because of height, hand size, skill level, etc. For ME the Colossus V may just be the perfect EDC. For yoyo maintenance supplies on the move, a small cosmetics case can hold all of it.
