Looking for a good ball bearing starter looper

Yo-Yo Reviews Looking for Help/Recommendation
1

OK, so I’m into yoyos, so my kids are following after me, more or less. It’s a lot like the blind leading the blind.

We’ll just focus on one kid for now, the one who’s doing better. She was using my Yomega Brain, and managed to show progress on a gravity pull on that(straight throw, was able to recall it, never could sleep it) so she got upgraded to a ONE. She’s trying to do picture tricks, but her throw isn’t strong enough yet to consistently sleep long enough, but she’s getting close. She’s done Jamaican Flag, but she won’t learn Rock The Baby for some reason. She’s having issues with Eiffel Tower. But hey, not bad for a 7 year old watching videos off the internet, right?

Anyhow, I’d like to get her a durable, affordable(read: inexpensive but not a POS) ball bearing looper so she can work on looping type tricks and have some variety. She loves her ONE, no question, I just want to give her more options. I thing the YYJ Unleashed and YYF Loop900 are a bit too much to spend on her just yet. I’m not really a transaxle fan, even though might be a money saving option, I’d rather go ball bearing.

She’s also I think motivated to push herself to get to a point where she’s gonna make me HAVE to buy her something “better”, with the idea of upgrading her ONE to something serious soon. She’s eyeing my Dark Magic II and wanting to get one of those. I keep telling her “there’s lots of other stuff out there to consider, but in the meantime, you’ve got to progress further before I can even consider upgrading”.

No brand loyalty here. Got Duncan products, Yomega, YYJ and YYF products. Just want to keep the price reasonable. Keep in mind I’m sort of testing the waters here with her so I want to keep costs low. Worse case is that if she bails or outgrows it, there’s another kid next in line who’s gonna want to use the stuff. That kid is already on a Brain.

It’s just gonna be more stuff to put into a sizable order. I got a family of people who I have to feed some yoyos to, myself included.

Thanks. I’ll keep checking responses until I can place my order. There’s gonna be something in the box for everyone.

2

If not Unleashed and Loop 900, then no 720. A duncan Pulse could be nice or if you don’t mind wooden, Duncan Bumblebee. Both are nice loopers at a well priced price.

3

personally I love my duncan pulse for looping. it works much better than I thought it would. And it lights up! :stuck_out_tongue:
if you can find a pair cheap enough on the b/s/t, there are also sunset trajectories. not sure how much they usually go for though, might be a bit too much.

4

Shinwoo Loop might be good. and if its not responsive enough,just use flowable silicone and put in a lot.

5

Yea, the pulse is pretty decent and I just saw them at Toy’s R Us for $7.99. If a store is in your area it might save you the trouble of the b/s/t or shipping prices. And as mentioned before, what kids doesn’t love a yoyo that you can play with in the dark with its light up capabilities.

6

Yomega raiders are great begginers

7

I was thinking that, but for the price I see them at(retailing at $20), I can order an Unleashed from here for less. Of course, add in shipping from YYE and I come out ahead with a local purchase, but the ONE place in the region that MIGHT have them doesn’t have them very often.

8

Yomega Raiders are good for beginners, and intermediate. In my opinion they are the best. Good price too.

9

I got my raider for $12. Oh yeah, and for $2 more, you can get a loop 720. The response never wears out.

10

if you can find it, go for a sunset.

11

At the store nearby, I saw the Raider $20 and all they had was 1 black one. I called them today, they don’t have any(so they say, they are right across from the register).

I like the no-maintenance approach of a response system that doesn’t wear out. That’s one of the reasons I’m choosing a pair of Unleashed yoyos for myself.

Again, nothing is being left out of the equation. My preference is to buy them from here since the local offerings are, how shall I say? Lacking? Sucks? Blows? Pathetic?

Worse case is I might just stick my kid here, look at the loopers and say “pick one in the color you want” and just deal with the fall-out later. It’s only money, right?

Any thoughts on the Shinwoo Loop?

12

The shinwoo loop is great. Low maintenence and great for begginer tricks. But loop 720 beats it. Response rocks. Its so cool. Yeah , in houston, local offerings suck

13

The only bad thing is that the Loop720 is not available here. I haven’t checked other places yet. I’m placing a sizable order here fairly soon, once a check arrives.

14

Oh, that is a problem. Shipping and everything is too complicated. Let me look if I see anything on this site. Loop 900 are too expensive for begginers. $25 eAch…

15

I wish YYE had a “by type or style” sort option. It would save some time.

Since YYE does flat rate shipping, doesn’t matter what I buy, it’s gonna go into a box and cost me $5 to ship it. Plus, I can see everything I want at the moment is in stock, so it’s just a matter of waiting again.

I feel the Unleashed and Loop900 are too expensive for a beginner. At this point I don’t know how into it she really is, so I have to play the “cut the losses” game until things are proven otherwise.

I’m sorta leaning towards the Shinwoo Loop at the moment due to price.

Oh, and for others: BST isn’t an option. Don’t want to deal with it. Would just prefer new. It’s for my kid. I may look at BST to get a high end metal for myself in October, but I’m also looking at new then as well as my primary focus.

16

Well, nothing here that someone hasn’t reccomended… Maybe get the Shinwoo loops.

17

Studio, I think I love you. You put everything into your posts, are very helpful, and even though you just started throwing, and I’ve been throwing since I was 6-7, and you always help me. I love reading your posts. Your huge yoyo order has gone down in YYE lore. Everyone knows how awesome it will be. Hey when you order, can you tell us what you got and your views on them?

18

I like to, as you say it, “put it all out”, because I like to be efficient and respect people’s time, especially those who choose to take their time to help someone else out.

Regarding my order, when I receive it, I don’t see why I shouldn’t review it in my own unique manner.

Keep in mind, as I’m learning, I’m developing learning materials oriented towards young kids, trying to show them stuff other than video games, using yoyo as a bridge to “getting off the couch and getting outside to play”. I don’t want to say “banish video games”, just there’s other things to do than battery or electric powered fun. Despite my age, I understand what kids need, because I’m just an overgrown kid anyways, but also I have kids, and I note where I lack understanding because if I do, someone else does, so that way I can fill the gaps.

One of my goals is to be able to do at least a couple of tricks in each style, mostly to show the kids that this can be fun as well are rewarding. I also have to expose kids to lots of different types of yoyos. I figure, an hour of their day, once a year. Short demo, a few short videos of performances(the Jensen performance at WYYC 2011 is gonna have to be there), and then the rest being hands on. I might get some interest, I might not. Even if I only entertain, then that’s still something.

So, for loopers, I am ordering a pair of Unleashed. 1 blue, 1 white. I’m debating if I don’t swap some halves to make blue/white ones. I’m not really ready for 2A yet, but I see no reason to not start developing my left hand and coordination of the two.

For variety, I may choose to toss in a Loop900.

For hubstacks, I figure a Grindmachine, probably in the red/white unless the blue/yellow can ever get back in stock. That must be a popular model.

For novelty purposes, the Big Yo, but I also want to learn off-string, so I’m going to also get a Fiesta XX for when I get ready to do some serious stuff. Debating blue or white. However, I’m not ready for off-string yet, but it will be nice to have the stuff ready for me when I am ready for it.

Because they are so inexpensive, I’m getting a red ONE for my wife. She’s showing an interest but doesn’t want to admit to it because “it’s a kids toy”. Yeah, then why does she keep throwing my blue One that I keep responsive? She was trying to throw my Dark Magic until I threw the unresponsive bearing into it. The string is too long for her!

Also, because they are so inexpensive, a Whip. Blue, of course. That way I can carry an inexpensive responsive and unresponsive throw wherever I go, such as when I’m taking the kids To school or back home. Since the kindergarten starts 15 minutes before regular 1-6, that’s either 15 minutes of standing on my inline skates or 15 minutes of standing on my inline skates and getting some practice in. Plus, if I fall down, I won’t be breaking my Dark magic II! Plus, if someone wants a try, the ONE is responsive so it should be easy for them.

Then there’s the DieNasty. That’s for a dark performance that despite it getting canned for a show(I said it would end up being a distraction due to the scene change), I wish to persue it anyways. The concept was to do about 20-30 seconds of 5A stuff with a glowing yoyo and counterweight.

Of course, add in 100-count of 100% poly, color to be determined. White’s good. Yellow might be the way to go. Just haven’t decided what solid color yet. And some other items may be shoved into that box as impulse buys just because.

So, now it comes down to my kids. The one who started with my Brain yoyo has upgraded to a ONE of her own, and she’s who I’m shopping for a looper for her so she can practice looping type tricks. The reason why I want her to have her own stuff is she’ll use it more if it’s HERs. but also because my kids have a habit of taking and breaking anything that’s mine. She takes her ONE almost everywhere these days, and at 7 and a half, she’s doing quite well. She’s already wanting a Dark magic II of her own, but I keep saying she’s got to earn something better, but also that there’s lots of other stuff out there.

The next one down, well, he has a brain, but he lost his brain, which is especially ironic since school just started. I just don’t want him running around saying “I lost my brain, I lost my brain” because the last thing I need is a parent-teacher conference to get an explanation for that one(especially since his class may be one of my first trial runs for the activity I am working on). If he’d just show me his gravity pull(if he can do it), there’s a black ONE waiting for him right this second. It will be quite some time before he moves beyond a ONE.

When it comes to my kids(and my wife), I don’t want to be cheap, but I also don’t want to spend like crazy on this right now for them. But, if they do end up being into it like I am, all I can say is that this is gonna cost me a LOT of money. At the same time, we’re gonna have a LOT of fun together. Something along the lines of “A family that throws together stays together”?

Then, I have a few other purchases planned. One is going to not be here, but it will be a small purchase of a wide design yoyo. Also, an H-shaped might be in order. But, my next major purchase will be a high-end metal for myself. Money won’t be an object because I’ll be allocating $200 for that venture to cover all bases. That new Timcor Starfire has me interested! Then, a pair of matching undersized yoyos in different colors for 3A. The reason for different colors is so I can not get lost! I’ll probably use different colored string as well for the same reason.

Currently in the collection is a Mighty flea and an Aoda Little Guy, which shows kids small throws. I have some Duncan Imperials and a Butterfly, a FH2, and a Metal Drifter. I need to make the last 2 totally unresponsive. I also have a Yomega Brain(for clutch yoyos), Fireball(for transaxle) and an XodusII for the heck of it. I also have one of those wood Japan Relief throws to show wooden yoyos but also to support aid in Japan for the disaster. Other items include a cheap Chinese throw(it’s a junker totally, but it’s shiny!), and the previously mentioned Dark Magic II and a ONE.

Of course, I’ll still buy stuff now and then. Pads wear out, bearings need replacing, strings need to be replenished, and sometimes “ooh, I just gotta have it”. But, I have a plan and a vision.

So, now that I’ve said what I’ve said, let me say a few more things:

I’m glad when I can provide assistance. Be in professional audio, computers, data comm, networking or even yoyo. I actively participate on 2 forums for lighting products, of which I use their computer based lighting software and for the most part, lights from those two companies. I creatively write as well, sometimes 20 or more pages a day, depending on the nature of the topic. Frequent topics involve, well, audio, yoyo and Disney and other toys. I’m working on stuff for my toy and hobby we site: http://www.studio42.info Warning, that site is horrifically neglected and has not been updated in years, despite the fact I’ve been working on new content for years. It’s based around video games and “virtual pet” type devices, but I’m adding Disney stuff(park information, trading pins which I collect), wind-up toys and yoyo content soon. The Disney stuff is because we go to Disneyland once a year, and people always ask me questions about the parks. In audio, especially live sound(concerts), it’s a difficult business to get into. I help teach people how large scale systems work as well as let them get hands on time on the big gear. These skills give them an edge over others through practical hands on outside the classroom in the real-world, as well as letting them work in a non-hostile environment. Basically, I’m giving people the chances I had to fight hard to get, as my way of giving back.

When I give, I give of myself and I give freely without expecting anything in return. In the meantime, I try to have fun, be good and enjoy what I do. As I love doing pro audio, it’s hardly like I’m working when I’m doing big shows.

In closing:
Despite working in entertainment most of my life, I’m proud to say I’ve experienced all of it drug and alcohol free. I do not consume alcohol at all, and as far as drugs, it’s got to be prescription medication prescribed TO me, and in the case of stuff for pain, it’s taken as little as possible.

OK, I think this concludes my creative writing for today!
(maybe!)