I’ve got a minty Intro I’ll trade you. You’ll like or your money back.
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I personally LOVE VIP bearings, tbh I have them in most of my throws. they’re smooth, quiet, and spin forever. great bearings all around. note, I have not tried the ceramic versions. I really like that the string centering mechanism isnt as deep as konkave bearings, and has no flat area like a center trac. tends to give nice tight binds while minimizing friction from string rub, and reduces precession from off-centered string in the gap.
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I have three VIP Ultra bearings (I assume you are talking about the bearings yotricks sells and puts in their Throwback-branded yoyos), and I find them inconsistent in terms of the noise they make. One of them has been dramatically louder than the others, so I think it can be a bit of a cr*pshoot as to what you’ll get.
Performance-wise they are good, but I can’t honestly say they are significantly better than other bearings in their price range.
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I’ve bought like 10 of them at this point and I’ve had one that had an inner race that was out of spec, otherwise I haven’t had one that didnt perform well. sadly like all things tolerances are a bitch and if you get the worst combination of tolerances in the races or balls it can be terrible lol.
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Just realize that with those three yo-yos, you have all that you need. Anything else you get will be another bar in your prison of yo-yo collecting. [This true statement inspired by the Jensen live stream last night].
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Gp on the one drop site store, see whats available. Pick a shape and color that looks interesting and get that. No matter what you get its gonna be good!
Don’t even mess with BST until you get a better idea of interests. Its a hassel! Just get anything and throw, it will be good! I always find it silly when people recommend hard to find yoyos to people just starting. Plus if you are just starting you might be more prone to damaging
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I agree that it is hugely frustrating to be given recommendations to yoyos that aren’t currently available retail. And if the OP was asking for just any good yoyo, then pointing them at out-of-production throws only obtainable via BST would be annoyingly unhelpful.
However, in this case the OP is specifically asking for One Drop suggestions, and at that point I think it becomes completely valid to recommend any One Drop, even if it means they would have to keep an eye on BSTs. Especially considering how limited the One Drop retail selection usually is at any given moment. Yes, One Drop only makes good yoyos, but their best yoyos (for a particular person) may not be among the three or four models currently available for retail purchase, and so I feel it behooves anyone seriously interested in One Drops to consider previously-owned yoyos from BSTs.
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Flat bearings are fine, unless your throw is pretty wild, there shouldn’t be a great perceptible difference.
I enjoy keeping the ODs I own with a stock flat bearing. Have a Terrarian, Eclipse, Free Solo, and a Lunar Eclipse on the way. Terrarian is most unique, and a lot of fun. Eclipse has personality, it sort of loses a little spin towards the end, but I reach for it a lot anyway.
Also, flat bearings make some tricks easier, including slacks and suicide catches, loop gets bigger. To a point…
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I go through phases with the OD flats. It’s like they make OD throws feel like they are intended to feel with them in. They sit on the bearing seat perfectly and they provide a smoothness that is unmatched by any other bearing I’ve tried. However, I’m no pro and the flat bearing will cause more tilting and string friction against the response pads if I’m playing sloppy or doing more 3D tricks.
So, I’ll keep the flats on for a while until I get tired of correcting myself, then I’ll swap in a concave and remember how good that yoyo can actually perform with an optimal setup and play it that way for a while. Then, one day I’ll get bored and go back to the flat and be amazed once again by how smooth and quiet it is… rinse and repeat. I love the flats, but they do come at a cost unless you’re pretty clean with your tricks.
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Agreed that One Drop flat bearings are of exceptional quality and performance (they are, as I understand it, the premium bearing of choice for fidget spinner aficionados). However, it is simply a known fact of physics that flat bearings induce more precession than centering bearings, and I’ve done the experiments to prove it. Moreover, I’m not the only one who has noticed this phenomenon. In fact, the yotricks website even has this to say:
Flat bearings offer the best binds because the surface of the bearing is close to the response pads, decreasing the amount of string needed to perform a bind, making binds tighter and most consistent. However, the flat shape allows the string to sit wherever it wants to on the outer race, causing the yoyo to become unbalanced and to turn (precess) while spinning.
So if your skill level is such that you can overcome the (increased) precession, then by all means stick with the flat bearings. They have amazing spin performance, there’s no doubt about that. But at the same time, don’t be afraid or ashamed to swap them out if they frustrate you.
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My first unresponsive yoyo was a Horizon, and my second yoyo was a OD Legendary Terrarian. I found the LT a little challenging at first. But then I lost the Horizon for a couple weeks (daughter, and the LT was really the only thing I had to play with, and I have developed a great deal more affection for it. It’s still more challenging to keep on plane (even with a centering bearing) than a yoyo with heavier rim weight. But, I was really surprised when I recently replaced the large spike SE with ultra-light SEs that I (thought) I could feel it get more stable. So, I think the advice for a Terrarian (or a LT if you can get one) and ultra-light SEs would be a good idea. I also have a Markmont Classic Magnum Opus, and I think that has become my favorite by a small margin.
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I’ve got a Silhouette on the BST right now, just sayin. 
Great first One Drop! Haha it was my first and I’m trying to sell it shortly after getting it. The shape definitely isn’t my cup of tea but I’ve heard some people love it.
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Yes, this makes sense. By reducing the weight in the center of the yoyo with the ultra-lites, you effectively increase the effect of the weight that’s everywhere else, especially at the outer rim, making it marginally more stable.
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My favorite is the silhouette
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I just impulse purchased one used off the BST here. What do you like about it? What can I expect? There are not many reviews of it.
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I really like the color way i have . It feels different than all other yoyos and I’m my opinion the width diameter and weight are perfect
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