I bought my son a YYF One and YYJ Classic. The One is not a very good yoyo IMHO, it’s weight is low and it is very responsive and the gap is so narrow that even the simple mounts are problematic. The Classic is good, but it is too big for his hands and somewhat unresponsive.
So, what are the recommendations for in-between? Looking for a $10-$15 price range. Thank you
Try a YYF velocity in this case. You can adjust the responsiveness of the Yoyo and it’s smaller than the YYJ classic.
Thank you. What do you think about the Fast 201 or the Whip?
The whip is too light and it’s big as well. The Fast 201 is a good beginners yoyo, but when you want to go into more advanced tricks, It’s not the best. Response on the Fast 201 is very consistent though.
I own both a YYF Velocity and a YYF Onestar, and both are amazing yoyos to have as an entry-level player. I first owned a Velocity before the Onestar for learning beginner and intermediate tricks on here. Once I finally had the knowledge and skills to move onto more advanced tricks such as Eli Hops and skin the gerbil, I bought the Onestar, which had definitely helped me improve. Hopefully, you can take my experience as a suggestion for your road to pro yoyoing!
I agree,the whip is a bit light and may tilt too easily for someone learning. The OneStar is fantastic, as is the Replay Pro ($2 above your $15 limit) but plays like it should cost $40.
The Replay Pro will probably feel too big if a Classic does. I’m a big fan of the ONEstar. It is regularly unresponsive, but another yoyo called the Sage is just a responsive version of the ONEstar which can be upgraded to unresponsive. I’d recommend learning to bind as soon as possible anyways though. That really opens the door to an endless multitude of impressive tricks.
I missed the part about the Classic being too big. Replay Pro will likely be too big as well. The OneStar is a great throw, my first full size,until my son claimed it 
lol, I’m rocking my Paul Han Pink Onestar rn 
Can the ONEstar be downgraded to be responsive? I have the bearing from my One
No, but if one star is too big, you can upgrade the one using the center trac
Actually, I think I’ll order the Velocity. My son is not yet ready for unresponsive play, but I like the fact he can experiment quickly by rotating a dial.
Do you think this is a good option? I think it is the same as the Classic, but hopefully it is more responsive.
Great choice! Velocity is perfect for a beginner.
I got a Velocity. I have mixed feelings. Know in advanced that the “unresponsive” setting is really just “mostly unresponsive.” (I feel like Miracle Max) Anything that has a lot of slack will make it come back, so tricks like plastic whip or ninja vanish aren’t really gonna happen with that throw.
You asked if the OneStar can be downgraded? Another site sells a rebranded OneStar with a slim C bearing in it as a responsive option, and an upgrade with a wide C to unresponsive. So I don’t see why you couldn’t do the opposite - get a ONEStar and a small C bearing and swap it out.
by the time the boy is going to do slack Yoyo tricks he’s going to have an upgrade so I don’t see much of a problem. Also if he has thin string with the Yoyo on it’s unresponsive setting it should be fine.