Looking for help with first new throw in 20 years

Yo-Yo Reviews Looking for Help/Recommendation
1

-Do you know how to bind the yoyo? (If you don’t know what bind means then you don’t know how)

No. But I am interested in unresponsive play.

-Do you have a yoyo that you own or played with that you have liked very much? Describe every detail. Eg. what kind of friction stickers you are using, cleaned bearing or not, and so on.

I only own one yoyo, a Kuhn SB-2 from 1994. Haven’t played in over 16 years. Completely unfamiliar with the new stuff.

-Do you have a preferred shape of the yoyo? Answer it by saying like the shape similar to this or that yoyo. Some people just hopping into the yoyo groove haven’t tried all the shapes and want to explore. When this happens its all about experimenting. Please try new yoyos at contests or anywhere you can get ahold of someone for those of you in this situation. The more yos you try the less likely you are going to order something you don’t like. for those of you who live in a cave. then buy a yoyo and live with it.

I am looking for something suitable for 1A style string trick based play.

-Do you have a preferred weight or weight distribution? Answer it saying similar to this or that yoyo.

I think I would prefer heavier than lighter. I prefer medium to slow play, and would like long spin times. Weighted rims for string tricks is preferred.

-Do you have a price range?

Under $200

-Do you have a certain amount of yoyos narrowed down? List them.

No

-Do you prefer a certain brand?

No.

-Are you looking for a yoyo that specializes a style? Like looping, off string, freehand, etc.

I am looking fat moving into unresponsive string trick play. With my SB-2 I had mastered all the tricks in the intermediate section of the videos here back in the 90s. Could string some together. Looking to move into more advanced play.

-Do you prefer a certain response syetem?

Unresponsive

-Do you want hubsstacks or z stacks?

Unsure

-What trick are you currently working on?

None. I am currently looking at restarting the hobby.

-Do you want a yoyo to Thumb grind or arm grind good?

Not too important, but might be nice.

Addition info: long spin times are key for me. I’m slow, and have monocular vision (no depth perception). Any help finding a super long spinning string trick throw for unresponsive play is greatly appreciated.

2

ClywXOnedrop Summit sounds good for you considering you have a $200 budget and want a big long sleeping yoyo that is fully unresponsive. Don’t clutter your head with too many options.

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No need to spend $200, but nice that you’re giving yourself the option.

I really like the Dark Magic II, and it’s a great transitioning yoyo, learning yoyo and competitive yoyo, although it’s shape is a bit dated and not up to handling all the modern stuff going on, yet still a great yoyo at $45 or so. Comes with 2 bearings for responsive and unresponsive play.

Since I think everything else I’m going to recommend is unresponsive only, that saves me some words.

Models I would recommend(of what is available here):
RecRev Sine//Saw
C3 Capless, Trident. I’d recommend more but I don’t have their higher-up stuff. The Halo is nice but I think full metal is a better option for you.
Anything One Drop, but emphasis on the Code 1, Code 2 and Burnside.
CLYW: Anything there, but I’d focus on the Arctic Circle, Chief and Avalanche
Feel free to get the CLYW/OD Summit, it’s awesome.
YYF: The MVP isn’t available anymoore but I really enjoy it. SuperStar, be it a stacked version or a Champions Edition. Equilateral.
YoYoJam: Theory, Inspire, Diamondback, Titan 3, Next Level, H3X(HEX), even the Phenom.
Werrd: Irony is the only one I’ve played but I’m planning to get the Irony JP, Hour and Sentinel.
Madhouse YoYos Compulsion.
Duncan Barracuda, but if you want budget, the Raptor, Metropolis and Echo are fantastic too. My preference on the budget side is the Metropolis.

Some “new” brands:
GSquared: Honestly, whatever of their models you want, you can’t lose with. Albatross, Nessie, Triton.
Eternal Throw: Victory, and not just because a player is a friend of mine. This is an awesome yoyo.
General Yo: Majesty if you can, but I like the KLR better.

I’d recommend more but I have new stuff I need to go through. I think the Spin Dynamics is gonna hit my recommendations list though.

With so many difference shapes, it’s hard to choose. Most of what I have recommended are full sized and have generous catch zones. Since you lack depth perception, I would suggestion contrasting your string color to the yoyo colorway so you can better see what’s going on. Long spinning won’t be an issue with anything I’ve listed provided your throw itself is good, which it should be based on your self-description.

If you are near where I live, I’d let you go through my stuff, show you how to bind and then you can start making decisions better. You’re talking a sizable budget, and most of my choices, which have a big price range as well, lets you decide to maybe buy a plastic or two to beat up a bit while you get used to unresponsive play, such as a Classic with upgrades and/or a Surge(just to name but a few examples). I just have a hard time suggesting an over $100 yoyo for someone re-starting, but that’s just my mindset.

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4

Welcome back to yoyoing! I would say a onedrop and CLYW summit. Its the best throw I’ve tried! maybe… Also, pretty much anything clyw (I didn’t like the avalanche, haven’t tried the arctic citlce but hear its amazing). Im going to have to disagree with studio42’s second paragraph… You said you are only interested in unresponsive, the dm2 plays responsive and unresponsive, and to me… Its not that good at either, but hey, ur choice. Im going to warn you now, since your price range can get you almost any yoyo, sooo many people are going to say sooo many different yoyos. So I recommend choosing a couple of yoyos, and make a poll later on. Good luck!!!

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5

Get some cheap plastic to beat up, like an Alpha Crash, Surge, PSG…

And you can order a higher up yoyo later, once you develop your play style.

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6

Even though you’ve got the intermediate tricks down and have the cash to spend I’d still start cheap. Get a YoYoJam Classic, some replacement pads and a regular C-size bearing. The Classic comes responsive stock, but switch out the bearing for a regular one and it plays unresponsive. It will still play WAY better than your SB-2 for modern 1A and is capable of doing almost all the tricks a $100+ throw can do. Once you get more of a feel for modern yoyoing then go the next step and buy a premium metal.

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7

If you want a very nice unresponsive throw, try the protostar by yoyofactory. It is plastic, but plays like the best metals out there. I wouldn’t recommend a metal because chances are your first throw is going to get beat up a lot.

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As has been said, most metal throws from reputable companies nowadays you will be more than happy with. There are hundreds to choose from and probably hundreds that will be suggested, so my advice would be find a few that you like the look of the best, and then ask here what we think of them. It’s important to have a yoyo that you love the look of.

If I were being forced to drop some names, then here are some “safe bets” that you can’t really fail with. There are probably hundreds more that play just as well, however these are just pretty universally respected and popular and easy enough to get your hands on:

CLYW Chief
CLYWxOneDrop Summit
YYF Supernova
YYF Genesis

If you’re looking for spin times, stability and medium to slow play then you’ll want a heavier throw (65-70g) with a decent amount of rim weight, perhaps a H shaped throw depending on your preference.

Whilst I haven’t tried a Summit, it is a collaboration between 2 of the most popular yoyo manufacturers currently out there, designed with constant feedback and input from plenty of pro players and even a world champion, and it has met with nothing but praise from nearly everyone who has tried it. It’s also pretty decently priced. So you really cant go wrong with one.

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9

If you’ve got the money and it’s expendable, no reason to stay “inexpensive”. I agree with others who have said that virtually any modern metal yoyo will do the trick, though; no need to spend your full $200 when there are so many options.

Find one that you like the look of, and go for it! I would generally stay in the 52mm diameter and above zone, just for the added stability, but that’s just me.

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10

Well, if you don’t ding yoyos much, (you sound like a pretty careful person) then I would definitely recommend the CLYWxOne drop Summit. It’s pretty much perfect for anything you can throw at it. If you want something you can beat on, but metal, get a Capless. It’s in the 60 range. If you want something that you will for sure upgrade, I say get an alpha crash or a halo. My 2 cents. Hope this helps!

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11

You got a pretty wide variety with your budget… A cheaper option is the dm2, it comes with a slim bearing for responsive play and and speed bearing for unresponsive play. Moderate speed, very stable, truly the beginners choice.

If you want to go straight to pure unresponsive, which is fine since youve had some experience in the past, i wouldnt recommend it for a true beginner but youve got some experience in the past so if you choose to go straight into unresponsive, Id go with the dibase 2 or capless. Or if you want to go plastic, the protostar is an excellent choice, keep in mind grinds wont be as good on a plastic though.

If you want to go straight to a high end yoyo, this i dont recommend so much but its up to you. Then you should go with a one drop or CLYW. I recommend the Code 2, Cascade, Summit, Avalanche, or Chief.

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First: welcome back! I am going to recommend the code 2. It plays awesome, and in my opinion is one of the most versatile yoyos available.

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13

If you have $200, and can find one, a Yoyorecreation Dreadnought or Dreadnought G might be a good choice. It is a bit out there, and extremely stable (not to mention quite heavy for the G version), but it can spin for ages, and is a stable platform to learn on.

If you don’t want to get one of those, these guys have recommended some great throws! :slight_smile:

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If you’re getting a yyr I saw pertyo had some amazing deals on his

Personally I think a classic and alpha crash would be more than fitting for you

You could swap the alpha crash out for any of the metal rimmed yoyojams, or trigger but I just like the alpha crash more.

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15

If you want something fullsize, I would recommend my favorite yoyo the Yoyojam H3X, it is stable fun it looks very classy especially the red version. Otherwise look into cheaper throw like the YYJ Trigger.

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16

Great suggestions in this thread. I would make one additional point, which is to choose a yoyo which is fairly popular. The reason being, it will serve as a good reference point for when you inevitably decide to purchase a second, third and future throws.

If you choose a fairly obscure or rare yoyo for your first, it will be hard to find comparisons between this throw and others you will consider later.

IMHO, Protostar, Northstar, Chief, Arctic Circle, Code 2, Majesty would all make fine options.

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17

This guy knows what he’s talking about. I can also sell you a mint Shaqler/Northstar (same yoyo) for $25 shipped. This is the yoyo used to win 2010 World Competition.

18

Jason Wong speaks the truth!

A few thoughts regarding this list:

  • The Majesty is a sensational throw, but it’s a bit more difficult to get your hands on than the rest on the list.

  • The Chief might not be heavy enough for his liking, I know it isn’t for me.

  • The Arctic Circle has a thinner gap so when using thicker string or doing tricks with lots of string it’ll slow down a lot quicker. It also has the tendency to snag a lot more, mid-trick which can be annoying and painful at times. It will help with binding though, in fact if I’m teaching anyone to bind I always give them the AC for exactly this reason.

  • Protostar is a great throw, it’s just that those darn spacers and alignment arrows are a nightmare when it comes to unscrewing it.

How goes the hunt my good man? Have we helped your decision at all? I know what it’s like trying to buy your first metal throw, the choice is overwhelming. =P

19

Wow, thanks for all the responses so far. I love this kind of obsessive hobby community.

Here are a couple things to help those of you helping me on my quest:

I like nice things. I’m in my 40s now, I make a good living, and I can afford to have things that are works of art as well as toys, so I am not really that interested in plastic throws unless they are actually superior to use.

This isn’t my first metal throw, as the SB-2 was all aluminum.

I appreciate that you guys are helping me stay frugal, and I do enjoy a good value, but I’m not afraid of dinging up a yoyo. My SB-2 survived 4 years of play without a single ding, and this was before we had the internet to help me along the learning curve in the way we do now.

Great advice about high contrast string, that is my plan.

I am confused about the throws with titanium. Since tightanium has such low density, doesn’t this kinda defeat the purpose? Is this just a gimick? I was looking at the H3X, and was a little confused.

OK, so taking into account everything said here so far, and my tastes in design, I have created the following list. I am concern with the narrow string gap and lightness issues raised by Gambit, but included the Chief on the list anyway.

So, how much heavier is 68g vs 66g (I know, 2g) when it comes to the way these things play? Is this seriously noticeable? The Summit documentary mentions how 5g made a huge difference during the design phase.

In no specific order, I think these are appealing to me:
OneDrop x CLYW Summit
YYF Genesis
YYJ H3X (pending new colors in 2 days)
CLYW Chief
most of yoyorec and turning point

In general, I really am drawn to the yoyorec and turning point throws. I think that unless someone tells me otherwise, I might just pull the trigger on the Max Bet. This appeals to me for 2 reasons: it is described as extremely long spinning and stable, and I think a throw designed for 3a might suit my slower 1a style play (let me know if I’m misguided). Also, I am an avid poker player, and the name made me think that maybe I finally found the one screaming out to me.

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His prices seem too good to be true. Why are these still available? I am tempted to get a couple of them for $110. Is this a scammer scenario?