Major wth moment

So, i bought a capless maybe 4 months ago… it was my first metal. I didn’t know what to expect from a metal but i thought it was great… then i got a twisted trifecta bearing to replace the stock bearing… it didn’t work and ended up stripping some of the ano inside the area where the bearing goes. this was the first sign that things were off… then i noticed that the yoyo started tilting prematurely while in full spin (and i know i have a good throw from my other metals that i have bought since)…now for the major wth part… i just took the yoyo apart to try the trifecta again (because i just cleaned it) and the freaking axel comes out and the metal inside is STRIPPED. kind of like when you drill in a screw and keep the drill going. COMPLETELY SMOOTH and the axel WILL NOT stay in the other half of the yoyo.

I will post pictures soon.

Did i receive a deffective yoyo? this is complete bs… i’m going to contact YYE (site where i bought it from) and find out if this has ever happened before. I’m going to send both the capless AND the trifecta back for them to look at because i’ve had problems with both since i first ordered them. And now this happens…

i guess the purpose of this topic is to rant a bit but also to ask if this is normal for the axel area to get stripped…

will also post pics soon as my camera is done charging.

I popped a Trifecta in my Capless and it’s running amazing.

Hopefully the pictures help tell your story better because right now I don’t understand what the issue could be.

You may have cross-threaded your Capless. I don’t have much experience in the yoyo maintenance category, but this happens if you forcibly turn the axle into the half. The threads are quite thin and susceptible to such damage.

As for the stripped ano, I believe this is common among tighter bearing seats. My 888x has a monster of a bearing seat which is extremely tight. When I remove my bearing I also see such an area with worn ano where the bearing comes in contact with the yoyo. Typically the super tight bearing seat involves tolerances both with the throw and the bearing itself.

Like I said though, take my advice with a grain of salt. I’m not too knowledgeable in this field. Hopefully somebody can chime in with a more accurate assessment.

the treading that allows the axel to stay in place came out…

also, the tread stuck to the axel and i unscrewed the tread… it now looks like a small coil after coming off the axel.

will post pics of that very soon (still charging)

“Is it normal?” is a loaded question. Of course it’s not normal! Nobody buys a yoyo thinking, “This is going to be fun until it strips in a few weeks.”

“Is this expected?” is a more appropriate but more difficult question. If the yoyo worked when you bought it, the threads were tapped accurately and it was a functional yoyo. Problems started around the time you switched bearings. The Capless bearing seat is apparently intolerant of some bearings’ shields. Haven’t experienced this with my own Capless, but I haven’t put a Trifecta in mine. [edit: Studio42 seems to have it working in his, which changes the rest of this post a bit, but I’m not up for editing it] But C3 themselves elsewhere on the forum have stated that any C bearing will work, but you may need to remove the shields.

As to “faulty,” that depends on your definition. I personally don’t think it’s great design to have such tight tolerances that you couldn’t put in an aftermarket bearing without deshielding. But be that as it may, it works with the bearing they supply. Certainly, the fault isn’t with YYE; with the exception of the goodness of their hearts, there’s no obligation for them to replace it. Nor would they be expected to even know about the alleged “bearing seat issue”, even if they were in a position to advise you about it.

When you are screwing a yoyo together, it should be fairly obvious that something is going wrong. When threads start to cross, you can tell… that’s not just yoyos, really, but anything with a threaded screw system. I’ve started cross-threading many a piece of hardware with a nut and bolt… heck, I’ve started to cross-thread lids on drinking containers! Suffice it to say, if you cross-threaded, you would probably have noticed. (though, that’s not always the case… otherwise nobody would EVER cross-thread!)

That leads me to believe that you got to the point of ‘intolerance’ with the bearing seat… and rather than saying “man, this isn’t screwing together… what gives?” you powered your way through it. A steel axle will win over an aluminum thread any day all day. So, from one perspective, there’s no external party to blame… you probably shouldn’t have tightened so hard.

But from another perspective, the temptation to tighten that hard shouldn’t have been there, in my opinion. You shouldn’t be expected to know that some bearings need to be deshielded, and C3 should include some sort of warning literature in the box if that’s the case. Again, in my opinion.

What it boils down to is this: they gave you a working product, and you found yourself in a situation using 3rd-party (after market) accessories that ended with damage to your yoyo. Whether you cross-threaded it or whether it’s a bearing seat issue, the damage was caused by the act of tightening the halves. Nobody’s under legal obligation to fix it. If YYE has a great relationship with C3, they might be able to broker a fix. If you want to contact C3 directly, they seem like a great company and may want to provide you with a solution.

All just my perspective. I would be annoyed if I were in your situation, too.

2 Likes

i guess you’re right, i should have asked for help before the ‘situation’ got out of hand… now i’m out $65 though… not really sure what to do… the yoyo was practically mint except for the earlier mentioned issues… sigh

If it can’t be rethreaded you could get it re-tapped for use with a slightly larger axle.

You may have stripped one half of the throw while opening and closing it, just gotta make sure you don’t over tighten- tighten until you feel resistance, then stop.

If I’m understanding now, the whole thread came out?

Honestly, you’ll have much better luck and more accurate advice if you would contact yoyospirit.

If you can provide pictures, he would probably know what to do if there are any options. :slight_smile:

It definitely sounds like it was cross threaded. When assembling a yo-yo I always put the axle in place then actually turn it the wrong way until I hear of feel the “click” that the thread has lined up. Stop right when you get the click and begin turning the proper direction.

Real bummer about your yo-yo though.

You could contact Landon balk to fix your throw.

I would still give C3 a try (with or without YYE brokering the conversation). What’s the worst that can happen? As long as you’re polite and forthcoming, you may get some sort of satisfaction. Just don’t “count” on it, or you’re risking doubling down on disappointment if they say they can’t do anything. Throw the Hail Mary with no real expectation.

That failing, Landon Balk may indeed be able to help (if he’s not too busy with 3Yo3 stuff!).

we’ll see… i already have two better yoyos that i like and love to play with more… it just sucks… i guess i can keep the capless as a “memory” throw… my first metal lol. oh whale. i will contact C3 if/when i care enough… this topic was mainly started out of rage and wtheckness.

Contact YYE.

In regards to the memory throw thing: A couple years back I had a Dv888 that had an issue (not this one, something else) and YYF took it back and swapped me out a new one. It was my first metal and it was sad to see it go but I still consider the replacement my first metal. I think you will too over time, it kinda sucks at first but then it’s fine.

Putting a yoyo together is a lot like cleaning your ears with a Q-tip or picking one’s nose:

STOP when you feel pressure!

(Sorry, bad “brain damage” jokes)

In all seriousness, too many people have stripped their threads by not paying attention. Unfortunately, it’s easy to do.

In one instance, a product I own many of has removable/replaceable rack screw-down inserts. If you strip it, pop it out and put in a new one.

When putting a yoyo together, it should start to screw together easily with nearly no pressure until that last little bit when you’re almost done. Palm on each side and a bit of extra twist(not even 1/10th of a turn if even that) and you’re done. If it’s not starting to go together easily, stop and don’t force it.

Once the threads are stripped, additional damages can occur, such as the insert(if used) could separate. The problems will only get worse until you have the yoyo re-tapped.

Sorry for your loss. Please learn from this so that you may never have this problem happen again.

On the topic of swapping bearings:
I’ve noticed the tolerances on bearings seem to vary as do the bearing seats. I’ve had the fit between the bearing and the bearing seat vary on the same yoyo between different bearings. It has ranged from “Need a bearing puller” to “can fall into your hand”. No matter what, if the yoyo was smooth, it continues to play smooth.

Yeah keep putting the wrong gas and oil in a car will eventually break the motor. Not like Honda is going to refund you for a car.