Not long ago I would have said a Modern Responsive has to be aluminum. Now with great yoyos like the polycarb El Mijo, Pop Art, PLTPS and others I think we need to remove that unofficial rule from the unofficial Modern Responsive rule book.
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I concur. That was kind of a Unwritten rule/assumpiton.
However there are some fairly common traits that are associated with “Modern Responsive” yoyo.
Bearing
Mid-High Walls
Narrow width (Relatively speaking, compaired to 1A).
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I somewhat agree. I wouldnt say all modern responsive yoyos are this, but I would definitely say the BEST modern responsives are.
This is why i dont like to run things like the arrow, shooting star or most other yoyos that can do both as responsives. They basically suck at stalls, giving you access to only the 1A side of things consistently. They are just better at unresponsive. Id even say things like the freehand are better as unresponsive yoyos because stalls are tricky with them.
They can do modern responsive things, so i wouldnt say they dont count. But they are just kinda bad for modern responsive.
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As you can tell, no one does lol. I just think responsive yoyos with bearings=modern responsive. As opposed to fixed axle or transaxle.
Kinda just came to this definition myself lol
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Ill respectively disagree.
Speedholic XX, Duncan Freehand, El Mijo
Speedholic is a Responsive 1A Yoyo (Not Modern Responsive)
Freehand IS Responsive, can stall (Could be considered Modern Responsive)
El Mijo - Modern Responsive- Great at the 0A side, but capable in 1A Responsive arena.
The elements in the designs for the cross style play dictate to me the difference between Responsive yoyo and Modern Responsive.
Thoughts?
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This definition classifies ever Watieoboo yoyo as a modern responsive and I’m not okay with that…
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Honestly I think we said the same thing, which is why it makes defining modern responsive so tricky sometimes 
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I didnt even know the speedaholic xx came in a responsive format. Thats more of a light mod (or whatever we want to call it) to make it responsive in my eyes, with the thicker pads and smaller bearing. I view that yoyo the same as the shooting star, best used for unresponsive 1A. Capable of responsive but not really great for it. At least not exemplary of the category.
I also agree the freehand is a modern responsive yoyo, but the reason I dont classify it among what I said the best modern responsive yoyos is because in my view the very best are as you described. High walls for stalls but also good for string tricks. The freehand is more organic than anything, so in my personal experience it is very unstable with stalls. I definitely use mine for some of the modern responsive stuff, but am always frustrated at how often it falls off to the side with stalls so i either truck through it or swap the yoyo. Definitely works as modern responsive but I wouldnt say it hits that sweet spot, maybe if the walls were higher. Id rather stall with the XT, but the XT has the opposite problem and struggles with the string tricks. These yoyos need to have a baby or something . Or maybe they do and I havent played with it yet. These do fit the category, but i wouldnt say they are the best examples of it.
The Mijo is definitely modern responsive. I havent played with it, but i believe it can swap between fixed axle and responsive settings right? It certainly has the design to be in my “best” modern responsive category, mostly depends on how it does on the string tricks but i imagine that yoyo is a superb example of modern responsive.
So basically. I think “modern responsive” when basing it off the yoyo and not the trick is broader than anybody probably likes. If its responsive, has a ball bearing and comes back to rhe hand it can probably do what it needs to be a modern responsive yoyo. BUT there is a spectrum because a lot of those yoyos may be better suited for unresponsive 1A but have been tweaked to respond or offer both as options. But in that spectrum there are plenty of yoyos that do hit the sweet spot and can flow seemlessly between a stall based style and a string trick based style, and thats what makes the most exemplary yoyos in the category. Thats where you see the typical high wall designs and such.
See, we agree! I think… lol
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Thats a paperweight not a yoyo 
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We do agree. My disagreement was that “All” respo sive yoyos are Modern Responsive.
Guess it could be easier to split the category;
Responsive 1A
Modern Responsive
Was that me? I didnt say all responsives are modern responsives 
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I do think of it interms of historical progression though if we just focus on the build of responsive yoyos.
The advent of the bearing is what created modern responsive yoyos. So to me if it has a bearing and is responsive, thats a “modern” responsive yoyo.
If you look at the trickset then thats probably where the differences you mention lie.
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I love these conversations because these definitions and styles are still evolving, and the more we talk about it, and as the styles progress, we come closer to officially classifying and understanding them. This is my take:
For play style, 0A and Modern Responsive are interchangeable.
Fixed axle yoyos are fixed axle yoyos.
Modern responsive yoyos are yoyos designed for modern responsive play with high walls and small gaps and/or small bearings. High walls hold stalls better, hold Kickflip loops better, and perform and catch Varials better. Small gaps and/or small bearings allow for a more reliable and snappier response.
You can play 0A/Modern Responsive on any responsive yoyo, but a yoyo that is not designed for it will make some tricks harder.
These terms help describe what we’re doing and what we’re using, however whether you are using a fixed axle yoyo, a modern responsive yoyo, or a yoyo designed for unresponsive play that is set up responsive; whether you are doing stalls or string tricks, it’s all still just a subdivision of 1A.
If it’s needed, I think a good way to classify these subdivisions within the subdivision would be:
-fixed axle
-modern responsive
-responsive 1A
Fixed axle and modern responsive play are so similar it’s easy to see that they should be grouped together, however where it gets weird is that bearings allow for an advantage of more spin time which can be beneficial for string tricks. Hitting something like Rancid Milk on a modern responsive is significantly easier than hitting it on a fixed axle. Hitting it on an unresponsive yoyo that is set up responsive or semi-responsive is easier than hitting it on a modern responsive.
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About a month after getting back into yoyos I saw a video with Doc Pop and Kyle Nations that gave me a direction. I started accumulating yoyos and when I got up to here I thought I had cornered the market. I considered not posting it because why should one man have so many coveted yoyos. Then I thought I might be celebrated for my outstanding collection so I posted them and was ready for some accolades. Instead of accolades @Malachi dropped an atomic bomb on us and nothing has been the same since. The fallout from it was an amazing reference list of modern responsive yoyos. With few exceptions the still holds up.
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All fixed axles are modern responsive, however, not all modern responsive is fixed axle. I see in a similar way to @bheinz63 where it’s a bearing responsive yoyo more or less designed to do fixed axle tricks. But having the bearing unlocks even more potential.
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An imperial fixed axle does not make a very good modern responsive yoyo but an excellent fixed axle looper. You lost me at all fixies are mod res
This has been my reference list for over a year now. There are still several on that list that evade me.
But, I feel I have a decent example of Most.
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That’s so true. Did not consider imperial shapes. Technically you CAN do crazy tricks on them. Is it enjoyable or easy? No. Recently I’ve been trying all my tricks on a TK woody for practice. Eventually I put it down and pick up a more modern shape.
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I absolutely love kickflipping an imperial and find 0a play with it super enjoyable. Everyone’s different tho ig and that’s cool 
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So there has been a running list of modern responsive yoyos in the 0A thread for the past 5 years. If you see anything that should be added let me know please. I get messages from people of yoyos to add every now and then 
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Duncan Imperials are life! But using them for string tricks, thats bordering on masochism 
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You must have some raw skills if you can land tricks on those consistently 
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Well I’ve had a big Modern Responsive few days. First the Harbinger. Super light and the MR85 bearing makes it crazy fast. It’s a blast!! Then the Burner. Though it is on Malachi’s list I hadn’t paid any attention to it. It has an “A” bearing so it is still fast with additional weight helping it keep spinning on the string. It rapidly became one of my very favorite yoyos. Lastly but not leastly is the Stoopid. I just got it today but initial thoughts are extremely positive. It has a “C” bearing giving it more torque combined with a great weight gives it more spin time on the string than the others.
Three awesome throws. All different and all incredible in their own way.
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