My name is Chris, and i started YOing when i was 12 ( 20 years ago) with a grandpa yo yo, wood axle the works. I was mainly doing looping tricks which at the time was what was cool, every once and a while bust out a walk the dog, rock the baby, or man on the flying trapese. Time went on and me and yo yoing went seperate ways. Just three months ago I picked up the old yo yo again this time I used it as a means to quit smoking. When i felt the urge to smoke i go practice for thirty minutes. When i go to work people get a 15 min smoke break I go yo yo. Has done wonders. Well a week after i started the people at work teased and said all you do is yo yo no tricks so i went on a crusade to learn some neat tricks unfortunatly my 1980 wooden dime store yo yo was inadequit. So I went to Toys R Us and bought a Duncan Metal Drifter neat little contraption got bearings the works, I also went to this site and printed out the Become a Yo Yo Master trick sheet from beginner to advance 2. So I practiced harder watched each video over 20 times till i got my trick like fluid. When i got to the tricks with the split bottom mount I realized that my basic gear just don’t do what it is supposed to. So I bought some Koncave bearings and 100 lime green Nylon strings now my 25 dollar Duncan Metal Drifter is screaming through some tricks. Now i get to advanced part 2 are you kidding me 3 strings in my 3.5mm gap it has been bad enough doing Ripcord with my yo. So now I feel i have out grown my old trusty. I am looking into one of the over a bill Yo Yo’s not sure which yet but I’ll keep up the search. At the end of the month I am having another birthday (bah) and my family is all getting me gift cards to this site all told close to 200 bucks. Now all that isn’t going to be a yo yo cause at my skill lvl I dont think i need a Sleipnir or a Luminous. I am looking at either a YYF Mutant DNA or a ILYY Valve cause the dimentions are slightly bigger than my Drifter. Any suggestions or ideas of what a good semi expert yo yo are welcome. Back to topic I have retired my old dimestore yo yo and I am 4 months smoke free, and my co workers are wowed by some of the tricks I am doing. My wife has even gotten into it she has a Duncan butterfly and can do Rock the Baby Eiffle tower and spell Yo (upsidedown Eiffel towel) mainly she is still working on sleeper. So all is good in my yo yo world. Maybe if she gets good enough I can buy me a new yo yo and give her my older ones. Well when I get my new YoYo i will post it to see what the YOers think. Untill next time this is Chris saying keep your sting clean and your yo yo’s a spinning.
At this point, assuming you can bind, the mutant DNA or the valve would be fine. Use the extra money to stock up on even more string (I buy 100 strings with every order), lube, and possibly a one or velocity for your wife both are great begginer yoyos that can be responsive and unresponsive. Also both the valve and DNA use different sized bearings then the drifter so if you like kks then buy a size c for the DNA or a size d for the valve.
Also congratulations on finding yoyoing as your solution to quitting smoking. Yoyos are much more healthy. ;D
thats way cool buddy. check out a contest or two if you can. 
Yay! More older people!! Welcome!!!
When i buy a new Yo my wife is gonna get my Metal Drifter minus the Koncave bearing cause she has no clue how to bind. Me on the other hand i can bind and dismount trapease by tossing it up and catching I have completed the check list to rewind i try not to skip steps I can probable do later tricks, but better to do it till you make it fluid before you move on makes for more practice. Everyday i do the check list of tricks, and work on the next trick. spent a week on Plastic Whip… almost hurt my feelings, but I am fluid now.
Also don’t forget extra responce pads for the drifter so it will be responsive again.
Welcome friend. 
Check out a yoyofactory 888 if you get a chance. Any General Yo yo-yo is an excellant choice as well. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions.
Also, don’t be shy, there’s some amazing plastics out there too, especially if you want something that you don’t mind banging up a bit (PGM makes a nice choice, also some of the YYJ plastics like the Chaser, Legacy and Kickside/Lyn Fury variety).
Glad to see that yoyos took over the ‘cancer sticks’ as I call 'em… a much healthier habit to have
That’s awesome! I’m glad that another person out there has not only quit smoking but has also got into yoyoing!
My first real throw was with a yoyo with a brain. I was glad because I could actually bring that one back up. But then my sister broke it.
My second throw was a duncan imperial. I’ve owned up to 4 different imperials in my life. I still have two. I then got a duncan butterfly. I was never serious with yoyoing at the time. I usually just did gravity pulls with it and occasionally attempted a rock the baby. It then broke.
Then 3 (4, 5?) months ago I got a duncan metal drifter from toysrus. Boy that thing take me through up to half of the advanced tricks. Then the silicone got burned out. So I recently ordered new string, flowable silicone, and a DM2. I used my new DM2 until the new silicone dried. But when I tried to use my drifter it was all responsive and stuff. It was a little sad for me at first because it was my first throw and I thought that it would always be my favorite. Until i realized that I just put in too much silicone.facepalm Now because I don’t want good silicone to go to waste I throw my drifter whenever I can to burn out the silicone. It’s going to be a long time.
So today I throw my DM2 almost all the time. It does wonders for me. Try to consider that as well. But you will have to get a bigger koncave bearing for it.
I was especially interested in this thread because you specifically mentioned the metal drifter and I feel that it doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Thanks for the charming story.