Alright that alliteration was either mildly amusing or I sounded really dumb.
I think I’m coming to terms with the fact that im just not mentally built for any type of limited or special edition items that aren’t designed to sit on a shelf or display.
As much as I love my extra nice looking yo-yos they don’t really leave the house and even then I’m often hesitant. It’s not like I’m even sweating losing re-sale value, just the sense of dread that comes with marring the special ano or material and being reminded every time I use it again.
Ok I guess I’m transforming into a forum old head officially with this kind of seemingly introspective but ultimately meaningless post about yo-yos.
I know what you mean! I’ve come to terms with having a “beater” or two and then “the rest of the collection”.
Every once in a while I’ll bring a banger with me, and I’m fortunate that I picked up a Saturday Market Panorama that already had dings in both halves, so that comes out a lot, but yeah…
The struggle is real
I look at my yo-yos as a sunk cost. So they aren’t depreciating resale value if they get dinged. But they are depreciating fun value if they sit on the shelf unplayed.
My philosophy: these are toys and meant to be played with. I cater all my yo-yo choices around this philosophy, if something is so expensive that I don’t want to play it, it’s on the chopping block. I understand people who want to look at a shelf of pretty pristine yo-yos, but that is not for me.
I like rare stuff, but I never buy a yoyo to shelf. I put ultra grey in everything and play with everything. The Monkey Flyer I have leaves the house. It has some kind of scuff from something on the finish so it’s imperfect already anyway. I actually leave my Maples at home I feel a bit afraid to damage the wood because it’s just a less durable material than aluminum/steel/ti. They’re so fun to play though, having 2 so I can keep caps on one and off the other is really nice as well.
A lot of my favorite metals are all already dinged or vibe anyway so I don’t mind bringing them out either.
I don’t have the most valuable of rare yoyos, but my orange cerakote chunk has a ton of battle scars, as well as a dent in one of the caps due to it being my 5a beater for a long time (being replaced by the cerakote green dew lmao, which is now smacked and vibey as well. I love the marks on them as they kinda show the toy has been well loved, as well as it literally showing my progress in the style. My paladin by thesis is another victim of me practicing 5a over concrete
I dont particularly care for resell value, I buy a toy to play with, not to look good, only time ill really sell a throw is if i dont like it out the box, in which case it hasn’t seen enough play to damage it. So if im loving it enough to try a riskier trick, im probably not selling it anyways
I’m a professional guitarist and I know guitarists like this. They spend a fortune on guitars and are worried about taking them out to gigs. They are made to be played… same as yoyos I imagine (I’m just a beginner but been around the block a few times to notice parallels.)
I know people close to me who struggle to enjoy things that they view as expensive. Coming from a family who hobby of restoration of 60s-70s cars, sometimes once the car is “done” there’s too much sentimental value and fear of it being hit, have a rock roosted up to chip/crack a windshield, ect, that the people would only drive them 2-3 times a year. One of them unintentionally bought a fun car (early 2000s GTO) that was inexpensive and a good deal, and this person has almost no sentimental value with it, but they drive it all the time and don’t even think about it.
It’s kinda been my lesson taking from that experience above to throwing that if I find myself having something that’s “too nice to take out” and throw over concrete, I’m better off letting it go, because what I probably enjoy most about the yoyo is that it’s nice, not that it performs well for me, and complements my current style of throwing. But I’ve not full arrived at this, because I did buy a “lighter” pano a few months ago, and I only throw that over carpet.
I agree with you 100%. My boosted rainier I dinged it on the first day from a slipped bind, and now I rarely think about it. I did that to my diorama, except I was showing off my my aunt and uncle who haven’t see unresponsive yo-yoing. But, I can’t bring myself to just getting over it because it’s so pretty.
Being an X player. I’ve come to terms with the fact that any yoyo that enters my collection is doomed to be damaged. No matter how rare or cool it is. If i like it, i’ll play it anywhere. 5a/3a being my main styles, both are destructive no matter how careful you are. Recently, i have started labeling my very very nice yoyos, normally the bi metals, they are my “1a only” yoyos in an attempt to keep them mint. Not for resell, but just so i have SOMETHING nice and clean in my case. Lol
I’ve got a 1 of 10 friends and family edition Dunk Rebound that has met the concrete more than a few times. Some people cry when they see it. I see i very special, well loved toy. I feel you though, the first ding always hurts a tiny bit.
why can’t it be both? i get that some ppl treat them like museum pieces, but i disagree with what seems to be a prevalent sentiment that use=damage. i play many of mine daily and most get handled at least weekly and i bring them in the world with me, but there’s almost no damage among them. i have a beater that is damaged and can be played over concrete, just like one might have a beat up pair of shoes for yard work or a beater truck, but the rest are in great shape! i use my phone all day every day and haven’t used a case in years, but i don’t throw my phone all over the place so it doesn’t get damaged. x divs are different cuz obv 3a and 5a will damage yoyos just by their nature, though.
and i just wanna be clear, if anyone doesnt care or likes damage, that’s totally fine. im not trying to tell anyone they can’t beat up their toys. i just wanted to point out that things can be played and enjoyed, and taken care of
I get that, and I’m not saying to go out and intentionally beat up yoyos. My point was more if I like one of my throws, its travelling with me. Ive accepted that damage is a possibility, and while I wont seek it out, if it happens, it happens.
I primarily play 5a, so my throws are a bit more prone to damage, and I still try to find grassy patches to throw over to minimize damage, but I’m not keeping a yoyo as an indoor throw only just because its nice. If im borrowing a yoyo or its a pif or something, yeah, it stays indoors and doesn’t see any risky 5a tricks, but if its mine and im playing in the park or driveway and it rolls onto the sidewalk im not going to fret too much. I do have a couple 1a only throws though. I cant imagine the miracle would do great in a drop, and ive already cracked one dunk lx from a good cw smack, i dont want to break my second one
