My very first yoyo.

Yo-Yo Reviews Looking for Help/Recommendation
1

As I said in my “introduce yourself” post, I never imagined the yoyo world could be so big and man! what a lot of yoyo models :open_mouth:

I now know I can’t just get to an online store and pick any yoyo that “looks pretty”
Of course appereance is something to have into account hehe but TBH all the yoyos I’ve seen look pretty (in the worst case) and amazing (in the best case).
The thing is, I know I can’t ask for a yoyo out of the blue. It’s like going to the doctor and say “Doctor, I’m sick so give me medication!” How if he didn’t even told him the symptoms or what he does or where he has been… or for that matter what’s his sickness.

So, taking that approach I’ll write my profile:

  • I haven’t had a yoyo in all my life… at least none that I can remember. Prolly I had a couple of really cheap yoyos in my youth but nothing worth mentioning (made in china generic 0.5$ yoyo at best)

  • I want to take it seriously… not to the competition level but I want to have a yoyo with wich I can perform a wide range of tricks, mostly beginner-intermediate tricks (for now hehe)

  • I know nothing about yoyo mod and I don’t want to get a yoyo that you have to mod right out of the box (not yet at least)

  • I am thinking a metal yoyo is best for me 'cause being the n00b I am, there is a high chance I’ll hit the floor/walls/bed/car/spaceship/people/dog/parrot/sister/anyting_else

  • I live outside the US and you can’t find quality yoyos here, hence I have to buy one online and well :frowning: gettin it to my country is going to cost some money so my budget can’t go beyond the 30$ (I might push it to 45$ but I would need a good reason to do it)

tl;dr version:
I want a trusty beginner-intermediate metal yoyo ;D with long sleep time and a insurance in case I hit someone in the head (that someone could be me).

My initial choices:
YoYoFactory - Stainless Steel Whistling Yo Yo: http://shop.yoyoexpert.com/product/521/YYF-Stainless-Steel-Whistling-Yo-Yo
Duncan Metal Drifter: http://shop.yoyoexpert.com/product/235/Duncan-Metal-Drifter
YoYo Factory Pop Star: http://shop.yoyoexpert.com/product/271/YYF-POPstar
Yomega Dash: http://shop.yoyoexpert.com/product/445/Yomega-Dash
Yomega Maverick: http://shop.yoyoexpert.com/product/444/Yomega-Maverick

I’m doing my part by looking for reviews concerning this yoyos but if you can help me, that would be great :slight_smile:

Thanx fellas for your help and time n__n

2

The metal drifter is responsive at first. If you take out one of the pads you can save it for later,and clean the bearing,it’ll be unresponsive. It’s one of the best yo’s to get, it even comes with a counterweight for 5a.

3

honestly? Get a drifter. cheap, and semiresponsive

4

Reading the reviews, I saw the Drifter’s review was quite good… and the yoyo is beautifultoo!
and also, it comes with its very own counterweight hehe n___n

Since it’s not so expensive, I might even be able to get a book-of-tricks or something like that and even a yoyo carrier.
I’ll wait till black friday to place my order but so far I’m tempted for the drifter :slight_smile:

5

I wouldnt get the drifter, it was my first yoyo. (I just bought it cause it was the cheapest metal yoyo I could find) It frustrated me to a very large amount, because I could not return it to my hand. (i didnt know how to bind) I do not think it is a beginner yoyo. and, metal yoyos arent good if your going to hit stuff, plastic is better, and it wont hurt as much when it hits your head. I suggest a velocity. But then again ive only played with 3 yoyos, so what do I know :stuck_out_tongue:

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6

Well, Drifter isnt “the best” to be honest, Protostar, or Dark Magic 2 would be a better fit.

7

a yomega fireball

8

Nope.

9

I would suggest getting something like a YYF F.A.S.T. 201 and a YYF JK so then you have a plastic beginner yoyo which you can make unresponsive, and then the JK is a metal unresponsive yoyo and it would all come to the price of $30. I have the FAST 201 and my sister has the JK both are great throws and the FAST 201 is an incredible beginners yoyo for the price since it can be used beginner through intermediate. The JK is an AMAZING metal yoyo for the price it’s sold at I would suggest getting this if you want a metal one and you are think about yoyoing long term. I honestly have never played with a metal drifter but I have use some of their plastic and can same that duncan is a good company though I think YYF has the best 1A yoyos that start at a cheap price and also play well. :slight_smile: Pretty sweet that you’ll be joining the yoyo community man! :smiley:

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10

Dude. Duncan Echo or Metropolis.
They are fantastic.

11

You can also buy any unresponsive yo yo and put think lube in it to make it responsive.

I would check out the YYF One or YYF Whip. They’re both cheap and tough throws!

12

:o Those Duncans are beautiful @stephosh! tho they are a bit pricy.

The YYF Velocity looks quite good… for some reason it reminds me of the Gillette Fat Boy (Yeah, I’m some sort of a shaving geek hehe… but not that much)
I’m still interested in the Drifter, mainly 'cause of the looks and well… it’s shiny!! :open_mouth: ;D
I can’t seem to find the YYF JK, I googled it and I loved how it looks… but can’t find it in the YYX store

The ProtoStar is closer to my budget than the Dark Magic 2 but I have to consider the shipping cost and all that stuff.

Anyways, my drool factor is moving towards the Velocity. it looks like a yoyo I can tweak with one single dial and find its sweet spot (… ok that didn’t sound good).
I left the poll open till next friday… black friday FTW I might find a good deal (hopefully) so I’m still open to suggestions.
Right now is between the Drifter and the Velocity (Budget-wise) I wanted a metal yoyo but I see the plastic yoyos can be as hecty and solid as the metal ones :slight_smile: … still the metal ones look better :stuck_out_tongue:

13

Honestly, if you are starting out, I reccomend the yoyo factory velocity, or speed dial…

Perfect for beginners because it can be responsive or unresponsive…

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14

If you’re thinking about getting the Velocity, save a little money and go with the ONE instead. You can switch the bearings to go from responsive to unresponsive (very easy to do. If you go to the ONE page, there’s a video showing you how to do this). We own both of them, and me and my boys both think the ONE is a better yoyo for learning tricks on. My boys had trouble getting past the intermediate tricks on their Velocity. I even have trouble doing Kamikazi with the Velocity. But with the ONE, it’s no problem.

Plus, with the ONE, you can pop the caps out and stick pictures in them which is kind of fun. Also, with one of our Velocities (and another one that I’ve seen), the dials got pretty sticky and were hard to switch.

I’ve taught a bunch of people how to yoyo and I think that having a ONE when you’re just starting out is a great choice. Another great choice would be the Starlite. It’s cheap, it glows in the dark, and it is a fantastic budget yoyo. My son has one of these and there’s not many tricks that I can’t do with it. But you will need to know how to bind. If you think you can learn how to bind pretty easily (it’s not really too hard. Pretty easy if you have someone teaching you. Less easy if you have to do it by watching videos) then go with a Starlite.

If you can bump your budget up to $35, the go with a Protostar (if you think you can bind pretty quickly) or a ONE + Starlite (if you want a responsive option).

For $20, you could get a ONE + a Whip. Then you’d have a responsive option and 2 nice budget yoyo’s (kind of nice to have a couple of different options to play with).

If you’re starting out though, stay away from the Popstar. Fun little yoyo, but not that great for learning tricks.

However, if you were able to go up to $40, you should get a Raptor. Absolutely my favorite yoyo under $60. It’s nice looking, comfortable, smooth, all metal, and plays great. When you open the box, it will be responsive (until you clean the bearing). You could use it this way to learn some responsive tricks, I suppose. Once you clean the bearing, then it will be smooth and unresponsive. It also comes with extra silicone stickers, so you won’t need to buy any.

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15

the yyf velocity is the all time best first yoyo. you got it wrong about wanting a metal yoyo for your first. they aren’t as durable as plastic ironically, and they ding a lot more. they also get wobble easier, and dings are really ugly. generally, you want plastic yo-yos for beginners. by the way, the popstar is not a beginner yoyo. as i already stated, a velocity is the best beginner yoyo, but when you get better, start looking at the protostar, north star, or counter attack. good luck!

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16

wow, thanx for the responses!!

One thing I just realised (after learning something new) is this: I did not specified which kind of tricks I want to perform.
I want to do String tricks mainly :slight_smile: those where you make the yoyo jump and dance and then make it retrack with ease. I guess what I’m asking is a unresponsive yoyo hehe. Anyways, for what I’ve seen, everyone of you had recommended Butterfly Shaped yoyos which is the kind I am looking for.

I still have my eye on the Velocity but I will consider the option you gave me Bigkat, 2 yoyos sound nice, I am wondering if I will have time to play with the 2 of em. I imagine it becomes a hobby and a an obsession in time so maybe it wouldn’t hurt to get the 2.

The Raptor looks amazing… I’ll ask Santa for that one (tho I’ve been a bad kid for the last 30 years)

17

Of the ones in the poll, I would agree with the Drifter, BUT with the Drifter you would also need a $5 pack of Silicone Stickers. No matter which yoyo you choose, you will want to add a bundle of 100 poly strings (around $13) so you will not have to pay shipping on them later. So with the Drifter, you’re already up to $43 before shipping.

The Velocity has a long lasting response pads, so it would just be the yoyo + string = $33 + shipping.

YYJ journey or Kickside + string = $28 plus shipping

YYF One (get the one with 2 bearings) + strings $23 + shipping.

It all depends on how much shipping is to Honduras, these would all be good first yoyos.

Have Fun!

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18

Well, I decided 2 things:

  1. Lock the poll.
    Based on what I’ve read, it seems to me the options I placed are not the best for a beginner .

  2. I’ll go for the Dark Magic 2
    While it’s much more expensive than the ONE or the Velocity, I believe (based on reviews I’ve read) this is a very good One-size-fits-all yoyo.
    Also, the tutorials on the site are intended to be seen by n00bs like me and the player uses the Dark Magic 2. I know he’s an expert but thanx to the video I know this yoyo can be used to perform basic movements with ease (and practice).
    It looks durable, hefty and has a good size!
    And last, but not least, it’s the #1 Choice YoYoExpert.com ;D

I’m pretty confident with the choice I made but If you want to add additional info about this yoyo or other yoyos I’m all ears :wink:

19

I think the popstar is a very solid choice for beginers

20

Maybe. I think that the Fireball is fine for a starter looper, but a ball bearing Raider would be better. But these are not good for string tricks, so I think a Freehand Zero would be better, or maybe a Metal Drifter. The local toy story choices are often very limited.

I do think a DM2 makes a great first yoyo. Yes, expensive, but it’s many throws in one(except its not for 2A). Responsive or non-responsive out of the box based on the bearing you can easily swap out. Takes you as far as you want to go. Once you throw it you’ll agree.