So I am trying to start learning how to yoyo, and I don’t want to start off by buying a crappy yoyo. So If anyone could help recommemnd a good starting yoyo that would be great! My price range is up to around $35 and I would want a butterfly shaped one as well. 
Crappy for $35 does not go along. $10 dollar yoyo will get you to the expert section of this website. Best bet would to get a yoyo jam classic. And when you learn to “bind” get an upgraded bearing.
Good luck, and welcome to the forums!
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To be honest I’d skip the very basic tricks on the site I’d buy an unresponsive yoyo and throw yourself in at the deep end with binding if I could go back I wouldn’t bother I’d perfect the things you’ll be doing the most e.g. Binding and man on a trapeze a lot get them solid and for the yoyo I’d go for a yoyofactory onestar it’s cheap so you could get one and a lot of string for practice (I’d suggest fat kitty it’s easier to bind). It’s really durable and won’t damage much and once you get quite good it’s still perfect to take around as an everyday throw and it can handle pretty much anything. And as for picking I’d go the one with the centre track bearing so your sting won’t rub and spin the yoyo out
I second the Classic with the upgrade package and a pack of string. That should keep you plenty busy for a while.
If you get bored, and move on, no big loss.
It’s amazing in every aspect besides looks (kinda cartoony)f for the price.
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I got started with a FAST 201. I loved it.
I have also heard that the Duncan FlipSide, YYF One, or YYJ Classic are good beginner throws as well. These are all well inside your price range.
Do not get a ONE, for risk of frustration and deciding yoyo isn’t for you before you’ve really given it a chance. 
It’s hard enough for a beginner to learn tricks without the added benefit of low spin times and sketchy stability!
On the other hand, if you already KNOW that you’re the type of person who is very single-minded and obsessive when pursuing a new skill, the ONE will help you play better. In other words, if you’re not daunted by poor performance and have the right mindset to see it as a training aid, go for it. Otherwise, the Classic is a superior choice.
The Speedaholic was good, too!
I don’t necessarily think you need to skip past the response-required tricks. They’re really fun, too. But instead of getting a “does everything” yoyo, you could get a bind-required yoyo like the Speedaholic AND a responsive throw like the Duncan Mosquito or something.
I would highly advise NOT starting with a unresponsive throw. Although your pace may be slower with a responsive throw, it is key to developing smoothness and such. I always see people who jump straight into difficult tricks with expensive yo-yos and often lack smoothness and skill to do so, and then burn out and give up yo-yoing all together.
yoyoavenger, last time that discussion came up, a good number of people came out of the woodwork with both personal stories of skipping responsive play and also explanations of why it doesn’t necessarily impact your smoothness in the long term. I’m sold.
That said, responsive play is just fun and it’s a challenge of its own. I wouldn’t skip past it simply because then you’d be missing out on some fun tricks! I used to love just doing trapeze and a flyaway dismount over and over again. Hours.
I understand that smoothness can be remedied, but I feel that responsive play builds a foundation for understand yo-yoing. If you skip responsive play then you will have little to no understanding of why binds work and how the string needs to be manipulated to induce a bind return. Still, this is all personal opinion. I just feel that if you start with unresponsive you are just trying to get to advanced tricks in as little time as possible, ignoring fundamentals.
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I highly recommend starting responsive (yoyo comes back with a tug). Get the basics down first before you move to unresponsive play.
I suggest at least mastering the basic mounts… Front Mount, Split Bottom Mount, Trapeze, Trapeze Brother, Double Or Nothing, Houdini Mount, & the 1.5 Mount. Get your throws straight and fast. Learn Brain Twister, Split The Atom, Mach 5, Trapeze Flips, The Matrix, & Buddha’s Revenge. Instilling these maneuvers into muscle memory is key before learning how to bind.
I have seen some beginners who started on an unresponsive throw, and their tricks lack fluidity. Responsive yoyo’s force you to play smooth and straight. If you aren’t smooth, that bad boy will snap back and crush your knuckles… lol.
Buy something cheap to get you through these first stages. Once you are confident that this hobby is for you, go ahead and buy that $30.00 unresponsive throw.
The YYJ Classic is a very versatile yoyo. It comes responsive, but for under $10 in parts, you can make it a great unresponsive player. In my honest opinion though, I suggest keeping your first yoyo responsive. I have been throwing for over a year, but I still get a kick out of playing with my “beginner” responsive yoyos.
If your budget is $40.00, I would get a $10.00 responsive yoyo and a $30.00 unresponsive yoyo to start your journey into modern yoyoing. Dont forget to get a bunch of string, thick lubricant (for the responsive yoyo), and a YoYoFactory Multi-Tool.
Buy a classic and a wide bearing along with some permatex.
Note: the second half is only for when your ready unresponsive play the wide bearing I’d for later when you have masted the basics of the simpler tricks and understand the simple tricks.
Second half
when your ready for unresponsive play put the wide bearing in and take out the old response and put flowable silicone In and let it cure for 24 hours. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube on how to do this so you should have no problem.
I agree completely.
I disagree that it’s necessary, or that it’s even a “better” way to go. Starting responsive is perfectly valid approach, but let’s not get caught up in a rigid pedagogy when we should just “allow” people to have whatever kind of fun they want with this toy. Wish I could just point to one of those older threads again.
Suffice it to say, a lot of us form opinions because it “seems” right or it sounds like “common sense”. And because those opinions come from instinct and some form of experience (“worked for me!” or “didn’t work for me!”), we’re really rigid in our adherence to them.
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I would advise getting the Yoyojam Classic and the Classic upgrade or a Speedaholic. Both are yoyos that easily be used for competition if wanted and could get you all the way through advanced.
I started out if a DV888 but I had lots of determination. Idk if its a really long time but it took me a little more than a year to be smooth.
No love for the Dark Magic 2??? it gives you responsive to start out and comes with a full width bearing as well when you learn how to bind. It’s only an extra $10 but it will serve you well for a long time.
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I started with a Lyn Fury. When I got a bit better I pulled the o rings and put in silicone and a center trac.
I think I bought the Lyn Fury, and different brands of strings.
Just another option.
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Besides that thing is a great throw!
Get a Classic:
(The Pink Cancer one includes the wider bearing, but not upgrade pads)
THEN, get this, the Classic Upgrade kit:
Right around $20 and everything you want to get started.
I’m not basing this strictly on price and trying to be a budget-friendly solution. I honestly dig this combination a lot and find myself playing this $10 yoyo a LOT lately.
Another all-in one solution(stock with better pads and includes both bearings) would be:
YoYoJam Legacy II or Legacy III(I think) and the YoYoJam Chaser.
I strongly recommend starting responsive. These yoyos grow with you with the least amount of effort.
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I would maybe try getting a yyf velocity and yyf onestar. Or, instead of the yyf onestar, you could get a C3 speedahoic. Get the velocity and use it until you can bind, and get the onestar, or speedaholic for once you can bind.
Ignore all the opinions but the first post.
Get a YYJ Classic, learn some of the basics, then upgrad the bearing ($6?) and then go on from there.
I can do honestly ALL my tricks on my classic.
I thought about using it for competition…
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