Hey, just got back into yoyo-ing and bought myself the Replay yoyo from YoYoFactory(unresponsive). And after trying it out for a few days I immediately noticed that the bearing makes a slight scraping sound, the string is never centered on the bearing and always leans to one side, and that I am never able to get a stable spin.
I know many are going to say that it is my throw, but I have practiced a fair bit so I don’t think my throw is the issue.
The yoyo sleep time is fine, however it still jiggles and jitters slightly while spinning.
Take the yoyo apart, bearing and all. Then reassemble it, don’t do this with the string in place, keep it off to the side. Then put the string back on once it’s assembled. Sometime merely taking the yoyo apart can fix minor problems like this. Let us know if it works!
Well even a center trac allows the string to be off center enough to cause pretty quick precession. The key is to keep it moving.
As for the wobbliness, have you tried settling it down with your fingernail and seeing if it starts to wobble again? That eliminates the wobble from your throw, and if it wobbles after that, then you go on from there either fixing or replacing it.
If it’s bad and it’s not fixable—take it apart and reassemble it making absolutely sure it’s assembled right, and that the bearing isn’t the problem—you should contact YYF.
Terrible yoyo. Was my first one when I got back into it and I didn’t stop being frustrated until I got a better yoyo. Just my opinion. And more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better. I have a handful of yoyos I’ve bought new and used for less than the Replay that I actually enjoy throwing.
Your string doesn’t need to be perfectly centered to get a straight throw, flat bearings don’t make a very big difference, and the Replay Pro is objectively not terrible. The problem is probably in your technique, but there could be something wrong with your yoyo. We can’t really know for sure without seeing a video.
The large modern yoyo bearings always make noise, I have a couple that scream like a banshee but still spin smooth. Unscrew the yoyo and set the half with the bearing down flat on a table (take the string off too), and flick the bearing to see if it’s snagging. It should easily spin 5+ seconds from a light flick.
There’s a spectrum here for sure, though. And there’s a big difference between the normal sound of a bearing and one that is literally a screeching noise that makes it annoying to throw the thing(especially at night when you have roommates).
Sometimes I read through yoyo reviews on that rain forest site and so many people give yoyos bad reviews saying they are “unbalanced” causing it to “tilt” or that they “wobble.” I’m not saying bad throws is what is causing this fellow’s problem but unless a yoyo took a bad ground hit…it’s gotta be the throw.
Something that might help you is that if you get into any mount, pushing the string into the side of the yoyo can tilt the yoyo into position. This is generally how yoyo tilt is corrected. I have the same problem where the yoyo tilts no matter what, and even tilts after a straight throw (precession), but I solve it by getting into a mount and correcting the tilt. I’m going to guess that if your yoyo is jiggling, you can also fix that by the way I described.
Yep, a terrible yoyo that some guy just happened to use when he won Nationals a few years ago.
@yoyoSnepai there has been a lot of good advice given so far. I will add that most injected molded plastic yoyos will have some vibe to them (my simplified understanding is this is due to the molding process, but, I may be mistaken). If you could post a video, we can probably tell what the issue is. You can also reach out to the store you purchased from and get their advice. I know that YoYoExpert has phenomenal customer service and will make things right. Also, please remember that yoyo is a skill toy, even the sleeper and breakaway are tricks. As you improve your skill, you may find your Replay Pro fixed itself. I know I’ve owned yoyos that I thought were unstable & mediocre that all of a sudden became really fun after I improved my throw a bit.
Was the yoyo in question absolutely stock when used in the competition? I have bad luck with yoyos used to win competitions, because my number 1 least favorite yoyo I’ve ever used is my Northstar. My opinion is not fact and I don’t mean to imply that.
I would rather throw my N11 or T8 Shadow or Fool’s Gold Yeti any day over my YYF plastics that cost more. It’s all preference.
Also, just to clarify, I’m a beginner. I’ve been throwing for 3 months. I’m sure someone on the level of winning a national contest would be able to do so with most yoyos. Much like a person who has been playing guitar for years can make a cheap guitar sound good, while a beginner might not possess the skill required to work with an instrument that doesn’t play like butter anyway.
Yes, sir! Dylan Kowalski will review really cheap and sometimes novelty yoyos and bust out tricks and combos that make my jaw drop. He almost makes me think - if a $1.00 yoyo can handle that, why do I need a $45 yoyo? But it’s not the yoyo, it’s the person throwing it. I find as my skill level very slowly increases yoyos that seemed mediocore suddenly become better. All my flubs come from bad throws or not staying on plane.
Yes, he picked a random Replay Pro off the YYF table, put on his string (I believe he put on a Kitty String, but @yyfben2.deactivated or @YOHANS can confirm the Replay Pro Gentry used to win Nationals was straight from the yoyos for sale at Nationals. I also believe the Shutters he has won Nationals and Worlds with are also exactly the same as are sold.
Absolutely someone with Gentry Stein’s skill can slay on a yoyo from the Dollar Store. That said, it is generally poor form to call something terrible without qualifying that as opinion.
Yeah, Gentry could probably win with a Beboo lol. Yeah, sorry to be so short and not explain. I just have a lot of irrational hatred toward certain yoyos that gave me trouble. Says more about my skill level than the yoyo for sure.
I’ve never thought about gloves being great. Thank you for giving me something new to ponder. I do agree that one of the best parts of this hobby is the sheer amount of choice we have - size, shape, weight, material, color. The yoyo that I love may be one someone else can’t stand.
