I’ve thrown my fair share of yoyos, and it became apparent to me fairly quickly that the weight of a yoyo doesn’t always give you a good idea of how it will feel on the string. Some yoyos sound heavy on paper, but feel light on the string, while others sound light on paper, but feel like relative rocks on a string.
What attributes contribute to how heavy a yoyo feels? From my experience, yoyos that are relatively large often feel light on the string - the CLYW Cliff comes to mind. I assume this is due to the weight being distributed over a larger area.This would also explain why mini throws often feel heavy - the OG popstar comes to mind. The physics magic behind this makes no sense to me because the yoyo is still anchored to a single point on your finger. I would love for someone to explain how this perception works.
Also, how does weight distribution effect perceived weight as well? If I have a few yoyos that share all of the same specs, but one of them is very center weighted, one is very rim weighted, and the other is evenly distributed, which will feel the heaviest? I assume OD’s Benchmark series is a good test for me to see this for myself, but I’ve never owned a complete set. I also understand that not everyone agrees on how various yoyos “feel.” I’m just always curious about how different design elements translate into how the yoyo plays.
Lastly, just for fun, what are some yoyos that have surprised you with heavy or light they feel on the string with respect to their actual weight?
I also think that our expectations play a big part in how we perceive a yoyo in play. I expect that the Cliff will be heavy because it’s huge, so when it doesn’t feel that heavy, it strikes me as playing light on the string. I haven’t had a chance to read through this whole study yet, but it seems relevant, so I’ll link it here for anyone that’s interested:
This is made more complicated by the fact I know full well the weight of the yoyo before I even throw it… and yet, the overall weight still feels different than what I expected.
We have some metal weights for carts we use in a teaching physics lab. They’re 1kg (~2.2 lbs), and bright glossy blue. They look like toys, and students are routinely surprised by how heavy they are. Perception really does weigh in with how heavy things appear.
Think it has something to do with how the weight is distributed. When objects are spinning that distribution of weight makes a bigger impact / feel on the object.
My 3rd grade explanation:
Like when you use that goo stuff to prevent flats in bicycle tires, you’re not adding much weight but when you’re in motion it feels a lot heavier.
I know we have some science folks that can properly explain this.
For me, it would have to be the Oxygene - Ozone. For a 70.3 gram yo-yo, it feels extremely light. I was extremely surprised when I first picked one up. Even when holding it in my hand and comparing it to a lighter yo-yo, it somehow feels lighter.
Great topic. I’d love to hear some designers with experience chime in on this.
In addition to the perception of size and weight expectation, I’ve found that rim weighted throws tend to move more sluggishly. To counteract that, it seems that many of them have lower total weight.
Replay Pro is also around 70g, but it does a great job of not feeling like a rock.
I also think since yoyos don’t really differ in weight by that much, it’s primarily weight distribution that affects feel. Yoyos that are more rim weighted have a higher moment of inertia, which is basically angular inertia, which means it’s tries to maintain its angular momentum more, which means it’s more likely to keep its axis of rotation and spin.
This means you feel like you have to throw harder to get the same amount of spin, resulting in a heavier feeling yoyo.
A higher moment of inertia is achieved by either adding more weight to the rims or increasing the diameter of the yoyo.
There’s probably something helpful in there somewhere…
I got one for this. The Chico Yoyo Company Manimal is a 70 gram yoyo that surprised me with how maneuverable it was even though I could feel the weight. I didn’t realize it weighed that much until after I purchased it and starting putting it through the paces. Love this powerhouse of a throw.
Really don’t want to plug and be that guy, but the moose really surprised me and other people. I thought I was going to be a lot heavier feeling and then when I threw it it Felton like it lost 10 grams. Gentry thought so too
It’s all some combination of material density, internal weight distribution, and overall size.
Some stuff for discussion’s sake…
Small yoyos indeed often feel like rocks on the end of the string - yeah the Popstar is a good example. Maybe the only way to make a small “floaty” yoyo is to use a material that can be machined super thin, a smaller bearing and axle, and push as much weight out to the rims as possible.
It seems that the same size and shape of yoyo in plastic and metal needs to be heavier overall to have a similar feel in plastic versus metal due to the lower density of plastic. This applies unless using metal weight rings in the plastic design, of course.
Another factor… wide-gapped yoyos that give a hard “thunk” at the end of the string on a throw tend to seem heavier to me.
