Why are certain yoyo brands, such as SF, A-RT, and G2 (maybe OD too?), in such high demand? Are their products just that much better than the rest? Do they cater to a niche market of throwers/collectors with unique designs? I’m really curious as to how these brands become so coveted and why they stay that way.
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Low run numbers of high quality yoyos keep the demand up. They won’t stay that way forever.
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What exactly about their quality differentiates them from other companies? Performance? Materials? Colorways?
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Back in the day the yoyos speak for the companies. The biggest names were generally making the best yoyos. Nowadays with pretty much every yoyo being good it’s more about marketing imo.
It’s not a knock against G2, SF or any other company, they do make great yoyos but honestly if a small company released something that G2 or SF actually created, it definitely wouldn’t be getting as much hype or demand.
There’s exceptions like YYF with the Hummingbird but I do think it’s marketing and establishing that perceived prestige or allure that’s made the big names nowadays the big names.
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G2 and ODs quality control is very high compared to most other companies. G2s known for their swirls as far as colorways go. Outside of that, nothing about their yoyos is really different from any other companies. They’ve just established themselves as solid reputable companies.
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After reading what @Cannon said, I assume there’s an aspect of exclusivity involved as well. When you purchase a yoyo from one of these companies, you’re also ‘buying’ the satisfaction of owning a rare-ish throw from a reputable company.
I still wonder, how did they gain the brand reputation they have today?
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Well, they were famous ‘brand name’ yo-yo players to start with, so they had that going for them. It wasn’t like a random dude in a garage suddenly woke up and decided yo-yos were the way to fortune and glory in business.*
* spoiler: they’re not
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Wait…so you’re telling me my dreams of starting a internationally-known yoyo brand from my college dorm room are too far fetched??? 
On a slightly more serious note, that makes a lot of sense. I can see yoyo enthusiasts wanting to buy yoyos made by ‘brand-name’ players.
(Note: So I’ve been noticing that sometimes when I try to reply to a specific person, it’ll show me in the text editor that I’m replying to said person, but when I post it doesn’t end up being a reply to them specifically.)
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Like them A-RT boys. Jensen and Charles have a long history in the community. They were both sponsored by CLYW back in the day and Jensen won worlds in 2010.
They both split off of CLYW because they [basically] wanted to promote the more artistic side of yoyo and to steer farther away from the more competition oriented aspect of yoyo.
Their yo-yos are designed for a very specific style of play, and are basically marketed to a very specific part of the community who appreciate that style of play. Their prices are definitely High by today’s standards, especially since you can buy a rock-solid yoyo for under $30, but it wasn’t uncommon for high quality yo-yos to be in the ballpark of 100 bucks a pop back in the 90s and early 2000s.
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We’ll it looks like I’ve got that covered! 
People like @gcoomans and @codinghorror have some Spinworthy one-of-a- kinds.
I’m very far from popular, though.
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I believe that a large part of what makes A-RT popular is that they aren’t bound tightly to current design conventions. They allow themselves the freedom to express what that like in their yoyos without much concern for current trends.
They also believe strongly in aesthetic simplicity which gives their yoyos beauty above other brands.
It also cannot be forgotten that Jensen Kimmitt and Charles Haycock are supremely popular yoyo players and personalities within the yoyo community.
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Well, sort of, pretty much every single thing A-RT has released (outside of collabs) have been variations on that same CLYW Canvas theme.
Granted there’s at least one masterpiece in there, the Grail, so it ain’t all bad!
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Just because they are mostly organic in shape, it doesn’t necessarily mean they all play the same. Mind you, I’ve never played any of their metal yoyos.
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This is a picture from their Instagram account that can attest to this. But yes, Glen, I’m sure you are right that they all play significantly different From one another. I personally wouldn’t know because I’ve never even touched one of their yo-yos. But I think it’s obvious that they would perform differently across models
You both made valid points
Edit: p.s. hey code, I changed my font 
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I have a few thoughts on this one just based on my own experience. I’ve been into yoyo since I was a kid but around 2006 got significantly into the collecting aspect as well. My daughter had some motivational speaker come to her school and all the kids were playing with yoyos. I got some of my old ones out and was showing her tricks and then decided to go online and see what modern yoyos had to offer. WHOA! I was blown away by machined aluminum and precision bearings and how far the hobby had come.
I see it like this - you have your large companies like Yoyofactory and Duncan. Duncan IMO kind of didn’t keep up with modern yoyo and relied on their name until recently when you start to see some more legit offerings out. Don’t get me wrong, I love my siliconed FHZ, but Duncan took a long time to adapt modern response systems, construction, shapes and finish. YYF on the other hand I would consider to be the best mass-market yoyo company around. They produce a lot of cool models and spend a lot of money on the scene. But they are mass producing things so you will have issues with QC sometimes (that in my experience have always been handled by excellent customer service) and you’re getting a product that is more generalized.
When I got back into the scene in 2006 CLYW and One Drop were kind of making a name as higher end more boutique throws. Things that maybe were a little more special and were being made by people who were motivated largely by a love for the yoyo. You could tell they didn’t have the advantage of economies of scale that YYF and Duncan had, they were producing smaller batches that cost them more to make. They were also doing things with ano and blasting on the finish that set these yoyos up on the next level. As a result, they were more expensive and more sought after. Since they were being produced by smaller shops with less resources, the runs were smaller because the shops just simply couldn’t outlay a bunch of cash for yoyo production.
It’s kind of like beer in my opinion. You can get really decent domestic beers that will quench your thirst or get you buzzed. But then you have smaller microbreweries who are doing more unique flavors, taking more time in the crafting process, and doing it with a smaller staff. People pay more for these beers because of the details.
Or guitars - you can buy an Ibanez that will totally shred and sound great. You can also buy a '56 Les Paul that will have more quality components, better finishing details, and is as a result a higher priced and more sought-after item.
Seems like G2 and A-RT and SF have rightfully gained a spot in that elite category along with CLYW and OD who are still holding it down for the high-end experience. And once you get them in your hands you will see why. There IS a difference. You can feel it on the string and when you touch the yoyo. You can see it in the difference in design. The collector aspect definitely is adding to the bottom line price no doubt, but these companies do make yoyos that are just better.
Sorry for the long post but I really do love the collection aspect as much as the play so I have a lot of thoughts on the issue apparently!
tl:dr - yeah, they are in high demand because they are functionally better and their designs and finishes are more artful and collectible.
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This. Very well said, I think you answered Ops question the best
I’d rather not say that his reply was the best; everyone who replied had great insight which all contributes to the complex answer to this question. With that said, @bobafret’s response was very comprehensive and explains a lot. Thanks for the great response!
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I think a lot of it is just the hype, especially because it’s pretty hard for a yoyo to be bad these days. A/rt is popular because of Jensen and Charles. I like Their throws, however they aren’t any better or worse than others, just different. OD has been in the game for a long time and are known for making high quality, American made throws for a good price. SF is newer to the game, but also make high quality throws for a low price. SF blew up quickly because they have really good marketing and know how to hype up a product once they got a good following off their initial release.
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I absolutely love SF’s minimalist, no-flair marketing strategy. For me, it makes their yoyos even more enticing than they already are.
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I believe low volume plays a part. But a very small part. Otherwise there would be a ton of companies much more popular then G2.
I think the biggest thing is my QC. That’s also the biggest driver in my premium prices. I throw out a lot of yo-yos, I want to make sure every throw we sell passes my QC. I imagine every sale as a first impression, so even our glitches (b grades) have a very high QC.
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