Purchase Recommendation

Yo-Yo Reviews Looking for Help/Recommendation
1

Howdy gang,

I was thinking recently about how much fun I’ve had with my Yo-yo Jam Classic, and how much value I’ve gotten out of a $10 investment.

I was also thinking that some of the tricks I like to do might go better on a metal yo-yo rather than a plastic one.

So I’m thinking of getting a metal yo-yo. I don’t want to spend a ton of money, but I want something that I’m going to be able to use for a long time before I outgrow it.

I definitely want it to be capable of both responsive and non-responsive play, and I’m honestly kind of partial to the O-ring system, because it’s easy and lasts a long time.

I was hoping some of you might have a good “first metal yo-yo” recommendation for me that might suit my needs.

If it helps I’d like to share my skill level with you, the best tricks I can do so far (and by that I mean pull them off consistently and easily, on demand) are Brain Twister, Barrel Rolls, and Split the Atom.

Any recommendations?

2

My first recommendation is always the Benchmark H. Slow, stable, and excellent for learning tricks. I just rediscovered how much I love it and have been throwing it a lot lately. Side effects are great and the ability to compare between the different shapes really helps you figure out what it is you like and dislike. If $60 is too much check out a Shutter. I still use my Classic. Gotta love the Classic.

1 Like
3

The Benchmark H looks like it’s almost exactly the same as my current Classic, except metal. That’s pretty darn close to what I have, and that’s what I was after. Great recommendation.

I do have a question about “side effects” for this yo-yo though. It says you can adjust the weight distribution by switching out the axles. Does the yo-yo come with the different axles or do I need to order those separately?

Also, how long do the flow pads last?

4

http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xap1/t51.2885-15/10755885_814304941967281_1823571585_a.jpg
Those are side effects. As you can see they come in all different shapes and sizes. The yoyo has a stock pair installed but all others must be purchases separately. The different shapes and materials the side effects are made of change the weight of the yoyo as well. The best part is that if you ever strip the yoyo you can just replace the side effects and keep going. As for the response system it just depends on how grippy you want your response. I’ve used yoyos for years without replacing but with regular play I’d say a couple months until you decide it’s not grippy enough anymore. Now any yoyo can be made responsive by adding lube to the bearing. This of course diminishes the sleep time of the yoyo depending on how much lube was added but it is possible. Going back to unresponsive of course requires you to clean the bearing.

5

or a 2014 benchmark V i got a V shape when i got my first metal it should be good for you. also yoyofficer has some great budget metals if your interested!

6

I have some questions about the shapes.

Bear in mind that my experience with yo-yos is limited to a Duncan Imperial, a Duncan Speed Beetle, and a Yoyojam Classic.

I really like the Benchmarks. They don’t have any weird designs painted on them, and there’s not even a name or branding embedded into the yo-yo to detract from it. It seems simple and sleek, like it’s built to do one thing and do it well - be a yo-yo. I’m also kind of interested in the idea of side effects, but I’m not sure if this is something that’s just kind of a fun little gimmick right now, or if it’s actually important to the play of the yo-yo.

Do the side effects really matter that much? I’d think not. I mean I’m sure they affect the way any individual yo-yo plays, but I think most of any yo-yo’s performance is the thrower getting used to that particular yo-yo. Correct me if I’m wrong there.

I’m also not in love with buying a bunch of little parts I have to carry everywhere to do different side effects, and I don’t want to be having to switch them out very often to do different tricks.

I also noticed that most of the Intermediate to Advanced yo-yos don’t really use side effects very often, so I’m left wondering how much they are actually needed, as opposed to just offering a way to make your current yo-yo feel a little different than it used to.

I guess I’d like some clarity on the usefulness and value of side effects.

Also, I’m wondering which shape to use. I noticed that the 2014 models just came out last month, and they’ve switched the name of what used to be the V to the W.

The 2014 W seems to most closely mimic what I’m used to from the Yo-yojam classic, but the 2014 H seems similar as well.

Is there really that much of a significant difference in the shapes? Will any of them have any major impact on my ability to perform certain tricks?

Honestly, once you get into a metal yo-yo, don’t they all pretty much have the ability to do just about every trick out there? At this point it’s mostly a matter of practice for the thrower and getting used to whichever shape you’ve chosen for your throw, no?

7

side effects are a one drop thing, though youll find there are a few other brand yoyos that use them.

i love switching out my side effects, it makes the yoyo play differently for sure. another HUGE advantage is that if your axle strips from over tightening or dropping/ hitting something, you can replace everything for $12 bucks, and your yoyo will be good as new.

the axle in my shutter was a bit too long and made a dent in the cup when i assembled it one day. it looks awful and seems to have added a bit of vibe, its bothered me ever since. this could never happen to my markmont classic, and if it somehow could, id just replace the side effects.

8

A lot of people will disagree and a lot of people will agree. I think best bang for buck will be Magic Yoyo.

I really dont think you can go wrong. Its cheap and plays really good. It just depends on which one you want.

9

I think you should get a YYF Horizon. It is seriously one of the most stable yoyos I have thrown, and it’s really wide to help you learn sidestyle tricks like trapeze or double or nothing and stuff like that

10

The side effects don’t have to be changed. It’s just so you can adjust the yoyo to fit your preferences more. Any shape should meet your expectations and be a significant improvement. I suggest going for whatever looks best to you since you don’t really have any others to compare to. Of course H shaped yoyos tend to be the most stable due to the increased rim weight but that’s about it.

Here’s some other cheaper options you could consider:

11

Alright, first off I’ll say O-ring response isn’t very good when it comes to unresponsive yoyos. The reason being is it protrudes out which causes more friction while the yoyo is spinning giving it a noticeably shorter spin time than silicone response. So you won’t really see any unresponsive yoyos with O-ring response, especially decent ones.

Another thing to mention is not many yoyos are made for unresponsive and responsive, the Classic is pretty much as good as it gets. However, if you get an unresponsive yoyo, you can put a lot of thick lube onto the bearing to make it responsive. I still think its best to have a separate yoyo for responsive and a separate yoyo for unresponsive though.

Now I’m done explaining all that, I’ll get into my recommendations.

If you want an all-around great yoyo that can do anything you want I recommend the YoyOfficer Kilter. It’s still the best yoyo I’ve played under $60 IMO, and I’ve played quite a few. It’s only $30, H-shape, and low wall which is great for competitive play. It’s also bead-blasted which is better for grinds once you get there. It also has a great flat cup(side of the yoyo) for fairly long fingerspins once you get there as well. It’s low walled so its great for horizontal once you get there too. It pretty much has everything you need for a long time.

12

Side Effects aren’t needed per se, but are instead an improved axle system over the standard tapped style. You don’t ever have to change them and they function just like a non Side Effect yoyo. But if you are interested in changing how your feels or looks you have the option. There really isn’t a downside to them - it just gives you options to tweak your yoyo. Many players enjoy finding the perfect setup. You don’t need to carry extra sets with you or change them out to do different tricks.