Loving everyone’s great posts so far! Keep em coming and post pics if you can!
Also… I think I was able to narrow it down just a tick further to just 20 total, which sounds comical but was actually super difficult lmao (I didn’t want to, but if you had a gun to my head and said 20 only, this would have to be it).
And I know absolutely NO one asked for this, but I was inspired by some of the other posts to do a write up on each yoyo and why I’m keeping it. MAJOR apologies for the insanely long post, please feel free to scroll past or just read whatever you’re interested in.
5 Star - my go to throw when I’m looking for a dose of heavy nostalgia, and it’s well loved so I don’t mind playing it anywhere and everywhere
Hatrick - my first “high end”/boutique metal yoyo, picked it up from Ernie (the first time I met him) at Nationals in 2009 and have tons of nostalgia and great memories associated with it. It is still mint so I don’t play it too often, and while it may not be in my top 5 performers, it’s for sure in my “Top 5 Never Selling Under Any Circumstances.”
MiniStar and KLR - got these from Ernie direct as well at contests, such great memories associated with them. These are both “badass editions,” which not only make them more cool, but rarer, and even smoother than the rest of the runs, as Ernie set aside the smoothest ones for badass engravings.
Majesty - for awhile this was the most expensive yoyo I owned. I paid a premium for it because it was the 7075 version and it came with Ernie’s dad’s specially made wooden boxes. Also in the Top 5 never selling under any circumstances category.
Draupnir - the newest edition to the lineup, but I couldn’t ever see myself getting rid of the supposed “best yoyo ever,” as from a performance standpoint I have a hard time disagreeing with that statement. Likely the best performing yoyo I own.
Hummingbird - never getting rid of this soley based on the fact that it’s a rare Unknown edition. It was probably my best performing yoyo before grabbing the WISH and Draupnir. I still grab it when I want something high performance but LIGHT. Which is a lot. Playing this is like driving a lambo at 100mph.
WISH - I think it’s tied with the Draupnir for best performing yoyo I own? Was super surprised at this thing when I got it, totally was not expecting it to be THAT good, but it’s definitely the most “goldilocks” yoyo I’ve ever used, besides the Free Solo and Panorama.
Peak - the most expensive yoyo I’ve ever purchased, but one of the most “worth it” purchases I’ve made. She doubles as a shelf queen and a daily driver - I keep it nice, but I LOVE throwing it all the time. It’s pretty much still in mint condition and VERY smooth for a Peak. It’s a nostalgia trip, and I try to throw it at least once a day. One of my all time favorite yoyos.
Summit - Way ahead of its time in terms of how good it is, and still an absolute banger. A legendary collaboration with a legendary documentary to match. This one is absolutely mint, and in one of my all time favorite collaborations. Proud to be it’s caretaker, I know there probably aren’t too many mint ones left.
MCMO - The best performing organic I own. A total modern classic that holds it’s own against most any of my bimetals while being comfortable AF.
Panorama and Diorama - Sentimental stuff aside, these have got to be my favorite yoyos ever. They aren’t the best performing yoyos I own, but they are what I pick up and use the most, and it’s not even close. Whenever I’m out and about, I always have one of these on me without fail. IMO this yoyo will be looked at as a total classic in the future (and kinda already is).
Grail - Along with the MCMO and a few others, one of the greatest organic yoyos EVER made, if not THE greatest. A modern LEGEND… Obvious stuff aside, this specific Grail was my white whale yoyo. When I got back into throwing not too long after the pandemic started, I did my research and the Grail was probably the most popular yoyo that had come out while I was gone. When I saw the gold one, I KNEW I had to have one. Owning a yoyo called the Grail in the gold colorway just made sense to me. And what made it even harder to find: I wanted a completely mint one, which was a challenge, as there were only 30 made. I spent 8 months searching for one with absolutely no luck, which ironically just made me want one more, so I almost gave up hope that I’d ever find one. But then one day, @yoyoretro reached out offering his for sale, and I honestly couldn’t believe it. And it couldn’t have come at a better time, my Grandma had unfortunately passed away a day before and I was feeling really down in the dumps. And while no yoyo could ever begin to cover such a loss, it was a MUCH needed pick me up, so I’m always thankful to yoyoretro for that. Absolutely will never sell this under any circumstances lmao… it was WAY too hard to get and who knows if there are even any mint ones left out there. Proud to be the caretaker of this beauty.
420L - This thing is just pure fun. When I got it, I couldn’t stop using it. I couldn’t part with it because it’s a fantastic yoyo to have on hand when you wanna switch things up. And the weight is PERFECT for the size, I love how it’s not heavy at all.
Dark Magic - This was my first “real” yoyo, I couldn’t ever part with it even though it’s probably only worth like $30 lol
Butter - My girlfriend got me this for our 2nd anniversary, and like @kretzschmar said, it’s staying for more reasons that that, but that’s the main reason. Held the “number one favorite yoyo” spot for awhile, pretty sure it still does. I also got it right when I got back into throwing, and it showed me JUST how much better yoyos had gotten since 2013.
Free Solo - My favorite monometal and one of my most used yoyos of all time along with my Panoramas and KLR. Don’t think I’ve ever found something that plays better for the price, and it’s SUCH a Goldilocks yoyo - it feels just right, like I was talking about with the WISH.
Grail (again) - This purple Grail is my EDC Grail that I bring around and don’t have to worry about too much.
Chief - An all time classic, and for awhile (before the bimetal craze) was considered one of the best yoyos ever made. Mine is VERY well loved and a great example of a lighter gram Chief. This one is a Musket edition, it’s super rare and since it’s my only one, I don’t think I could ever part with it.
If you made it this far… props lmao
