What are some “good” response pads? Is it wasteful to put good response pads on a cheap yoyo? Does it actually make a difference what brand the yoyo is or do most fit interchangeably? I’d like to make my yoyo give as little response as possible, but I don’t want to just remove the pads. What do?
Thanks in advance for any info!
Most yoyos use the same standard 19mm sized pads unless specified otherwise. Some brands like One Drop and CLYW require their own pads due to the sizing of the response area.
The main difference is in the hardness of the pads. Softer pads will have more grip and break in quicker and harder pads will be less grippy but last longer. If you look at the YYF pads, the description goes over the differences but I think it mostly comes down to softness/hardness.
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Okay thank you! And YYF sell good response pads? Will they improve a cheaper yoyo?
the only pads I use at this point are the Shore 30 Black pads from hollywood modern yoyos
Response pads vary in hardness determined by the ‘shore’ rating (higher = harder). Harder pads last longer but are less ‘grippy’, while softer pads wear faster but give you crisper binds and better throws. Softer pads can also get snaggy on certain yoyos, while harder pads on other yoyos can ‘slip’ on the throw and rob you of some spin power, so it definitely takes some experimentation (like finding your favorite yoyo string).
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I was mainly using them as an example of different types of pads but yea they’re good.
I’ve never really had a “bad” pad though.
What is the cheap yoyo you’re trying to improve?
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What about your yoyo are you trying to improve and like what was already asked, what yoyo are you trying to improve?
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So I have a skyva, offset variant, and a wildless 2. I like the skyva most response-wise, but I prefer the variant as it seems to spin longer and that gives me more time when learning a trick. BUT it always binds when I’m doing anything that has the front binding mount in it. And the skyva, I feel like if I could make it spin longer would be really good for learning
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Okay wow I didn’t even think about response pad during the throw. That actually makes this a lot more complex. Because I want longer spin on one yoyo and I want less response on another without changing the opposite quality on each
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Binding in mounts like that can often highlight technique issues as well, I like to show people this video:
essentially these are some commonly ‘snaggy’ elements that you can learn to overcome slowly by smoothing out your hand motions. I find messing around with a few of these can help you identify if your pads are the issue or if its technique based, especially the ones at the later parts of the video (after like 1:30ish) since they’re conceptually simple but difficult to execute
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Also, now that you brought string up… lol … for example fat string could make a less responsive yoyo more responsive? So finding a middle ground between string and pad grip or lack thereof I could find a combination that works with how I’m playing? I assume that once I get deeper into tricks there are going to be various setups that work better or worse. Oy vey, I was already thinking shape was gonna be hard to decide on lol Good thing I enjoy tinkering lol
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exactly!
though I think this applies more for yoyos that are picky about their setups (especially responsive yoyos), as you get more into the wider and more rim-weighted yoyos I find it matters a bit less and starts to become a personal preference kinda thing. That being said there’s definitely people on here that enjoy really thick nylon-based string and aren’t doing tricks that get a ton of wraps around the bearing, while on the other hand you have yoyoers who get into very intricate mounts and essentially require thinner string not to instantly have the yoyo bind up.
IMO it’s something you gain a feel for over time and can be a bit of a ‘noob trap’ to beginners in the hobby, it’s important to remember people were doing a lot of the tricks you’re learning now on yoyos SIGNIFICANTLY worse than any of the ones you listed. Insert the classic line of “Gentry Stein won the US national yoyo contest on a $15 plastic yoyo”. So, if you like to tinker and stuff like this makes you excited, have at it, but keep in mind that in like.. 98% of cases it’s something that can be overcome with player skill (or changing your string/pads for fresh ones, they definitely do wear out)
Got it! I think I actually was pinching the string when swinging the yoyo out and over trying to help it go lol I’ll have to try again and make sure
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Noob traps are a thing for me lol I like falling down rabbit holes. Always trying to find ways to improve things, guilty of blaming parts before user error; I admit, but it’s definitely exciting to experiment
Okay, the Variant is binding without a pinch if I alter my hand heights at all in that front binding mount. Is that indicative that I need to wear in my pads? This yoyo is maybe 15 hours of use old
Edit: nevermind I figured this out. Based on placement of the yoyo on the string and how much movement I’m able to move my hands without binding it