Responsive yoyo recommendation that fit my needs. (To groove tricks I already learnt and practice making it smoother)

Not yet, and I think I would want to give it a few days first when it arrives before forming a judgement on it :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Merci monsieur,

I am looking forward to the Neo.
My plan is to practice learning new tricks (currently stuck on Kwyjibo’s second hop) on the Dove or other unresponsive, and when I get frustrated or stuck, pick up the Neo and practice tricks I can already do on it to make them smoother!
Also plan on just playing responsive a little everyday regardless to help hone my skills.

:slight_smile:

1 Like

I said it somewhere else, but, responsive play is the reason old school players like Markmont, Andre, and so many others are as smooth as they are. Nothing bad will come from playing responsive, and, a lot of good will likely come from it :slight_smile:

I just threw Kwyjibo a few times, really focusing on what I was doing on the second hop, to try to give some observation. Two things stood out - (1) timing is as important as anything else – if the yoyo is moving slow, don’t move your hands fast, and (2) - probably more important - keep your hands on the same vertical plane (your finger tips should be the same distance from your body) and when I was doing the second hop, I tend to have a fair amount of separation between the strings on my non-throw hand (one string is close to the 3rd knuckle where the pointer finger connects to the palm, the other string (where the yoyo lands) is between the 1st and 2nd knuckle.

All of that said, you will get this. Most yoyo tricks take me a long time to learn, but, that has taught me if I keep working it and seeking advice, eventually, I will get it.

2 Likes

Yes, exactly!

Most tricks take me forever to get down too, and it is really easy to become discouraged. Since there is no telling how long it will take to get a particular trick down, the temptation to give up on it after weeks or months of trying can become overpowering. The only way I’ve ever conquered these tricks is by continuing to work on them until I have them down, asking for help as needed.

Never give up on a trick.

Also, it can sometimes help to learn/practice other tricks while working on an especially challenging one so that your brain gets a bit of variety. Focusing too much on a single trick for too long can actually be counter-productive. You can even take a break from a trick for a little while and then come back to it later after you’ve picked up some other new tricks; in doing so, you may find you’ve improved in ways that help with the trick you put aside.

But more than anything, never give up on a trick.

3 Likes

Anything with a small bearing and anything with a small width/catch zone.

You can also buy a butterfly XT and throw the dirty/lubed up bearing from that into any of your current throws to make it responsive.

2 Likes

Thank you for those trips and trying this out for me @French!

I can land it occasionally but it’s not consistent. Want to keep trying until I can land two back to back in a row :slight_smile:

1 Like

Thank you for the encouragement @zslane
:metal:

1 Like

Thank you Patrick! @hobbygod
I ended up buying a Neo by ThrowRevolution to hone my play on responsive :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Good luck!

2 Likes

oh ok i agree!

2 Likes

Disclaimer: this is my second post ever. Total newb here.

As a responsive 1A beginner and guy that tends to write really long posts…thank you, @MoonageMin for starting this thread and presenting these questions! The following discussion helped me greatly, especially as I try to understand how yoyo design can help or hinder me as I climb the string trick ladder.

I’ve had my eye on a Alleycat 650b, Confusion GT or Weekender. Looks like the Alleycat, Deep State or similar models are not as forgiving for learning string tricks.

I like the feel of metal, but I may give the Neo a look now, based on this thread. This forum is wonderful! Thanks to everyone that takes time to contribute. I look forward to asking a few of my own questions in the future. Cheers!

2 Likes

Hello & welcome ChefCombo,

You are more than welcome.
This whole thread was super helpful for me with all the advice people gave, and if you also found it helpful in your search I am really glad that it is also helping others.

I am quite new too, so my opinions comes with a handful of salt, but I have also spent way too long researching on forums, reddit, FB, etc.

I too love the feel of metal, and as you can see from my yoyo collection back in 2007 (OD Project / Hspin Pyro / Hspin G&E4 Black Lily / SPYY Addict / SPYY Spyder / YYF '07 888 / YYJ Legacy / YYJ Lyn Fury / Duncan Freehand Zero / Duncan Bumblebee) most of my yoyo’s were metal.

Having said that, if I were to rewind back 1~2 weeks ago and start again I would get the Neo and the VTWO.
But I have zero regrets in buying the Dove and absolutely love it so even if I skipped it then, I would probably have picked it up later anyway.

The reason for this is, and this reason still stands, I wanted to have 1 Plastic (or Delrin in this case) and 1 Metal yoyo.
The Plastic will be my beater yoyo that I learn tricks on without getting too hurt, and without baby’ing it so that I can carry it everywhere with me and use it in public, let others try it etc.
The Metal one (VTWO in this case) I would use to enjoy, make and learn combos etc a yoyo for pure enjoyment.

Now my thoughts have changed somewhat as both the Dove and VTWO fills my needs above, but they are both unresponsive yoyos.
If I did it again, I would get 1 responsive plastic and 1 unresponsive metal yoyo.
And my choice would probably be the Neo & the VTWO. (With the Neo being my everyday carry and for grooving my tricks, the VTWO as it is unresponsive to learn new tricks initially and to just play on in general).

On top of this I actually also have a Ti-Vayder on the way, and thanks to @codinghorror this is one of the cheapest titanium yoyo available by far and I would still have purchased this regardless just to try it out!

I hope the above explanation of how my thought process has changed slightly over my buying experience unfolded helps you somewhat.

3 Likes

Also these are other items and accessories that I have either bought recently or had since 2007 that I find useful that you might want to add to your purchasing research.

  • Yoyo case : somewhere to keep all your yoyos and accessories in
  • Lube : I have a bottle of Thin lube (One Drop V4M) & a bottle of Thick lube (YYF)
  • Strings : You will want lots of spare strings, I have bulk Yoyonation highlight polys, Kitty Fat, Kitty XL, YYSL Plutonium, YYSL Ammo, YYSL, Venom, YYSL Type X, and some others
  • Bearings : not necessary, the ones you get with the yoyo should serve you well, but I do have some various KK, DS, CT, 10 ball bearings etc to try out and find my preference
  • Response pads : I have some OD Flow Groove and some OD slim 19mm pads (for none OD yoyos).
    A lot of people like flowable silicone which is easy and cheap to use, but I find the cost of pads to be minimal and less hassle so I just buy the OD ones
  • Glove/tape : I have a yoyo glove (which I don’t use much at my current skill level yet) and some yoyo tape which helps with string burn on your throw hand finger at the beginning but once they toughen up I find you rarely end up using the tape it’s only the first few days you really want it.
  • yoyo holster : they are not very pocket friendly and this helps a lot to have to carry around your yoyo
  • a glass jar, and some bearing cleaner : to clean your bearings (oh and a pin)

Hope that is helpful

2 Likes

This is a very good suggestion.

Quite a few bearings, new Konkaves especially, like to seize up after less than hour of play. It starts with the yoyo suddenly and without warning screaming with bearing noise. When you take the yoyo apart, you’ll find that the bearing barely spins at all when you flick-start it with your finger.

You can resurrect a seized up bearing by removing the bearing shields (hence the suggestion of having a pin handy) and letting the bearing soak in an acetone bath for an hour or two. After taking it out of the bath, “Hyperspin” the excess acetone out of the bearing, lube it if that’s your thing, and then try a flick-start with it installed back on the yoyo again. Should be right as rain. If it isn’t then the bearing should be dumped and simply replaced with a new one.

2 Likes

Well, there are some amazing responsive metals. The best three in my not so humble opinion are

  • Deep State
  • Alley Cat 650b
  • Confusion

All of those are outstanding

Oh yeah and I think the Moonshine 2.0 is really outstanding as well

3 Likes

A couple other accessories I’d recommend are some scissors for cutting strings, a toothpick to help you pick knots, and maybe a notebook or 2 to keep track of the yos you own or would like to own someday, tricks you know or want to work on…and I also have a journal I use just for yoing where I write down thoughts and ideas I have once in awhile.

Welcome to this awesome hobby @ChefCombo!!

3 Likes

The video that I found that explains best how to put the perfect amount of lube needed was one by @Brandon_Vu, all his videos are amazing you should watch them I liked his video on “how long does it take to get good at yoyoing”.

Finally, you probably already know this but, thin lube for unresponsive, thick for responsive.

1 Like

@codinghorror’s advice is the one to listen to as he is very knowledgeable.

I just wanted to add though to why I suggested that I would purchase 1 plastic responsive and 1 metal unresponsive if I were to do it again personally.
It’s purely because I want 1 plastic yoyo and 1 metal yoyo and thought it made more sense to do it in that combo, and I’m not quite ready for a slimline yet.

I have a photo of @twitch77 with his little notebook to keep track of yoyos he wants to own.

8 Likes

:rofl::rofl:

Yes. And every single one of them is green!

4 Likes