I’ve seen people bring this up to discussion but often confuse one with the other. When I was starting out, I also got this problem and because people keep saying to use thinner string and “break in” the response to make it more “unresponsive”, I decided to sand the starburst on my yoyo a little. It did become more unresponsive but not because it’s literally unresponsive, it’s just the string slips more on the starburst, which in turn giving the impression of unresponsive.
Few years later I realized that even thick pads that comes out of the wall doesn’t make the yoyo any more responsive, oil in the bearing does. I read past threads about Speeder, some said to shave the rubber ring flush and sand the starburst a little to make it unresponsive… the thing is I just got a Speeder few months ago and with stock rubber ring it’s completely unresponsive given I already know how to clean the bearing. Heck even yomega Raider becomes unresponsive if the bearing is clean.
To wrap things up, basically bearing decides responsiveness, response system decides grip. A yoyo can be dead unresponsive yet bind tight, another can be totally “responsive” but doesn’t return because the response system has no grip (as in overlubed yoyo with no pads)… it’s “responsive” in a sense that the bearing drags and roll the string around.
I have to agree. I once was teaching a yoyo class with ONEs, and it was frustrating because they weren’t responsive unless you lubed them, and I couldn’t give everybody a bottle of lube, so I had to lube everyone’s bearings myself.
There are exceptions to the rule. Friction stickers are extremely aggressive, and the FHZ’s gap is pretty small.
I hate when people put an unresponsive bearing in a yoyo supposed to be responsive with a narrow gap, and have it snap bind at you at your every other tug attempt.
YYJ yes im looking at you.
I do have one exactly like that, completely unresponsive but now I’ve run out of stickers… also a freehand with stock config. The thing about the FHZ, with two stickers it’s quite snaggy on binds, but still unresponsive nonetheless.
Friction stickers are sticky, a lot stickier than pads or silicone, I can see someone might get one still responsive though.
