Been over 10 years since I took the YoYo seriously, but have recently had a definite hunger to return and I believe I will. The last two YoYo’s I purchased when I was serious about it were The Patriot and Saber Raider. Nice to see a community such as this having surfaced over the years.
I need to purchase some new strings for my YoYo’s, but if I remember correctly, The Patriot wasn’t a great YoYo back in the day, for me anways. I always struggled brining it up from sleeping. I know few string tricks, but know that’s where the fun is, so what do you recommend as a YoYo for a “beginner”. Metal or not, does not matter to me.
Also, I’ve noticed some interesting terminology being thrown around, perhaps someone could elaborate on these? Throws? Plays?
Well. Yoyojam does have the Classic. Just get some pads and a large C bearing. Plenty of companies have budget metals now too. YYF, C3 and Rebellion are some of the more common ones. I’m rather biased though since I mostly use a Shutter, but this list helps if you’re searching for your new purchase. Yoyofactory Comparison Sheet/Buyers Guide - Yo-Yo Reviews - YoYoExpert
Also, I wouldn’t worry about the terminologies all that much. That’ll just come naturally with practice as you learn new tricks and read hear in the forums. Other than that, you should be fine. Happy throwing! ;D
Welcome back The replay pro from Yoyofactory is a solid beginner yoyo, and only $15. It is unresponsive, so you will need to bind return it. If you want a responsive throw then get the Classic from YoyoJam. I suggest getting a Unresponsive throw, it is much easier to learn tricks on since they usually sleep for longer.
Thank you for the suggestions, I’ve been looking at some YoYo’s and I’m quite intrigued by the One Drop brand. I’ve ordered a new bearing set for my Duncan Metal Drifter in the meantime, but I have been looking at the Rally by One Drop. Anyone use it?
I would say no more than $50… We’ll keep is reasonable, until I determine that this will be a hobby I will stick with for a while. That tends to be a flaw in my character.
Alright so I put together a list of yoyos for you to check out.
Terminology you should know
Responsive: The yoyo comes back up when you tug it’s string. This is what a regular toy yoyo does. Easier to get started on responsive
Unresponsive: The yoyo requires you to perform a bind before it will come back up. Unresponsive has a higher learning curve because a bind is required to return the yoyo unless you are ok with winding up the yoyo manually after every throw. I suggest you start with responsive. Unresponsive is used by most throwers because it let’s the yoyo spin longer and the yoyo wont accidently come flying back into your hand.
YoYoFactory One ($9.99)
This one is the cheapest. It’s a full plastic yoyo that comes with a slim bearing, making it responsive. The one is also designed to work with a full “C” sized bearing, so it can switch to unresponsive once you have learned how to bind properly. Unresponsive bearings can be found here: Yo-Yo Bearings – YoYoExpert Any “C” sized bearing will fit.
YoYoFactory Replay PRO ($15.99)
This is one of the best performing plastic yoyos available. However, the yoyo comes unresponsive, so if you want to start with responsive, this is not the yoyo for you.
YoYoFactory DV888 Starter Set ($35.00)
The DV888 is a great starter metal yoyo. Metal yoyos tend to sleep longer and have better stability. The starter sets comes with a slim bearing that allows you to play responsive. It also comes with a standard bearing and slim response pads which allow you to play unresponsive when you want to switch over to unresponsive.
YoYoJam Dark Magic II ($43.78)(what a weird price)
This is the YoYoExpert recommended yoyo. It was designed by YoYoExpert owner Andre Boulay, who also happens to be a member of Team YoYoJam. This is a plastic/metal hybrid yoyo. The metal rims push the weight distribution outwards, producing better spin times. The yoyo comes with both a slim bearing for responsive play and standard bearing for unresponsive play. Also, this yoyo looks the coolest imo.
This is a huge help and I am very grateful for your effort in writing this up for me. I’ve done a decent amount of research the past few days and I can see and mostly understand why you chose what you did. Again, thank you and I will take all of these into consideration!
The replay pro from Yoyofactory is a solid beginner yoyo, and only $15. It is unresponsive, so you will need to bind return it. If you want a responsive throw then get the Classic from YoyoJam. I suggest getting a Unresponsive throw, it is much easier to learn tricks on since they usually sleep for longer.