Be honest here. A lot of people like the Classic, but is it actually a “great yoyo” or just a “great yoyo for the money”.
If I were to get one would I just end up going back to my metal yoyos? It would be cheap, but I’d be $15 further from a $100 yoyo that I’d actually play, and I’d have another thing to take up room on the shelf.
Or would it get genuine play time alongside my Chief, Cascade, etc?
That’s up to you. Do you take your Chief/Cascade outside and play on concrete, in the grocery store, out and about, etc…? If you don’t mind playing metals like that in those dangerous “dingable” type places then I don’t really know what benefit you’d get from a Classic or a Surge. They are fun, but they aren’t of the same quality or caliber as a Chief or Cascade, but you also cannot expect them to be. The Classic/Surge/OneStar, etc…are mass produced plastic yoyos. They work great, and you can obviously win Worlds with one if you’re the right person.
I didn’t buy a Surge. I own a Classic and I play my OneStar a lot. But I play the OneStar when I’m out and about and don’t feel like dinging up a more expensive throw. Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of expensive throws that are dinged to high heaven, it’s really just a matter of the mood you’re in I guess.
It’s a matter of your personality as well. I play my metals anywhere I want, so I don’t need a plastic as a “take around” yoyo. Yet I buy plastics on occasion just because I like mucking around. To me, it’s fun and gratifying to hit tricks on these inexpensive yoyos “just because”.
If that doesn’t sound like you, I would just pass on the Classic at least. It’s no Chief. 
Can’t say anything about the Surge, but I doubt it’s in that league, either. If it’s all about performance for you, there’s no need to get one.
Depends. A plastic would be great for on the gl playing outside. If you dont like dinging up metals, a plastic is good. You can do anything you can on a classic that you could on a Chief, it’s just harder. The classic is fine, the chief and other high ends are just luxury that make things easier for you, but the classic can do everything a Chief can.
If you want yoyo anyone can use that you don’t have to worry about, then get one. I just use a protostar or classic when i am bored.
I like switching between my metals and plastics, plastics offer a different, unique feel than metal yoyos. I feel that my Onestar and Surge play just as good as my metals(which include a Chief and Genesis), I can do the exact same tricks, combos. I say go for it.
I’ve been using a surge a lot lately cause of the video contest. But idk how much I’ll use it when I’m done. Maybe a bit since its pretty darn good.
I’ve really enjoyed my Surge! I’ve also got a Dark Magic II, but I’ve found myself using the Surge more. I got to intermediate yo-yoing using my other yoyo’s, but the Surge has really gotten me used to Unresponsive. The only problem I’ve found with it is it’s REALLY unresponsive for me. I have to loop the string around twice doing a bind return.
It depends on what your objectives are.
If you’re not satisfied with the performance of your current metals and you want to get something that plays better, it’s very doubtful that a under $20 plastic will outplay them.
But if you’re looking for something different, it’s highly probable that you will find a much higher difference in play on buying a new plastic than getting another metal.