LOL this would be awesome. DIPPED YO-YOS!
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whispering: but I still think it’d be easier to do this with stickers of various heights rather than flowable i’m just sayin’ man
While I don’t completely agree with Jeff that pads are better in every way, how long does “properly applied” silicone last you?
It lasts me a week or two of heavy(hours of play each day) play. I’ve come to this conclusion after experimenting with recessing vs. flush, making sure it’s smooth and there’s no air bubbles or anything, waiting 48 instead of 24 hours, etc.
I’ve also gotten a few yoyos over the years that were freshly siliconed and they lasted about as long as when I do it. Even when I get a yoyo that is siliconed and isn’t quite freshly done, they don’t last nearly as long as when I get a yoyo with used pads.
Fresh pads? Could last me a few months of regular play. EASILY a few weeks of heavy play
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I may have missed something…but I don’t think anyone’s tried to argue this fact.
…I’m only putting about 1-1.5 hours into yoing each day currently, and I don’t know anything super crazy yet…so I’d only say that I’m using my yos moderately.
As such, I’ve not had any problems with the silicone wearing out yet. I did have an issue with the silicone falling out of one half of a throw a week ago…but haven’t had any issues since.
I am aware though that silicone is not going to last me as long as pads or whatever. I get that, and I wouldn’t expect it to…but that’s totally okay with me. It’s cheap for me to replace, really doesn’t take much effort at all…and I’m okay with waiting for the silicone to set. I’ve got plenty of other good throws to play with as I wait.
I’m willing to put in the effort because so far I’ve been very happy with the results I’m getting.
It’d be different if I was doing this, and then not seeing any significant gain…or if it was making things even worse for me…
But it’s not. It’s making things better. I enjoy the snappy binds I’m getting and it brings me more joy.
I’m not trying to convince anyone else to go and silicone their yos. I don’t really care what people do to their yos if what they’re doing works for them.
I’m just stating that this is working for me and I’m happy with it.
I don’t get what’s wrong with this. xP
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I disagree with the less durable part strongly. Some silicone wears out faster than some pads but the illy sillycone last forever. Idk exactly what they use but I have never replaced it in either of my yoyos from them. It is in my wasabi which is my most thrown yoyo and is going on ten years. If that isn’t durable idk what is.
I find it to be more consistent than pads and definitely more responsive when new. I can see why a new player would prefer it. I don’t silicone my yoyos out of laziness but I love the ones that have it.
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Ive wanted to stay away from this one from a while, but since ive been pulled into this fray (post 58), Ill talk.
What if you do not want a perfectly flat response? Ive found that I greatly prefer having a small “dent” in the response, and I can get that with flowable. Also, I can control the color and add flair and make it more my own.
I never tell others to do this, but i would never tell them NOT to. Ive never had any problem, and ive done this to 20 or so throws. I have had some come bad from the “factory” that had horrible string vibe, and had to re-silicone it. The snot has been flawless for me for many years now.
I do not do it to every throw, but I do, do it. I love making them feel more like they are mine, unique, identifiable at a glance, and not just another mass produced thing that looks like every other one.
Yes its more work, yes it takes time, but guess what? I dont mind working and I have time. So if the end product makes me happier than it did the day before, there is nothing wrong with that by a mile. Sorry not sorry 
Ive got some CLYW throws i siliconed 3 or 4 years ago. Ive not had one single problem since. not one. But ive replaced stickers a few times here and there, so Im not sure about stickers being better in every way.
But i dont care if takes longer. I dont care if it takes more skill, and I dont care if others stuggle with it. Harm none, do what ye will. I am unapologetic about this practice.
And if you can find some neon green, non-translucent response that fits every single yoyo I own? lemme know, and Ill try them, but the color options, and size restrictions are more limiting than not. Far from a perfect ideal, but a good one for most.
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I have never seen a pad last this long. I think stickers are the norm because they where being used before silicone response was even popular. Friction stickers where there before recessed response was even popular. Same with dif pads.
I just want to chime in and say that i get where @codinghorror is coming from. When I believe something is the more efficient and/or effective way of doing something or that my view on a given issue is the right one, I’m very persistent and adamant when expressing my view.
To some people this comes across as more personal in nature, but it’s really just about addressing the argument at hand and not the person making the argument.
When I’m telling someone that I believe their view on a given issue is flawed I’m not telling them they are flawed as a person.
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I don’t play nearly as often as you do. Not even close. I can’t give you a distinct time frame because it’s too long. Definitely longer than a couple weeks or couple months.
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I have Freehand’s which I modded and siliconed in the top of the 2000’s. I have one here now. Silicone doesn’t wear out in weeks.
EDIT - There’s nothing wrong with pads, they were very effective at solving the intrinsic time/performance problem of applying silicone. Time and convenience is profits!
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I could see something like YYR’s tiny little grooves to wear out in a few weeks, but those beefy CLYW grooves? years and years for me.
I’m curious to know how many hours y’all are actually putting into these each month if you’re saying it’s lasting years.
Back when I played heavily in HS, silicone lasted like 2 weeks for me. Maybe 40 hours of play?
Pads lasted too long I’m not sure exactly how long they lasted me
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A few hours a day, day after day. But ive only used 'Snot, so i cant speak of OTC or store bought sili.
Bro wtf snot didn’t last long for me at all
strange. i guess the classic YMMV applies here too…, again mainly used for CLYWs and they have big deep grooves.
Yeah the deeper it is the longer it’ll last but snot recessed pretty quickly for me.
I start off recessed so maybe i just dont notice it…
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Hey, thanks for typing this up. This makes a lot of sense.
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No problemo. Also I like to remind myself when I feel like an Internet comment was a little harsh or unfriendly that it’s difficult to convey tone through text. Something that might be intended to come across as an innocent question or statement might be perceived differently by the person reading it.
Also kind of unrelated but I think the users of this forum in general seem like really kind individuals and are very pleasant to interact with. The yo-yo community is great!
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Agreed!
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