Ok so my lil bro grabbed my dv888 and decided to teach himself how to yoyo. He’s actually kinda good and can do several binds and a few tricks. I’d like to get him a metal but I’m not gonna get him something that it makes me cry when his grubby lil hands get all over it. I’m between $40 and $90. He’s got small paws just like me so a yoyo between 50mm and 54mm. He has no preferences yet but he will soon. The dv888 is now stripped due to my faulty mechanic skills lol. Offer any ideas please.
Thanks,
Thomas
In which case I’d recommend a Cafe Racer for it’s comparable size but better play, a RecRev Sine//Saw or a DiBase2. All fit well into your price range including shipping, are relatively small in diameter, and play reasonably well - the latter two exceptionally so for the price. All can be found in stock here, and would allow you to have enough left over to budget for some string if required.
I 2nd the Sine Saw
Di Base 2 is great I have the original and the weight distribution is well thought out.
If you really want to get him the sine/ saw the I can get you one for less than your price range!
Put the Werrd Minute on the list!
Get him something cheap. First metals will get the crap beat out of them. Go after the Shutter or Minute. Those are probably your two best options.
My suggestions:
RecRev: f(x), @, Silly Goose, Neuae
YoyoFactory: Shutter
YoyoJam: Vexed
OneDrop: Dingo, Yelets, Rally
Shutter, DiBase II or Sine//saw would be really good. The 2013 SuperStar would be another strong recommendation.
If you’re looking for “not too big, not too small”, think about the Roll Model. The shape is good for being carried in a pocket, daily player, competition, 1A, 5A, and the shape makes you have to learn to play a bit cleaner.
The Capless would be a good contender too.
The dv888 isn’t one I’d think of for a good starter, but it is a decent yoyo. It’s also within budget. It is on the smaller side of things.
Since your price range goes up to $90, even the Burnside and a couple of other One Drops enter the picture, but I’m drawing blanks on the models right now…
Seriously, with him beginning, I’d learn towards a quality plastic or delrin. Protostar and Halo would be top contenders. An A Grade f(x) would be a good one too. I’m not anti-DM2(I’m well in favor of it), but the shape is a bit dated due to the high-wall design. The SFX would be ideal.
Avoid really small stuff like the new Neuae and Dingo for now. For new players, they are just flat out frustrating.
I’d 100% say the shutter+ a buddha ripple bearing. The shutter is great with a spec bearing, but it’s AMAZING with a center trac. It’s one of my favorite yoyos, it goes over my 120+'s.
Something good but inexpensive from the BST. In your price range the possibilities are nearly endless
So, Ill just put MagicYoYo in the mix, I hear you can get them off ebay for like17.00 shipped, from China of course so it will take a couple weeks to show up. But even ~30.00 for one that from what I hear plays just as good as 100.00 + throws seems well worth the price.
Which would you say is better- the best of the magic yoyos or the shutter?
Well, Magic YoYo stuff is pretty good.
If you’re into small, T6 rocks. If you like V-shapes, T5(my choice), it’s like a Firmy. If you want something a bit more competition grade, there’s the N12, which I feel is their best to date.
The problem with Magic YoYo is shipping. If you buy from the one US retailer that I know who carries it, you get it within normal postal times. If you order off the Ebay sellers, well, it can take a while to arrive, up to 6 weeks. Patience. This might not be ideal in this situation. I’ve found that at least with kids, most teens and a fair amount of adults, they often need to have a short period between finding an interest in something and being able to engage it in. I’m not excluded from that, but I do have a fair amount of self control.
I got kids begging and demanding yoyos from me daily. For some reason, their interest is maintained probably because they think I’ll break down and give in. However, many of them have maintained an interest for 2 months now, yet still have no yoyo. There’s no way of knowing what their real level of interest is, or how well they’ll keep plugging away at it once they get it. I am NOT good, but they think I am, despite me telling them that I’m not very good. It’s taken a lot of hard work for me to get where I managed to struggle my way to.
In your case, there’s already stuff readily available. This is a strength in this situation. Your brother will have access to stuff while his arrives.
Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend a metal for a beginner, and I don’t care how young or old they are. Part of this is my “get in cheap, see if you really like it before going forward”. Regardless, in this situation, I feel plastic is the way to go. Unresponsive, responsive, “convertible”(goes from one to the other). It’s not really just about money, it’s a bit more better for everyone.
What would be better between what I consider the “best” of the Magic YoYos or the Shutter? Honestly, it depends on your preferences. My N12 and T5 play smoother than my Shutter, BUT, I’m getting ready to change the bearing in the Shutter, as I think that’s where the issue is.
A warning about the Magic yoyos:
Prepare to silicone the responses and maybe clean and/or replace the bearing. I’ve been lucky in both areas.
Thanks for the great response! I think that you are alot better than you think. Every time that somebody (me included) has trouble on a trick you are always right there to help. What bearing are you planning on putting in?
See I would say classic but it’s rather large.
Check the Neaue is 35 or so bucks and can be had in b grade for less and is perfect for what your looking for.
Thanks. I try.
In the Shutter, I am going to put in a Buddha Ripple bearing when I finally get around to it. The bearing inside it is a YYF Spec bearing. Then again, it may just need to be cleaned. As Nationals is tomorrow, I may just go ahead and try cleaning the bearing and see if that helps. If not, then it’s a Budda Ripple.
I don’t have any spare CBC CenterTracs that I am aware of. If I do and one is in my “Good Bearings” pile, then that’s what’s going in there.
If you want to know how my skills actually are, I keep a low self-evaluation. There’s a few people on the forum here who have seen what I’m barely capable of. I’ll let them chime in on that. Or if I’m throwing at Nationals, you can witness my lack of skill for yourself!
Haha well even if you aren’t any good at throwing (which I know you probably are) you know almost everything about yoyos. I wish I could go somewhere like nationals or worlds, but it on the other side of the country- I’m in NJ, Nats is in Cali…
My picks for this situation are:
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Di base 2 it is the perfect size for small hands. But don’t get to caught up on size I got a 9 year old into throwing and he can throw my rather Large superstar just as good as I can. Size doesn’t matter actually I would recommend a larger throw.
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2013 Superstar my review: 2013 Superstar: Reaching for the Stars (Review) - Yo-Yo Reviews - YoYoExpert
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A Fools Gold CLYW they have Glaciers expresses now I think.
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Yelets, great undesized throw, with a flat rims like the dv888
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Something high end off the BST that way you can go into the higher end but with out paying full price.