Very good points! And lots of food for thought.
Personally, I prefer a more stable yoyo that rewards a good starting throw and doesn’t drift off plane with the slightest string impact on the inner walls. It may be more difficult to adjust, but I’d rather train myself to not need the adjusting so much in the first place. I find myself over-compensating during adjustments on a less stable throw, and that just makes the problem worse.
The problem with this analogy is that not every thrower is a competitor. Sure when you’re competing, as I said above, the fun is tied in large part to the winning. Yoing has more of an artistic side, and also a tactile payoff.
Even using your analogy, it’s possible two people might have more fun playing tennis with each other with the old wooden rackets, because the game is so different. I’ve even heard people lament they much preferred watching say McEnroe vs Borg, to the tennis of today.
A dirt bike is not very efficient on the highway, but it’s much more fun than a sports car off road. A horse is very inefficient by modern standards, but people still enjoy riding them.
I definitely agree here. As I said above, I look at it as slightly different skill sets, as well as personal preference. And it doesn’t even have to be either or. If it did, most of us would probably own fewer yoyos!
Golf clubs are the perfect analogy here! While I use a modern set of Calloway’s, they are a “mixed set” tailored for performance on the long irons and geared towards feel on the short irons. I even still use my grandfathers 30 year old forged blade pitching wedge though because it provides unparalleled feel and workability that is akin to throwing and old OD Parlay with a flat bearing. Sure I can’t hit his old pitching wedge as far as a new one, but I have complete control over the ball, just like an old organic with flat bearing.
Sigh! Discount what can’t be comprehended.
You could have a high performance 2K racing bike, and prefer an old beat up 3 speed to ride around the neighborhood. That’s probably me.
Or, as is more often the case, poorly expressed.
Oh sorry! Feel better now? 
This is the analogy that nailed it for me. Stable throws are like the carbon fiber racing bike with ultra light everything. An absolute blast when you want to jam hard and go fast. Less stable throws are like the beach cruiser (or for me fixed gear bike), an absolute blast when you want to jam by being intimately connected to the experience. Either way, if your toy/bike matches your current mindset, you are set up to have fun.
This is a great analogy. But it comes back to the rider. If you are weak and out of shape no matter what you are pedaling it will be a lung burner to climb the hills. If you are strong and fit the hills aren’t a problem and you can climb in style.
This had been a good conversation. Thanks in particular to @Myk_Myk and @Markmont
From what I’m picking up here and my own experience, bimetals or heavy rim weighted yoyos are designed that way for you to have less control. They are geared for a good straight throw from the player, to keep on that plane and just keep on spinning through whatever. I’ve thrown a few recent bimetals as well as older ones, and they are all more difficult to get moving quickly, change direction and tilt back on plane. General manipulation kinda stuff.
More even-weighted or centre-weighted yoyos still spin enough, are stable enough and can be manuputeated off and on plane much easier. With enough practise, spin time and stability are barely an issue for 99.9992% of players.
So, yoyos that have less competition or stable play qualities actually allow players more control.
Is that a case for calling these kinds of yoyos better performers? You be the judge.
I was just thinking exactly along these lines. In particular, I was thinking how the analogies, while fun and interesting, paint less stable yoyos too much as being limiting.
Yes, we all know what will win a competition, but yoyoing is also an artistic and creative endeavor, and some of the best players are better able to create when they have that control over the yoyo. Others are better able to create when they don’t have to focus on that part.
I’ve said before, that I think the idea of yoyo performance, is too tied to competition.
Some of my favorite yoyo videos have Charles Haycock using an organic yoyo, or Jensen, or Tyler Vienneau, to name a few.
You don’t need any style and less ability to guide a yo-yo through tricks on a rim weighted max performance yo-yo.
Mark drips what it takes. YoYo is lucky to have people like him to put in these positive influences.
I’m trying to think of other pursuits where this ‘suboptimal equipment’ choice allows style to really be shown off. Surfers on twin fins, Drivers in classic cars, musicians …
Optimal equipment you are no-where near the edge of performance. Be it fixed axle, light weight, center weight you can get there. You need to push every last drop out of it and it takes skill and style to make it happen. Sounds fun to me!
Well, nice view but I am not convinced.
I mean, I know you have been onstage in at least 27 different Countries in the last 25+ years.
And I know you have met and talked to high level yoyo players from All over the World.
And I know you have personally sat down and picked the brains of top shelf players in the process of designing some of the best signature yoyos ever produced.
And I know you yourself are a veteran player. And have been best friends, Business partners and fellow Planet trotting yoyo demonstrators with Hans for literally decades.
But I hesitate to just say, ‘Yes, Ben is correct’.
But I guess you’re right🤓
It’s not what you say Doc, it’s the way you say it.
We’ve literally gone through this exercise 50x over on every yo-yo board ever, and yet this was still a fun thread to read.
my DJ’s where you at?!!
my comparison, vinyl vs. digital. the medium is different, the goal is the same. donald glaude can beatmatch four VINYL records at once across four turntables… and, he can make a crowd go wild… and he can do the same thing with serato, or samplers, or digital whatevers… you can throw anything at him, or many other djs.
an organic yoyo for me compares to the ‘analog warmth’ of vinyl. is it better or worse? it depends on who you ask, but it’s subjective in any context. someone who can drop bombs on an analog (turntable) set-up can surely to that digitally, they’ll have to learn the equipment either way. there IS a steeper learning curve beatmatching on vinyl due to the ‘wah and flutter’ of the turntable… but, if you’ve grown up in a digital age, you’ll be able to master a CDJ and all digital set-up quicker than someone that just dropped plates only for 20 or so years…
passes mic.
And any DJ that only uses a computer ain’t worth spit.
If you can’t beatmatch without technology, hit the bricks son.
Drops Mic.
he’s good!!!
“Ya- good and terrible!”
Just like both sides of fun and stable.
J/K😜
There’s spice in variety y’all. Throw everything!