String Purchase advice please

Actually just ordered my first “proper string” a few days ago! I got Sochi Fat, OT Fat, and Kitty Fat First class. I will try to tell my first thoughts about those 3 after I receive them :slight_smile:

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They’re a small business and during some periods shipping from the US spikes. I spent around $12.50 for skyline and $11.50 on zsair. Shipping was something like 50-60 USD to get to Australia due to them being a small business and not being able to bulk ship.

12.50+11.50+55 (tbs) = $79USD
$79USD = $117.85AUD

Please do not underestimate how wild shipping and costs are for international yoyoers

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I still do this

When I started out, I just used Throwback bulk poly (Cage Free String). I still use it, not because I prefer it, but because I don’t care that much about string (also bc I haven’t eaten through my 100 pack even after a year). As a beginner, bulk poly works just fine as you won’t be familiar with all the nuances of this hobby. After you gain some experience and become familiar with how different yoyos feel, then you can start exploring different string types and brands. That’s just what I plan to do after my 100 pack runs out, lol.

What limited experience I have with higher end string, what others say about it lasting an incredibly long time more or less holds true, but your mileage will vary based not only on the type of string, but how frequently you use it and if you wash it (if possible [yes, washing string is a thing. Blew my mind when I found out about it]).

When I started to get back into yo-yoing, years ago, I was surprised at how many different string options and manufacturers there were.
While a variety pack is nice, if you’re anything like me, you might not be able to tell much of a difference, if any, at first.

Kitty is a good baseline sting. For 1A play, I might recommend a 10 pack of Kitty Fat.
Knot Bad strings are also fairly good for a cheap bulk string.
A lot of top professionals use OT string, and I believe YYE has some 10 packs still available.
YoyoStringLab also makes some great strings, you really can’t go wrong with any of them.

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yes get a 100 pack of kitty first. you can mess around with the fancy stuff later if you feel like you need it.

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So stick with kitty as its the standard and slowly as i get more advanced i can try out other strings?

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What I did was pick up a few small packs of a couple different brands to get a feel for what I liked and to also enjoy the different colors and materials.

The OT sample pack is nice because it comes with 30 string, some pads and a bearing as well for a good price, that could be a good choice for you.

Kitty is a great choice tho if you just want to get a bunch of string to have a reliable stock of as you go along. Personally, I don’t like being locked into one material, thickness, and color. I have a few yo-yos, and they all behave a little differently (and look better with different colors but that’s strictly aesthetic)

You can try other strings whenever you like.
Kitty is a good “baseline” string that it seems a lot of other strings are compared too.
It’s good enough to help you through alot of tricks, while still being cheap in bulk.
Once you get the hang of certain tricks, and if you start to feel a certain way about Kitty (as in, this is too thin/thick, too rough, not slacky enough, etc) then you can try other brands and can really dial in your preference.

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Welcome to the hobby!

Strings are a preference, and we suggest trying all sorts of brands, materials, styles, and colors/patterns (yes - colors, dyes, patterns CAN make a difference!).

Here’s our website - if you see anything you like, or would like for us to whip up a sample pack (something we are working on promoting and producing full-time), we would be happy to help!

Hope you get continued enjoyment out of this - it’s an awesome hobby at 8 or 80!

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Which do you guys prefer more : OT, Sochi, or Kitty?

Thanks for commenting :face_holding_back_tears:

I prefer Ot because it’s nice and soft, and hold slack really well. I do love kitties pink tho hah, great color and sometimes a courser string can be nice. Havnt used Sochi much but it’s pretty nice as well, but also course.

I also have One Drops bulk poly and I love it, perfect thickness for me, and plays really well. It breaks in nicely and gets softer, which is nice.

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In addition, when I get anything shipped to where I am (in the EU) I also have to pay VAT charges which is 23% of the cost of the total shipment (i.e. my order total and the shipping costs combined) on top of that the postal carrier charges a handling fee for collecting the VAT; depending on the carrier that handling fee is $10-20.

Worth it for my ziplines tho :slight_smile:

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I didn’t take it but big red is really nice

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These just arrived

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