I was wondering about wood yoyos. Ive been looking hard at TMBR yoyos, as Tom Kuhns are too rare or expensive for the most part. Im looking for a butterfly or modified shape, just not an Imperial. I was wondering, what should I look for in a wood yoyo? What are good things, bad things, string to use, possible mods, etc,.
If you are looking at a fixed axle, use cotton string as poly will melt.
Most woods are imperial shaped however you can find some, such as Tom Kuhn and Eric Wolf, that have bearings and have more of a butterfly shape.
I play both No Jives and a few tmbr throws. I like both brands but would have to recommend one of the tmbr take apart models. Buy a bundle if cotton string, you’ll need it. If you take a duncan friction sticker and scrape the grabby gunk off down to the felt, it will help make the responsiveness more consistent. Some players also shim the gap. And remember wood is inconsistent. Expect any wood throw to vibe a little and just be happy if it doesnt. Tough knuckles help 
Yea, TMBR is a great decision for a wood. Also, the Duncan Profly has a wooden axle so it feels a lot like a wood.
I am waiting for Ed to impart his fixed axle wisdom…
He answered a lot of my questions when I picked up wood. Extra cool guy.
Yea I’ve read about shimming them. What TMBR would you guys recommend? I also plan on getting one to carve a design into one.
The tmbr throws have blank sides, so they meet that requirement. I’ve tried the Irving and I own a Fremont and Irving pro. The Fremont and Irving are comparable in size and weight but personally I like the feel of the Fremont. The Irving pro has a huge gap and is heavier, but I find it more difficult to get the response consistent (to be fair, I haven’t taken the time to sort it all the way out. It won’t be a problem in the end.) I’d suggest just picking the one that looks coolest to you, and dial it in. Tmbr is high quality stuff. Oh, and get a take apart model. Makes dealing with knots much easier.
How does the Fremont compare to a Morrison? And Thoughts on the new Lovejoy?
The Morrison is a classic shape. I’m guessing you’re looking for more of a butterfly shape. I didn’t know about the Lovejoy until just now. My thoughts on it: gotta have it! That will most likely be my next yoyo. If I wasn’t a responsible adult who needs new running shoes…plus I just picked something up off the bst today. That Lovejoy is a beautiful yoyo. If you get one, let me know how you like it.
I’ll probably get one as soon as I find them for sale. If you see them, give me a heads up : I am also gonna get something besides that yoyo, possibly an Irving or Fremont, even the Morrison has a chance. Which have the best sleep times?
That’s really impossible to say. Wood is organic, inconsistent, fickle even. It depends on weather and your set up and humidity and your throw and everything else. That’s part of what makes throwing wood so challenging and rewarding. Honestly, I never think about spin outside of however much I need to complete a trick. Really, thats all the spin time you need.
Well I’ll see. I saw a Fremont on the BST for $10 hopefully it’s still available. And should I get extra wood axles? Also what else should I get? Friction stickers/turbo disks, other things like that?
I’ll see what Ed has to say about this too. I know he is the wood guru around here
Get the Fremont for ten bucks if you can. That’s a steal. Spare parts of any kind never hurt to have around. As far as stickers go, thats a matter of preference, though I do recommend friction stickers stripped of glue. I’m confident you could pm Ed an he would happily tell you his preferred set up and other options. He’s a very cool cat.
And get a bundle of cotton string.
Yea I’ll see if I can get it and I might get an Irving or Irving pro too and wait til the Lovejoy comes out. This is great, with what I’d buy a new cascade I can have a small collection of cool wood
And a bunch of new tricks and a new style of play
That’s what has me excited. I know there are a ton of 1A tricks that I has no clue of, but I’ve hit a stump. What I really wanna learn is all those stalls.
Stalls are fun.
Stalls are indeed fun.