So I just ordered a Vigilante, which will be my third YYJ throw - I have 2 DM2’s (purple and toxic frog) and a pair of Unleashed (my favorite 2a’ers)… I like the DM2 - but I realized after seeing another post that I’ve not really looked into other YYJ throws (I mostly have YYF and various metals - like One Drop and CLYW)… so you YYJ fans out there - point me in the direction of other YYJ’s I should be paying attention to… and maybe some I shouldn’t (please give reasons why - pro or neg). Seems YYJ has the corner market on the Hybrids - I’ve heard some having problems with their DM2’s rims coming loose (I haven’t) - do any suffer from this more than others? Thanks
I hear good things about most all of hiroyuki’s signatures, IE: chaser, phenom, phenomizm, speeders, etc, and then there’s the karma which i’ve had my eye on for awhile but lack the funds to purchase.
Let me start out by saying I like a lot of stuff. YYJ was my first “real” or “modern” yoyo, and that being the DM2, which hands down is STILL my favorite, even thought I have lots of stuff by plenty of other brands, including CLYW, OD, H-Spin, Duncan, Yomega, RecRev, YYF, C3YoyoDesign, Crucial and others. Of the brands I have, I have more YYJ’s in current inventory and planned, with 17 total, beating out Duncan by one, as I recently got an unexpected Duncan to add to my collection, a Momentum. I also like darn near everything I throw.
Where to begin. I also have a pair of DM2’s and a pair of Unleashed. So, we have some common ground.
Please also takeinto consideration I mainly talk about what I have
Let’s start with the Hiroyuki Suzuki throws. I have a Chaser, which based on the price AND it being an all plastic AND being heavy, it’s a really good yoyo that I’m glad to have. It seemed to me like this was meant to compete with the Northstar in performance, but smoke it in regards to price. Solid, stable, durable and heavy, yet it doesn’t feel heavy on the string at all. This is a plastic to NOT be taken lightly(ahem). I’m debating poppin a KK in there. It’s smooth so it’s a not a great grinder
The Speeder 2 is light, nimble, stable and fast The lines are clean and simple. Since the walls are rounded, it gives a less aggressive appearance. There have been reports of the wieght rings coming off or loose and I have had this happen ONCE. I pushed them back on and have yet to have it repeat. I popped a KK in there and I like how it plays now really nice. I liked it before with a flat, but the KK, it was a nice upgrade. It’s also not an ideal grinder. I couldn’t wait to get this. Once it came out, I couldn’t get it. I had to wait a bit. It was worth it to me.
I ended up buying a Phenomizm bootleg, and liked it so much I bought a real Phenomizm, which I do like better. The weight rings in the middle of the walls give a real good weight distribution and look nice too. The Phenom, costing more, is full metal, yet still uses the mid weight rings. Smooth, stable, spins forever(so it seems) and seems to take well to horizontal. The Phenomizm is smooth and not a good grinder, while the metal Phenom CAN grind but it isn’t great at it. These are also very fast yoyos. The Phenom was my first “full price paid NEW Metal”(my others have been bought off BST). It’s one of my favorites.
The Meteor was clearly a transition yoyo. It plays smooth and solid and has grindable rims, but with the caps, like with other Hiroyuki Suzuki throws, IRG’s just aren’t really a thought that was in mind wiht these designs. It’s like they want the softer walls of the plastic, yet speed and grinding. I bought this on a special, and since Mickey left YYJ, I wanted to get one before a chance happened to re-issue these without his name on it.
I really like the Hiroyuki Suziki yoyos. I like the V-type shapes a lot.
After seeing some JD videos, I was blown away. His style hasn’t been duplicated or matched since. I have three of his signature throws, the Lyn Fury, the Hitman Pro and XCon Pro. I am going to get a second Lyn Fury, for the purposes of modifying it and leave one stock. I like the weight and size, and the double O-rings are amazing from the standpoint that it is tug responsive if you want it, but can bind back. You can do complex tricks without really worrying about it coming back when you don’t want it, yet can come back with a tug. The XCon Pro I feel is overly heavy for it’s size, but I I love how it looks, It uses the same weight ring concept as the Phenomizm, but the compact size of this undersized yoyo makes the rings really eat up the yoyo. It’s a great yoyo, but it’s also a yoyo that forces you to throw better as it dislikes bad throws, but when you throw it proper, it rewards you for the efforts. The Hitman Pro is amazing and I like this a lot. The large metal rims provided amazing grinding surfaces, but the compact size fits in a pocket really good. I had an issue with the rims on the body right out of the box, but a quick squeeze to seat them and they’ve been solid since then
One of my kid’s got a Legacy II. What annoys me about this is she got blue and that’s MY color… Anyhow, I found myself constantly playing with it to the point where I had to get my own. All plastic, durable, good weight and balance. It’s not quite a DM2 in plastic, but it’s really good.
I really like my YYJ throws a lot.
The rest I have currently are off-strings: Aquarius, Big Yo, Go Big, Fiesta XX, which don’t apply here I think.
On my list of future YYJ’s I will purchase include:
The Speedmaker, Kickside and Pinnacle. The Prelude and Journey are some other inexpensive ones I may consider. Not sure about the ENEME, but I’ll talk to the man behind it in person before I say yes or not… The SR-71 and SFX are others I might consider as well as the Dynasty. The Karma looks very interesting and tempting. I’m not going to say anything about the Vigilante right now, it’s new and I have enough on my wants list for the time being.
I do agree that YYJ pretty much owns the plastic/metal yoyo market. They don’t have a huge selection of all metals, but they do, but some have mixed reactions. They also make some amazing very affordable all plastics. They also have yoyos specifically for the 5 major styles.
Two things to keep in mind though:
It’s all about preferences. Take what I say with a grain of salt the size of a decent sized rock.
I like pretty much everything. I think I mentioned this already.
Right now, I’m sort of in a hold pattern on SOME of my buying. I’m saving funds for BAC, of which I will most likely be running sound for. So, after my next round of buying(almost done), it’s “save for BAC and give back to BAC”.
Studio - thanks, and as per usual you’re spot on with the info I’m looking for - subjective-ness aside, I really want to hear what others are throwing, have thrown and why… I’m not sure I’ve honestly bought a throw that I wished I hadn’t (maybe the Velocity, outgrew it pretty fast)… but at the same time I think I’ve been pretty picky…
I have thought about throwing in a Lynn Fury in whatever becomes the next order…
Thanks again
Glad I can help.
The motivation behind the Lyn Fury purchase was multiple:
1: It’s very affordable.
2: Lots of people have it. I should therefore have one as well.
3: They are commonly modified by removing the rings and siliconing it. However, I liked the Blue/black one so much that I’m not going to modify it from stock, and am going to order a red/black one for siliconing and maybe use shims in there as well.
Similar motivation is behind the SpeedMaker and Kickside for items 1 & 2.
For me I shop by eye. What visually appeals to me has worked out really good. I also try to go for that “universal appeal” angle on many yoyos. Not to change the topic a bit, but stuff like the Velocity and other “adjustable gap” stuff, well, that’s really not a feature I am interested in because that gets old fast to me and I see limitations. I don’t have issue with bearing swaps though.
I also realize that “metal is where it is at”. It’s true, full metal yoyos are for the most part a superior yoyo. At the same time, I feel YYJ makes great quality metal/plastics that are perfectly at home on the competition circuit. I saw a kid bring up 6 of the new C-Force yoyoys with him for 3A. I don’t hold any bad thoughts towards going against the “full metal” attitutde. Plus, YYF makes some amazing plastics that not only hold their own against metals, but can sometimes beat them(player-dependent of course!). Now with Adegle and their PSG and Asteroid, we’re talking about SERIOUS plastics at low costs.
YYJ is obviously committed to the plastic/metal niche they’ve carved. The upside is you get some amazing yoyos, but at prices that can be reduced because of the use of plastics in the design. Quality yet affordable.
Maybe I am partial to YYJ since they got me into modern yoyos. At the same time, I know what I like.
On the weekends, the guy I throw with, he prefers full metals. He’s got nice stuff too and he’s a decent player, much better than I am. I have CLYW’s and One Drops, yet I still mostly go back to the DM2 time and time again. Even with other choices, I keep finding myself drawn to the YYJ yoyos. They are typically what I like best. I do however will purposely chose a non-YYJ just to break things up so I don’t get too used to something, often being a CLYW or One Drop, but now that I have my RecRev Sharp back, I go to that quite a bit now too. Right now, I have a Dietz and a Dibase that I’m playing a lot, and am waiting on a Burnside and Code 2 to arrive as well as a Chief.
Also, YYJ wouldn’t keep making the stuff if it wasn’t selling. Clearly, it’s popular and well received. The public is rarely wrong.
I really like my spinfaktor x with a konkave bearing. I can do any trick on it that i can do with a metal, except grinds. I like knowing that if anything happens to it, it’ll only cost $40 to replace.
Studio42 is on it.
My 3 favorite companies are CLYW, One Drop, and YYJ. (hums “one of these things is not like the others”) I guess it’s just that I’m always gonna be a YYJ fan because it just seems like a “wholesome” company. Whatever that means… Also because I started yoyoing last June, and I was sucked in by Andre’s videos. As an avid BSTer, I will NEVER get rid of my Dark Magic II. That thing is my baby.
i agree with all that’s been said. But one thing that hasn’t been mentioned above (at least, I don’t think) is the Cerberus. I bought one off a whim a few months back, and I really have fun throwing it once inawhile. It’s got that over-sized YYR-ish diameter without the YYR-ish price. It’s just very big, and throwing it once in awhile is fun. Give it a try!
The Destiny is also really nice for 5A. The Trinity is also great (I keep one in my “Best Yoyo case” with a bunch of mint Chiefs, YYRs, Code 1s, a Peak, and a Canvas).
I also owned a Karma too, which was a GREAT undersized throw. A little pricey, though.
I always keep a Lyn Fury in the car and have given many away. It’s a great inexpensive throw.
I have been using a YYJ AXIOM 4 years now to test bearings. The small diamiter and moderate rim weight gives me very high speed spin rate and “tells” a bearing well. With a perfect bearing fit and bronze inserts it has gone through countless bearing changes and is still as new.
I keep coming back to my SR-71. Excellent throw that is similar in size and weight to the DM2, but with more metal.
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my favorite from yyj is chaser,speeder 2 and 1 is good as well, and cerberus
I love my Hitman Pro, though it hasn’t completely won me over from my Yoyofactory yos. It tilts a bit too easily for my taste. That said, I find myself throwing it a lot, so it must be fun 
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned the Atmosphere… I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard good things. Anyone have thoughts about it in the YYJ lineup?
Speeder 2 – Love it, fast, spins long, very quick in changing directions, mine has a problem though in that one of the brass weight rings sometimes pops off, and when it’s on I can’t get it to stay flush with the plastic which results in vibe. When I first got it the weight ring was flush, and it was smooth
Atmosphere – heavier, fast, decent throw, 1st edition get’s vibe pretty easy though, and the brass edges can hurt on a bad bind. Not really a go to throw for me.
Trinity – I really didn’t like this for the price one pays for it. A tad heavy, and had some vibe. I feel there are better metals at the same price point.
X-Con pro – A tad heavy, but I love it. A go to throw. killer looks, Can be pushed fast, and I like shape and somewhat smaller gap.
Speedmaker – A tad thin for my tastes, and I really hate the hybrid response system. Gave it away the 1st chance I got.
Lyn-Fury – A Legendary unresponsive budget throw. I really wish I hadn’t given mine away.
Legacy 1 – A tad heavy, and some have more vibe while others are smooth, but spins and plays great. (Version 2 is lighter) a fantastic budget throw for both the beginner and pro
Journey – The best $15 beginners throw out there (imo) I always recommend these.
kickside – Hate the stock hybrid response. But I love the shape and weight. I’ve got a dual siliconed kickside that is my go to responsive throw. I really wish yyj would make a dual siliconed, solid spin axle kickside. They keep coming out with mediocre plastic throws when perfection is staring them right in the face.
SFX – Love it. one of (if not the) best full sized $40 throw out there
Phenomizm – Overall I really liked it. Fast, easy string hits. Not good for grinds though, and I don’t really like how the Plastic edges feel in the hand.
Axiom. – Too light and center weighted for me. Feels cheap.
Meteor – Again, too light. Needs more rim weight, just felt cheap to me.
Most YYJ throws have high-walls which I feel really holds them back compared to other modern yo-yos. Saying that, I do like the SpinFaktor X, probably my favorite of their ~$40 range.
They’ve also started to release more low-walled designs. I recently purchased an X-Con PRO on a whim. It looks and plays great. My favourite undersized just behind the OD Dietz.
The PHENOMizm is nice too, good shape but rims are a little sharp. PHENOM is similar though not really worth the extra cash in my opinion.
If you like fast players the Speeder 2 is definitely worth checking out. Has a really unique feel, but not super stable.
The new Chaser and Vexed look great too but I haven’t had the opportunity to try them out.
I can give you some thoughts on the Hitman PRO. It’s my first and (so far) only legitimate yoyo. (Not something you’d find at a retail store.)
You won’t be expecting top notch performance but it definitely gets the job done. Very rewarding on good throws. Being undersized, it’s easy to maneuver between strings and may feel somewhat light. The feel in your hand is simply amazing, everything’s curved, smooth, just comfort to the max. Grinds aren’t spectacular, but they’re most definitely possible. IRGs…not so much, unless you tip the yoyo at a fourty-five degree angle. It can play fast, but it can tilt big time after some hard combos, or maybe that’s just my lack of skill. If you watch the video from JD, you can see that it can most definitely play slow, and I feel like that may be the better option with this yoyo.
I’ll give another shout for the destiny a great 5a throw that doesn’t see a lot of press good balance and takes some beating with out looking beat.
The dm2 of course
The sr71 is a great fun and fast little bugger similar to the dm little smaller and faster feeling
The mini motu is super duper fun way more fun than the flea or chinese knock off(littles) which are almost just too small the motu you can play with regular string and not fiddle with extra junk.
Unleashed I think are just as good as the 900 loopers with out the stupid key adjusters makers them more played with out of my case.
I have a lot of stuff to choose from just like most folks here but yyj gets played with a lot for several reasons it works…and when I’m out playing over concrete that ding didn’t just devalue my throw 50 bucks :
and I’m getting good solid performance and having a blast!!!
The yyj SFX is only YYJ i have played and liked but i havent played a lot of them. It has a very similar shape to the speeder, phenom and the other h. Suzuki models.