My interest in yoyo has waned as I got in a bit over my head making strings and ended up really burned out over the last… well basically all of 2022 lol. When you’re making hundreds of strings each day, eventually you get to the point where you just don’t even want to look at a yoyo anymore, or at least I did.
Now that I’ve backed out of the string making biz, I find myself at least picking up a yoyo to throw once in a while again. I’ve never been a great thrower and it’s been a long time since I pushed myself to learn new things, I just kind of found some tricks I enjoy and maybe learn something new every few months or so.
Along with that, I’ve definitely lost the shinyitis that I once had. I have like 50-60 yoyos, and that covers every shape pretty well. Sure there are nuances that make each yoyo unique, and I appreciate that, but I have a lot of throws that match my moods when I do feel like throwing. If I want chill vibes I’ll pick up my proto, or a Saboteur, or the Moldy Bread. If I want a zippy V I’ll pick up the Basilisk or the Metalhead. If I want to play with a powerhouse I’ll grab the Orbital GTX or a Warhawk, or if I’m feeling more in the mood for an O I’ll grab the Parthenon.
So these days, I honestly don’t care what big companies are doing, because I have plenty of options already. For the most part, I’d rather buy a new Switch game or a few packs of Pokemon cards than the next hot thing from [insert yoyo company here]. With one exception: personal friends. I’ll still support the friends I’ve made when I can afford to, like I recently grabbed the Geedorah and Ixion from @GWAY_Throws, and I’ll be there when new Circle City Yoyos drop. Partly because they’re friends and I want to support them, but also because smaller companies like that tend to make more interesting yoyos anyway, imo. There’s a few companies that I’m not close personal friends with, who I still keep track of too, Rain City Skills, Zero Gravity Return Tops and B-Grade Throws come to mind. I may or may not buy their yoyos when they come out but at least I try to check in on them once in a while to see if they’re doing anything new that interests me.
So all of that is to say, yes I feel you haha. I think it’s natural with any hobby to go through phases of “Gotta buy all the shinies!” and phases of “Eh, I’m good with what I’ve got.” I’m a guitar guy, but I’m okay with my 3 electrics, 1 acoustic and 1 bass. When I first got into speedcubing I bought a couple new cubes per month, now I haven’t bought anything new in years. Heck, even with my reading hobby, when I first got my Kindle I bought tons of books (and got a lot for free, thanks Freebooksy lol) but now I’m mostly trying to read through that backlog rather than getting new things (with some exceptions for authors I really like).
Idk man, I’m just rambling now haha. I guess my point is just, enjoy your hobbies how you enjoy them. If that’s buying every cool new thing then as long as you can afford food and shelter go for it! If it’s just enjoying the throws you already have, there’s nothing wrong with that either.