NOTE: (1/16/22): This is an old thread that has been brought back up. The opinions stated here do not necessarily match mine today.
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So part of the yoyo community that I don’t really get is the desire for old yoyos for no other reason than them being old. Like I always see people saying that they’re looking for “old/retired Clyw” or something like that.
But it seems that yoyos are getting better all the time. Why not look at modern stuff instead of paying too much for something old?
And yes yes, I get the desire for the “Old School Vibe” but not all modern yoyos are just for strightline performance, and many have a very interesting feel as well.
And I also understand if you’re looking for a specific yoyo that you have fond memories of, but I see so many people just looking for literally anything from a certain brand, as long as it’s old. That means they’re not searching for a specific characteristic or aspect in how a yoyo plays, the only thing they care about is the age.
I feel like it would be better if people focused more on playing with their yoyo than it’s age.
I would take the new CLYW boy over some old Canvas any day, because the Boy looks more fun and capable.
If you have been yoyoing for a long time, I can understand the desire for a bit of a nostalgia trip. I have only been throwing for 6 years, but I am fascinated by old yoyos and old school yoyoing. I got a Yoyojam a few years ago just because it was older. I talk to James Buffington all the time about “the old days” because I find it interesting. I’m sure there are others whose interests are similar to mine.
While I can agree modern yoyos are great and I can vouch that the clyw BOY is a superb throw, matter of fact it’s been my go to lately, like it alot, like @Throwto100 said, theres a certain fascination to em sometimes it could jus be cause a certain yoyo from a company was wildly praised back in it’s time like the YYR Sleipnir or the clyw Chief, I just recently got into older clyws, for me I’m jus a general clyw fan for casual throws cause all there throws are comfortable imo, so as a fan the history of what made them popular and stuff peeks my interest.
I’ve always been interested in the history of my hobbies, and if I can interact with a piece of that history, all the better. I have a number of yoyos from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 90s, 00s. Some remind me of my childhood, while others offer a look at how things may have been before my time. Me being a fixie/responsive freak definitely helps!
That being said, it can also be cool to check out the early offerings from a company that you like. See how far they’ve come, or how they’ve changed over time.
It’s the exact same for my love of guitars, and video games. I love checking out the roots of my hobbies!
I’d imagine it’s for the same reason people like old cars. A new Camry will get you there faster, more reliably, and use less gas, but it’s just not going to have quite the feeling as a Miura.
A lot of people on here (not me) will also argue that organic high wall narrow designs have “soul” and that performance oriented designs are “soulless.” I personally do not like that term as it’s just an inanimate object and that “soul” is just a particular feeling they enjoy. And they will also say that performance oriented yo-yos aren’t objectively better than high wall, low power etc… designs because not everyone is yoyoing with the same goals. But just because someone enjoys Fast and Furious more than Shawshank Redemption doesn’t make Fast and Furious an objectively better movie.
A lot of times this argument then turns into “i have no trouble doing all my tricks on narrow high wall yo-yos with small catch zones and little rim weight, so there’s no benefit to wide yo-yos with lots of rim weight and large catch zones.” What is left out is that if your trickset doesn’t include complex high risk tricks like people that compete or tricks that require longer sleep times then of course you don’t see the benefit of a better performance yo-yo. That doesn’t mean it isn’t better though.
Not only that but I’m sure most high level yoyoers can hit their tricks on low performance yo-yos but can they hit the high difficulty tricks 100 times out of 100 in a contest setting?
And then the follow up argument is “well if someone is doing responsive play or regens then those designs are better” but that’s just shifting the goal posts, as obviously the argument is in the context of standard yo-yo play, and responsive play is no longer the standard.
I know this isn’t exactly what your topic is but I feel it’s some what related as older yo-yos tend to be inferior to modern ones. Essentially though my main point is that I really dislike the argument that there are no objectively better yo-yos because it usually is argued in the context of someone’s subjective preferences.
i agree, and do durfee’s points as well. the throws i enjoy most tend to not be the most high performance or competition ready throws… i’m also not looking to enter competitions either. like rssbrry, i grab throws that run the generational and style gamut. most of the keepers tend to be either somewhat older, earlier models, or have an older style. i’m also an older dude. i threw an imperial for years… i also still have vinyl records and turntables still… sometimes the old skool is just in ya…
You see, everyone here are free to search whatever yoyos that they like, it is a free community. Everyone here have their own “roaches in their head”.
There is no absolute “best” or “better” yoyo in general. There are a tons of yoyos, that better in something than other yoyos. Or better than other yoyos, just because they have some amazing branding on them. Or better than other yoyos because some said that they are better. You get the idea, right?
People want what they want and like what they like, for their own reasons. Old or new it really doesn’t matter, does it? Yoyos should just bring joy.
I used to try to explain why I liked what I liked to people that liked something else. It never goes well. So I just don’t bother anymore. I like what I like, you like what you like, and that’s all the justification that’s needed.
exactly. i picked up a rando in a trade just because it was cool looking and somewhat ‘old’, and i hadn’t seen one like it before… nor did a lot of other people i showed it to. it has been a fun adventure trying to figure out what it is…
“Just as much” isn’t really the same as “the exact same”. Diving a new Porsche is, no doubt, an awesome experience. But it’s not going to be the SAME experience as driving an air-cooled 1972 911S.
It all comes down to preference and what your goals are. A collector is going to want some rare old throws to show off. A competition player is go to want low walls high rim weight. To a hobby thrower just whatever makes them the happiest in the moment.
I just throw for fun but also enjoy having a nice collection. To me older throws make me happy and make me play in new ways. They just feel like their era. It’s like 90s hip hop. Nothing sounds like it and try as you might to make something sound classic it is still rooted in the time it was made.
I have been throwing my project a lot lately and have learned a bunch from throwing it. Sure it doesn’t have amazing spin time or stability but how it flies throw the air with such speed and precision for chopsticks makes it something special.
All of this is to say everyone likes different yo-yos and want to try different things. People love the classics so they will hold high value. It seems like some companies can reinvent the classic but most the time it doesn’t get the praise of the classic.
Edit. I think before what made a high performance yo-yo was known much more creativity went into most designs. More experimenting. We still see lots of crazy designs but most are just bimetal V.
It was mostly making the response gap deep enough for flowable silicone which is the greatest difference. the design of many old yo-yos was perfectly “modern” but in many cases the response area improved. O-rings worked, but not as well as silicone… they did last forever though
Just opinion.
Miss my X-convict I gave away a little. In its day it was top shelf, and many loved the shape.
Isn’t this like, very very relative to what your motivations are?
I started yoyoing in 2016, that means that I missed old-school and mid-school era of yoyoing completely. I feel zero motivation to own an 888, or an older CLYW, or even a TiWalker, but that’s just because i have no emotional attachment to any of this yoyos because i didn’t got to experience them when they were fresh. That being said, something like this is just a part of what can motivate someone to search for older yoyos.
Case in point, i love Northstars/Protostars, hugely because Jensen was my main influence in my formative years. So, even if i wasn’t there to experience it, I developed a liking for those yoyos via other factors, and that’s why I’m interested in them.
