Definitely a hot take here. I completely disagree with the notion that wooden yo-yos or yo-yos in general were better made in the past. Check out TMBR, they essentially changed the game when it comes to how well a wooden fixed axle yo-yo can be made. Nostalgia is a huge factor yea but don’t let it blind you to some of the quality options out there today. The tools and machines used to make these yo-yos are so vastly more precise than previously that naturally the yo-yos made are so too.
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I’ve been yoyoing since the nineties. The most exciting phase of yoyoing for me was the time span when CLYW, General yo and Onedrop hit the scene. We had a blast watching it all go down on the yoyonation boards. The fun we had with the Onedrop Code 1 development was amazing and it made an awesome yoyo. Watching Ernie make such smooth yoyos that the term “General yo smooth” became common place. CLYW makes a yoyo that floats in the air creating the term floaty.
Those are memories I cherish, and obtaining those yoyos I had when I was younger is exciting to me. I’ve had them before, but I was young and buying diapers was more important so I let them go. I don’t see myself getting all of them back, but I’m getting there.
I’m not going to compete so the new technology isn’t needed for my play style but I still dabble when it speaks to me, example, I’ve grabbed about every metal modern responsive from the last couple years because it’s reinventing the wheel. Picked up an Aitch as well because it doesn’t get more H than that.
And there is a thrill to the hunt. I got a OG Sasquatch the other day, got an OG BvM today and I’m still hunting down a Peak. Still need a Hatrick and 5 star. And an 07 888, Project and M1 will round me out in conjunction with the handful of throws I already have.
I leave all of my yoyos on my coffee table and my 12 year old daughter can play anything she wants. I collect what I like, but I do it so that the both of us can yoyo and have fun together. Yoyos make me feel alive, so I don’t play them like I’m dead.
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YES man… you absolutely hit the nail on the head, and said it shorter and better than my long post lmao. By far my favorite period of yoyoing as well - watching all that happen and develop was amazing. So much history being made during that time period, and I didn’t even know it at the time.
The memories associated with the yoyos are usually greater than the yoyos themselves, but they act as a physical “souvenir” or reminder of the time period. One of the best memories in my yoyo journey was picking up a Hatrick at Nationals in 09, right when they were released. It was my first “high end yoyo” and it was super awesome day. I still have it and it’s probably one of the only yoyos I’ll for sure never, ever let go of. Great times!
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I bet that Hatrick is General yo smooth
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I may be guilty of “playing like I’m dead.” I hide mine from my kids 
In my defense, they are terrorist.
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I grew up not having enough money to buy the yo-yos I wanted as a kid. Most of them are retired, or the company doesn’t exist anymore.
My collection is not to hold and sell later, but rather what makes me happy when I play with them, even if the yo-yo is outdated in terms of play or look.
I’d be happy to trade a titanium yo-yo for good condition Flores YoYos 
. Just an example.
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Yes, if mine were young young, I’d do the same and keep them up too, lol. And after thinking about it, I can understand the collector philosophy others have as well, no shame in that, it’s a free country and who am I to judge what others do with their belongings?
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I just bought a Freehand 2 for this reason. It’s still a very fun yoyo and to me, that is the point.
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I can identify with these sentiments.
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I collect older Yoyos because I can afford them now. I wanted all of them as a teenager. Now we buyin. Haha
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Similar sentiments, except I’m trading. It’s a long process that requires patience, trading for things I don’t want that have value so I can trade you for something I do want. I end up that some of said things I didn’t want actually are awesome and branding doesn’t matter
The icy white Reebok’s (onedrop) might look cool, but the icy white new boundaries from Walmart (magic yo) that cost less and have memory foam insoles are just as fresh, lol. And don’t get me started on air force ones (CLYW Peak), lol, I’ll get some one of these days
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Old stuff is cool.
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Pretty much why I want older clyws. They were grail yoyos for me. Unobtainable with the cash I had as a teenager. Having disposable cash and no one to tell you no is both a great time and dangerous
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At this point in the thread there’s obviously been a few older classics mentioned, so I’m curious to see what people like @nightshadow consider to be the modern “must haves.” I definitely own quite a few of them already but I’m always looking for something that gives me peak performance. (Besides Sengoku!)
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Hmm, a good question to be sure! And I would have been your man when I made this thread. I used to think that straight line competition perforce was the only way to go, and any other yoyos were stupid.
But when I tried my first undercut yoyo, that really changed. Since then, I’ve been on and off the BST tracking down undercuts, new and old! Some of my favorites are the clyw glacier express, the OG Avant Garde, and the MVP2. Whenever I buy a yo-yo for myself, it is usually one of these. I definitely understand why people enjoy non competition stuff, like organics and undersize throws after this re-evaluation.
When I want to learn some tricks that really demand a lot of performance from a yo-yo (which still does happen all the time), my Sengoku arsenal has me more than covered.
But, finally getting to your question (finally), if I had to pick my favorite (non Sengoku) competition throws, it would be:
Draupnir
Edge Beyond
ND Ultra
Anglam CC
Krown St
C3 Railgun (SURPRISINGLY good)
And I am partial to the Shutter, but that’s a bit of a hot topic right now, so I’ll leave it there 
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Even though yoyos have generally improved, a good design is still timeless. A lot of old yoyos still hold up. They can be really fun and also inspire you to play differently. Man I want a Punchline, but it doesn’t seem likely any time soon.
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