Thought I’d start a thread discussing the Mighty Flea since they’re available again, discuss anything about it be it tips, thoughts on it, etc.
For starters, I can get a good normal front throw but majority of what I do is side throws. But I can’t get a good side throw, experimenting with different ways of holding what there is of a yoyo.
I know the MF is meant to be a “novelty” but I see it as also a possible good training aid, as much as my larger throws felt strange afterwards.
Nice thread. Yeah, the full size yo-yos feel like slow-mo afterwards for me.
Maybe you already tried this, but I throw it with my thumb and string (middle) finger. I think you get more control and feeling for the alignment of the yo-yo. It is a little tricky going from catch to getting it ready to throw again.
I decided to make some longer flea string and change up the materials as I made some nylon string for it. Plays nice, the longer length seems to have helped as well.
I’ve never really cared for stock yyf string in general, feels too loose. So yea, here’s my flea with custom made nylon “tick string”
Mine was super-responsive out of the package, but once I got it broken in I love it. I’m not a great player but being able to do simple stuff like whips, suicides etc on such a small yo-yo is awesome. I’m still having bearing problems but YYF (being the awesome folks they are) are sending me a few bearings. I really hope they do another run of the Big Deal, I know most people don’t like hubstacks that much but I do!
Yea mine became a little gritty last night when I was working on Cold Fusion and messing around, had trouble getting the bearing out (saw I can use a drill bit shaft to remove it earlier, brilliant idea!) so I just added some YYJ lube. It now plays pretty smooth, and is breaking in nicely.
As for learning how to use this, I’m taking a trip back to the intermediate tricks and trying those with the Flea while I get comfortable using it. I did a Kwijibo earlier, and managed to get through 3/4 of And Whut with it.
And that Rancid Milk was just crazy! I need to learn that on a full size throw.
^ Wow, that’s so cool. The only thing cuter than a Flea is a Big Deal. 
I have some love for the flea, but also fury.
I can pull of a Superman on it, but that’s about the best I can do.
welp that didn’t look hard at all 
wow! That was bad a**. I can nearly get that trick smooth with a full sized. I don’t even… How do you… What?!
Here’s a few of what I can do so far with the Flea…been tweaking my custom string and am using string even thinner than the stock flea string (about 6 threads compared to I think they use 8)…hugely improves spin time and surprisingly no kickback. Also went with a longer length so it can feel more “normal” to me, and I can transition back to a full size yoyo without it feeling like it’s floating in a zero g environment.
Over Under Boingy
“Microscopic Flop”
“ThinkH20 Combo” (Mix of some hops and Kwijibo)
Carrot Escape
And finally, a segment from And Whut (My first trick with the Flea)
Sure this isn’t Rancid Milk but these are definitely quite the challenge. Boingy Boing is actually pretty easy believe it or not.
Also for those who haven’t thrown a flea and decide to get one. You may initially get frustrated and ask yourself “Why on earth did I just spend $65 on this thing” and at times regret your purchase. Shortly after you start doing some things, you’ll have that grin on your face. You’ll be back and forth between being super excited that you nailed a Spirit Bomb (I’m working on it, trying not to get a knot) to moments of being annoyed that you just put the yoyo away and don’t even want to look at it. It’s definitely a game changer and will take everything you’ve learned and turn it upside down on you.
The smallest throw I have at the moment is my YYF Popstar, and I can hit majority of my tricks like I can with my full sized throws. The flea sounds like fun, but is it worth $65?
As AngryGumball said above, for a little while you’ll hate it and wish you hadn’t spent $65 on it but stick with it and you’ll see that it’s really something quite unique and a different kind of fun. Kind of like those people who play only fixed axle 
Earlier I actually had one of the best sessions with the Flea. Sadly, when I was recording it, I cut half of me out of the frame…Smoothly got through the trick Branding.
I can’t use the stock Flea String however, seems to bunch up and messes me up for the next throw. I am using a much thinner string and have gotten some pretty good spin times on it. I haven’t timed it but I can feel a powerful throw by the way the yoyo returns to my hand. Some tricks give me a nice firm return, others were average. Before switching string out, most of my returns were rather “lazy” and “wimpy” as it barely crawled up to my hand.
Sure it’s a novelty but it’s a lot of fun. Maybe I can successfully record my Branding later today.
my flea is out for delivery right now. im so excited.
Today’s been a good day with the Flea. I missed the last part but here’s Branding, on a Flea!
It will not become something you will use very regularly and maintenance is a bit of a burden. The main reason why I never regularly use mine is because the bearing in it is like a crying baby, it needs so much more attention. I often clean and lube the bearing only to find it go responsive or lock up after less than 15 minutes of play. And I’ve tried lots of things to see if I can get it working smoothly.
It also doesn’t use standard pads and the ones it comes will wear out about 20 times faster than pads in any of your other yoyos. No joke. You can thank it’s high walls and high rpm for that. However, I have got flowable silicone working well in it but it was difficult to apply.
Even still, the Mighty Flea can be a lot of fun and a great challenge. Just don’t look at the new Genesis when you are considering buying one, because in a moment of clarity, you will find yourself buying the Genesis instead.
Nice. Branding is about the best trick I can do on the flea. I have the older one, it has more of a mini silver bullet shape. I want to get the new one, it looks like it plays alot better.
You better not get caught yoyoing in the break room.
I own several “Micro” throws including a Popstar, Dingo, Token, and at one point, an Aoda Littles (RIP). The Littles was great, was only a $12 throw at one time, was a bit bigger than a flea but smaller than the micro throws available currently.
I had also read about how the Flea was a string eater and would cut strings. Fortunately I’ve experienced none of that. I did notice a little slipping earlier thinking maybe the response is wearing like you said. I’ve got some flowable though that works great, probably my favorite response system formula. prepares himself for a mess
Funny you point that out
Actually I showed the flea to my boss and I think it’s cuteness appeal kind of won things over as I was showing her some tricks with it and her mind was blown.
Here’s some pictures of my flea. The guy I got it from said it was a 08. I tried to get a new bearing for it but the ones they sell on yoyoexpert are way bigger (same size as 1080 I think). Can someone post some pictures like I did? I want to compare differences to see if I really need the newer one.