# The physics behind spin times, speediness, and float **URL:** \ **Category:** General Yo-Yo\ **Created:** [January 24, 2023, 1:06am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-physics-behind-spin-times-speediness-and-float/368826 "2023-01-24T01:06:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/codinghorror/32/8052_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 5:37pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-physics-behind-spin-times-speediness-and-float/368826/61 "2025-07-22T17:37:03Z")
> [@YoyoGeezer](#): > > I was amazed by this when I bought my first, and last yo-yo with cut-outs. Yes it looks cool but the air resistance just overwhelms all other factors of yo-yo play. Same! Even “small” cutouts can have a surprising effect.. large cutouts, like on classic typical aluminum car rims, make the yo-yo unpleasant to play with .. > [@what happened to Innovative Yoyo Concepts?](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/what-happened-to-innovative-yoyo-concepts/85005/22): > > I think this yoyo would make an interesting addition to a collection, and I honestly wouldn’t mind having one. I am realistic about cutout yoyos not being too great after getting my Hattori… the amount of drag (and noise!) from the cutouts is astonishing. Still completely playable, of course, but it wouldn’t even make my list of top 100 yoyos I’ve played. wink ---
**Author:** ![anon5341354](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@anon5341354](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/anon5341354)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 12:06am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-physics-behind-spin-times-speediness-and-float/368826/62 "2025-07-24T00:06:31Z")
> [@codinghorror](#): > > Wood is, IMO, one of the worst materials in terms of how much you can control it. It’s simple, classic, yes, but .. limited. Yep. Its poop-nuggets if you want consistent quality over many units. ---
**Author:** ![Captrogers](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/captrogers/32/647012_2.png) [@Captrogers](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Captrogers)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 12:08am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-physics-behind-spin-times-speediness-and-float/368826/63 "2025-07-24T00:08:33Z")
But it’s cool and isn’t that worth it? Honestly any material can work well if it’s given a decent stable guts. It then comes down to is it cost effective and will there be an audience interested ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/codinghorror/32/8052_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 1:05am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-physics-behind-spin-times-speediness-and-float/368826/64 "2025-07-24T01:05:11Z")
I like wood in terms of connection with nature, organic materials, the feel, etc.. and probably some woods are more consistent (?) in growth, density, hardness, etc than others? It’s all very interesting! But **if you want very accurate control of the yo-yo design physics** , I am sorry, but wood is definitely not your huckleberry. Wood yo-yos are cool, but.. I would always pick wood _sides_ with a center metal axle / ball bearing, myself. My son selected this as one of his favorites recently: ![IMG_8906](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/c/3/7/c37933f00ab2b645696bf015b17798e842e70643.jpeg) (along with a Luftverk Ti responsive, the SB highwall, so there you have it, both are good 🤣!) ---
**Author:** ![kyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df705f/32.png) [@kyo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/kyo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 12:19pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-physics-behind-spin-times-speediness-and-float/368826/65 "2025-10-07T12:19:13Z")
> [@codinghorror](#): > > Does it talk about Delrin? Titanium? Aluminum 6061? 7075? Bimetal? Tungsten? Magnesium? Steel? I dunno. The world has kinda changed in terms of what we can machine, super accurately, and relatively inexpensively.. > > Wood is, IMO, one of the worst materials in terms of how much you can control it. It’s simple, classic, yes, but .. limited. It talks about physics, and yes uses examples in metal like the sb2 which he designed. All of those materials vary the numbers, but they don’t change the physics. Don is the reason we have modern ball bearing yoyos and why design advanced the way it did. The same concepts explored in his books still apply to everything we have now, the numbers just get more extreme. A few years before he died I talked to him about modern yoyos. The main thing he wanted to update was how unresponsive play changed things, specifically the impact on the throw. Even back in ~2006 he talked about how much energy is lost to unresponsive yoyos because of the amount of string slip you get in the throw. ---
**Author:** ![Pun1sh3R](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/pun1sh3r/32/193125_2.png) [@Pun1sh3R](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Pun1sh3R)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 2:59pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-physics-behind-spin-times-speediness-and-float/368826/66 "2025-10-07T14:59:33Z")
@theyoyoarchive Do you have Mr. Dons’ Work in the archive? ---
**Author:** ![theyoyoarchive](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/theyoyoarchive/32/681004_2.png) [@theyoyoarchive](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/theyoyoarchive)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 6:39pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-physics-behind-spin-times-speediness-and-float/368826/67 "2025-10-07T18:39:00Z")
Not yet! ---
**Author:** ![Durfee](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/durfee/32/593280_2.png) [@Durfee](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Durfee)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-physics-behind-spin-times-speediness-and-float/368826/68 "2025-10-07T19:28:54Z")
Hi kyo! Miss you from TheYo chat days, hope you’re doing well. [Previous page](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/the-physics-behind-spin-times-speediness-and-float/368826.md?page=3)