# Upgrade from YYJ Journey: DM2 or Puffin or...? **URL:** \ **Category:** Looking for Help/Recommendation\ **Created:** [May 29, 2013, 6:02am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255 "2013-05-29T06:02:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![crazyshanky2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/crazyshanky2/32/1340_2.png) [@crazyshanky2](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/crazyshanky2)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 11:19am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255/21 "2013-05-30T11:19:46Z")
> [@sdkelso](#): > > @latnay90 > You’ve pretty much captured my line of reasoning. I thought hard about your alternative recommendations, but in the end . . . > > I’ve decided to go with a truncated version of Lonefrog615’s order (i.e., a Puffin and a Classic with a new bearing and response system). His cameo in this thread gave me the final push. Though I expect playability-wise I could have gotten better for the money (as a few have pointed out), I can’t imagine that I would be disappointed with the Puffin and satisfied with something else; that is, if I don’t like the Puffin, I doubt yo-yo-ing is for me. And if that turns out to be the case, then I’m sure I can get the yo-yo to someone who will appreciate it. > > As far as getting the Classic as well, I was motivated both by the arguments given to Lonefrog615 in his thread regarding having a less expensive yo-yo to beat up and because I wanted to see how to compared to the Journey and the Puffin. I’m really looking forward to seeing what it can do. > > @Studio42 > As I mentioned above, I appreciated your post very much. I think that at a certain point, though, the analogy between guitars/audio equipment and yo-yo’s breaks down purely because of price. The Puffin at around $150 costs 3.75 times as much as the DM2 at $40 (and 7.5 times as much as the Classic at $20), whereas a Martin (I play acoustic) at $2500 costs around 36 times as much as a FirstAct at $70. The leap from worst to best (so to speak) is much greater both percentage-wise and price-wise when it comes to guitars than when it comes to yo-yo’s. So while it’s true that I would not encourage a beginner to get a top notch guitar, I’m not sure the same advice would apply vis-a-vis yo-yo’s (at least not simply by analogy). And again, I do not doubt that there are quality budget yo-yo’s I just think that saving a bit of money isn’t that strong of a reason to compromise. > > Anyway, thanks again to everyone here. Now, is there any place I can go (another thread, YouTube video, etc.) to learn how to upgrade the Classic? I’ve never been good with stuff like this and I don’t trust myself to just go in there and rip things apart :-X. > > Edit: Just saw your reply Yuki. It’s been done, so let’s just hope for the best at this point! ;D What sort or resources are there to find out about yo-yo meets? I’m in the Midwest, so I’m not very confident that there will be any near me. Lots of throwers live in Midwest; I live in Michigan. ---
**Author:** ![RandomThrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/50afbb/32.png) [@RandomThrow](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/RandomThrow)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255/22 "2013-05-30T20:41:10Z")
You might want to think about picking up some thicker string for the classic. After I swapped out the response for slim cbc pads and put a standard spec bearing on I got a fairly loose bind. I was going to give up on it, but realized I bought some thicker string to try out. It is a personal preference, and I do not know if you will come up with this same problem. ---
**Author:** ![sdkelso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@sdkelso](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/sdkelso)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255/23 "2013-05-31T00:09:27Z")
@crazyshanky2 I’m just really used to getting interested in something and finding out that no one else within a hundred miles is interested in it :-. @RandomThrow Great, I’ll definitely keep that in mind in case I’m having trouble. Thanks for the tip. Still looking for advice on how to mod the Classic and where to find out about meets around me if anyone knows of any resources. Regarding modding the Classic, I guess I just don’t know how to get the response it has in it out of it. And if the bearing is like the one in the Journey, I’m not sure how to get that out either–I’ve heard pliers mentioned, but that seems dangerous :-X. ---
**Author:** ![yuki\_onitsura](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/yuki_onitsura/32/1162_2.png) [@yuki\_onitsura](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/yuki_onitsura)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255/24 "2013-05-31T00:17:32Z")
The Classic mod is easy enough to do. The bearing should just pop right out without too much of a struggle and the rubber o-rings can be removed using a pair of tweezers or a needle. After that, give the whole area a bit of a wipe down with a cotton bud just to get rid of any gunk or whatnot that might be lying around. Peel the adhesive backing off the silicone response pads and stick the pads into the groove where the o-rings used to be and make sure to press down on it when it’s all in place so it sticks properly. New bearing goes in the same way the old bearing popped off. Screw the yoyo back together and away you go! Yuki ---
**Author:** ![crazyshanky2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/crazyshanky2/32/1340_2.png) [@crazyshanky2](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/crazyshanky2)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255/25 "2013-05-31T01:27:21Z")
> [@sdkelso](#): > > @crazyshanky2 > I’m just really used to getting interested in something and finding out that no one else within a hundred miles is interested in it :-. > > @RandomThrow > Great, I’ll definitely keep that in mind in case I’m having trouble. Thanks for the tip. > > Still looking for advice on how to mod the Classic and where to find out about meets around me if anyone knows of any resources. Regarding modding the Classic, I guess I just don’t know how to get the response it has in it out of it. And if the bearing is like the one in the Journey, I’m not sure how to get that out either–I’ve heard pliers mentioned, but that seems dangerous :-X. Just start a thread asking about Midwest area throwers. And of course, there is always the forums to encourage you and help you on something you’re stuck on. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sdkelso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@sdkelso](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/sdkelso)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 5:33am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255/26 "2013-05-31T05:33:00Z")
@Yuki Okay, that sounds easy enough. Thanks for the quick tutorial. @crazyshanky2 I might do that soon (or at least search to see if one hasn’t been made already). I also live in a college town, so I may have to wait until school is back in session to find people around here. And yeah, from what I’ve seen the people here are extremely helpful; when exploring an unfamiliar hobby, being in touch with knowledgeable and helpful people can make all of the difference. Expect to see me around here. ---
**Author:** ![sdkelso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@sdkelso](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/sdkelso)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 7:27am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255/27 "2013-05-31T07:27:23Z")
I have one more question about this order. For the Classic, I got the YYJ SPEED Bearing which apparently comes dry: should I use thin lube on it? I’m leaning towards doing so because I didn’t like the noise and roughness of the Journey, but if doing so will defeat the purpose of the mod I obviously won’t. ---
**Author:** ![anonyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@anonyo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/anonyo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 7:46am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255/28 "2013-05-31T07:46:54Z")
> [@sdkelso](#): > > I have one more question about this order. For the Classic, I got the YYJ SPEED Bearing which apparently comes dry: should I use thin lube on it? I’m leaning towards doing so because I didn’t like the noise and roughness of the Journey, but if doing so will defeat the purpose of the mod I obviously won’t. Just pop the bearing in and go for it. If you must lube, either use a half a drop(if you leave the shields in) or remove the shields and use the needle method. It will take a bit to break in, but we’re talking like a half hour at most. ---
**Author:** ![crazyshanky2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/crazyshanky2/32/1340_2.png) [@crazyshanky2](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/crazyshanky2)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 11:09am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255/29 "2013-05-31T11:09:56Z")
> [@sdkelso](#): > > @Yuki > Okay, that sounds easy enough. Thanks for the quick tutorial. > > @crazyshanky2 > I might do that soon (or at least search to see if one hasn’t been made already). I also live in a college town, so I may have to wait until school is back in session to find people around here. And yeah, from what I’ve seen the people here are extremely helpful; when exploring an unfamiliar hobby, being in touch with knowledgeable and helpful people can make all of the difference. Expect to see me around here. I will. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lonefrog615](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/lonefrog615/32/1389_2.png) [@Lonefrog615](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Lonefrog615)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255/30 "2013-05-31T17:10:27Z")
What color Puffin did you get? ---
**Author:** ![sdkelso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@sdkelso](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/sdkelso)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255/31 "2013-05-31T22:04:48Z")
> [@Lonefrog615](#): > > What color Puffin did you get? I picked up the last Yogi edition. Unfortunately it’s no longer listed on the Puffin page, so it’s pictures are gone. It’s the black, silver, and copper one on the right hand side of the picture below Palli’s video (on the Puffin page). I had a heck of a time choosing a string color for it: what goes well with metallic colors? I ended up going with baby blue, so we’ll see how that works out. Anyway, it was nice to see that you were so satisfied with your order–it makes me even more excited to give both of my new yo-yo’s a try. @Studio42 Sounds good, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Lonefrog615](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/lonefrog615/32/1389_2.png) [@Lonefrog615](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/Lonefrog615)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255/32 "2013-05-31T22:30:26Z")
> [@sdkelso](#): > > > [@Lonefrog615](#): > > > > What color Puffin did you get? > > I picked up the last Yogi edition. Unfortunately it’s no longer listed on the Puffin page, so it’s pictures are gone. It’s the black, silver, and copper one on the right hand side of the picture below Palli’s video (on the Puffin page). I had a heck of a time choosing a string color for it: what goes well with metallic colors? I ended up going with baby blue, so we’ll see how that works out. Anyway, it was nice to see that you were so satisfied with your order–it makes me even more excited to give both of my new yo-yo’s a try. > > @Studio42 > Sounds good, thank you. Clearly you have excellent taste (I almost got that one myself!) I think you are really going to love the Classic and the Puffin. If for no other reason then that they are very different in the way they play. Be sure to post on this here thread again after you get them. I’d love to hear your thoughts. [Previous page](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/upgrade-from-yyj-journey-dm2-or-puffin-or/54255.md?page=1)