I’ve been asked to post comparison pics for this topic. This is kind of serving as a flag for me to come back to this tonight after I take comparison pictures. Chances are I’ll just add the comparison pictures as an edit to this message.
EDIT:
First, I apologize in advance for the pictures. I think I removed the user ID/password to this section. Also, today being November 16, 2011, my internet connection has been really bad today. There may be problems viewing this.
Here are the updates:
First, specs. People love specs:
YYF One:
Diameter: 53mm
Width: 40mm
Gap: varies depending on bearing used. Don’t have this spec. I suspect nearly the same as the DM2
Weight: 56.6grams
YYJ DM2:
Diameter: 56.13mm
Width: 41.1mm
Gap: 3.0/4.95mm. depending if you’re using the half spec or C bearing.
Weight: 69grams
YYF dv888 2011:
Diameter: 50.04mm
Width: 40.58mm
Gap: 4.65mm
Weight: 66grams
As we can see, the DM2 is the biggest of the 3 in weight and width and diameter.
The dv888 is slightly smaller than the ONE, which is also slightly smaller than the DM2.
We’re also comparing a plastic to a bi-metal to a full metal.
Despite the smaller dimensions of the dv888, the weight is good due to it being full metal.
Now for some pictures. Please keep in mind these were taking at 1 in the morning and I am an audio professional, NOT a photographer. I did NOT set up my photo lights, I was too tired and lazy and didn’t want a mess in the room when my wife came downstairs in the morning before she goes to work.
http://www.studio42.info/yoyo/images/1-DM2-dv88-Head-On.jpg
You can’t really see the way things step down in size because I put the DM2 in the middle.
This was actually the last shot I took, as I was playing with the manual settings of the camera. I did some color correction in Photoshop before generating the JPG.
http://www.studio42.info/yoyo/images/1-DM2-dv88-Angle.jpg
In this shot, we can see an angle shot. Please note that I keep my ONE responsive for now so it has the slimmer bearing installed.
http://www.studio42.info/yoyo/images/1-DM2-dv88-Profile.jpg
You can really see the gap differences in this one. Again, keep in mind the ONE has the smaller bearing installed. Believe it or not it’s still on the original factory string.
http://www.studio42.info/yoyo/images/1-DM2-dv88-Up.jpg
Standing up the differences in size become a bit more apparent. But as I realized, the ONE has the smaller bearing installed, which may make the height closer to the dv888.
Without doing a front/back stagger shot, you can’t really see the diameters all that well.
Studio42 pins are for sale. $5 plus $1 for shipping and handling. Twin posts, rubber packs, cloisonne black. Metal is aluminum. PM me regarding those. Paypal is fine.
Onto more subjective information:
I find for ME, the dv888 is a bit small. It’s great, but it takes a little getting used to as I like larger yoyos. The weight is fine for the size. It does not feel heavy on the string. It only comes with one bearing, but that’s fine.
The DM2 is of course my go-to yoyo, so I’m biased towards it. As it comes with 2 bearings, it can be as responsive or unresponsive as you want it or need it to be based on the bearing you want to use, lube and even the response pads. You can silicone this, but I think you can silicone all three of these. A double loop of the string with the slim bearing, combined with YYJ thick lube makes this compatible for looping tricks in the YYE tutorials section for beginners.
The ONE is a nice size, but being full plastic, it’s not really as heavy as I would like it. Yes, you can get tons of spin out of this, and like the DM2, you can make it as responsive or unresponsive as you want it. If you are going to buy this, do not waste your money on the DVD version with the slim bearing. Get the version with the full sized bearing included in the box. I find if you need it to be super tug responsive, the thin bearing and using a double loop makes it very responsive. I did this for my kids and it makes a world of difference. As I’ve stated before, I keep mine responsive, but I don’t have it double looped.
The ONE is very affordable, durable and a lot o fun. It’s great for beginners, but once you get past the intermediate tricks, the odds are you’re going to want something better. That’s normal and to be expected. You may wish to get the YYF Multi-Tool for cutting strings and removing the bearing though. It’s a handy tool most yoyo players should have anyways.
If you get the DM2, it can take you from beginning to as far as you want to go, making the price tag a lot more reasonable. The bearing swap is simple as the bearing isn’t tight to the bearing seat, which is normal with the YYJ Solid Spin Axle. But, you may want to get yourself some YYJ lube. In fact, I always recommend lubing your bearings. Opinions vary, and that’s fine(dry vs lubed). Find out what works best for you.
The only legitimate downside of the dv888 is that because it shops with a SPEC C bearing, it’s unresponsive out of the box, which you might think “Well, that’s not bad”. It is bad IF you’re a beginner who can’t bind because it will just be frustrating. Also, I feel this yoyo has limited life in it, as in perhaps once you get to expert tricks, you’ll end up upgrading to something in the $100 range. However, that’s not to say you don’t feel the same way about the DM2 either once you get to that point. But, I feel the dv888 has a lot of potential in it.
Regardless of what you get, you’re going to want to get something else anyways. Why? Reality, that’s why. I love my DM2, but yet, I have a ONE and a dv888, but I have plenty of Duncans, CLYW’s, other YYJ’s, other YYF’s, H-spin, RecRev and other stuff as well. We ALL want to try different things. Variety is good. Finding your preferences is good too.
Regardless, you know I’m going to recommend the DM2. Either are good, but the DM2 has the most potential in it, while the dv88 ain’t no slacker either. The ONE is limited as the weight will prevent super long spin times so you won’t have enough juice for the longer complex tricks. So, those are my thoughts.