Yea I actually bought my friend a snapback because of its similar feel to his old yomega from the 90s but in wing shape. I’ve tried it with 0a and it’s so-so with that (stalls don’t quite lock) but it’s a good starting out yoyo for 1a/the basics. It also looks very nostalgic.
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Always been a TK fan, but haven’t tried an SB2 yet. That YYF Turbo Confusion has caught my eye now too… I can pick up a Confusion for cheaper, and kinda like the idea of cork brake pads. I just know I’m gonna end up with both, just not sure which one will come first. I think I’ve spent my yo yo budget for this pay period. I have a Duncan ProFire coming in this week, which someone replaced the transaxle with a bearing. Gonna put a wood sleeve in it, and use the bearing, spacers and brake pads to rebuild a rusty Dragonfly I ended up with that looks just like the one I used to have! Then next paycheck, I’ll probably get parts to rebuild this Team Losi I just got…
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I’d like to come up with a comprehensive vintage yo yo wishlist here… Anything early 2000s and before. (Pre non-responsive…) Anything that stands out, that’s just different enough from the others, we can justify buying one or two of them. Which ones do we need a pair and a backup pair? For sure, Playmaxx has the Proyo, Turbo Bumblebee and GT. Which Duncans are must haves besides the unavoidable Imperial and Butterfly? Which generations of those 2 go in the ultimate collection? I like the slim wooden Cheerios and the Swedish made Canada Games/Festival Zapper. Tom Kuhn has the No Jive 3-in-1 and the Silver Bullet. Any others you would say have to be there? Which Hummingbirds and BCs? Russell’s Coke yo yos. Any Yomegas besides the Fireball? Plenty of other classics I’m not thinking of at the moment…
The Raider was pretty iconic of the 90s (it was my first ball bearing yoyo), as well as the Brain and its X Brain cousins.
As for Duncan, there was the TransAxtion - was transaxle like the Fireball but I remember the axle itself being super thick and the axle sleeve being thinner…My brother bought one and I was almost going to get one but after trying his and just feeling the friction from a larger contact area on the transaxle, I was like “yea, no…” Duncan also had their Ballistic in which I had, it was a modified shape and had these metal balls you can position in 2 different spots to play with the weight distribution - make it suited for long sleepers or center weight for looping. And we can’t forget the original Freehand One
SuperYo was another one that made a name for themselves, especially with the Renegade. The Renegade paved the way for unresponsive when starbursts would wear down. They got into the hands of many school-aged kids through the NED shows up through the 2010s before they completely changed their lineup of yoyos.
If you haven’t already, look up the 1999 yoyo store catalog…it’s a nostalgia trip with many holy grail yoyos! It’s just missing a page spread with the TK stuff.
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Def agree on the Brain/X Brain being on the list. They were everywhere for a decade. My younger brother got the Brain, I got the Fireball… I wouldn’t say you’d have to have both a Brain and X Brain. I can’t tell much of a difference besides the weight. Raider too. That was maybe the most accessible bearing yo yo of the time. SuperYo too, for both the history, and the Renegade is the obvious next step for the 3-in-1. For sure on the Freehand, even though I got frustrated with mine back in the day and gave it to a more skilled buddy. I’ve come across the Ballistic before in my looking around, how tough was it to install/remove those bbs? I would add the Satellite, for its odd shape. They’re cheap and plentiful. Same with the Professional. Like a lighter, metal axle Russell. Along with the Butterfly they’ve been making for like 40 years, the big, heavy 70s models are fun if you can keep them from falling apart… Still gotta get an OG wooden one too… I haven’t owned one yet, but I feel like the Dale Oliver ones should be on the list. They seem like a Proyo or Bumblebee with a starburst, and like Playmaxx they’re owned and promoted by a “Grand Master” of the sport.
I forgot that SuperYo was responsible for the Kickin Tricks tape… That’s a good piece of yo yo media. That alone makes me want to try a few. My Team Losi will have to remain a fixed axle for now… The price on the parts I need went up, so gonna hold off. It’s kinda fun fixed anyhow. Ended up spending that money on one of these Boise Woodworks things… Saw they only had one of the Spitfire shaped models left, and would totally regret missing out on that one. 2 Russells, 3 Spitfires, and 2 YYF Loop Classics. I definitely have a type…
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I was watching through Kickin’ Tricks the other day, definitely captured the vibes of the late 90s, that “edgy” vibe.
The Boise stuff goes fast these days, they’ve become a staple in fixed axle community - but you might be able to get in contact with them on getting a yoyo done. I did that about a month ago and it absolutely was worth the wait. I got a custom “Beaver” model done with the entire thing being made of spectraply (the colorful laminates). It’s gorgeous.
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They really are good looking things. The laminates look good sitting or spinning, and the contrast is like magic. What little I’ve looked on his shop, one will catch my eye and then be gone before I can think about it. I had to get one of the Spitfire shaped “Otters” while one was available, then I’ll keep an eye out for a wing shaped later down the road.
Then maybe if I ever reach my goal of looping with both hands simultaneously… I’ll have to see if he could do a pair of laminate Otters. Not sure anyone has produced something like that, but it looks awesome in my head!
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