I’m pretty new to modern yo-yo styles, but looking back at older designs, by comparison, there is a trend of the average competition yo-yo getting wider and wider. It’s almost like the Superwide/Monster were actually prophecies of yo-yoing in the future, where folks like wide yoyos to hit risky hops & slacks.
How much of the development of trend-breaking designs like this come from new trick innovations, vs. somewhere else like player preference or experimentation or other needs? What are the primary considerations when working on something new?
My primary concern is if the design is balanced between smooth spin, width and most important rim weight. Tuning each of those design “dials” can have great results or absolute failures. Pushing the width of the yoyo has been attempted many times in the past with varying results (many time based on the requests of World Level yoyo players). In the past Steve Brown discovered that 66grams was the most favorable weight for a yoyo. At some point in the future somebody will pinpoint the most favorable width and the industry will congeal around that (probably). We are about to release a yo-yo that may just benchmark that weight/width/rim-weight formula.