I meant to post this at the end of March, but work was so hectic that I never had the chance. By way of explanation, this is my couch end table where I keep my “in rotation” yoyos. They’re usually new, but I will often bring in some old favorites to give them some love. And the wooden box on the right holds my all-time favorites, for those times when I’m really in the flow. I’ve decided it would be a good idea to take a picture like this at the end of each month, kind of like a snapshot in time as the yoyos impact my throwing
(and early mornings before work) so much. Feel free to skip the rest of this post if you’re not into walls of text!
On top of the box are my finger spinners, with the Basilisk being one of my all-time favorites for taking out in public. The colors and splash look so good when it’s spinning, and I can do everything with it (well, except for IRGs). The Edge FS 2.0 is such a good yoyo, and I think it plays far above its price tag. And the Angel2Up edition of it makes that fantastic finger spinner even better with those colors and that fade. Obviously, the iCEBERG is amazing in so many ways, as are both of the Solstices. Finally, the ILYY AbysmAL deserves a special mention for its cup shape, as it will lock into a perfectly symmetrical and centered spin in a split second, regardless of how sloppy I am with finger placement. Yes, dimples are great and that’s what I learned on, but this cup shape rules. I swear that I get a squirt of dopamine every time I feel that “lock”, it’s totally addicting!
On the left side is another exceptional finger spinner - the YYF American Liberty that I picked up after @bheinz63 said that it made DNAs “way too easy”. He’s spot on; it’s fantastic for finger spins, and the dimple shape makes it quite easy for me to do pull-starts.
The Motion Accelerated is a beauty, and I only have a couple of green yoyos so it really stands out - both in looks and performance. The purple vulture next to it has one of the best shapes ever! It’s a beast in the best possible way for me and makes me look far more talented than I really am. And as long as I throw it at an angle (instead of horizontally), finger spins are fantastic.
The Alt Bastet is great too, but I’m really having difficulty feeling the size differences between that and the Bastet 2. I can tell the D-sized bearing makes a difference in binding, but I’ll have to try throwing them in succession to see if I can sense the size variations. It’s one of those yoyos that somehow seems to lock everything in, making it seem like all the pieces work together to produce something that is far greater than the sum of its parts.
The Dressel Designs emotion is another great throw as it feels so comfy and the fade colors are top-notch. I know that the ‘joy’ colorway shouldn’t really make me happier when I throw it, but I swear it does, even if it’s just a little bit!
I love it when One Drop re-releases older models, as that gives me a chance to get some yoyos that were originally released before I got back into the hobby. The Sugar Glider is really nice, and the Diorama next to it is one of my favorites. I’m a big fan of solids, but wow did they release some nice colorways for the Diorama! The Sun Splash (shown), Shadow Kat, and Nearly Nagle are all works of art, but the solid red hits that perfect hue for me resulting in a splendid candy apple red.
The Capstan 22 at the bottom left blew right past any expectations that I had for it. It’s now one of my favorite “slim” throws, and not just because it’s slightly undersized with a D bearing. It’s so good on the string and feels to me like they modernized a “classic” yoyo shape, making it a much better performer than I would have guessed. Originally, I thought that the Reptile colorway was the ugliest yoyo I had ever seen, but then I saw a video of it spinning and I knew I had to get one. After spending weeks with it, my opinion has changed completely and now I think it’s quite attractive.
I’m hoping to post more regularly next month with just one or two yoyos at a time, but it’s fun for me to see them all together like a family group photo!