I’ve seen the word floaty used to describe the way a yo-yo plays in a bunch of different reviews, but I’m not sure I understand what it means. What makes a yo-yo feel floaty and what does it feel like?
Thanks, guys
I’m going to use a pool as an example.
- A floaty yoyo is like a floating ari matress thingy. It will float you across the pool
- A sluggish yoyo is like a rock, you have to work a bit to get it across the pool.
- A speedy light yoyo is like Michael Phelps.
3 Likes
lol 
hahaha lol…(deciphers metaphors)
1 Like
Thanks JonasK! I think I see what you mean. Does anything besides weight play a role in floatyness?
The way the weight is distributed does make a difference. Every yoyo has different characteristics, some heavy yoyos feel light, some heavy yoyos feel floaty, some heavy yoyos will feel heavy and sluggish. The way yoyos feel should be covered in reviews, so you just have to read up if you’re in doubt.
hmmm… interesting. I noticed that in a couple reviews I read. I’m really interested why, like physically, yo-yos do that. I guess I’ll probably have to get a feel for floatyness myself if I want to probe further.
In what circumstances is floatyness most apparent?
do you mean circumstances within the yoyo or during play? during play, floatiness is most apparent while the yoyo is moving. i think to be floaty, the yoyo must have a good amount of center weight or have the weight evenly distributed, and it can’t be too heavy. yoyos with a lot of rim weight won’t feel as floaty. i tend to like yoyos that aren’t too floaty.
If you’re doing matrix, the part where you are in trapeze and pop it over your throw hand, a “floaty” yoyo will feel like it’s floating, or not really moving that much, kind of like you’re doing it without a yoyo. A sluggish yoyo will take some work to get over, and a speedy yoyo will teleport there.
3 Likes
I’m trying to understand and model floatyness physically. If you approximate a yoyo as a frictionless system that moves in a plane perpendicular to the yoyo’s axis (i.e. the string is always in the exact center of bearing and the angle it makes with the axis is always 90 degrees), then weight distribution is irrelevant. Mostly, this is because a yoyo is axially symmetric and the force from the string acts on the axle. I can explain this in more depth if anyone’s interested.
Obviously, though, this approximation (frictionless and planer) is inaccurate because different weight distributions DO make a difference, so I think one or both of those factors must be the key to floatyness.
If anyone’s interested in the physics, I can explain 'em.
Anyway, that’s why I was wondering where floatyness was most apparent, so I could zero in on it’s source.
1 Like
Floaty is an awsome word too.
This is probably the best description for “floaty” I’ve ever seen.
I just wanted to add that ‘floatiness’ is a feel that comes from either a yoyo having a lower weight for it’s size, or weight distribution that is more center focused as opposed to purely rim focused.
For those who love the floaters, the Pacquiao is their king ^.^
Yes it is. 
Hey, thank you guys so much
New Breed without caps feels awesome and floaty I think as well as a DNA, it makes a good look for a lot of tricks and especially complimentary of Eric Koloski’s smooth style…
Are either the Hitman or Kickside floaty?
So a floaty yoyo floats us across… life! No… our yoyoing career! Naw… Wait floating air mattress thingies don’t float you, those are the ones you have to work. The rock- well, just throw it for best results. You’ll get farther than pushing it or “working it”. And Michael Phelps floats me across my pool! Can’t he be the floaty one?
…Huh? ?:o?
It’s more how you play.