We all know that “high end” means something more upscale, sophisticated, and usually more expensive. I see the term “high end” used on the forum to describe a lot of different throws. I don’t use the term that often, but definitely would not consider the average yo-yo under $200 to be “high end.” I know some would consider the Chief or Cliff to be high end. I just don’t think those yo-yos are very expensive. Not that expense is everything, but I’d never call a yo-yo under $200 “upscale.”
So, for those of you who use the term, what yo-yos do you consider to be “high end?” Also, is there such thing as a “high end” brand in your eyes, and if so, what would you say defines a high end yo-yo brand (state examples please). I’m curious what you think.
Yeah, I spend a lot of time reading the forum, and realize that a lot of people set the bar at $100 to define a high end yo-yo. I guess I always considered high end, the same as with cars, clothes, jewelry and all that. Part of what makes it high end is that it’s not “unattainable” per se, but you don’t see it all the time, and it is not easy to acquire. :-\ So, not every $200 throw is high end either, but I’d really never set the bar below $200. I mean, some yo-yos are worth a lot due to rarity, but were not released as being “high end,” in my opinion. I wonder how other people see it.
For me it’s not about price, some brands just feel nicer to me and have a certain indescribable something. Most Japanese brands, as well as Oxygene, Northern Spin, maybe a few others, i dunno. They can’t be totally mass market, and need something special about them.
Any 100$+ yoyo made by a small company , usually has a lot of hype or plays very well but doesn’t have much rep ie the darksonic, made of aluminum,titanium, bi metal(metal on metal).
$210 or so i think? Nah CLYW to me is too common, too many runs, too many made, too easy to get, and not quite serious enough, the whole rustic theme while fun, just doesn’t feel high end. I will say in Japan i bet CLYW and OD are considered high-end whereas all of the Japanese brands are just sort of run of the mill. I think location probably has a lot to do with it. If i can hop online and easily order one from the US then that’s too easy in a way. I want to have to work for it. Like my Draupnir, i barely slept for 3 days waiting for that to drop, scoured Japanese Twitter accounts for information, that’s what high-end means to me. When i’m translating Spanish and Italian yoyo forums while researching Oxygene’s latest titanium release, that has a certain appeal. But it’s not just price, i still consider YYR high-end even with their sales recently, just because of their reputation, success in competitions, construction, design, etc. For me it’s not really a formula, just a feel, and i’m sure everyone will have different opinions.
I would think anyone who does not know anything about a yoyo might say that a $50 throw could be considered “high end”. My bar is pretty much set at $100 for what I consider “high end”
Very interesting. Luxury definitely means hard to obtain. But, many of us own at least 10 yo-yos, and if each yo-yo costs just $40…we own $400 worth of throws, which means a $200 yo-yo is in fact very obtainable, as the average person can afford 2 of them. It just means quality over quantity. So, I would not consider a $200 throw a luxury…in my opinion. :-\ For example, the Ricochet is a $200 throw, and I’d never consider that a luxury. I’d say that’s more the low end of high end if that makes sense.
I agree. Before I knew how much could be spent on yo-yos, when I bought a DMII I was like WOW, I just bought myself a high end yo-yo. I was used to the $3 Butterfly.
I know huh?? When I bring throws to work and tell people how much they cost… The looks I get!!! Priceless!!! hehe truth be told most people actually become very interested and wonder why they cost so much. When I explain how they are made and the tech behind that they seem to “get” it.
I’m sure that is true of some people. But, I read the forums a lot and see the average collection, even for young children, is like 8 yo-yos, all costing between $20 and $100. If you add all that up, or the kid sells them all, he can afford a $100 yo-yo easy. I guess it’s a matter of a parent being willing to drop that $100 all at once, as opposed to Christmas, birthday and whatnot. But, that $100 bar for that reason seemed low to me. Yet, I will admit that age and having a job or not, with most people buying yo-yos are under age, so perhaps that is the reason I notice the bar set at $100 on the forum.
Somewhere in the neighborhood of $100+ and of known quality. Doesn’t have to be a small company as long as the yoyo is known to be a great example of thoughtful yoyo design and attention to detail.
El Ranchero feels “high end” to me, and it costs less than a Chief.
To me, the term is all about relativity. I mean, I could go on about every “tier” of yoyos to demonstrate just how rare a Chief is in the grander scheme of things, but hopefully we all “get” that our hobby is very specialized and contains even more specialized manufacturers within. The Chief is more common than a Ti5, sure… but it’s still by no means “common” in the scope of the world.
The rarity of pretty much any of the brands we follow, plus the quality of an individual item within that company’s lineup (YYF and YYJ have low- and mid-range yoyos, but they can still have high-end), is what makes for “high end” by my definition.
A $200+ yoyo is in the realm of exclusivity, a tier beyond “high end” in my opinion.
Of course, it’s all semantics. There’s no real definition.
Well to a broke college student a used Toyota Camry is expensive, but that doesn’t make it high-end. High-end implies it’s at or near the top of the market in some way or another.
I would say there’s more Chiefs made than 99% of other yoyos. What yoyos have been produced more than the Chief? Some plastics i suppose, a few YYFs, couple others maybe. If there’s less than 2,000 Chiefs in circulation i’d be shocked.
