Perspective is everything (not a reference to Onedrop.)
Some of you guys/gals have been around for years and have a wealth of knowledge, share with the collective if you have a minute please.
What is a yoyo you would feel confident recommending be in someone’s collection (not as a shelf queen, but actually used?)
Why?
What is a fair price to pay?
It doesn’t have to be something in stock, so question 3 is to help out someone that tries to hunt it down on the BST.
I really feel like the Spotlight Ultra is truly one of the best monometals ever made, and I know several people on non-YYF teams that absolutely LOVE it. If you’re looking for a good, cheap, comfortable performance monometal… that’s it.
And everyone already knows as far as bimetals go that I can’t not mention the Klondike. I truly feel it’s the best yoyo I’ve ever used, and I’ve felt that way for over a year now, which is probably the longest I’ve ever felt that about a yoyo. Everyone definitely has their own preferences, but that sure as hell is mine lol
But a yoyo everyone should DEFINITELY have is a Freehand One. It’s an ALL TIME classic, SO much trick vocabulary was INVENTED on the damn thing, it’s “eh, why not” level cheap, and it perfectly embodies the fun of yoyoing.
Unparalleled Recognition, hands down!
It’s such a phenomenal throw, can handle quite literally anything and can take a beating 
I haven’t seen any on the BST recently, but I imagine they’ll still be going for around $45 ish?
Well worth the pickup if you find one!!
Duncan Butterfly.
Everyone should try fixie. It’s fun, meditative, challenging. It’s a return to roots with yoyo. It’s very affordable.
$5
This will probably be controversial but every single person should have a fixed axle wood YoYo so they can play fixie horse on demand. A simple yyf legend wing would suffice.
Alternatively a Duncan butterfly. Simple. Plastic. Fixed. Cheap. It has all the best qualities the hobby needs for simple play.
Regardless 5 bucks is the right price.
Also Keith apparently beat me
Everyone needs to have a shutter. Why? Because it’s a shutter!
100% agree.
I think everyone needs a Shutter, and an Imperial.
Other “founder” yo-yos that were super influential are often really hard to get ahold of. (Ex: cold fusion, Draupnir, etc)
But the Shutter and Duncan Imperial are easily attainable pieces of yo-yo history.
Atom smasher
Butterfly and Wood Fixie have been mentioned. So… A Modern Responsive yoyo should be in Rotation.
There are so many good ones, so Ill list a few if people can find one. While a little different, each fits the category.
MK1xSW Harbinger
DocPop Weekender
ZGRT El Mijo or El Mijo Polycarbonate
G2 Respawn
Zeekio Slim Jim
Coming up - Yoyo Boomer powered by G2 Workhorse
Modern Responsive yoyos can play the gap between 0A and Responsive 1A. 1 yoyo, 2 styles. They are typically thinner in design. They make great EDC companions. Throw some gravity pulls and forward passes, do some stalls, skin the Gerbel almost anywhere you go. No Bind required.
Price= $50 to $100
found the vid jake did in jan with the prototypes. that looks super neat!
I will agree with Pun1sher. I grew up in the 90s boom, where responsive 1A reigned supreme (and had been since the beginning.)
I started on a Duncan Butterfly, moved to a Tornado2, then a Saber Raider, Turbo Bumblebee GT and a Super Spinfaktor. Lost or broke them all by the time I was going to college, so I bought a yoyojam Patriot and played it exclusively for 4 years. Found yoyonation and yoyoexpert after that, learned about unresponsives and that started a new era.
My first love was responsive play, and I’d have peed myself to have my hands on a modern metal responsive back in the day. Having one now brings such great joy. When they announced the play one yoyo for the month of July challenge, I went with the Respawn.
Most modern responsive are very light, the Respawn has more weight, and since I don’t do 0A, the extra weight really holds perfect for me for 1A responsive.
So that’d be my choice. For a Respawn you would probably give $40-$100 depending on colorway.
Something they made themselves.
Because playing a yoyo you made is badass
Varies. Could be free. Could be expensive. You choose.
Any MFD.
It’s like owning a Mercedes, once you’re behind the wheel you can never go back.
Honorable mention would be the Terrarian by one drop.
i entered the most recent first timers lottery cuz that one was sick but sadly ill have to keep biding my time…
looking forward to that day tho
I agree the Spotlight Ultra is one of the best designed monometals on the market where I own every colorway available. The yoyo would have never made the light of day not without Hunter seeing the original prototype an asking to have it modified to his liking.
For me it’s an 888 - I think the YoYo is iconic and has a lot of history and iterations.
Anything Spintastics. Especially the tiger shark or tornado
The Tornado 2 was my first bearing yoyo back in the 90s, it will always hold a special place in my heart
Edit: yep, thank you for the reminder, I gotta pick one up again
Idk if it’s “classic” or iconic enough, but I have to throw the YYF CzechPoint Pivot in the ring.
If you really want to know why, check the link. In short, it’s easily in my top 3 favorites I’ve ever thrown, even over many expensive bimetals. Hands down the best performing & all-around monometal I’ve tried.
You should be able to pick one up on the BST for around $30-35.
Edit: thinking about it, the Yoyoball Hendiatris is more underrated and deserving of this slot. Such a unique yoyo, and not even a little gimicky. Appreciation post coming in the next few weeks.
The more i throw the more i think a wooden fixed yoyo is a necessity for every thrower.
I have to second the Duncan FH cause it’s everything @SR1 said… responsive out of the box and gets more unresponsive with play, $25 new with a CW. I throw it multiple times a week, and it’s often in my pocket.
I will agree that every collector needs to have a few MonkeyfingeRs in thier collection but there is nothing budget friendly about MFD. 
