Jesus man haha. IMO, no high end yoyo should come with vibe from the retailer or manufacturer. If that’s the case, it’s a sign of poor manufacturing or a lack of quality control. Machining has come far enough that tolerances can be perfect enough to produce a yoyo with no vibe. I don’t mind if a yoyo gains vibe later on, that is normal, through wear and tear. But if I am dropping 50+ for a new yoyo and it comes with vibe, I think I’d be justified in being upset. After all, you can pick up a $10 Magic Yoyo, and it’ll be vibeless.
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Not necessarily. It can’t be guaranteed that a bar of aluminium has completely uniform density throughout, nor are CNC machines totally flawless. They’re extremely accurate, but they aren’t total perfection. It is very often impossible to tell if a yoyo straight off the production line vibes because of poor manufacturing, or what factor along the process has introduced the vibe. It’s also impossible for a yoyo to have no vibe. Even yoyos that supposedly have no vibe still do imperceptibly.
So that standard seems to be that they don’t have perceptible vibe, yet it may well be that it was produced using the highest standards to the very best of the manufacturers ability. You cannot ascertain from putting your fingernail up to a spinning yoyo as to whether it vibes due to manufacturing flaws.
I also believe that a yoyo with some perceptible vibe for sale is not because of poor quality control. At that stage of testing, it’s mostly separating the ones that people will complain about with the ones people consider smooth. It’s not a lot to do with the actual quality of the yoyos.
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alright man, you make a lot of grandiose, all-defining, be-all end-all, and know-it-all statements on this board - this has to be the worst you have ever stated 
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So, it can be guaranteed that every bar of aluminium and every CNC machine is flawless? That’s what you’re inferring.
I have no interest in getting into an argument with you though.
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I thought he made a very valid point and did so in a clear and articulate manner
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Thank you, @beeebon.
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they make aluminum to go into… i don’t know… maybe space? airplanes? extremely delicate and fine microscopic materials that require the finest and most precise measurements, tolerances, weights and details?
aluminum uses go well beyond yoyos where the precision and machining of the material is not just important, it’s extremely critical!!!
it was like someone talking to sound intelligent, or just to talk. it was actually insulting
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I’m just throwing this out as a very serious question: are there different grades if aluminum rods? I come at this from the perspective of the son of a mechanic. My Dad had no problem buying quality tools (in the 1970s through 90s that meant Snap-On, Craftsman and Mac). When I bought a house and needed to start compiling a toolbox, he gave recommendations and then said “for something you will probably only use infrequently, Harbor Freight is fine. If you break it or wear it out, then you know it is worth spending more on.”
So, are there “Harbor Freight” versions of aluminum rods and “snap on” versions?
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well, i’m contacting metal manufacturers now to obtain data sheets, etc., as I have a feeling there are no peer reviewed reports or anything else from the other side backing up the outlandish claims made earlier.
This is a bit hyperbolic, but I agree in the sense that whether aluminum is uniformly dense or not hasn’t really crossed my mind when designing a yoyo - I’ve been able to safely assume that it’s uniform enough for the designs I’ve been creating.
There probably exists some low-quality round bar stock out there (I’ve seen mention of it on machinist’s forums), and it’s up to the shop to source good material that works with their setup.
The lathe/tooling/machinist/anodizer are much bigger factors, I think. And on top of that, the design of the yoyo impacts how easy or how difficult it is to pull off a smooth yoyo. If you look at the cheaper MYY designs they are usually very simple, a bit on the narrow side, and lack deep undercuts or other weird features that might increase the difficulty and expense of manufacturing them. That’s how they can end up both smooth and inexpensive - it’s in the design of the yoyo.
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hyperbolic or not, you can look up the density of whatever aluminum grade or hardness you want, and get, or select, a guaranteed degree of accuracy… just like you can with the millers, or whoever you want to work with, and what you want to pay, yoyos or whatever it is… wood is the oddball out on this one in terms of a ‘guarantee’… we get a lot of this ‘just because you say it makes it true’ these days, we should probably make sure facts get to the surface in these situations
edit: and stating a bar of aluminum cannot be made of uniform density is rife with hyperbole itself… smh
The very first unresponsive metal yoyo I purchased was a B-grade Spin Dynamics Nickel Plated Flow. The yoyo was b-grade for vibe that the owner of Spin Dynamics couldn’t tune out. He sold me the yoyo at a discount. On my first throw, I asked him if he was sure he was selling me the vibey yoyo. Can I feel the vibe when I put my fingernail in the gap? Yes. Has that yoyo ever held me back from learning a trick? No. Does it put a smile on my face when I think about the friends I have made through my yoyo journey? Of course it does.
Doc has it right here, there is no fingernail grind on the trick ladder, and, like Doc, I have more often heard top level players make comments like “I’m really not that good at telling if a yoyo has vibe” than “wow, I couldn’t play that yoyo because it had fingernail vibe.” In another post in this thread, I mentioned my mechanic father. He shared a lot of wisdom, mostly when his sons were complaining about not having a nicer or newer whatever (bicycle, lawnmower, hedgetrimmer, baseball glove…you name it). Dad would look at us and say “the poor craftsman blames his tools.” I get it, if I spend a lot of money on something, I want it to be well made, I want it to work. I guess we all have thresholds for what is and isn’t acceptable. I can appreciate it how someone could find the level of vibe my Flow or any of the other b-grade yoyos I own has is unacceptable. To each their own. I will happily purchase and enjoy b-grades and really not worry about vibe other than “wow, I can’t believe how smooth this yoyo is.”
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I’ll have to disagree with you. All of these issues are quality control issues. Yoyos, especially high end ones, should be tested prior to selling to the public. Doesn’t really matter what the cause of it is. Whether it’s uneven distribution of the metals in the aluminum alloy, or a CNC machine that hasn’t been tuned properly prior to machining, it comes down to the final quality control check. There are risks and losses to any business, those yoyos that come out with vibe or imbalance issues are the risks and losses of a yoyo company.
Selling those imperfect yoyos as a B grade at a price reduction is fine, selling them along side other A grades that are smooth? Absolutely not fine. That’s poor quality control, something the community loves to rip on cheaper companies especially those based in China for.
This being said, vibe in a yoyo doesn’t mean I won’t want to play with that yoyo. Heck I buy most my yoyos second hand so they almost always have some vibe. It’s more of I’m paying for a perfect product, I’d want a perfect product. Hand turned yoyos are a very different story. Of course I wouldn’t expect a dead smooth yoyo, but the trade off is for a one of a kind unique piece of art.
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and, once you understand this, you may have the ability to wantonly b!tch about vibe… but i doubt you will ever squawk about a little fingernail vibe once you get the concept… and get a grasp on DENSITY and it’s applications outside of yoyos (this wasn’t directed at you @beeebon, adding on to your ‘required reading’)
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l will straight out tell you my ‘personal’ biggest problem with yoyos that ‘vibe’. ( and a few other thoughts).
It is Not that the vibe tortures me and gives me nightmares of all my hard earned money going down the toilet.
My biggest concern is that if for whatever reason I just don’t ‘click’ with the yoyo. Then I have to take it in the shorts when/if I try to sell or trade it.
Because, the vibey yoyo is a great starting point for a potential buyer to bicker down the cash price or trade value of the yoyo.
Even if vibey yoyos don’t bother him in the least.
Example… > I see a BST on the forum. The guy has a Yoyorecreation yoyo for sale. Fortunately for him, his is dead smooth. Mine is as new as his but mine came with a little but noticeable vibe. The yoyos are very close in retail cost. But I am at a possible instant disadvantage because mine has a slight issue. An issue that really has No real effect on the actual performance of the yoyo. But considered a defect, regardless.
When I do my BST stuff, I Never make a profit. I never try to make the other person come up on the short end of the deal. People will always remember you, regardless of how they come out on a deal.
I would rather that they feel the deal was ‘good’. And not think I tried to pull a fast one on them.
…If I get a yoyo that has a little vibe and I like everything else about it. Most likely I will be keeping it.
Vibe by itself does not make me ‘not like a yoyo’. But if a new yoyo vibes and also does not check the boxes for me: too wide maybe, just a little to slow or heavy feeling, sharp edges, poor weight distribution affecting plane at lower rpm’s, funky finish or ugly colorway, etc.
Then I have to calculate what kind of loss I am willing to take if I decide it is BST bound?
…We expect that all yoyo Makers sell nothing but PERFECT vibe free yoyos. Because they have the machinery/technology/experience/know how, etc… And they should drop everything else and take hours on end, testing and testing and mixing halves and changing bearings … so that every single yoyo that leaves the Shop is a Wet Dream and worth every single hard earned penny we spend on them.
But… when you wake up from that dream and have to deal with reality, it just isn’t in the cards.
The higher the retail price point; the higher our expectation for perfection.
That is only logical and reasonable.
But, there is a point on the number line, where we must find a ‘balance’. Are we looking for a perfect vibe free yoyo to have a perfect vibe free yoyo?
Or do we have to have that Perfect vibe free yoyo because we paid in Blood for it?
And if we don’t get something that makes us 100% happy, that we are going to Die screaming in Bankruptcy Court?
Have you noticed up to this point in my oratory, that I did not yet mention that we are suppose to have fun with very good playing yoyos? And not pull our hair out crying about if its’ not perfect it’s junk and I hate it?
Instead of playing the blame game and pointing all the cannons at the Makers if every yoyo doesn’t come out perfect. Why not buy yoyos at lower price points that may come stock with a little vibe or whatever. And then just play the heck out of them and have some fun?
I think my favorite ‘laugh’ comes out when somebody says, ‘Well, I know this guy that makes yoyos and he only make perfect ones, so why can’t the larger Makers make all perfect ones too’?
What the reality is, is that a Botique yoyo seller doesn’t make All Perfect yoyos. He only sells the ones that came out near perfect. You either never see the ‘funny ones’ or they are sold as glitches.
I’m not saying that is wrong. But you have to consider all the aspects available before you come to conclusions about how things ‘happen’.
Slightly redundant example>>> My friend designs and makes his own yoyos. He recently made a batch of 50 yoyos. And every one of them was PERFECT! …Uh, or at least every one he let me try was perfect? I dunno? He did have a box under the work table. I wonder what was in that box?
Logic dictates that the more complicated the yoyo design, the more potential there is for yoyos that don’t make the final quality cut. Some will be sold as seconds and some will be recycled.
And as one of the guys has already mentioned; some of the $10 range yoyos are very simple designs that allow pretty smooth yoyos. << Simple yoyos for simple non adventurous players on a budget.
… I will play with my Kyle Weems Death Robot and you can play with you Sharks Honor stocking stuffer.
Bottom line is that no matter how you want to cut it. We All have our own personal ideas of what Manufacturers guidelines should be for releasing yoyos at levels of perfection ‘we’ expect.
And the Makers are well aware of how they may be judged by how much effort they seem or don’t seem to be interested in spending to keep us from Whining about how they ruin our happiness and yoyo careers by releasing anything less than perfect.
Release your mind from Expectations of Perfection. And wrap your energy around some good playing yoyos and have some Fun.
The people that spend more time having fun; spend much less time sobbing through teary eyes.
…Notice, in the above wall of miscellaneous thoughts; you will find nothing that was borrowed from a missing page in the Bible.
But if you have a decent grasp on reality. You can easily find the information I have provided is reasonable and true.
Just sit back in a nice recliner. Close your eyes and relax. Now scan your brain until you get to the area where an open mind is stored. An area where more logical thinking is allow and encouraged.
Where you can remove some of your more reactive emotions and use that energy to head you in the correct direction.
Yoyos are not perfect. Yoyos are fun. Buy a good one you can afford. Put the loop on your finger and have some fun.
You see… you already knew everything I just told you.
You were just too busy whining to see it…
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soooo… ho many times can i like @yoyodoc’s post?
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Resurecring a thread I found during a search;
Very interesting read, but didnt help me with my question.
Reminder I am new to this
Got a new yoyo this week. Out of the box played really well (Smooth?). I had a knot, unscrewed the yoyo, took off the string, screwed it back together, added string…
The yoyo has a considerably noticeable vibe now that wasnt there minutes before.
I am sure that I didnt cross thread the half into the axel. My meathod is to spin the half backwasrds until the starting threads “Bump” into place for alignment, then screw it together.
What should I look for?
There are no spacers in this yoyo. It is currently in its half spec bearing format to be responsive.
Thanks for any advice.
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You shouldn’t worry about yoyo vibe. Most yoyos will develop a tiny amount of vibe after being unscrewed, that’s completely normal. Fortunately vibe very rarely matters, so you can just freely play your yoyo and have fun with it. The only way to avoid your yoyo ever vibing is to just not play with it.
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The only thing I can think of is that a speck of contaminant got into the bearing when the yoyo was unscrewed. These bearings are tiny and even a microscopic particle of dead skin or lint can be felt if it gets into the wrong place.
I’d give the bearing a good cleaning and lubrication and see if it’s back to normal.
I’d also grab a few plastic yarn needles from your local craft store and use those to pick out axle knots rather than unscrewing the yoyo. It’ll minimize the chances of exposing the bearing innards to contamination.
Ivan
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If you promise to be careful you can flip the axle to see if that helps. Be sure the halves are not over tightened or they are not screwed together snuggly.