I see this all the time in descriptions for new stuff coming out. I’m just curious what makes something a “competition level” throw, versus an every day, recreational use yo-yo. Is it mainly personal preference, or a certain shape, or weight?
What’s everyone’s thoughts?
IMO, it’s primarily what’s on the other end of the string. 
^^^
Full or over sized (56 mm diameter or more),
low edge,
plently of rim weight,
String centering bearing e.g. Centertrac, Double Straight etc.
This is just a rough idea. Preferences vary a lot.
In that case, none of mine are competition level… Lol
To my way of thinking it is all “personal preference”
BTW SteveOnDrums: how long have you been playing drums?
It’s just marketing saying it’s built for competion
I think it just means its geared towards what is currently popular with professional competitors.
It means the gap is too wide, the rims are too heavy, and the face is too low.
Agree with many, to me “built for competition” suggests H or V shape, low wall. That said, I’ve used a high wall organic for my most recent competitions. That said, I’m old enough to be happy creating what I want regardless of how it scores.
It’s all good info. I have a Musashi and a kuntosh QV, but I’ve been using my Skyva a lot lately.
Hobbyman, I’ve been playing for 15 years, starting to really hunker down and take it seriously. Trying to take it from a serious hobby to something I can do for a living.
I have been playing since 1960. For several year I made my living at it and I still play gigs once in a while.
That’s awesome! I wouldn’t mind picking your brain a bit. I’m sure you have some road stories, as well. Lol
It depends on the year too… 
Its like testing an SUV on the Nurburgring and saying its track ready.
Yeah, it can do track days but you don’t see many SUV races, do you? Its all marketing.
It is often a term used for marketing, but it isn’t just exclusively for marketing. There is such a thing as a yoyo suitable for competition, at least more than others.
It’s just a way of reassuring people that the yoyo is good enough to be used in a competition.
Generally it is wide and stable, because that’s what the majority of people prefer to use competitively.
Though, I’ve never seen any pros choose a yoyo because it’s ‘competition ready’, but because it suits them the best.
(Warning; the following post contains many, many words. If you find reading long posts either boring or challenging or useless to you or you already know everything or possibly dont care to know any more than you already do or just dont like ‘me’ no matter what I have to say; then I would suggest stopping right now and just go back to level 2743 of Candy Crush or something else more meaningful in life. You have been warned.)
Some interesting ideas kicking around about the meaning of competition yoyos.
Interesting enough that I would like to put in a few cents to help clarify the Reality part of the core meaning.
…Something many people probably dont even put much thought into but you will in a minute>
When Marketing various yoyos either out or soon to be released; you often hear a similar story.
The Story is pretty much the same. The name is primarily the only thing that changes.
Example: Chris at CLYW worked very closely with Anthony Rojas to dial in his Signature yoyo just the way he wanted it for his style of play. Zack Gormleys’ new Signature yoyo was specifically designed to meet his needs. Jacob Gross worked closely with Zammy Ickler’s’ specifications before they Finalized Zammys’ Signature Wolf yoyo. < I could go on for an hour but I know how much some people Love my Long winded posts and I dont want to spoil anybody.
Most Signature yoyos are identified as Competition Ready. And no doubt they are. But they are/were specifically designed to be Competition ready for the ‘Players they were designed for’. 
Think of it this way. If your favorite Player is Zack Gormley and you are getting ready for your first yoyo Contest or your 10th; whatever; if you choose to go up on stage with nothing but a tray full of Zack Signature yoyos; that means very little unless you play the same style and have the exact needs as Zack.
His Signature yoyos can be used/purchased/whatever by anybody. But the finer details of various yoyo designs may not be as suitable for people other than the exact person the yoyos were/are designed for.
You will see these posts now and again about how a certain yoyo was used to win a Major Yoyo Contest. And no doubt it was most likely a very well designed and produced yoyo. But without a Masterful yoyo player providing the ‘moves’ the yoyo would be nothing but a paperweight holding down a tray on a stage floor.
I have zero problems with the term, ‘Competition Ready Yoyo’. But that does not mean a single yoyo in the ever changing top 10 Competition yoyos will be the correct yoyo for you to use in a Yoyo Contest.
Less than 10 percent of All people that EVER tie a string to their finger and throw yoyos; will ever enter a Yoyo Contest at Any Level.
So if anything; only a maximum of 10 percent will even find Reality useful.
Specifically; Competition yoyos are yoyos that have proven to be functional at a Competition level by at least the person they were designed for. < Your success with these same yoyos may vary somewhat or dramatically.
… You ever watch and wait patiently for your yoyo heros’ signature yoyo to finally be up for sale? And when it drops/the minute it drops; you buy one! And 3 days later; when you get it in the mail; within an hour you are figuring out how to put it up on the BST for how much?
Think of yoyos kinda like shoes… You ever want a certain kind of shoe because 6 of your friends have the same exact model? Or your favorite Celebrity wears them? Or you simply heard they were the best fitting shoes in the World? Maybe 4 different people use the same shoe to win some marathon or whatever?
And an hour after you get yours; your feet Officially Hate You? Because the shoes weren’t specifically made for your feet. Happens all year long.
Sometimes you will hear a story about how a Company went through 6 or more protos before arriving and finalizing a design for a Signature yoyo.
The odds of any yoyo specifically meeting your exact needs are about the same as using your car key to start every other car in your neighborhood.
Does that mean that Yoyo Makers should not describe yoyos as Competition Ready? No; not at all.
Does that mean people shouldn’t even describe yoyos as Competition Ready? No; not at all.
Should a person shy away from buying Competition Ready yoyos or be afraid to use one in a Yoyo Contest? Nope; it doesnt.
Most Competition yoyos are/were the result of extensive testing and tweaking and are without a doubt ready to tear up the stage.
But because they were built from a recipe for a very specific player; just dont expect any particular yoyo to fit you like a glove.
Bottom line. ‘What makes a Yo-yo built for Competition’?
A yoyo built for Competition was/is built to address the specific performance needs of the individual it is being designed for.
Your results may vary.
And thats one reason they invented the BST.
In my opinion, a competition yo-yo is one that gives you the most consistent results on stage while you are nervous. A throw that fits you best on the stage is the one that you can use in front of a audience which you are trying to impress without losing control. Test this out with different yoyos by performing the same tricks and you’ll see what I mean.
