Just read the topic.
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The overall weight of the yoyo and how it’s distributed determines the speed of the yoyo
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The player.
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Overall weight doesn’t have much to do with it. The way the weight is distributed across the shape is what tends to make a yoyo play faster. Center weight generally equals speed.
Sorry, you’re both wrong. According to physics, a yoyo will move as if all of its weight is at its center of mass(which is always at the bearing). This means that it only has to do with the overall weight. So sparhawk is half right
Good answer.
Another thing that plays a small role in speed is the shape. An angular shape will funnel the string into the gap quicker than a rounded shape.
Why do people think they can say things like “according to physics”? Why don’t you state the physical law that proves your point if you are so proficient in the field.
The way weight is distributed very obviously has basically everything to do with the way a yoyo feels. Yoyo design would be a very very boring creative medium if everything that happened to be the same weight played the same speed. I mean, have you played a yoyo made in the last five years? You can make any size, any weight yoyo play however you want if you know what you’re doing in your CAD program. Why do you think people use denser materials at strategic places on a yoyo? Why do the CLYWs have that inner rim? Isn’t the main purpose of titanium to have the ability to take away and place as much weight as you like wherever you want? Distribution is everything.
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Pretty much the opposite of what I said in the what makes a yoyo spin long thread… A lighter, centerweighted yoyo with go faster than a heavy yoyo
Hiroyuki Suzuki makes a yoyo fast
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hahaha i just laughed so hard
Amen.
Like someone said, the player. It may be easier with some but personally, I can make pretty much any yoyo go fast.
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if it goes fast
Agreed. 
Sorry all. I realized that I should have specified that I was talking about the design aspect of the yoyo. I know that the player is the biggest factor in speed. I was wondering why because in the description of the Speedaholic, it was mentioned that it was a fast yoyo. Thanks and sorry.
Just put it in the body of the message then.
A shorter string helps speed up the yoyo.
If I play with the string with the knot about at the bottom of my sternum, they tend to play slow. If I tie the knot about at my belly button, the yoyo moves fast(er).
Shape helps too. I notice that items with more weight focused towards the outer edges of the rims tend to be speedier. V shapes seem to “cut” through the air better. Also, it seems around 54-55.5 mm is ideal for faster play for me. The smaller size helps with making the yoyo lighter, which often adds to their speed.
However, if you’re a SLOW player like I am, any yoyo is gonna be SLOW. Wanna see an Anglam move like a turtle? Watch me sling one around.
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the momentum of a rigid body is its mass times its velocity (m * v). A yoyo is a rigid body. The speed of a yoyo depends on how quickly it can change direction. If a yoyo has large mass, it is going to have a larger momentum. If a yoyo has a larger momentum, it will not be as easy to change it’s direction. Thus, a heavier yoyo is slower and a light yoyo is faster.
I get what you are saying. I don’t really know why companies put so much effort into a design.
I do know for sure that what I was just saying is true. It was one of the first things I learned in physics
I honestly don’t know what to say other than you’re wrong.
Manufacturers put so much effort into design because it works! Maybe we just need a manufacturer to come in here and say something.
What I can tell you without a doubt, is that center weight equals speed, rim weight equals heft and stability. You design a cross section to fit the way you want the yoyo to play based off those facts. Just moving weight around changes sooo much.
I hope you realize that you’re saying if you took the fat rims off a Genesis and put them around the smaller part, it would play the same.
Mikers, yes, weight distribution is very important for spin time, stability, and the feel of the initial throw. And those are worth designing for.
But we’re talking about speed here. To me, speed means string hits and changes in velocity/direction after the initial throw. For those things, base weight is virtually everything.
Another equation to consider:
force=mass*acceleration - for the same desired acceleration, more force is required for more mass (heavier yo-yo).
I think we’d all be surprised how much of how a yo-yo plays is in our head. The feel of the shape and size, the sound of the spin, the amount of vibe, what others say, and even the name have a lot to do with how much we like a yo-yo. And that’s fine.
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The momentum you really need to take into account here is angular momentum, not forward momentum. There is also rotational inertia that you need to consider. The formula you have provided (forward momentum) would yield very misleading, and arguably irrelevant results with regards to the “perceived speed” of a yoyo