Was the Airetic you tried a Slim? I haven’t tried them myself but I did have a very thin prototype Airetic that I liked, but I still found it a bit slippery.
I tend to play responsive and I prefer thinner string, but you’re correct, it does tend to be a little rougher. I personally have had decent experiences with Buddha, Sochi, Snake Bite, and Kitty Slim. I should probably get some Airetic Slim and see how it compares, since it’s nylon instead of poly and is generally softer…
After this happened to me I started including a list of the different strings I throw in with the yoyos I am trading/selling. Getting a string you love but not knowing how to get more isn’t a great feeling.
I have no idea. It’s the string that came with the exia. I’m thinking it’s regular airetic because it’s pretty thick. Maybe @MarkD can help us out. Haven’t tried a slim airetic before.
Kitty normal (old) for me is too rough. I’m currently using the rain city skills Sochi string which is rough but the string is oily for some reason which kinda makes up for the roughness. But after the oil is gone, the blisters start appearing 
I kinda like Rain City Skills Socchi for slim string. The orange and yellow stuff.
Airetic slims are the only 100% nylon I get along with, and the softest thin string I’ve found. They work well in slim gaps or otherwise snaggy yoyos. If you find the RainCity sochi slims too rough, then you’ll probably need to try the Airetics. I was going to suggest markmont draken, cirrus foam or night moves, but if you find the thin sochis to be rough you really aren’t going to like the markmonts.
Yeah, it’s Airetic regular.
Best strings personally venom or plutonium by string lab. Kitty string and Sochi are the best cheaper non boutique ones though imo
Ohhh I’m using their green ones currently (These came in the Sochi pack or smt that included response pads and bearings as well. Not sure if it is the rain city skills edition or normal Sochi). But right now it’s too rough after the oil wears off which is after about an hour of play and then I’ll have to change strings.
Those strings are also sold out currently so I can’t try them
Man I’m gonna have to try some. Hopefully airetic decides to restock their retailers because I can’t get any direct since I’m in Singapore.
I’ve heard that the markmonts are really rough. Those might absolutely destroy my hands hahaha.
If you’re getting actual blisters, one of three things is happening:
If it’s #1 or #3 we can work with that. #3 is easy: if you’re playing too hard too fast for too long, take a break. You might need to take some time, after all every yoyo has a string and if your hands aren’t used to it you may need to build a callous like how guitar players get calluses on their fingertips. It takes time and practice.
But if it’s not #2 or #3, it’s probably #1. Now I’m pretty biased, seeing as I make and sell strings. No false pretenses there, I want to be up front. But if you want string that won’t cause friction, I recommend pure nylon. My Slicc string is pure nylon, or Airetic brand. Or make your own, or use any brand I haven’t heard of. Point is, nylon is slicker than polyester, meaning nylon string is less abrasive than polyester so it won’t blister like you mention.
Hope that helps. I offer “Slimm” thickness which is really thin - about half the normal thickness - and I’m sure some other brands offer thin options so you’ll have some to choose from.
I really like this. I used to have a pic but you get the inflection. Well said Sir.
Hmm it looks like I should provide proof to support my claim.
Aftermath of the blisters:
About 1: I don’t think I can say the string I use are awful since I use Sochi and Kitty normals and they are pretty good strings as rated by the community. I also throw them out after about an hour of play so I don’t think they degrade that much in 1 hour. I just think that they are pretty rough.
About 3: Might be the case since I’m grinding Eli Hops at the moment but I don’t usually play for very long sessions, usually only about 30 minutes.
I’ll take a look at your strings but I’m not in the US so paying like $15 shipping just for strings just isn’t worth it to me which is why I haven’t bought any boutique strings that aren’t on YYE.
Wow…haven’t seen anyone other than myself that even remembers what Chaos 422 is much less have some. It has been my favorite for a very long time. I bought a running crap-ton back in the day when I knew they were going out of business and haven’t really been able to find a decent replacement since.
Wow that’s awful!
I don’t have a ton of experience with those brands in particular, but I know most string I’ve played with gets softer over time. Throwing them out after only an hour could be part of the problem. Might want to try playing with them a little longer before throwing them out to see if they get softer through use. Some strings are best when they’re new, but the vast majority of strings I’ve tried require a bit of break-in to be at their best.
I thought Airetic sold on YYE, but I don’t see them now. Must have been mistaken. From what I see on YYE I’d recommend Monkeyfinger Vines.
I’m just curious, do you have generally sensitive skin? Blisters would be cause by friction, so a softer, slicker string should help but even with a very abrasive string it seems odd to get a blister after just thirty minutes.
I totally understand not wanting to pay international shipping, it’s absurdly expensive. Worst case scenario if you can’t try other strings to fix it, you could try a glove. They have some here on YYE that protect your hands from the friction.
Wow thank you so much. I’ll look into getting some vines, maybe some original throw strings as well since they advertised their normal strings to be soft.
I have sweaty palms which usually utterly destroys strings, especially bulk ones in like 1 hour of play. The string doesn’t really get that much softer and I’ll have trouble pulling my finger through the string cos my finger would just kinda get stuck on the string and the string doesn’t slide around. In fact, some of the strings get tougher after they are worn especially Kitty Normal. (Just played with some of my old strings to test this as well.)
Yeap airetic don’t sell on YYE, only sold on another European retailer.
I wouldn’t say I have sensitive skin as for the most part I don’t get blisters often when doing other things. I think the parts I’m getting blisters are like those that don’t really touch the string often so maybe that’s the case. (Recently I used my whole palm in getting into double or nothing which would explain the random blisters at the thumb and pinky area.)
Ah maybe that’s why so many pro players use a glove. I tend to play relatively fast as well, usually keeping the string pretty taut and putting quite a bit of force on my fingers.
Yeah callous builds up over time if you use that area a lot, basically as your skin’s way of protecting itself, but in areas that aren’t used as much it can be more sensitive. In general, more friction from the string will mean more pain/blisters. So the smoothest string you can get will best. If you can find pure nylon at a reasonable price, I’d definitely recommend trying it. But otherwise a glove might be good for you. I don’t play very fast, but from what I’ve heard playing fast will make more friction so that’s probably why you’re getting the blisters.
Best of luck dude! Hope you’re able to find a good solution!
Thanks man! I just realised that the Sochi string that came in the rain city skills package is actually not Sochi normal string and it’s different. I’m currently using Sochi normals now and it’s actually not too rough, a bit softer than Kitty normal which is great. Haven’t had any blisters in a while. Hopefully airetic will restock so I can get to try their slims, it would be better than using gloves.
Also, to answer my own question, I just got the new Kitty normal string and I found that it’s much better than the old Kitty string. It’s better at holding torsion and the string doesn’t wear out as fast. Slacks and whips are better as well as the loops stay open. It feels much better to use. But it’s still as rough as the old Kitty normal string, if not slightly rougher.
