And who do you think has the most fanatical customer base?
I’ve been around for 60 years and in that time I don’t think that I have ever seen a micro industry with so many good companies run by good people. It is one thing that makes yo-yo fun and interesting. Every time I start to spend some money it seems like there are a dozen worthy companies vying for my money, and I like them all. But everyone has favorites, as do I. What is your favorite brand/company, and who do you think has the most loyal customer base?
My favorite is One Drop. Made in America is important to me, but they also produce good products with unique variety. You can go middle of the road, do everything well yo-yos like Rev 1 or VTWO, or you can go for something a little “out there” like Fat Tire or 1to1. I started to collect One Drop yo-yos but if they keep up their recent pace of a new yo-yo every month I’m going to have to back off.
My vote for most loyal customer base goes to GSquared. I sometimes think they could tie strings on donuts and their customers would be waiting for the drop. (Get it? Drop. … Donut drop? … As in customers waiting at their favorite donut shop for them to drop in a fresh batch so……) Oh, never mind. I’m getting old. Most of you have probably never been to a donut shop. Anyway, just a hint of a new yo-yo seems to have G2 fans rushing to the web site trying to grab one before they are gone.
I personally have favorite yoyos but not brands.
In all these years I have not managed to become loyal or to prefer / sympathize for a particular brand.
Thinking about it, I don’t really feel super loyal to any company.
I do really like Duncan…but that’s got more to do with nostalgia then anything.
G2 is another I idolize…one of my favorite throws is a G2 and it just seems like everything Jake makes is amazing.
But yeah, I don’t really feel like there’s any brand atm I’d say I’m super loyal to.
YYR and SoSerious put out some unstoppable throws. Definitely these brand are my go to for competition based throws. That being said, I’m still more loyal to MFD and One Drop, because when it comes to yoyos, I’m all about the fun, and these folks know how to do fun. I absolutely LOVE the anos on MFDs, and I have much respect for One Drop, still staying true to their roots and making them in the good ol’ US of A. I can’t imagine it’s easy competing against the inexpensive Chinese labor. Like the OP, I’ve been trying to collect One Drop throws, having at least one of every model(but not every colorway). Their current pace of throwing out new throws is incredible, but I’m not sure my wallet can keep up unless I only collect One Drop, and I’m not ready to commit to one brand for life. I seriously doubt I will ever be ready for that level of commitment! [After proofreading my reply] Alright, who am I kidding, let’s face it, I’ll throw anything if it looks good. Hi, my name is J, and I’m a yoyo tramp. [group in unison] Hi J!
Most loyal to OD, although I must confess, I haven’t been appealed to their new releases in the past two years or so. I still regard them as one of the main pillars of the community, though.
I don’t think I have a “most loyal” as I always like to give different companies a try. I do find myself though commonly going back to One Drop, Yyf, and Duncan when something catches my eye. Store-wise though, YYE has been trustworthy to me since I placed my first order back in 2010 with predictable and consistent shipping (I generally know when a throw is going to come in) and nothing has slipped through the cracks or change in quality since I first began ordering here… Dang, has it really been 10 years? Time flies…
They make more of my favorite yoyos than any other single brand. There are quite a number of other brands that make yoyos I really, really like, but usually there are only a couple of models–out of all their offerings–that I feel like owning/keeping. On the other hand, the list of One Drops that I consistently put on my all-time favorites list is quite long by comparison.
for myself brand loyalty would be hard to define. i can go through my collection and find one brand that i have more throws of than another, but does not infer loyalty. some brands i’m preferential to no longer produce, other more recents i feel keep killing it, and keep looking forward to what’s next - static is a great example. i’ve found a handful in several brands that i really like (a-rt, g2, et al) some more than less, that i feel the need to pay attention to… so, the answer is, none
I tend to buy from OD a lot. I like their yoyos, I like SEs, I like being able to easily remove bearings and not having to worry about bearing posts wearing out, I like that they’re made in the USA.
I also like A-rt, I think they’re cool people, and their yoyos are really unique; while being superbly designed.
I like YYF. I feel like they are sometimes seen as a “Big Company”, who’s designs aren’t as interesting. I feel like that is a misplaced sentiment. They do have plenty of “safe” and 'competition" designs, but they also seem to have plenty of offerings that show a willingness to experiment and have fun. They also do collaborations, as does OD; which is nice to see. They seem to do so much to promote yoyoing.
I guess as far as being “loyal”, the title for me goes to Spinworthy. I have little interest in fixed axles from anyone else, and love my bearing yoyos from him as well. I like having handmade yoyos that are as excellent as they are unique.
