Why do many turn their nose up at fixed axle yoyos that are sub 50g?
I don’t know that I turn my nose up to them but I like the option of doing STM with a fixie, my skill set doesn’t let me do it with a lighter yoyo. 
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I think it’s just the fear of the unknown and some arbitrary “too light” cutoff.
The truth is the way most people are playing modern fixed axles, sub-50 is not problematic. They stall easy, regen easy, rotate readily on flip tricks. And I don’t notice a major drop in spin between a 45g yo-yo and a 55g at all. (And I’d MUCH rather play ~42g than ~62g lately.) I DO think there’s a drop off in control somewhere in that zone, although I find I can (mostly) compensate.
But I also get that for well over a decade almost no one was throwing that low weight (and a lot of players went as high as 70+) so they might imagine an issue where there isn’t one. If it’s well made, a fixie can go really light and still play super well.
The yo-yo I’ve been throwing almost exclusively since late summer has been 45g.
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Interesting. I didn’t think that the weight would matter for that.
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This is exactly what I think too.
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I’ve been saying lately that 45g is the new 50g.
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Nothing wrong with them. Stall / flips are nice on lighter yoyos.
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@edhaponik Can you explain what you mean by a drop in control along the weight range?
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I just started fixie playing with a Butterfly that’s around 45g. I’m really liking that, but my sample size of fixed axle weight ranges is at 1 right now. I’m interested what I’d think about a 55g or so yoyo…
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At a certain point (especially in a stall) a really light yoyo will move with very little prompting. So a very light motion will cause a faster flip or turn than intended. But as I said it’s something you can adjust to. I used to throw mainly 57-62 range and now I throw more 45-52.
And everybody has their own taste like Vega mentioned. For some 50 feels too light. But I agree it’s not a line in the sand in terms of function.
This most recent vid is all w 45g.
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I don’t know if this is a totally true statement, the TMBR This-A-Way That-A-Way was pretty popular this year and alot of the offerings were sub 50g. My standard Walnut is 39g.
I think it comes down to the actual throwing. Lighter fixies require more finesse all around, and not everyone is patient enough for throw soft. Last week I was throwing my Play Simply and that is one of my heaviest No Jives at 59 grams.
Its a different experience. Some days I can throw heavy, but I’ll feel it the next day in the elbow. Then I’ll throw light. I have also noticed throwing light hard can feel awkward and cause some elbow pain as well as its more of a snap of the joint. It really comes down to technique. @edhaponik says it in his YYE tutorials, “Throw for the Trick” and not all tricks need full gas, but some guys are just always full throttle.
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Probably my favorite fixie is this walnut knack around 43g. I usually gravitate to 50-55g fixies but this one is my exception. I feel like it’s easier to make a good playing yoyo in the 50g range rather than making a light yoyo that people like.
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I cut my teeth on a sliver bullet which is about 50g. I wouldn’t have a problem trying something lighter.