I’ve noticed my yo-yo gradually feeling sort of different the more I’ve been playing it. The response gets more inconsistent and less snappy, the sleep times feel slightly shorter, and other more minor things. I’ve lubed and cleaned my bearing to see if it helps, but it only works for a short time. This got me wondering if there’s standard mantinencemfor the over yo-yo parts, spot even if I should straight up change them. Does anyone know any maintenance routines for them or when (or if) to change them ?
Pads should be changed only when they give out. String should be replaced pretty constantly. I do mine for every 2-3 hours of intense play with KaPOW, which is a durable string. More frail ones like alphaline (don’t think of fragile string as necessarily bad as it is a good string when it’s new) should be changed up to even every hour of intense play.
String will give hints to when it is needing replacement if it tensions too easily, doesn’t release tension properly, lacks any spring whatsoever, is frayed (frayed string can get caught in bearings or pads in extreme cases), or when you get that “off” feeling that can’t be attributed to pilot error.
Also in regards to bearing maintenence, it’s important to combine both time of submersion in the media (e.g. lighter fluid) along with agitation (i.e. shaking). Deshield the bearing for even better cleaning. I submerge my bearings for at least a few hours with occasional couple-minute shakings.
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What do you mean by give out? Does the pad just like, fall apart?
The adhesive will lose its stickiness and will get dislodged and will fall out or at least become warped and partially fall out.
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Pads can be changed whenever you don’t like how your yoyo feels to bind.
For some people this means once the pads literally fall out, for other people it means once the pads are visibly worn and your binds start feeling slippier than they normally do even with a fresh string.
The pads on these two yoyos originally looked the same. The one on the left has been played a bunch, notice how the pads are now significantly recessed around the center. The yoyo feels much slippier than it used to, even with fresh string. Some people are fine continuing to play their yoyos like this, and for other people this is a sign to change response pads.
It’s personal preference which is why nobody can give you a concrete answer for what you should do.
I use generic bulk polyester string and I’ll get at least a month of playtime out of a single string, while other people change their strings every other day. What works for other people might not work for you, and vice versa.
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Just noticed that my axle was ABSURDLY dirty when I attempted to unscrew the yo-yo to check the response pads. I decided to unscrew it to look a bit closer, and after a few seconds my hands were super stained. I then tried to clean it, but it still didn’t work. Should I also replace the axle?
Some axles have coatings on them.
This axle isn’t dirty, it just has a black coating on it. If yours also looks similar to this then your axle also has a coating on it and it’s fine as is. If the axle isn’t bent and the threads are fine you don’t need to mess with it. If you’re just careful when screwing your yoyo together and don’t sit on your yoyo or something, you shouldn’t ever need to touch the axle.
Also if you get certain parts of your yoyo wet make sure it actually dries out properly since the bearing and axle can both rust.
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That’d be me 
As far as my general maintenance goes, I mostly leave my stuff alone unless something feels obviously off.
I don’t mind a heavily used string (I use mainly bulk poly) as long as the string is noticeably not holding tension well. If tension sucks or I get a crazy knot, I will just change it out. I switch yoyos a lot, so my strings can for last for days or weeks for the most part.
I don’t mess with pads unless binds are slipping regularly. Most of the time they have fallen out before it gets to a noticeable point, at least in my experience. When I’m changing pads, I always try to get as much sticker gunk out of the pad seat as possible before replacing. I swear it creates vibe if you leave it in there.
I clean my bearings in solution only if they are really gunky, which is not very often. I use the paper cleaning method too and that works fine without needing to dunk them in lighter fluid or whatever. I usually just add small pin drop of thin lube if they become loud and scratchy, maybe once every couple weeks depending on use.
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I’m in the dry bearing camp. I tinkered with thin lube for a bit and would experience what you are describing…. Good for a bit then go loud or get a bit responsive. Running mine dry seems to last longer between cleanings. I’ve notice too that I’m not replacing pads as much. I may have been using too much lube (single drop but never used a pin head) and I think it was making its way into the pad and breaking down the adhesive.
I feel bearing maintenance is the most important factor.
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