So I’m curious where people go in order to try out new yoyos before buying them. It seems to me that yoyos, especially high-end ones that differ from each other in only very subtle ways, really need to be test driven in order for any given person to discover which one feels the best in play for them. But how does one go about doing that?
Now, I live in a large city (Los Angeles), but google searches aren’t turning up any useful information on places to find yoyos for sale. If the idea is to sample lots of high-end yoyos in an effort to find the one (or ones) that you really click with, selection becomes critical. But even as vast as the manufacturer list has become in recent years, yoyoing still seems like a highly niche hobby with very little brick-and-mortar representation.
That’s one of the many reasons to go to an actual yoyo contest. Most major contests seem to have vendors booths set up so that you can go up to their booths and try all their current lineups. And then you can just buy it straight from the booth if you like it
That makes sense. So then the trick is finding a local yoyo contest, right?
I imagine they get announced here on yoyoexpert.com, so all I have to do is keep an eye out for one happening in the Los Angeles area. Do contests occur here very often?
Also! In la there is a shop called the Anime Jungle. I know they have a pretty good selection of kendama there but not really good for yo-yos. Eventually they’re trying to amp up their Yoyo lineup. Eventually I hope this place can be the shop your looking for man. Also club meet ups! The DXL crew meets pretty frequently in artesia. Not too far of a drive from LA.
You can ask people on the chat or if you want you could ask me I have tried quite a few and I have some friends that might know if I don’t. So just ask and say something like: Hay I was thinking about buying… what do you think about it.
I sort of feel that yoyos are like musical instruments. You can’t really know if a yoyo is going to feel really good to you unless you try it for yourself. I’ve read many of the “What should I get?” threads here, and very few of them are helpful. Everyone answers something different, and you end up with a list of about fifty yoyos, none of which stand out from the others drastically enough to help make a choice. That’s why I think it becomes crucial to find someplace where a whole lot of yoyo brands and models can be tried out in person. I don’t want to buy something, try it out, find out I don’t quite like it, and then be stuck with it or trying to sell it off. I’d rather just get it right the first time.
Most yoyos sold today are pretty much all around, acceptable players. You probably won’t be disappointed in any of them unless your skills are exceptional, in which case you can discern small nuances in the play and may already be sponsored. If you really don’t like a yoyo, you can usually sell it quickly. It’s not like buying a car where you can go 5 different places to try one out. That’s just the way it is.
Gotta be some yo-yo clubs with regular meet ups in LA! This is where I always get to try something new and I bring tons of yo-yos for people to try, even some to trade.