Hey i grew up playing the bumblebee (when it was still by playmaxx) and recently picked up a new one and started messing around; shortly after i was given a popstar (by yo yo factory) and found out about “unresponsive” yo yos. So now i’ve been playing the popstar for a few days and have kind of figured binding and all that good stuff; but i haven’t been able to get strong throws and the popstar has been overall really off balance. I’m wondering if: A. I just need to work on getting better binds, and/ or B. If there’s a better “in between” yo yo that is less responsive than the bumblebee but more responsive than the popstar, or if the popstar is just a bad yoyo overall… Insight greatly appreciated!!!
The popstar really isn’t the best to learn on. I’d suggest getting a good plastic or plastic/metal.
The YYJ SR-71 is a great yoyo.
The YYJ legacy is also a great one.
Just about any yoyo you buy that is bigger than the popstar is going to be better for you to learn on.
I would suggest looking at the FFY Protostar. They are dead unresponsive but are much more stable than the POPstar. If you want to get into unresponsive play this is a great first yo-yo.
The Popstar is a great yoyo. You should work on your throw and save up your money to get a better yoyo next time. Once you land tricks on the Popstar, using other yoyos would be extremely easy next time. On the contrary, if you get another yoyo now, you might not be able to land tricks easily on the Popstar next time.
B)
It seems to me that you may want to try a yoyo with higher walls.
Higher walled yoyos tend to spin straighter (not as slanted) on a bad throw, are a little bit more responsive, and have a little shorter sleep time (unless you’re a pro with perfect throwing abilities).
For example, the SR-71 has higher walls than the Protostar. Notice that the SR-71 has walls that continue straight up, past the response for a few extra millimeters.
SR-71 also comes with a responsive and unresponsive bearing.
The old Dark Magic 1 could be good. The responsiveness can be tuned with shims, and it plays good. I have one, 6 years old, and it’s still reliable, and it gives me less problems than my Protostar. (Sorry YYF fans)