Getting back into this, reviews haven’t been very helpful from what I’ve seen so far. They never say anything bad about the yoyo, even though there should be major downsides to many yoyos as different design choices have big tradeoffs. Also, not that I’m a great player myself, but I feel like some reviewers don’t have the skill level to benefit from high end metals. Are there reviews that don’t feel like ads out there?
1 Like
If that’s your criteria, Brandon Vu comes to mind. Sadly he’s not doing reviews anymore but could be a good reference for some older throws.
Edit: also YoYoJoe1
I am partial to Guy With A YoYo
Also Casual Throw
And Throwing Sideways
And Justin Throws
2 Likes
Yiyangyo (AKA PhilipLFA on YouTube) is the best reviewer imo when it comes to pure performance evaluation. He reviews the most coveted competition yoyos, namely from UNPRLD, Yoyofriends, Yoyorecreation, and some other top of the line models from well known yoyo manufacturers.
Brandon Vu is a very good yoyoer and a reviewer though he doesn’t say a lot of negative things. However, it seems like he’s one of the better ones when it comes to reviewing as he does mention some notable features in how a yoyo plays. He reviews just about any yoyo. Also makes other videos like trick tutorials, entertainment, maintenance and more. He’s probably the biggest yoyo content creator out there.
Lucas Decker is a great reviewer imo. He evaluates and rates yoyos by characteristics and compares them between models. Imo one of the most important aspect of any reviewer is making comparisons. You can’t really take anything away from a video that says “this yoyo is stable”. However you can learn from, say “this yoyo is more stable than the shutter, but less stable than the edge beyond”. However his reviews are all on Yoyofactory models so far, probably because of his sponsorship.
Yoyojoe is also a great yoyoer and reviews a very wide range of yoyos but most of his videos seem more like ads and the reviews are a bit too simple to be really helpful. Think of it like a slightly dumbed down version of brandon vu’s videos.
I’ve watched other channels like nate martstoff, throws n brews, casual throw and tokyo-yo but in my humble opinion I don’t think their skill level is high enough to truly evaluate or benefit from higher end yoyos. I’d consider them “casual yoyo reviewers” which have their own merits.
Casual yoyo reviewers are nice to watch and chill. You get to often hear about the backstory of the yoyos they’re reviewing and take a look at the yoyo at various angles. Also good chance to learn about yoyos you didn’t know existed. Imo nate martstoff is the best casual yoyo reviewer. Also, if you’re interested in boutique yoyos he’s the one who has the most coverage on that.
Dylan Kowalski is somewhere in between Yoyojoe and the casual reviewers, with some DIY content including anodizing/stripping your own yoyos and other interesting yoyo videos. Makes lot of magicyoyo videos because of sponsorship, but also reviews an extremely wide variety of yoyos.
4 Likes
I wish more yo-yo reviews would describe weight distribution better because I personally find that to be one of the biggest factors for me . Nate does a good job of that usually .
2 Likes
I just checked out one of PhilipLFA’s reviews, and it was one of the best yoyo reviews I’ve seen. Too competition oriented for me, but I’ll definitely check his channel out if I’m considering another bimetal.
2 Likes
I like this dude.
He reviews yoyos not a lot of people review - mostly budgets and does some “learning as I yo” videos of new tricks he is learning. There’s so much yoyo content out there that I don’t keep up on because of time. Dylan, Casual Throw (@Roy_Dodge) and Zap are the review subs I watch regularly with Casual Throw being my favorite. I think some reviewers give mostly positive reviews because their skill level is advanced enough that they are able to play through the shortcomings of some yoyos. It’s all subjective though.
3 Likes
Sorry haha.
I like how he make comments on spin time, stability, and floatiness, and he talks about pros and cons of each yoyo
Not anything too technical, but I just really like how he edit his videos, and I enjoy watching them.
3 Likes
I second Brandon Vu. He’s a reviewer that has the skill to back up what he says about the yo-yo.
Plus he’s a great guy. Definitely one of my inspirations for the last 5 or so years.
3 Likes
Aw, thanks for the mentions, @ChrisFrancz and @fatguysnacks247.
I will throw @ThatFlippinGuy (Guy with a Yo-Yo), @x0mb (Justin Throws), and @TSAF (Throwing Sideways) out there as well. A different style for each, but all fun to watch.
3 Likes
I forgot him! Class act!
Thanks man! I try my best. Still learning all the time though!
1 Like