I feel like any new yoyo only comes with 19mm response pads even for size d bearings. I get that it’s a standard for modern throws but how come companies don’t experiment with different widths for the response pads? I feel like different throws need different responses and some throws play better with pads or larger sili recesses. I was reading through the peak thread a couple of weeks ago and read that Chris said the original sili groove was too small for the peak so he widened it and thought it played better. So how come no one is experimenting with different sized response or pads?
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G2 Respawn has a D bearing a custom pads.
Coreco Alley Cat/Alley Cat 650b use A bearings and Coreco pads that were designed as a replacement for Duncan stickers (that it was originally designed to use). (They also have 19mm pads under the stickers for unresponsive use.)
Doc Pop’s Weekender and Day Tripper also use A bearings and Coreco pads.
Rain City Skills Gamer and Basecamp Moonshine (?) use CLYW Snow Tires (I assume some other CLYW throws also use them).
YYF has thick and thin pads for some of their A bearing throws like the Confusion.
The Out of Hand Burner has an A bearing and comes with poured silicone, not sure if there is a commercially available pad.
Custom Products (still) uses performance rings, bless their hearts.
My guess, though, is that there is a lot of value in standardization for the producers and the consumers. Creating/ordering custom pads has got to be more expensive and since most modern throws have the same C size bearing (another convenient standardization), it works well enough most of the time.
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Most people agree that 19mm works best for C bearing size so they go with it. I’m sure any manufacturer that would want to change that up would be more than welcome to but would also have to make their preferred size response pads to accommodate.
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I’m pretty sure the allycat, respawn, day tripper, and weekender are supposed to be modern responsive throws? Didn’t realize yyf had thick and thin pads.
Also I think snow tires are 19mm pads
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Snow tires are definitely larger
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Had to check it out and they are 21mm so they are a bit different. Didn’t even notice this till today. Good catch on this
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If you look at the gap of a Replay, for instance, you will see that the pads stick out beyond the pad recess; they aren’t flush. This is necessary because the pad recess is so deep that just installing a half-spec C bearing isn’t enough to narrow the gap enough to make it responsive.
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All you have to do is put some thick lube in the bearing and it will respond just right.
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I’m pretty sure a Replay comes out of the package lubed with thick lube. Still has thick pads too.
Not sure, but I had a Replay and replaced the pads and added thick lube and it was perfect. The thick YYF pads killed the spin times, caused it to be very snaggy and made many tricks impossible. It was green so I gave it to @twitch77 perhaps he can vouch.
For C bearing yoyos, I see little reason to design one to use pads that aren’t 19mm slim or CLYW sized.
Pad sizes are still all over the place for D/A but I think they might settle down over time. It’s a big benefit to designers and consumers for there to be a consistent, compatible size.
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I’m not cool with having to buy different pads for every yo-yo or having to silicone every one by myself, and I think lots of yo-yo consumers feel that way.
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Yeah, learning to flow silicone for oneself is really liberating. Never again do you have to worry about finding just the right pads. Having said that though, it is tough to flow silicone such that the resulting pad rises a millimeter above the recess…
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Standardization is a good thing. I like knowing that I can buy a pack of pads and they will work in multiple yoyos. I also like knowing that in 10 years I will still be able to buy pads for my 10 year old yoyos. If they start experimenting and using a bunch of non-standard parts those yoyos will end up unusable and on the shelf.
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Eh, there will still be flowable silicone or a product like Monkey Snot. It is more work, but bad/not available response pads are no reason to shelf a yoyo indefinitely. In my opinion at least.
To add to the conversation, I have a Basecamp Expedtion, it’s a good throw, but between the narrower gap width and snow tires, its snaggy, they should have widened the gap or went with the 19mm pads. Maybe put snowtires in the jackknife and 19mm in the expedition, I think they would have sold out if they did, Jackknifes gap is huge.
I think all basecamp yoyos use CLYW snow tires, I know the expedition does
No, they don’t. Left are the Moonshine 2 which shipped with one thick (orange) and one thin (white) YYF small (A bearing) pad. Back right is the Moonshine with Snow Tires and front right is the Sherpa with 19mm, unless I’m mistaken.
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Well, you didn’t specify a specific style. You seem to have found the “hidden” bias in my collection. I was so close to getting away with my evil scheme.
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Does it come lubed, though?
YYF seems to not like lube for bearings designed for beginners to start on. Rather they prefer to rely on the gap.
None of the adjustable gap yoyos come or came lubed that I know of. Even the Confusions didn’t (don’t?) come lubed, and instead have the thick pads to make them responsive.
My belief is that they don’t want beginners to have to deal with that maintenance issue.
I agree that they all play better set up with the thin pads and lubed, but for a rank beginner, I think it makes a lot of sense to do it the way they do.
Actually while the Speed Dial, Velocity, and Fizz, all play better when you lube the bearing and open up the gap (esp. the Fizz), they all play pretty well with a dry bearing (except maybe the Fizz).
If you have the Fizz, definitely lube the bearing, it’s sooo much better!
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Nope, Jackknife, Edgeless, Sherpa and Navigator all have 19mm.