Would you yoyo if you didn't have a nice yo?

This was the question life presented me during a 6000 mile three and a half week road trip. While packing I neglected to check that the stash of nice yoyos I keep in the truck was actually there. They had been removed and replaced with four not so great yoyos.

The first night I went for the yoyos I was like, “Woah, these aren’t the yoyos I keep in the truck.” I then grabbed one and began to play. I used that yoyo for the next few days and it never really bothered me that I didn’t have a nice metal or my favorite fixed axle. I just rediscovered what that yoyo could do well and what I could do well with that yo and then began pushing my limits. That yoyo then found a new owner, a young girl, that got her first bind with it and walked away with the biggest smile. Over the next weeks I had the same experience with the other three yoyos, thrown for a few days and given away to someone that was interested.

I was surprised to find that not having a nice yoyo was no big deal to me. I really just love to yoyo, pretty much any yoyo. I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy or love throwing my nice metals and fixies, I’m just saying that yoyoing itself is more important to me than what tool I use. I’m sure if the yoyo was unplayable I would have frowned, but I know how to modify old yoyos to make them play better. (We used to have to do that on occasion.) When I got home it wasn’t like, “OMG thank goodness a nice metal.”

So therefore my question: Would you yoyo if you didn’t have a nice yoyo? You know, one that didn’t spin well, had a starburst response or worn out response, narrower gap than you like, a shape you didn’t prefer or enjoy as much as others, define it as you want.

15 Likes

I will ONLY yo-yo on an Ice Snow Weasel. That is why I keep a dozen of them on hand at any given time.

7 Likes

Ice weasel? What’s an Ice Weasel? Is it related to a Snow Weasel? Snow Weasels are the bee’s knees, the cat’s pajamas the coding’s horror. (see what I did there? :blush: )

6 Likes

How much for one? Oh and I guess we will see your large, very large, bst soon. :wink: Might as well get rid of the rest of that unusable collection.

4 Likes

Well, since I started out and got hooked with Duncan Imperials, yes.
I’m not sure if I would still be throwing if not for all the folks that keep the excitement and fun level up though (with better yo-yos).

3 Likes

Ooooh interesting question, never really thought about this.

My answer is no.

I’ll yo with a decent plastic, undersized, or organic but anything less than that is probably a no. I don’t think I would yo regularly at all if I was stuck with a whip, popstar, etc. First Base, markmont next, masamini? Yeah.

But, I’m not sure about fixed axle but if I was stuck with a decent pair of loopers or an offstring though, I would definitely get into that.

9 Likes

I don’t count this towards my years of yoyoing but I was definitely caught up in the Yomega fad when it happened. I don’t think I could go back to just my Fireballs, stock Raiders, and Hyper Warp Heavy Wing.

Tbf I did get up to split the atom levels and like basic sidestyle stuff and it made it a lot easier when I picked it up seriously around 16/17.

Even like Kicksides and Lyn Fury (what a terrible yo-yo this was) level stuff is a hard sell now that I’ve experienced how great cheap modern stuff is in comparison. Maybe I could handle a Kickside or OG Bolt setup for responsive play.

And I don’t consider a good fixie as a bad yo-yo for what it’s supposed to do so I would still yo-yo with one of those.

TL:DR no I wouldn’t get those Yomegas out my face bro.

5 Likes

I really enjoy this question!

I definitely still yo when all my good throws are MIA. I like the challenge of having to adjust my play style to a yoyo that’s not exactly what I’m after. My best friend and I still break out the F.A.S.T 201 to try some tricks on it, because we find that restrictions offer more opportunity than confinement. I encourage everyone to pick up a crappy throw and just see what it makes you do! Bad yoyos can help you build good habits!

And after all, the tagline of the site we’re currently on is “Make the simple amazing”. Take the simply designed unelegant yoyo you have on your shelf and OWN IT! They used to have trick contests for imperials, and I really like the way that those kinds of things make you look at the hobby we share in a new way!

6 Likes

Too bad I don’t own any

6 Likes

Ive really been enjoying my butterfly xt. Just doing relatively easier tricks on it like kwijibo or front style combos make it a lot more challenging.

I think it wouldnt matter up to a point.

3 Likes

I mean, this was my collection over the first 4 years I played with yo-yo’s.

I think anyone who got into throwing when MOST yo-yos had one or more SERIOUS design flaws (at least based on today’s designs/expectations) would have to say yes to this. When I look at some of my old collection pics, they are literally full of crummy modded yo-yo’s, and honestly I feel some nostalgia for just about all of them.

There’s nothing wrong whatsoever with a good yo-yo. But I’d say there is something wrong with the assumption that you couldn’t possibly have fun with anything LESS.

14 Likes

It really depends on the context. Are you referring to current me, or pre-rediscovery me? Would I never have access to “nice” yoyos for the rest of my life, or would this just be for a vacation or a few weeks?

The main reason why I got back into yoyos is because I stumbled upon an unresponsive yoyo video and it blew me away that people were doing more than just sleepers and split the atom. I had never heard of an unresponsive yoyo, and the idea of it was so appealing that I had to buy one. I needed to learn a few tricks, and the rest is history.

I was reacquainted with yoyos about a year previous when my mom decided to buy some “retro” metal yoyos for my brother, me, and my cousins for Christmas to mess around with because she stumbled across them at the store. This one to be exact:

I had not thrown a yoyo in years, and was anxious to play with it. I had fun throwing sleepers, around the worlds, forward passes, rock the baby, walk the dog, etc for a few weeks. I played it enough that the string finally snapped, and I shelved it. In hindsight it is a really bad yoyo. It is really heavy, has a starburst response, and is really quite vibey. As much as I enjoyed the few hours of playtime I had with it, I wasnt compelled to pursue the hobby any further. So for past me, no, I wouldnt yoyo if I didn’t have a nice one.

Current me however would probably still play with this yoyo if it were the only one I had access to. I still think I would gradually lose interest if this was the only yoyo I had, but if it were only for a week or two, yea id play it.

/goes to play the crappy yoyo right now :stuck_out_tongue:

7 Likes

Yes. In addition to tricks I enjoy just walking and playing. I carried an Imperial for a few days recently, and just really enjoyed it throughout the day. In the evening I was back to my OD Sugar Glider, but if I had only the Imperial I’d certainly still enjoy it for what it is.

2 Likes

Yep.

18 Likes

Id rock a Duncan butterfly if it’s all I had access to. I find it kinda fun to try more difficult tricks/combos on less capable yo-yos.

3 Likes

I enjoy playing with a yoyo. Sure it is really fun playing with fancy ones, but I know I would enjoy playing with really really cheap ones too. After all Magicyoyo make really REALLY cheap yoyos which to be honest aren’t totally different to all the fancy stuff we all love.

4 Likes

Funny story, my mother in law took my nephew and niece to a toy store this morning, and sent me this picture! I think I might get one just for fun lol it’s only $6

6 Likes

Just be warned, it isnt really that good of a yoyo. I have to constantly crank on the nut and bolt setup it uses because it loosens up, and it is dangerously heavy. I was just playing with mine and snagged it while trying the Matrix and it almost took my head off. I don’t know how heavy it actually is, but it plays like it is 75+g. Get it though just for the heck of it! :stuck_out_tongue:

4 Likes

What a great question!

I think I’d stick with yo-yoing now that I’ve been into it for several months if all I had access to was a lower end throw.
I’m not sure if I would’ve stuck with this hobby through the first month or 2 if I didn’t have some nicer throws though.
I love collecting for whatever hobby I may be into. I sometimes go a bit overboard…but I love the thrill of the hunt, and I love splurging and spending more than I should on things. I very rarely regret my purchases.

I will say that I’m in love with the Duncan Pro Z though. It’s a cheapy…but its just fun in so many different way for me. I’ve actually picked one of them up each day for over a week now as I’m learning to loop with it.
It’s a yo I wouldn’t mind being stuck with for awhile. Like if I forgot my throws on a trip, I’d be thrilled to find a Pro Z at a walmart to throw around.

3 Likes

For sure. I will say though, after a while, I’ll need something a little nicer. There’s a lot my Küntosh does that my I haven’t quite figured out on my Imperial. But I can certainly have fun on “lower quality” yo-yos. It makes you push your boundaries.

2 Likes