A lot of people just getting started ask for recommendations for their first purchases to get into yoyo. I figured it might be a good idea to have a thread where more experienced players share what their first set up was when they decided they wanted to get serious about throwing.
Here is mine: ;D
I got the yomega delux gift set,
1 Raider- a looping yoyo favorited by 2A professions
1 Maverick- An undersized metal yoyos and one of my favorites
1 OOCH yo- a plastic yoyo with metal weight rims
The maverick and the OOCH came responsive, but both can be made unresponsive by cleaning the bearings. What I did was kept my maverick bearing responsive, and made my OOCH unresponsive for more advance tricks. And when I was ready I bought a dif-e-yo konkave bearing and put it in my maverick turning it into an unresponsive beast. $40 might be out of your price range but I am confident that this method is on of the best best introduction to yoyos you can get. The yomega starter set is also a good option, but does not include a looping yoyo, just 3 1A yoyos.
I started learning tricks with a 2 pack of a Duncan Speed Beetle and Proyo for $10 from ToysRUs. It’s really great for beginner tricks, but I find it a little hard to control for string tricks
I’ve not tried many beginner yoyos, but as far as a great step up from the speed beetle, the Metal Drifter is great for learning string tricks at $24. AND its all aluminum
My first unresponsive throw was a Yomega Maverick with a Dif-e-yo Konkave in. I’ve actually been looking at cheap yoyos to recommend to my friends lately and got ahold of a OneStar, and it’s actually pretty dang good! I think I would recommend that over the maverick just because it’s larger and more stable, as well as cheaper. The Maverick is definitely a good throw though, I still use mine
I just recently got into yoyo, at least in a more serious trying to learn tricks sort of way. I have purchased several yoyo’s over the past two weeks including inexpensive to medium priced (OD Bnenchmark, YYF Cypher) and I would recommend a DM2 without hesitation. If that is too pricey, I also really like the YYF One.
I would recommend the Northstar. I have one, as well as a Regen and I pick up the Northstar more often to learn on. It’s stable and spins for days. It’s great to learn on.
If the northstar is to heavy, then the protostar is it’s baby brother. And would recommend that.
I would stay away from the speedaholic as a starting yoyo. Yes it’s cheap, and it is a good yoyo, but it’s not the most stable of yoyos and will tilt/spin out easily if you don’t have a strong throw, or are hesitating in the middle of a trick which happens alot during learning.
Btw, I am a newbie and this is what my experience has been.
Also, I would see if this thread could be moved to the recommendation sub forum as that is where most new throwers are likely to go for this information
And you know I did consider that, but many beginners post here before(llooking for recommendations) and then gets moved over there.when you are new to forums you may not even know where to find that board. I honestly feel “help recommendations” is worthy of its own discussion section.
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You know what…I like the way you think!
This might be better served here.
This is a valid point. When you’re first learning to yoyo is really where it’s the most convenient for you to have as stable a yoyo as possible. Learning a complicated trick like Ladder Escape on a Draupnir would actually be a lot easier than trying to learn it on a YYF One. I see starting with a very stable yoyo as a bit like training wheels on a bike.
How wide a yoyo is can make a difference as well. When you’re first learning to trapeze and eli hop and the like the wider the yoyo the better so you have a better chance of hitting the string; on the flipside, a wider yoyo with lower walls is going to be less forgiving on a wonky throw. A narrower yoyo can help with getting a straighter throw and doing more intricate tricks, but with that comes a smaller catch zone so more accuracy is required.
All things considered, if I was giving my first-choice recommendation for someone who is serious about getting into yoyoing I’d say:
If money is no problem: CLYW Sasquatch (Honourable mention: Yoyofactory Genesis)
Stability, thy name is 'squatch.
Comfortable shape, sensible size and with the added benefit of being one of the most stable yoyos I’ve ever thrown… without being overly heavy. Of all the yoyos that I’ve tried, the Sasquatch is one that really stands out when it comes to stability, especially without having to go to any extremes when it comes to diameter or weight. I think it would be a great fit for almost anyone learning new tricks.
Similarly, the Genesis is renowned for it’s stability and we all know how good they are. They have been the go-to first metal yoyo for many throwers in past years, so any Genesis is going to be a solid recommendation that will work for most people.
If however you’re on a budget - Yoyofactory CZM8
The great thing about the CZM8 is that for all it’s lack of personality, it does perform brilliantly well. It’s sort of like the Horizon in that aspect except a little less offensively sized for newer players.
No frills, no nonsense, just a wide catch zone and lots of spin and stability for a decent price. The workhorse of the budget-yoyo scene.
Bearing wise, I feel that having a string centering bearing such as a center-trac is beneficial, since everyone’s throw starts off a bit dodgy and the last thing you want when you’re trying to learn Spirit Bomb is your yoyo slowing down too quickly because it’s rubbing the response. Granted, some may say “stick to a flat and work on your throw”, but is there really a need? With so many new yoyos coming out having some form of string centering bearing as standard, I don’t see a particular need to overly-finesse your throw on a flat bearing at such an early stage. Any string centering bearnig will do, I mostly go with regular Center Tracs myself. 
String! Thicker, softer string is handy since it helps learning binds and is a lot easier on the fingers until they build up their natural calluses. Whilst a slick string like toxic makes learning whippy tricks easier, it can be hard on the fingers and requires a special knot to hold it in place which can at times prove uncomfortable, so I wouldn’t recommend it straight away. My recommendations would be:
Any price - YYSL Ammo
Budget - Fat Kitty
Both are fine strings. I prefer Ammo myself due to the better longevity and slightly softer feel, but Kitty’s are fantastic value, so it’s really up to choice.
So, those are my recommendations. Obviously everyone is going to have a different opinion, but if I had someone standing in front of me right now saying “I want to be a world champion!”, I’d hand them a Sasquatch/CZM8, a center-track bearing and a pack of YYSL Ammo or Fat Kitty. ;D
(DISCLAIMER: I know I missed the topic brief a bit, but I wouldn’t really recommend my first choices as a beginner to others. I’ve learned a lot since then so I feel the above choices are better options.)
My beginner setup is irrelevant as yo-yo tech has moved on so much since the Team Losi Da Bomb burst onto the scene. For beginners, just get a YYJ Classic. That’s all that needs to be said.
picked up a duncan metal drifter at toys r us with my daughter…bought a clywxOD summit a month later. now i have 10 throws…my wife’s ooooh so happy 
As a new person to yo-yos my self haven’t owned one since my late teens 10 years ago now I struggle to find a UK site that I know is trustworthy I would be willing to spend £30 which is around $45 in that price band what could I get.
Would like responsive to start and later down the line try unresponsive
Play style I like the look of is 1a and counterweight would try that yet though.
There are some really good Czech sites Shipping isn’t to bad either as you’re in Europe.
I want to make a point that is very important: Beginner yo-yos often have high walls, which, to us experienced players, can be a hinderance. BUT they are designed that way so that a beginner can develop proper technique and keep his throws and combos straight. (It’s actually good practice to use a high wall yoyo sometimes.) So a YYF One would be a fantastic choice.
Id say a YYF velocity, or YYJ classic with 25 strings and thick lube. Or If they want to spend a little more a YYJ legacy 3
Those are very good recommendations Abby, but I aimed for this thread to not be just reccomendations like the other threads, but what everyone personally used as a beginner. I do understand that as we advance we realize there could have been better choices for us as a beginner, so after stating what you personally used, if you would like to recommend something over that and state why that choice is better that would be awesome and helpful.
EDIT: and I know you were not the only person on the thread that did this, and I don’t want you to feel singled out, you were just the last poster ;D lol
Yomega maverick was my first actual throw. I had xbrains butteflies and imperials before then but thats before i actually threw lol.
oh well when I first started I had a Duncan proyo then a yomega maverick as an upgrade and the after that a stackless GM (I don’t think they make those anymore). Then after that unresponsive Yoyo I was hooked.
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Before I actually bought a new yoyo I tried my nieces yomega brain and duncan butteryfly (fixed axle). Nothing I would recommend there. My first yoyo was the velocity. Cool feature to adjust responsiveness with the dials but I wouldn’t actually recommend this to anyone. IMO the overall shape is fantastic but the weight is bias towards the center causing a noticable reduction the sleep time and probably some stability as well. I used the velocity only long enough for my next yoyos to arrive in the mail.