I’m a teacher in the UK and thought I may start a yoyo club for the pupils (about 12 years old). Obviously to do this I would need to purchase a few yoyos for them to use. Expense is a big issue.
Can anyone recommend a reasonably cheap yoyo that would be good for beginners? I would be looking at buying about 15 plus spare strings to start off with.
Thanks
Nick
Velocity is pretty good, it can be adjusted, costs 20$.
Get the yyf one comes with two bearings one responsive and another unresponsive or you can get the one with the half spec bearing and a play dvd also it is cheap only $10.
I recommend the YYF ONE. At $10 US, it’s very inexpensive. Order it in multiple colors and just order the package with 2 bearings. As students advance, you can swap out the installed responsive bearing for the full width C bearing and make it unresponsive. This is where most of the yoyos you buy should be. You can download the contents of the DVD off the YoYoFactory YouTube channel if you want it.
Also, order a bearing puller, but I recommend a YYF multi-tool instead. This has a bearing puller and a string cutter. Maybe 2.
For looping, again, going with lowest cost, the Shinwoo Loop is the same price. but loopers don’t need bearings to be swapped out. I’d say don’t order more than 5 of these at most. Most people are into the 1A stuff.
Also, just to have handy, order a couple of YYF WHIP’s. At the same price as the ONE, they are fun. The only downside is they are unresponsive. See if you can get extra budget for this.
Get a tube of both YYJ Thick and thin lube.
Lastly, order either 1 or 2 100-counts of either the YYE Slick 6 or 100% poly(or one of each). White is fine, but other colors re cool too. The neon green is a nice choice.
If the kids are into it after that, it’s time for them to order their own!
I own a ONE, a WHIP and got a LOOP for one of my kids. I may come back and order another LOOP for myself. Fun stuff, good stuff.
After that, it just doesn’t make much sense to provide more or better. I’m not recommending low priced junk, these just happen to be inexpensive and well suited for your environment.
Unfortunately decent yoyo’s cost quite a bit. A yoyojam lyn fury is a good beginner yoyo. It is $15 so unfortunately, prices would be moderately high. you can get yoyofactory ones or whips, but they are $10 for a lower quality yoyo. Also each person would need at least 15 extra strings each. You will go through them faster than you think.
Hope this helps
Think about the target:
Noobs with little to no experience. Not disagreeing with the Lyn Fury, but thinking “school budget” and limiting costs intentionally.
The ONE and WHIP can take a beating and come back for more, plus at the price, you can afford a couple of “yoyo fatalities” a year.
$150 for 15 ONE’s vs $225 for 15 Lyn Furies, that $75 can make a big difference when you consider you need strings and lube and maybe a couple of other items.
As far as strings are concerned, it’s hard to say how long those will last. It is a good area to stock up on no matter how you look at it. More is better.
The whole issue there isn’t a single right answer. Encourage kids to bring their own in if they have their own.
Go to almost and dollar store (Or Poundland I think it is in England) and look for a yoyo with the transperent plastic and you can the the clutches inside. I would reccomend these for any begginer. Why? It’s THE yoyo to learn the sleeper on. I have a friend who could slightly do the sleeper and when I gave him my power spin glow, he couldn’t get it back up. Even after a day of trying! So practice with a Yomega brain or One of the cheapy yoyos until they get the hang of throwing correctly and throwing a sleeper for more than 3 seconds.
Hope this helped!
I’ve been here, done this and am still doing it.
Need to find cheap bulk yoyos with few parts to lose and you need take apart yoyos. Fixed axles are awful for teaching a group. I remember 30 imperials and 30 beginners. WHAT A NIGHTMARE!
If you yo outside kids will take the yoyo apart and someone is going to lose the bearing. String doesn’t break as much as it gets knotted up and if you take the time to undo that mess you’re not learning to yoyo.
Think outside the box on this one: I recommend, the YYF Spinstar. The thing is dang near indestructable and the bearing is attached to the axle, they won’t lose it. I’ve had students bounce this thing off walls and sidewalks, and it still plays fine. Check ebay for lot sales and refer to my p.m. for other possible sources.
Good luck with your program. It’s always hard getting started but it’s worth it.
Yea the YYF One is most likely the best choice…
The Spinstar has this strength:
Cheaper than the ONE.
Starburst response system, which takes FOREVER to wear out.
The ONE uses silicone response pads that may need to be replaced. I’m not sure if the ONE can take flowable silicone.
Regarding the bearing:
I have a ONE and so do 2 of my kids and I plan on ordering a second ONE for myself to be kept unresponsive. On all of them, the bearing stays tight in the bearing seat, so there’s no way they should fall out.
Good points are brought up, but still say the ONE is the best choice.
Thanks for all the advice. I’ll look into it as soon as I get chance. I’ve still got to pursuade my boss that it is a good idea. 
I won’t say the ONE isn’t a good choice, but you still have parts to deal with, and much more maintenance, and there is another factor to consider. Quantity. The ONE is popular at the moment so supplies are limited or sold out. Getting enough to supply a large group of players might be a challenge.
I’ve used velocities, spinstars, bolts and numerous other yoyos in our club to get new players going. In my opinion the fewer parts, adjustments, and the less maintenance a yoyo requires the more time the player gets to play. The more they play the more success they experience. The more success the better the chance of getting them hooked on yoyoing. The best choice isn’t a single yoyo. It’s going to be the yoyo that meets your needs at the best price and what is available. Sometimes you simply have to take what you can get.
Managing a large group of beginning players is fun but difficult at best. Never underestimate how many problems a group of new players can have in a short time span.