I know that some of it is the different reviewers, but sometimes I see yoyos get bashed in reviews for a specific aspect if its design, when another yoyo gets praised for the same thing. But it’s not just one reviewer.
The specific example I have in mind is the Echo. I know when it came out, a lot of people bashed it for having the weight in the stepped wall instead of in the outer rim. Now, a lot of yoyos, especially One Drops, are getting praise for the weight being in the wall instead of the rim? Is it maybe the Echo just came out when that design was less popular? What made people start liking it?
I’m not saying the Echo is super awesome. I mean I like it. But I wonder how many good yoyos got a bad reputation in the yoyo community, but it would have gotten more praise if it were released at a different time?
Reviews can be fickle sometimes. It’s rare to see an entirely unbiased review, probably because people don’t really feel the need to write about average experiences. If it’s a positive experience, people like to share the joy. If it’s negative, people need an outlet to vent.
As for the timing issue, that probably plays a part too. There are plenty of movies that weren’t particularly popular when they were first released but are now absolute cult classics.
Yep, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Seemingly good products frequently get negative reviews. I think in many cases people have wrong expectations or just don’t know how to use the product. I recently bought a network drive for my home system. So of the reviews were atrocious and I found none of the issues cited. But “knowledgeable” people also write bad reviews. At one time I bought a new power tool I really liked. I later came across a Consumer Reports review and they ripped it for a number of perceived deficiencies, none of which seemed that way to me.
When it comes to yoyo reviews it’s rare to find much on the negative side. I think this comes from the fact that the reviewer just plunked down $100+ for a new yoyo and can’t bring themselves to say anything but praise. I’ve been burned more than once. Now I try before I buy if at all possible.
Whether the review be “I like the yoyo but disliked the following things…” or “I didn’t care for the yoyo but it had these positive qualities…” I like reviews that feel real more than reviews that slobber all over whatever brand new yoyo a person has purchased, even if it’s a yoyo I happen to own and feel completely different about than the reviewer did.
That said, the reason that the majority of reviews are positive is that no matter how big of a factor personal preference plays in liking or disliking a yoyo, just about every mainstream yoyo put out these days is a quality piece and will perform well.
Yep, I like the reviews that talk more about the personality of a yoyo and it’s main characteristics. I’m not looking for “good” or “bad”, both because most yoyos today play well, and because that’s subjective. I want to know what differentiates a yoyo from it’s peers. I like comparisons.