Yoyofactory; in a rut? Or, in decline?

Here are some old and new YYF models I consider innovative:

  1. Loop 2020: Although often overshadowed by its budget counterpart the 720, the Loop 2020 stands out with its advanced tuning mechanisms, allowing for multiple adjustments to weight and gap width, catering to individual preferences.

  2. Grind Machine 2: Featuring a two-step H-profile, this design has influenced many of YYF’s current models, such as the IQ and R4 etc.

  3. BiND: Known for its unique rim-layered design, which incorporates brass beneath the alloy, enhancing both performance and aesthetics.

  4. Singularity: Its hollow rim construction delivers a distinctive play feel, setting it apart from other models.

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@brandonvu kind of touches on the history of wide yoyos in one of his latest VLOGS

Might have to finally pick up a SuperWide during aMAYzing (probably not)

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There are ongoing innovations that don’t seem to be driven by play, e.g. Jeffrey Pang’s system for manufacturing machined PC yo-yos and Spinworthy’s MR85-W4 bearing.

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The changes just aren’t as visible.

Year over year we learn how to better design response bumps to reject strings better without relying on higher walls. We learn how to shave weight in the right spots to get our yoyos as wide as possible while not making them too thin that they have durability issues. We learn how to tweak designs to be more manufactuable to reduce b grades. We learn how to make our rim interfaces better so that ring shifts aren’t as prevalent.

Not to say that I entirely disagree with you though, but I would also argue that the standardization of parts these days kinda fights hardcore innovation.

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Making high-quality, high-tech, high-performing yo-yos at ever cheaper price-points is another area of innovation.

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Can you elaborate on the response bump bit?

I own and enjoy throws from all of these but empathy.

What is the criteria for innovation though? You gave a list and it mostly reads new and wider. I think a lot of this really boils down to a bit of brand loyalty, hype and personal preference. If you like what YYF is make you will probably keep buying their lines of yoyos or you will be buy the competitors.

W!ld would be one of the “bigger” brands that would come to my mind that is really making a push. Probably the 2024 yoyo company of the year if there were such an award. You would expect a lot of different and new releases from such a new (and well funded?) company.

It seems like YYF (USA) does at least lack a bit of marketing vision beyond Gentry. I doubt any of us can list all 2024 releases to date. So maybe that puts them in a bit of a rut. How can you be making new yoyos and not really marketing them? They are at least following the trends of the major market. Beginner, DNA, Bimetal and wide.

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Amen to that!

Adding to the innovation is the introduction of 7068 aluminum models, which cater to a niche market. These models offer superior strength compared to 6061 aluminum, all while remaining reasonably priced.

Oh you haven’t heard yet? :rofl:

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wdym by that?
I only discovered that alloy when cadence was released back in what 2017-2018?

I think the era of innovation driven by pent-up technological demand is probably over. I.e. I don’t think the market is waiting for someone to invent a way to design/manufacturer a yo-yo that finally works the way they always wanted yo-yos to work.

But a result is that the barrier to creating niche and experimental yo-yos has also dropped. I think we will see more of that going forward.

I’m aware of that issue from IG but that was recently discovered

can confirm the genpop 7068 is a great yoyo. super fun to play, spins forever, relatively stable and has a great bouncy feel on the string.

another recent, and surprisingly banging yoyo is the mega monster. tried one on a whim at worlds and immediately bought one lol

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Depending on the angles of the response bump and the contours of the yoyo shape, the friction applied between the string and the yoyo walls change behaviour.

For example, this is a comparison between a draup and a tp colony. As the string angles outward, the contact area between the string and yoyo generally increase. A lot of comp yoyos are made so that friction is often minimized for increased stability during play. However, this often results in a yoyo where rejections can feel unreliable or unpredictable depending on the technique used during a trick. Modifying the response bump and the cuts just right you can tweak the rejection behaviour to your liking.

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I guess to me innovation in a space like this is hard to define. On one hand, I agree that we are 100% past the era where we had performance leaps in yoyos like we did with going from starbursts/orings to pads or from fixed axles to bearings. On the other hand, it feels… wrong to say that there’s not a lot of innovation happening yoyo design, since I still feel like there are ‘fresh’ yoyos coming out (and I can’t be the only one, we’re all buying them :stuck_out_tongue: ).

I would frame innovation in this space as something that differs from the established “norm” of the bubble you’re examining it in. I guess in my case with onedrop, they innovated from a brand standpoint by pushing their yoyos wider, but is that a global yoyo design innovation? No. Is the yoyo still “fresh”? If you wanted a onedrop, I think it is. But then, there’s also companies that innovate across yoyo design as a whole, such as Edition and Dressel’s Aspen, which was kind of the first conceptualized yoyo with a titanium cap like that (afaik). I wouldn’t call every w!ld yoyo an innovative piece, but I definitely remember when the first wilderness came out because it was just so different from everything I had tried up to that point.

I think it’s also worth pointing out that making yoyos wider is not an easy feat, my rough understanding is the wider you make the yoyo (relative to diameter) the higher the b grade rates go up. Someone who actually designs yoyos could/should expand on this!

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i also had a genpop for a bit, fully agree w ur analysis, even though I think the wilderness beats it. i wonder why they didn’t advertise it as much as the DNA King rn or the Shutter variants, and I guess the answer may be allocating resources to what’s most likely to sell well to their target audience of Gentry/DNA fans. i think that sucks, maybe a contributor to yyf being in a decline?

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i’ve not yet tried a wilderness, but its on my list of “must-try” yoyos. based on the way they’re marketed i do think they’re targeting a slightly different player but the similarities between them can’t be overlooked. the new blue/blue/clear acidwash on the 7075 version looks great.

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I think the wider yoyo thing basically just comes down to the increased distance of the mass of the yoyo halves from the string, so an issue that causes small vibe on a thin yoyo would cause big vibe on a wide yoyo because of leverage.

Dropping a big name like Evan without anyone to fill that hole will hurt. And with other controversies they may have trouble attracting new talent.

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