I don’t have any of the new wide yo-yos, other than the Savage55. But I do have an OYY P51, iYoYo Tequila and C3 Neo Master Galaxy. None of these seem like projects that could afford a lot of production headaches (edit: except the C3), and I think that the Neo Master Galaxy in particular suggests that wide yo-yos just didn’t find an audience until recently.
I basically keep tabs on them at this point for the Monster Series, because I love the wide stuff, haha. I was about to say that the Uppercut was kind of a fun and different design release, then realized that came out in 2021, lol.
I think a lot of my favorites from them though in general have been some of the older models vs. recent releases, a lot of innovation/variety at one point. A lot of their stuff also appealed to me when I was starting back out again after my 20+ year hiatus.
1Up, Atom Smasher, Abyss, GenX, Legend Wing, Loop 720, Meerkat, Monster Series, Moonlight, Nine Dragons, OneStar, Paolista, R-Type, Turbo Grind Machine, Uppercut, Velocity, even the Replay Pro. All still pretty enjoyable in their own rights I feel like.
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Haha their ears were ringing and this was the best they could come up with.
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You are definitely missing something. Yyf is collaborating with both Mowl and SUS Mechanics in the past and future releases. Yyf do not design and manufacture all their own yo-yos to say the least. So I get it they can have quality control issues an they admit it during the A-Mayzing Sales event where they go through headquarters/slash warehouse. To Yyf credit, they are far more transparent if you watched Ben and the live broadcast they done on YouTube and Facebook. Is YYF in a rut? They have no shortage of different types of yo-yos but I do think they are staying more so with the bread and butter yo-yos that pay the bills per se.
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This just seems like a bash Yoyo Factory thread where everyone with pent up anger at the world in general channels it at Yoyo Factory.
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I will cop to misgivings about them adding DNA caps to the BettyNova.
Edit to add: But even that seems legit, considering her yo-yo outreach, so its really a “me” problem.
I do not feel I am bashing YYF. I have become used to coherent, competent releases by YYF of high-end throws that can compete with anything. The Miracle? …Which one; the brass or SS? Is this the one they just re-designed because it was so good? Or, is it the R4 which " might be the next big competition choice of champions" - never to be heard from again? Maybe the IQ? Which gets no hype, is too wide and is discounted all the time? Or, maybe the SUS Mechanics throws that are great looking, but always seem to come up short on the performance front? Which are their mid-tier models that rock? The Genpop (whatever that is…), Moz or the Kim? No information about these so I am not very interested.
That is the point. For a “big” company that has been a solid industry leader; where is the innovation and leadership now? Seems to me it is coming from Japanese/Chinese brands exclusively. Why? Sengoku seems to do pretty well with innovation. Does C3 have more resources than YYF? Is YYR able to design yo-yo’s that much better?
Saying they are catering to the “beginner” market also is pretty much of a cop-out. Any brand can cater to the low-hanging fruit that is the ‘beginner’ market with almost any yo-yo design. Calling that a strategy seems weak.
With great power; comes great responsibility.
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Yyf makes some nice yo-yos. They spin good, makes me happy.
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I like the IQ…
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Also their QC is just not there.
I also love the IQ. But YYF never made it their flagship and it is a bit too wide for many people’s tastes.
Wide yo-yo’s were a novelty for like five minutes. Then I got over it. How about a slimmer IQ?
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Closer to a flagship than many(?)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwlhW9UPn_l
If they made a flagship today, would it be more narrow?
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I’d buy a slimmer/undersized IQ. I personally don’t find the IQ too wide, compared to a lot of current offerings from several brands. I think wider throws is just the current trend. I recently made my El Mijo poly unresponsive, and I realized how spoiled I’ve been with some wider throws, I’ve gotten a little sloppy.
ah
yes
MOWL and SUS Mechanics
both super small brands that need help to grow 
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Here’s a pitch if YYF is snooping:
Complete reboot:
Sell off the shutter branding to Gentry
Keep some of low cost/plastic stuff under a new sub-brand, potentially under Gentry as well if he’s the gateway to YYF for beginners.
Introduce a very select line based on reiterations of only yo-yos that would make sense based on current trends /demographics. G2025 (G5), new 401k, new Genesis focused on 5a. Keep iterating on those instead of one-off designs. Maybe a Catch 22 inspired line.
No more 888 or DNA or finger spin stuff. No more random wacky yo-yos that smaller brands would and have done better. Not every new player needs their own line.
Basically just slow down and take the time to make something that has as much impact as back when they were consistently ahead of the curve and every new release was highly anticipated.
Why not? Yo-yo designers now have the ability to create thin high-performance yoyos comparable to titanium, while keeping the price reasonable and accessible for players.
Yes I see what you mean.
I still think 7068 is a far cry from titanium though. It’s at best slightly tougher than 7075. Maybe.
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I wouldn’t be surprised if the controversy affected Yoyofactory’s business relationships. Yoyoexpert isn’t getting restocks from them (at least so it seems), but [inverse of fast forward] still is.
Or it could just be that Yoyofactory’s business model is changing to target the TikTok audience.
Or it could just be that Yoyofactory hasn’t released a lot of Yoyos this year. The Starlight we got is technically a prototype (or at least sold as one), and the Miracle revision is also a prototype.
But I will say;
Yoyofactory has always done iterations of the same design. I’m not saying it’s not something that can be criticized, but it’s not exactly a point for their decline lol.
- 888 '07, 888 '08, 888x, 888 Forever, Legendary 888, Champ. Ed 888
- Supernova, Supernova Lite, Nova, Bettynova
- Edge (Edge 2.0, 2.5, etc…), Poly Edge, Edge Beyond, Edge Infinity, Edge 4.0
- Shutter (including all of its different tweaks), Shutter Wide Angle, Shutter Elite
- Monster, Mega Monster, R-Type, IQ, R4
Nevermind the branches that come off of these yoyos
I’d say they’re in a release rut. In regards to competition, the company is still an absolute menace.
Toya Kobayashi - 2nd Place JN, arguably in a place to win the upcoming JN National.
Mir Kim - 2x World Champion
Hunter Feuerstein - Worlds Podium & 2x US Nationals Podium, lots of people’s current favorite to win the upcoming US Nationals.
But who really knows how it’s going? We see the outside, none of the inside. We have no idea how its going.
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I wish i did