This used to be an issue. Have they fixed this on the plastic with metal ringed ones?
Pulled out my Mini-Moru after a few years and it cracked to the point it’s unusable. Pulled out my snazzy 'vict to find cracking all around the bearing seat. Them bastards weren’t cheap. 
Was thinking of getting a couple, but this has me soured on YYJ. Unfounded?
Still happens but they seem to be doing better
The reality is that any plastic yoyo can eventually crack. So many things can contribute to why a yoyo can crack. It can be a bad run of plastic, weather(extreme cold is usually a culprit), abusive play or an accidental bang and even time.
From what I’ve learned, older YYJ’s that do NOT use the Solid Spin Axle are more prone to damage and cracking due to how much stress is placed at the axle’s location. The Solid Spin axle is supposed to help minimize this issue as well as reduce vibe and increase stability. Even so, keep in mind this is still a failure point due to how much stress can be at that location, as well as the solid spin axle could eventually get loose.
The Trigger, as much as I like this yoyo, is a yoyo that cracks in a different way. The celcon rims are very thin on the outside. If the yoyo takes a hit, especially during 5A play drops, and the yoyo lands not flat, but at an angle, then the odds of the yoyo cracking(or rather catastrophic failure) is more than likely going to be the result.
In the end, plastic can break. It’s not as likely with the metal rimmed yoyos, but it can still happen. I’ve only been doing this yoyo think for just over 2.5 years now, with a DM2 being one of my first real yoyos(and one of my oldest) so I simply don’t have enough time in to experience any breakage or failures like what may have happened to you.
Sorry for your loss. I won’t really worry too much about it through. I mean, it sucks that it’s not playable anymore, and regardless of the cost, it’s money lost. I hope you got what you feel was your money’s worth out of it. The brand itself is still making fantastic products though, so if you were thinking of getting something, I’d go ahead and say “go right ahead”. I’ve been highly pleased with this brand, which in many cases due to multiples of certain models, has become the largest brand in my collection and I have a few more models I’m looking to buy.
Some advice that helps with the hub cracking but not the rim cracking is to keep them with no string and slightly unscrewed, when stored that way they don’t shrink or expand and crack. Also make sure not to get any solvents on the plastic.
It still happens, but no where near as common as it once was. Always soured things when you bought a brand new yoyo and it would arrive with cracks…
That said, I haven’t really had the cracks interfere with anything (apart from a Mini Motu, but I used to give that thing a serious beating. Still lasted about 5 years though…).
So, would I be fairly safe picking up, say a DMII or HitmanX?
Thanks for the tip about keeping them unscrewed and unstrung for storage. Have a feeling that was at least partially responsible.
Yes. The DM2 uses the solid spin axle and the Hitman X is basically a modernized Hitman, featuring the Solid Spin axle and YYJ silicone o-ring response pads.
You could have been Over Tightening. Thats a issue…
You could have been hitting the floor a lot?
But yes, almost all the new YYJ’s don’t crack.
I pretty much ruled out hitting the floor as a culprit. Mostly play over carpet. With the motu, the cracks were pervasive. 3 or 4 major ones running rim to hub. With the 'vict, all the cracking is around the axle/bearing seat.
I’m guessing over tightening combined with bad design. The only non-yoyojam yoyo I ever had that cracked was a flying squirrel.
Thinking I’ll give the Hitman X a try and keep in mind not to over tighten or store strung and screwed in.
Definitely.
Even with the best metal yoyos up in the $100 plus range. Over tightening can RUIN the yoyo easily!!..
The only cracking issues that currently occurs with YoYoJam yo-yos is around the Solid Spin - but generally it is due to over tightening or high impact into the ground. Luckily it is also easily fixed with a dab of super glue at the joint and generally is not visible.
Even so YoYoJam still warrantees their yo-yos for one month from purchase and purchasing from YoYoExpert we are always here to help and repair when possible.
The current plastic used by YoYoJam is also different from the polycarbonate they used to use - it is extremely crack resistant as well as chemical resistant (part of cracking in the past was due to people cleaning their bearings and not letting them dry out before reinstalling).
I have never noticed any cracking problems with YYJ.
I have a Legacy II & Dark Magic II and I have used both of them as offstring and freehand and never had a problem with cracks. I learned to use offstring on the DM and I have dropped it earth, carpet, cement, and asphalt with no problems. I may have been lucky and got a good framed DM, but I like to think that YYJ did a good job.
The one’s I had were probably 5 years old, and my understanding is that the plastic with metal ring yoyos use a different axle and plastic now. Granted, certain ones had a reputation for cracking back in the day. I remember people complaining of getting them “pre-cracked” right out of the box.
Sounds like they’ve corrected the issues, at leat partially.
