So hey everyone. Im gonna do another review, this one on the YYF Protostar. So here it is…enjoy!!
(Pics are at the bottom)
First Impressions
So i got this yoyo for Christmas, so i didn’t have the opportunity to wait for in the mail, but i was pretty confident i was going to get it, so i was pretty excited. When i opened the package i was really happy to see my orange Protostar in its box. If you have read my review of the Supernova, you will know i am a big fan of the YYF packages. I really like how they put time into them. I really like the color of this specific yoyo, too.
Specs
Diameter: 55.94 mm / 2.20 inches
Width: 43.15 mm / 1.69 inches
Gap Width: 4.43 mm / .17 inches
Response System: CBC Slim Pad Size 19mm OD
Weight: 67.0 grams
Bearing Size: Center Trac Bearing by CBC
Response and Bearing
The Protostar comes stock with a size C Center Trac bearing. I am not THAT fond of Center Tracs, but in this yoyo, it is a very good bearing. It also comes with CBC Slim Pads, which are nice. I have been playing with this yoyo for over 4 months and they still give nice, tight, snappy binds. One thing i don’t like is that this yoyo has spacers. I HATE spacers. They stick to the bearing, and get damaged when you try to take them off. They also make the yoyo VERY loud.
Feel
The Protostar has a nice H shape that kinda slopes down to the bearing. This shape is very comfortable in the hand and helps you throw it straight and hard every time.
Play
The Protostar is an amazing yoyo. For a $35 plastic, there is nothing even close to it. It feels quite light on the string, and can do ANYTHING you throw at it. It is extremely stable, due to its metal weight rings, and it can play fast or slow and it is also good for “techy” type of tricks. It is also very good at horizontal tricks. It is floaty, while also being solid enough to move around. I have gotten spin times ranging from 3-4 minutes. The only thing that the Protostar can’t do is grind. It really has no chance of doing a decent grind.
Final Thoughts
YYF and John Ando did an amazing job on the Protostar. They made a yoyo that could play with the best of them at a fraction of the price.
I loved my Protostar and I agree that it plays great for a plastic hybrid.
I did have a lot of problems with mine though. It was nice and smooth but once I unscrewed it (which took a sufficient amount of force), and put it back together I was met with a lot of vibe. I couldnt get those damn arrows to line up despite many many tried and was met each time with a sufficient amount of vibration.
Anyways, I eventually DID get the arrows to line up after screwing the thing on really tight (like it was when I got it), but it still vibed.
After I unscrewed it I realised the terrible thing I had done. By tightening it up tight, I had fused the two spacers into the bearing with all the force of a professional weld. the spacers popped out of the Protostar as well when I was trying to remove them, cracking the plastic in the process…so I was left with neigh but a fused bearing-spacer combination.
I DID actually manage to salvage the bearing but the spacers and the Protostar were unfortunately damaged beyond repair in the operation, which involved pliers, a vice, a knife and many other DIY tools.
So I now have just the shell of a cracked, busted yoyo. I’m thinking of setting it on fire to see if I can melt the weight rings out of it for giggles… not sure if the aluminium will melt though…
Great yoyo, but those spacers, and the alignment, are a nightmare.
Yes I agree. The spacers are a huge pain. Mine are scratched so bad. I overtightened it once, and now on one side of the yoyo the plastic is sticking out of the bubble.
Mine has some vibe too. I have no idea why. Maybe it was cause it hit the pavement a couple times. And I hate loud yoyos so I barely play with it anymore. Metal yoyos rule! Lol
Haha, its so true! Its a fantastic throw for the price, it really is, but it gets completely out-classed by metals. First time I threw a metal after this (YYF Superstar) I was honestly gobsmacked by how much smoother and quieter it was.
Its like my Onestar… Great throw for such a cheap price, but it makes more noise and has more vibe than your average washing machine. =P
Yeah… I completely agree. ill be playing with my Proto, then go and pick up my supernova(it has a 10 ball in it) and its just SOOOO much smoother and quieter.
There is a trade off that must be made with lots of things. The tradeoff with Protostar is Performance / Price /indestructability. We went with Performance and price, but with care, the durability is there too. Every yoyo is hand tested before shipping. This goes for ONEstar too. They don’t just start vibing, something must upset the precision. Admittedly, they are not as durable as a metal but most commonly precision is upset when dealing with the fit between the spacers and the body, which comes when taking apart / putting back together and bearing maintenance. This is the time the most care must be taken and if it is your protostar should spin smoothly for a lot of use.
Yes I know and the protostar plays AMAZING. You guys did a great job with it. I just don’t like having to take the spacers out. They were in so tight I had to use a pocketknife to get them unattached from the bearing. And doing this multiple times destroys the spacers. I think that’s what causes the vibe. There really isn’t that much vibe but compared to my metals it is not even close to the smoothness of my others. But once again, you guys did great making this yoyo, and the price and performance of this yoyo makes the durability not matter much. For $35, you can’t make a better yoyo.
Also the protostar does have decent durability. It’s just not as durable as metals, which is obvious, because metals are made out if metal lol.
I dunno man, I wouldn’t want the dv888 to be the level at which he sets the bar for metal yoyos. I think the Protostar is easily a better performing throw, maintenance nuisances aside. I personally don’t care for spacers but I’d still go with the Protostar. Just my 2 cents. DM2 is great also I just prefer the weight of the Protostar. (I’d still go withy the DM2 over the DV888)
I agree. Protostar is probably best performance yoyo. But the dv888 is a great first metal yoyo. Never played a DM2 but I’d choose protostar over dv888.
my northstar had spacers and they never stuck in because i never tightened them as tight as the arrows said… maybe the northstar is different from the protostar. i personally dont mind spacers that much.
