I’m going to do a review on the new YYJ Classic in two sections. The first will be a stock out of the box review and the second section will cover how it plays with silicone pads and a speed bearing.
Ok first here are the stats.
YYJ Classic Stats:
Diameter: 58.3 mm / 2.20 inches
Width: 41.0 mm / 1.58 inches
Gap Width (Small Bearing): 3.1 mm / .19 inches
Weight: 63.0 grams
Bearing Size: Size C Stock bearing (.250 x .500 x .187)
YYJ Speed Bearing (5x10x4 mm)
Response: Black Rubber O-Ring
Looks: The classic is an all plastic yoyo with permanently attached side caps. The body plastic has a satin finish where as the side caps are smooth and glossy. The side caps are concave and have the logo and branding molded into it. One thing I like about the design is your ability to pick your body and cap color. This allows for some interesting color combinations and allows you to personalize your yoyo a little bit. I went with the red body and blue caps. It has a very angular H shape that cuts all the way down to the response system. The overall impression I get from looking at it, is that its a modest yoyo but doesn’t look cheap.
Feel: First lets talk about the finish on the yoyo body. The satin finish feels very smooth to the touch and doesn’t stick to your skin. I suspect it will perform well for grinding but I’ll get to that in the performance section. Next the overall weight and feel. For being all plastic the classic feels very dense. It weighs 63 grams but feels very much like the YYF Protostar which weighs 67 grams. The angular H shape sits well in the hand also. When I hold it, my middle finger sits comfortably in the catch zone while my index and ring finger rest nicely on the outer rims. I personally have long skinny fingers and everyones hands are different but with its middle of the road dimensions it should suit many people. Last thought about the feel is the edges and seams. I have said it twice before that the classic is very angular but the edges are not sharp. the edge leading down into the catch zone has a slight bump to it and the outer edge on the end caps are also smooth and well rounded off. I did noticed that you can feel the seam where the body and end cap meet but its not something I noticed while playing. My overall impression is that it doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy.
Stock Performance: And this is probably where people actually started reading. The classic out of the box comes with a white cotton string, double O-ring response and a slim C-sized bearing. What I noticed on my first throw was how heavy it feels on the string. When it reaches the end of the string you know it. And as expected with a slight tug it races back up to your hand. I went through a few basic tricks like trapeze, double or nothing, atomic bomb, rewind and boing-E-boing. What I can say about the stock setup is that its responsive without being grabby. I was able to do the very fluid tricks like trapeze, the matrix, atomic bomb and such without worrying about an unexpected return and smack to the knuckles. But jerky tricks like kwijibo or tricks with multiple string layers don’t work as well. This is to be expected with such a thin gap and the O-ring response. The biggest impression I got from the yoyo was its stability and again its density. The description for the classic on this site says the “Classic has more rim weight then most and thanks to the secondary plastic cap the yo-yo has a solid weighted spin and incredible feel on the string”. I was very skeptical when reading this but I do believe YYJ delivered on that promise. Two tricks that I personally have trouble with when using a less stable yoyo are revolutions and yuuki slack, because if I don’t do them perfect I end up with a sideways yoyo. The classic has enough stability and rim weight that I was able to pull off both tricks easily. To test the stability more I started to play a little sloppy. The yoyo was quite forgiving and wasn’t easily toppled. Now I’m not saying that it magically does tricks for you but it also won’t die instantly because you landed your trapeze a litte sideways. The classic is not a floaty yoyo at all; it feels almost like a rock at the end of the string. I personally don’t mind this because I find that it make me more aware of its position at any time but I know its not everyones cup of tea. And finally its grindability. The smooth satin finish glides easily across skin. Its not as smooth as an all metal but it doesn’t latch onto your skin and die like most plastics I have tried to grind with.
Unresponsive Performance: To take the classic up a level I replaced the string with a 100% poly string (YYE 5pack $1.50), replaced the O-rings with YYJ silicone O-rings ($3.00) and put in a normal sized bearing or a “speed bearing” as YYJ calls it ($8.00) which brings the total price up to $22. After testing it like this, all I can say is WOW! The stability and shape of the yoyo really come alive when its played like this. The stability allows me to go through combos without worrying about its turning sideways for no reason. The catch zone is big enough that I can do whips and bouncy tricks like black hops or spirit bomb without much difficulty. The response binds tightly and clean, the spin time last upwards around a minute to a minute 30 seconds. It performs well above what you would expect from a $10 throw.
Conclusion: I can say that I am very happy with the YYJ Classic. A begginer would do themselves a great service by learning with this throw. Add another $12 in upgrades and you have a solid throw for $22 that performs more like other $40+ throws. Its an even better deal for people who have extra string and bearings they could pop in it. I personally am going to use mine as my out in public throw because of its solid performance and if it gets lost or stolen I’m only out $10. I think It has a place in anyones collection.
Final Score:
Against other responsive beginner throws 10/10. For the price range, it is well above its competition.
Upgraded and against other unresponsive throws 8/10. It won’t really compete against a Code 2 or any other precision crafted all metal but it has great bang for the buck and its a very fun yoyo.
