So i was thinking that for my b-day i would ask for a yoyojam and i was just wondering wich one. i have looked at the vigilante and it looks ok, but i have no idea how it plays. I don’t really care what yoyo it is though.
I would suggest the X-Con Pro. It looks and Plays amazing IMO, one of my Favorite YYJ’s. If your parents are willing to pay that much i would Suggest the PHENOMizm. it is an amazing, my favorite YYJ plastic, and probably my 2nd favorite plastic ever. I can’t comment on how the Vigilante plays though, but it looks very similar to every other YYJ Bi-Metal they have to offer. I suggested the X-Con Pro and PHENOMizm because they are VERY different from other YYJ’s out there.
phenomizm is the best bi-metal your ever going to use… okay thats just my opinion but still it’s an amazing yoyo
The only thing I thought looked a little…strange about they on is that it looks VERY wide. I don’t know if that would bug me as I have never used an overly wide yoyo, I just thought it might be something to get used to. Any other suggestions?
The BEST YoYoJam Metal-Plastic Hybrids are (in my opinion)…
Vigilante
Sr-71
X-Con Pro
They ALL are amazing. The vigilante is super comfortable and powerful in spin, and has a solid but not heavy feeling. The S-71 is also super fast, and the nickel plated edition is AMAZING. The X-Con Pro feels a little heavy, but is the most stable.
I had a post worked up, I hit “post” and apparently it didn’t stick. So be it. I’ll go from memory.
Uhm…
OK, I’ll just start over.
I like YYJ. As a company it’s what really got me started in yoyo unless you consider my Duncan Reflex and Imperial. My all time favorite is a DM2. It’s my go-to and I really like it. I’ve also developed a preference for full sized ad heavy yoyos.
First, some over-view. YYJ has the market for plastic/metal yoyos pretty well tied up. Nobody does it the way they do it. Granted, the YYF Protostar and Northstar have metal weight rights, but it’s not the same as the metal/plastic combinations YYJ has.
Let’s start with the DM2. It’s a proven winner, at least i the hands of people who use it and like it. It’s one of those rare yoyos that can take you from zero to hero out of the box. Granted, to get to the “hero” category, you do need to swap to the included large SPEED bearing. And speaking of which, YYJ has a lot of of yoyos that include a second bearing. I like the balance, I like how stable it is, and I like how it feels in the hand.
Other winners in the plastic/metal(and in my collection) are the Speeder 2, Phenomizm, XCon Pro and Hitman pro. Each have their own characteristics. I like the feel and speed of the Speeder 2 and it’s very comfortable in the hand. Now, I won’t lie, the Speeder 2 has had a few reports of the brass weight rings coming off or loose. I’ve also had this happen, and in my case they came loose. I pressed them back on and they have been fine since then. The Phenomizm is a beast that is designed for speed, stability and long spins, and it delivers in my opinion. It can’t grind worth a crap, but at those speeds, would you want to? It’s a bit too fast for me now, but I can grow into it. The Hitmam Pro, with the large aluminum rims, just screams “grind me”. Similar to the Speeer 2, the plastic and the metal rims needed to be pressed back together, but unlike the Speeder 2, my Hitman pro arrived that way. A few presses and “all good”. It’s undersized, but it is well balanced. The XCon Pro, in comparison, uses the weight rings placed midway on the rim like the Phenomizm. The weight rings are large and base don the placement, it eats up the rims and makes the yoyo feel very dense and extremely heavy for it’s size. But, before you start to lay the hate on it, like it or not, this yoyo has more to hate or like about it, depending how you feel about things. First, I like how it looks, so if you don’t, then oh well. The yoyo itself won’t take any guff off you either and it dislikes bad throws, but will reward good throws with tremendous stability and long spin times. For that, it’s a yoyo that’s an ideal trainer, forcing you to improve your game.
Where do you want to go? The Meteor takes Mickey’s need for speed and adds grinding rims, while the Phenom is all about flash, class and kicking …(you go figure it out). The simple elegance, the mid-rim weight rings and the sleek styling make this a speed demon with massive stability and super long spin times. These both play very different. To me, the Phenom is statistically heavy but on the string it feels like it weighs almost nothing.
Going down the price line, I have the Chaser, Legacy II and Lyn Fury. The Chaser is obviously designed to be a serious performer to compete with the likes of the Protostar and Northstar. Stable but heavy(71 grams) yet doesn’t feel it on the string. The Legacy II is touted as being a plastic DM2, but it’s not, but it is similar. One of my kids got one, and I was constantly playing with it so I had to get my own just to stop that! I like the weight as it’s perfect for a beginner. It feels very comfortable in the hand and is nice and smooth. The Lyn Fury, well, what’s to say? It’s a proven performer and I already want to get another. The size if the gap combined with the rubber weight rings does in fact make this an ideal intermediate yoyo, yet with some common and easy to do mods, it becomes very unresponsive. The Lyn Fury is cheap, spins a good long time, is stable and massively fun. The way the response system is, it can be brought back with a bind or a tug, yet the gap is wide enough to let you get through many complex tricks, yet still come back with a good tug. Need it less responsive? Remove the response o-rings, silicone it and insert shims to make it a tiny bit wider.
I also have a paid of Unleashed, and a bunch of 4A yoyos by YYJ.
I have my eye on other inexpensive YYJ’s, such as the Speed Maker, Kickside, Prelude and Pinnacle. I am also looking at stuff like the Dynasty, SR-71, SFX and even the Karma.
I’ve been quite pleased with their product offerings and customer service. Their product range goes from beginner to pro and everything in between. They have products designed with the 5 major styles in mind. Of course, it all comes down to preferences. YYJ makes great stuff and I like it, but at the same time, terms like “better” can always crop up. Terms like better are relative terms based on preferences. I mean, is One Drop better? Is CLYW better? I don’t know. I have both, I like both, yet, my DM2 goes everywhere I go. I got plenty of other stuff too. I like pretty much everything. However, when I want my “safe zone”, it’s that DM2 every single time. That’s just me. However, don’t try taking my Chief from me unless you want me to beat you down with my Code 1!
Clearly I am biased, but you want to hear that right now since you’re considering YYJ.
YYJ offers some amazing performing yoyos at great prices by going with plastic and metal. They also make full plastic and full metal yoyos as well. Good stuff!
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Then phenomizm is actually not very wide at all…
According to published specs on YYE, the Phenomizm is 39.05mm wide, while the Phenom is 39.6mm wide. The Speeder2 is 37.84mm wide(I was surprised). Even the Chaser is 37.61mm wide. The Phenom and Phenomizm are V-shaped and are almost entirely ALL-CATCH zone yoyos, but considering the player, the need for speed and so on, it makes sense to have a huge catch zone. The Speeder 2 is a softer/rounded V, so it’s still all catch zone. The Chaser has a angled outer rim and then the inner rim is more of a sharper V shape.
Trust me when I say this: These don’t take much if any getting used to. Yes, they tend to be a bit smaller in width, but they are stable and smooth. The only reason these will give you problems is if you have something fundamentally wrong with your technique.
You may hear stuff about “oh, it’s just a mm or two, what’s the big deal”, but in yoyo, that can be a lot. Still. you shouldn’t be catching stuff way out on the “outer edges of the rim” anyways, and the odds are you aren’t anyways either.
Why not help us out. What do you currently have that you like?
Thanks for all the input. I thought I would ask you guys what you favorite plastics and hf plastics from them are and then go from there. Maybe by the time my birthday rolls around I wil have bought one of these for myself.
I have a raptor which I love, a dm2, and I just got a fiesta xx(also love it). I have a couple of yomegas but I don’t use th because I am not much of a looper. I have a popstar. It again, don’t use it much. My very first bearing yoyo was a flying squirrel which is fun to take out every once in a while. I have a fhz two impearls and a butterfly and thats about it.
It’s hard to say. I really like the Hiroyuki Suzuki signature models, they also work well for me. The Phenomizm and Speeder 2 are very fun, enjoyable throws, but I did mention the weight ring issues on the Speeder 2, which for the most part have been fixed by pressing them back on. They are fast, fun easy to play and pretty durable. The Phenomizm comes with a KK while the Speeder 2 comes with a slim and FAST bearing, but I popped a KK in there and I think I like that better. I think I also popped a KK in my Meteor. I forget. I know I am going to pop a KK in my Chaser.
Are there any sort of performance features you’re looking for? You seem to more of a full sized thrower based on what you have. Maybe it’s time to mix it up a bit?
I do like the full size and when i use my popstar or even my flying squirrel it just doesn’t feel right. I would be willing to try something small, just not that small. As far as performance goes, i am not really sure what i like. I do like the fast stuff, but someday when i have the skills i will be doing more technical stuff. the only reason i bring this up is because I have no idea how any of these play so i don’t know what is good for technical, speed etc.