One of the oldest ways to keep one busy is to play with a yo-yo. At first glance, a yoyo looks like a carved piece of wood attached to a string. If you’d never seen one of these toys before, you’d likely end up scratching your head and think, “how in the world is that fun?”.
However, once you see someone who has experience playing around with a yoyo, you quickly realize how much fun it can be. There’s a super low learning curve, and virtually everyone can learn how to use it immediately. Additionally, it doesn’t take much time or dedication to learn some sophisticated-looking tricks.
Overall, a yoyo can offer long-term entertainment for a few dollars. Not many other things provide these features in conjunction with each other. Lets take a look at some of the best yoyos you can buy today!
The Best Yoyos To Buy
1) MAGICYOYO Professional Yoyo
The perfect yoyo for those looking to make their moves count. The MAGICYOYO company has been around since 2008 and they’re known as one of the best in manufacturing high-quality products with durability that will last you longer than any other model out there!
At A Glance:
- Extremely popular and fan-adored yo-yo for beginners and those just starting out.
- Out of the box this yo-yo is responsive, but also comes with a 8-ball kk bearing, which converts the yo-yo to be unresponsive for spin tricks.
- Also Includes 5 replacement strings, a beautiful storage bag, and an easy-to-use bearing removal tool (an undervalued tool for yo-yo enthusiasts!
2) Yomega’s The Original Brain Yo-Yo
Yomega makes a great yoyo that is loved throughout the world. If you’re looking for an affordable solution that will provide you quality for years. Not only is the Yomega fireball extremely affordable, but it also comes in several colors for you to choose from. It should be noted that as you progress through your skills and tricks, this yoyo will stick with you.
At A Glance:
- Extremely popular yo-yo that is well-known for its performance & durability
- Available in a number of colors.
- Beginner-friendly and
- Includes 2 extra strings incase you break one while practicing tricks
- Includes a 4-Month warranty
3) YoYo King Merlin Pro
At A Glance:
- With the name of this yo-yo, you know you’re getting a quality product. This powerful yo-yo is loved by thousands around the world and is optimized for optimal performance
- Ball baring axle for super-long spin times
- Offered in a number of unique colors
- Includes yo-yo string
4) Yomega 3-Pack: Three Legendary Spinners (Brain, Fireball Transaxle, & Spectrum)
Whats better than a reliable and durable Yo-Yo? Three amazing and a globally-adored Yo-Yo’s in a bundle. Yomega has proven themselves to be one of the best Yo-Yo brands you can purchase online, with a few variations to to their core yo-yos.
At A Glance:
- Get Three legendary and globally-loved yo-yos with varying weights (Brain, Fireball, Spectrum Yoyos included)
- Brain yo-yo: One of the longest spinning yo-yos on the market
- Fireball yo-yo: Focused on performance and aimed at intermediate to expert yo-yo enthusiasts.
- Spectrum: LED activated yo-yo with a flick of a wrist, focusing on high performance.
- 5 extra stings included
5) Duncan Imperial Yo-Yo
This Duncan Imperial yoyo has been called the best beginner-friendly model on today’s market. The quality of this product is something you can rely upon, as it was built with beginners in mind and offers high standards that even experienced players will enjoy using!
The steel axle provides a solid feel while playing around your house or outside at any park–perfect if reliability matters most to YOU personally.
At A Glance:
- Popular beginner-friendly yo-yo that is fast, fun to use, and very durable.
- Offered in a number of colors including green, red, orange, purple.
- Designed for learning and perfecting loop tricks and other basic string tricks.
- Durable steel axle for smooth and long-term spins
How to Shop for a Yo-Yo
What do you look for when shopping for Yo-Yos these days? Well, firstly, that depends on your level of skill. When it comes to yoyos, there is a yoyo available that precisely suits your needs. Circus tricks in all shapes and sizes are making a considerable comeback in schools these days, with Diablo, hula hopping, and yoyos fast becoming party favorites again as kids show off their tricks and compare skills.
Professional yo-yoing is a serious art and requires a lot of practice and skill. There is a vast selection of modern yoyos available, as well as collectibles and retro models. This guide is here to inform you of all the choices you have when shopping for a yoyo so that you can walk away with a great take on an age-old classic for the right price.
Features to Consider When Buying a Yo-Yo
- Composition – no one wants to waste their hard-earned cash on something that has lousy build-quality, even if you’re purchasing a yoyo. Thus, many people have spent a reasonable amount of time researching the materials comprising the yoyo they’re looking at. Generally, hard plastics and wood are a great solution because you know they’re not going to break easily. Additionally, be sure to look at the string material that is being used. However, you can easily add your type of string if you prefer something more heavy-duty.
- Price – Since the cost of yoyos can vary, many people are interested in the price. Be sure to search the market and see if a price point is something you genuinely care about. Generally speaking, it’s safe to assume that the lower the price, the lower the quality (but not always).
- Color/Style – Most people want a yoyo that will reflect their personality, style, and preferences. With that being said, there are virtually endless styles/colors/designs for yoyos. I’m confident you’ll find the yoyo that perfectly matches your individuality.
Do You Prefer: Plastic or Metal?
When it comes to choosing whether your yoyo should be plastic or metal, that is your choice of preference. There is a lot of debate ever since the metal yoyo came about, boasting longer spin times, however with advancing plastic technology, and this is not at all true.
Plastic yoyos are cheaper, and generally, they are very durable, although some polycarbonate plastics crack easily. Polycarbonate plastics are only used in very budget yoyo models, and these days are rarely used at all. Plastic technology is always improving, and the weight distribution of plastic yoyos has to become significantly better over the years.
Metal yoyos, on the other hand, have always had impressive weight distribution, and you will buy a metal yoyo no matter the cost promising superior handling due to the weight distribution being ideal. They are also smoother than plastic yoyos, but an average yoyo spinner will not notice this difference, nor will it have a significant effect on any tricks. Metal yoyos are more expensive, but generally, are deemed to be the better model than its plastic counterpart.
Bi-metal yoyos are also available, which, apart from looking very sleek and cool, have ultimate weight distribution and handling.
Learning How to Operate a Yo-Yo
If you haven’t touched a yoyo before, or perhaps have played a little but don’t have any tricks under your belt, or are buying a gift for someone who hasn’t played with a yoyo before, then a beginner yoyo is your best way to go.
These yoyos are cheap, from $2 to a maximum of $20, and are classed as responsive. Responsive yoyos react automatically when you pull at the string or move your finger so that you can throw them down and roll back up with ease. Using a responsive yoyo is best for beginners so that you can get the hang of simple string and hang tricks, and you can enjoy yourself as you quickly build up a repertoire of skills.
Powerful introductory video showing you how to correctly operate a Yo-yo!
Like we said before, it doesn’t matter what brand of yoyo you chose as a beginner. Just find one that you like the look of and feel of in your hand and on your finger.
Getting Yo-yo Basics Down
When you feel like you are beginning to exceed the boundaries that your beginner yoyo provides and you can perform basic yoyo tricks such as trapeze, pinwheels, and string tricks like double or nothing, you can move onto an unresponsive yoyo.
As you build up that list of tricks and are feeling unchallenged with your beginner, responsive yoyo, you can step into the world of professional yoyos. These professional yoyos begin as unresponsive yoyos, and again, you do not have to break the bank to get a quality unresponsive yoyo.
Developing Yo-yo Preferences
Speed or Tricks?
Focusing on Tricks
As you continue to progress with your yoyo abilities, perhaps beginning to create your tricks and mastering tricks such as the Kamikaze and other slack tricks with your Magic or Replay Pro unresponsive model, you can start to look into more specific, and Tech Trick designed models.
We recommend such models as the Magic Stealth, the Shutter, the Horizon, and the Edge models. They all come reasonably priced in the range of $20 to $100, a price you should expect to pay for good quality, tech trick model.
Focusing on Speed
Perhaps you are not precisely into technical tricks, but love impressing people with the speed of your yoyo’ ing and performing tricks based on rate. When shopping for a speed yoyo, you need to look for an angular shape between the two wheels where the string is attached, and more importantly, a V shape.
When looking to perform speed tricks, you should also keep an eye for models that flow smoothly on the string, that are lightweight and stable, allowing you to comfortably and confidently throw your yoyo around without difficulty.
Conclusion
There are many fun yoyos available that are a non-competition quality that you can purchase as gifts or for yourself for a bit of fun. These include collectible yoyos, gimmick yoyos, light-up yoyos, and many more. Undersized and narrow yoyos are also available for you to mix and keep your yoyo throwing new and inventive.
So when it comes to yoyo shopping, decide what stage of professionalism you are at and work from there. There is a massive array of different quality and style yoyos that you can choose from that are designed for different stages of trick knowledge. It would help if you also considered what material you want to use, be it metal or plastic. Mainly the choice is up to you on your preference; whatever yoyo you choose will give you lasting enjoyment for years to come.