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Yo-Yos for the experienced player

Euro-Yo Yo-Yo Shop | Yo-yo Buyer's Guide | Yo-Yos for the experienced player

Chosing a Yo-Yo for the more experienced player
More experienced yo-yo players sometimes ask me what advanced yo-yo I recommend from the multitude of professional yo-yos that are on sale. I will be asked very broad questions such as "What yoyo could I get that is really good but for around £50?", or more specific questions like "what do you think is better, the SPYY Pro or the CLYW Basselope?". Or the question will be along the lines of "I want a yo-yo with a bead blast finish that is the same size as the YoYoFactory 888 but it must be blue".

I am sorry but I cannot recommend a particular yo-yo. I have not tried them all. There is a large degree of personal preference when choosing a yoyo. You must research your choice. You will have to rely on information and opinions gained from the web and form your own opinion. It is a bit like asking "What cheese do you recommend". Well I like stilton, you might not ;-)

Personally I would always take the advice of any retailer with a pinch of salt. They may have stock that they are keen to sell, or models that are more profitable.

I like to help, but I cannot be your personal shopper ;-)

General Advice for purchasing advanced yo-yos:
In general terms my advice would be that long established manufacturers such as YoyoFactory, YoYoJam, Hspin etc produce good products of consistent quality at reasonable prices. Many of their yo-yo models have been around for years and remain best sellers. They are best sellers for a reason: they are good yo-yos. They are generally made in large runs and so are more mainstream, parts and spares are generally plentiful and there are lots of reviews and player opinions about their yo-yos. Conversely, they tend mot to be so unique, and are less collectible, and tend to be aimed more squarely at players rather than collectors. A good safe choice for anyone uncertain as to what to buy but who wants a good reliable quality yo-yo at a reasonable price.

Other yo-yos are made by individuals or small companies for fun as much as for profit. They are often made on a more informal fashion by people with a passion for yo-yos. Production will be sporadic, the runs smaller (a 'run' is the number of a particular yo-yo produced at any one time). There are loads of these and examples include General Yo. BIST, Chico etc. The yo-yos produced are often of exceptional quality, but information on these is often limited, with fewer reviews available. Often, by the time a review appears, the to-to has sold out! While these are definitely designed to be played, they are also very collectible. Some true yo-yos icons have arisen, such as the legendary and extremely desirable Anti-Yo Bapezilla. Since these are made with a real love for yo-yos and for playing yo-yos, the makers tend to have a real pride in what they produce and are often real innovators. They often individually test each yo-yo before selling it and go out of their way to ensure a good finished product. The designs are often very unique and individual. These are yo-yos for both players and collectors but the catch is that there is a limited supply, there will be little comparative information available (no reviews), the designs might be a bit more radical, and they tend to be more expensive. However, you might end up with an amazing yo-yo and have one of only a handful made in the entire World. A bit more risky perhaps, but the rewards are great.

Finally, recent years have seen the rise of the Chinese and Eastern Yo-Yo manufacturers such as Auldey, Younkee and Aoda. At first these had a reputation for copying well known brands but I believe that recently they have begun producing more innovative and individual yo-yos. Whatever your feelings about this, to their credit they have played a huge role in bringing reasonable quality metal yo-yos to less affluent countries. They make a good range of yo-yos, and the quality has been improving. They do make some yo-yos which compare favourably with brand name yo-yos but at less than half the price. The finish of some is variable but they are generally very playable and offer very good value. An excellent choice for anyone with a more limited budget wanting to try a more advanced metal yoyo.

Euro-Yo Yo-Yo Shop | Yo-yo Buyer's Guide | Yo-Yos for the experienced player

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