Yo-yo Buyer's GuideEuro-Yo Yo-Yo Shop | Yo-yo Buyer's Guide  | Yo-yos for Children and beginners
Yoyo buying advice for beginners and children
Can't decide which yo-yo to buy? These are my recommendations for a first yo-yo for a beginner of any age.
A note for parents
In my experience, children under 6 do not have the patience or coordination to learn to yoyo. They tend to get frustrated and quickly lose interest. Of course, your child could be different, this is just a generalisation!
Remember that yo-yos are not suitable for young children under the age of 3 years due to their small parts (chocking risk) and long cord (strangulation risk).
When chosing a yo-yo for a child, if you can, choose the yoyo with them: they can be quite particular about yo-yo colours, graphics, features and styles. They might well be quite well informed from speaking to their friends if there is a yoyo craze at their school, or they may have their own requirements such as LED lights or an auto-return clutch that is the latest 'must-have'. Or they might just HAVE to have THAT yoyo because all their mates have one.
Which yo-yo is best for a beginner?
I am always being asked this, and there is no simple answer. In this section of the shop I have selected what I consider to be very good yo-yos for children or beginners who are new to yo-yos. You (or your child) might disagree with my choices! I hope the following information might help you in making your decision.
There are four key points to consider when choosing a first yo-yo:
1. Safety.
Yo-yos are small lumps of plastic and metal that are going to get thrown around at speed on the end of a piece of string. Even a small object weighing just 60 grams can cause quite a lot of damage when hitting anything at speed. A yo-yo can damage people, pets and possessions. Yo-yo injuries can and do happen. Always play in an area clear of people, pets, and anything breakable. Change strings regularly to prevent breakages.
Some yo-yos such as the Henrys yo-yo range have rubber rims which makes them softer and safer. Plastic yo-yos are harder. Logically, metal yo-yos are very hard and therefore potentially the most dangerous.
2. Robustness
Yo-yos get sat on, trodden on, hit walls, ceilings, the floor and your favourite vase. Bits get lost. Yo-yos break. Fact. Beginners are good at breaking yo-yos!
Some yo-yos are stronger and more robust than others. Some cheap yo-yos are made of weaker or more brittle materials and will crack if they hit a hard object. Yo-yos with internal clutch mechanisms (auto-return yoyos) or LED lights do have more to break and go wrong inside them. But they offer greater play value.
All of the yo-yos I have selected here are robust. The Henrys range of yoyos are very robust.
Be warned, they all contain small parts and care should be taken not to lose these.
3. Cost.
The old maxim "You get what you pay for" does apply. But, I do NOT recommend you buy the most expensive yo-yos.
Very cheap yo-yos can be a false economy - they may break more easily and not be good enough to learn anything but the most basic of tricks.
More expensive yo-yo's tend to be more robust and last longer, be better designed, more playable and (importantly) more fun!
You know your kid: will they look after and appreciate a more expensive yo-yo? Do you want your child to break a cheap yo-yo or an expensive one? How long will their interest last?
Expensive metal yo-yos are designed for experienced yo-yo players. They are not suitable for young children or beginners. PLEASE DON'T BUY AN EXPENSIVE METAL YO-YO FOR A CHILD OR BEGINNER! They are:
a) much harder to play
b) they need a skill called binding
c) NOT for beginners
d) Easily broken
e) Precision-made and designed to be highly unresponsive (they don't come back to the hand)
f) very expensive and
f) wasted on all but the most gifted of yo-yo prodigy's.
You (or your child) may be an exception IF they have been yo-yoing for some time.
All the yo-yos I have chosen represent the best value for money while not compromising on quality.
But "what about playability?" I hear you ask! Well, this is where things get quite subjective. The yo-yo's I have selected here will all offer good play value while allowing the player to progress beyond the basic tricks. Some features such as CDROMS or auto-return add to the playability of a yoyo.
Finally, remember this: if you get into yo-yos as a hobby, you will inevitably want to buy more yoyos. Most yo-yo players have a yoyo collection, with each yoyo being preferred for particular tricks. For a first yo-yo I would get one that best introduces you to the hobby. When you choose your next yo-yo, you will be better informed to make your own choice and to spend more of your money ;-)
Now, make your choice, place your order and go hide the breakables ;-)
Pete
©Copyright Peter Thake 2008
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|  | | Yo-yos for the progressing yo-yo player
Got a yo-yo or two and want to take it to the next level? Can't decide which yo-yo to buy? These are my recommendations for the undecided intermediate yo-yo player. These are the yo-yos that I know please most players. It is not conclusive. I would strongly suggest you spend a little time reading some yo-yo reviews on the web (try forums such as our shop forum). At this stage a serious consideration is your budget: how much do you want to spend? Also, which tricks do you want to learn? Do you want to try an offstring yo-yo, or try 2-handed looping?
Yo-yos I would suggest you consider adding to your collection are: any of the metal-rimmed yoyos by YoyoJam! |
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Euro-Yo Yo-Yo Shop | Yo-yo Buyer's Guide
Copyright 2008, New Heart Trading. Euro-Yo is part of New Heart Trading, run by Peter Thake, a registered Sole Trader. Established in 2005, based in Hampshire, UK. All images and trade names are used with permission. VAT Registered 901 9153 46. |
