Might have to lube the responsive bearing but I do love pulling out my unresponsive shooting star from time to time edit: if you don’t care about responsive, I argue the speedaholick xx Is the superior Plastic beginner unresponsive
These sorts of questions always result in the same couple of yoyos being recommended. The Shooting Star is one of them.
The Magic Yoyo K2(P) is also frequently recommenced. It is the only commonly recommended beginner yoyo that I own. So, I can confirm that it will meet your expectations. But that's not to say that someone else's recommendation is better.
At a minimum you should get the K2.
Fair, I was just hoping to find some consensus as to "the one" for beginners.
The K2P is on sale so I'm tempted but also doesn't come with the upgrade kit which seems like a convenient thing to have.
Think I'll go for shooting star after all, sorry for the noobie timewaster post lol
You're in a golden age of yoyos. Cheap yoyos have gotten very good, and good yoyos have gotten pretty cheap.
When I started ~15 years ago that was not the case. It was a much harder choice.
These days however, most reputable brands sell a 'starter' yoyo and these starter yoyos blow the intermediate and even some of the advanced yoyos from my newbie days out of the water.
I wouldn't worry about wasting any ones times. It's a small community and we don't see a whole lot of action around here. So even though this question is common, it's not like it's pushing stuff off the front page.
I'll give you the same advice I give all newbies. I don't like the 2-in-1 responsive/unresponsive yoyos. In my experience they usually don't do both modes well. My favorite of these is the [Recess FirstBase](https://shop.yoyoexpert.com/collections/recess/products/recess-first-base-yoyo?variant=1134780350472) it's a great yoyo for the price, and it's often my go-to, even compared to high end metal and bi-metal yoyos.
Also, apologies in advance. I'm American and don't really have any suggestions for Canadian shopping. I'd imagine Yoyoexpert.com ships to Canada, but the pricing may be high.
But even the FirstBase, which is a fine yoyo, kind of stinks with the slim responsive bearing. This is the way most of these feel. The Yoyofactory Arrow, the Magicyoyo K2, and others I've tried, are usually decent unresponsive yoyos, but lack as responsive ones.
If you want a responsive yoyo, I'd suggest buying a dedicated yoyo, intended to be used for responsive play. My suggestions are the Duncan Butterfly XT, or the Yoyofactory Spinstar.
My MYY K2-P comes as a flat bearing and 10mm axle for responsive play. (one drop of thick lube on bearing before play) They give you a concave bearing (one drop of thin lube) and 12mm axle to make it a unresponsive play yoyo. Comes with bearing, tools, axle and myy strings when you purchase it. (in the box)
I have the iYoYo Shooting Star also....comes with extra bearing, axle also to change its play.
Both are made from a polycarbonate.
Short answer: iYoyo Shooting Star is great, if can buy one thats a perfect start. You may want to look into a bearing removal tool (pliers can also work but you may damage something if you are inexperienced) and some decent strings (sochi, zipline, kitty strings) because you need to change them regularly.
If you want a in dept answer on possible throws just let me know.
Recess First Base and iYoyo Shooting Star are the way to go. First Base has a classic “Butterfly” or organic shape, Shooting Star has a modern competition shape. First Base is better balanced for responsive play, Shooting Star for string tricks and DNA.
Both are relatively inexpensive and easy to find.
I would also recommend a 10 pack of string. Kitty or Knot Bad are great.
IYoyo shooting star. Cheap, excellent and comes with unresponsive setup. It is still my favourite plastic so far.
Might have to lube the responsive bearing but I do love pulling out my unresponsive shooting star from time to time edit: if you don’t care about responsive, I argue the speedaholick xx Is the superior Plastic beginner unresponsive
Matter of opinion. Shooting star works better for me personally. I prefer the fingerspin dimple on it. Other than that they're virtually identical.
These sorts of questions always result in the same couple of yoyos being recommended. The Shooting Star is one of them. The Magic Yoyo K2(P) is also frequently recommenced. It is the only commonly recommended beginner yoyo that I own. So, I can confirm that it will meet your expectations. But that's not to say that someone else's recommendation is better. At a minimum you should get the K2.
And the answer is buy whatever you want every. single. time.
💯. A beginner will likely be happy with any of this sub's recommendations. Just pick one with a nice colourway.
Fair, I was just hoping to find some consensus as to "the one" for beginners. The K2P is on sale so I'm tempted but also doesn't come with the upgrade kit which seems like a convenient thing to have. Think I'll go for shooting star after all, sorry for the noobie timewaster post lol
All good. No need to apologise. Happy throwing.
You're in a golden age of yoyos. Cheap yoyos have gotten very good, and good yoyos have gotten pretty cheap. When I started ~15 years ago that was not the case. It was a much harder choice. These days however, most reputable brands sell a 'starter' yoyo and these starter yoyos blow the intermediate and even some of the advanced yoyos from my newbie days out of the water. I wouldn't worry about wasting any ones times. It's a small community and we don't see a whole lot of action around here. So even though this question is common, it's not like it's pushing stuff off the front page. I'll give you the same advice I give all newbies. I don't like the 2-in-1 responsive/unresponsive yoyos. In my experience they usually don't do both modes well. My favorite of these is the [Recess FirstBase](https://shop.yoyoexpert.com/collections/recess/products/recess-first-base-yoyo?variant=1134780350472) it's a great yoyo for the price, and it's often my go-to, even compared to high end metal and bi-metal yoyos. Also, apologies in advance. I'm American and don't really have any suggestions for Canadian shopping. I'd imagine Yoyoexpert.com ships to Canada, but the pricing may be high. But even the FirstBase, which is a fine yoyo, kind of stinks with the slim responsive bearing. This is the way most of these feel. The Yoyofactory Arrow, the Magicyoyo K2, and others I've tried, are usually decent unresponsive yoyos, but lack as responsive ones. If you want a responsive yoyo, I'd suggest buying a dedicated yoyo, intended to be used for responsive play. My suggestions are the Duncan Butterfly XT, or the Yoyofactory Spinstar.
My MYY K2-P comes as a flat bearing and 10mm axle for responsive play. (one drop of thick lube on bearing before play) They give you a concave bearing (one drop of thin lube) and 12mm axle to make it a unresponsive play yoyo. Comes with bearing, tools, axle and myy strings when you purchase it. (in the box) I have the iYoYo Shooting Star also....comes with extra bearing, axle also to change its play. Both are made from a polycarbonate.
Short answer: iYoyo Shooting Star is great, if can buy one thats a perfect start. You may want to look into a bearing removal tool (pliers can also work but you may damage something if you are inexperienced) and some decent strings (sochi, zipline, kitty strings) because you need to change them regularly. If you want a in dept answer on possible throws just let me know.
Recess First Base and iYoyo Shooting Star are the way to go. First Base has a classic “Butterfly” or organic shape, Shooting Star has a modern competition shape. First Base is better balanced for responsive play, Shooting Star for string tricks and DNA. Both are relatively inexpensive and easy to find. I would also recommend a 10 pack of string. Kitty or Knot Bad are great.
Duncan FH1 forever.