QUESTION: I want to start learning some easy yoyo tricks. What’s a good beginner yoyo that I should use?
ANSWER: That’s a “tricky” question! There are lots of good yoyos out there, and it’s hard to just pick one. Here’s some advice on how to choose.
Beginners should avoid buying a “nonresponsive” or “unresponsive” yoyo. They should look for a responsive yoyo instead. Why, and what does that mean?
A nonresponsive / unresponsive yoyo is a yoyo that doesn’t wake up when you tug on the string. This is an advanced style of yoyoing that you often see all the yoyo champs doing on YouTube.
As you learn more tricks, you’ll probably eventually want to learn this style of yoyoing too. But it’s a mistake to start out with a yoyo like this, because it makes it very difficult to learn the basics, and you really need to know the basics before you jump into the advanced stuff.
Instead, start out with a traditional responsive yoyo that wakes up.
It’s also helpful to get a yoyo with a ball bearing axle, because they will sleep a lot longer than an old fashioned wooden yoyo. That extra sleep time makes it much easier to do longer tricks, because the yoyo will keep spinning.
What about metal versus plastic? We lean toward plastic, because it doesn’t hurt as bad when you accidentally jam your finger, and you’re less likely to hurt the furniture when you’re throwing it around. They are also usually less expensive than metal.
Yoyo King Merlin
The Yoyo King Merlin is a plastic, ball bearing yoyo with a wide, flared gap shape so that it’s easier to catch on the string for tricks like the Trapeze. It is a good choice for a beginner to get started with and is still suitable to use for advanced tricks too, as you get better over time.