|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Reviews and Facts | ||||||||||||||||||
| There are some very good yo-yo brand names and I am going to review them, and some of their yo-yos and yo-yo related products here. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Duncan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Of course I had to start with Duncan. That name is still synonomous with the word yo-yo. If Playmaxx is Nike, Duncan is Converse. And the Imperial is a pair of Converse All Stars. The Duncan company is probably the main reason for the continual sucsess of the yo-yo, although the latest advancements in yo-yo technology have also spurred sales. While Duncans aren't the best yo-yos in the world, Duncan's make fine beginner yo-yos, and every yo-yoer probably remembers his or her first yo-yo being a Duncan. Duncan innovated the butterfly shape, and their line of affordable, plastic yo-yos has been popular since the 50's. One disadvantage to Duncans is that the yo-yos have a tendency to split apart as they grow old, and otherwise, most of them aren't take aparts. However, Duncans are cheap and can be found almost anywhere, even when yo-yos aren't the hot toy item. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playmaxx | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playmaxx. This company has produced some of the most innovative and advanced yo-yos on the common market. While the Cold Fusion (the longest spinning yo-yo) is extremely expensive, some others such as the ProFire, the Turbo BumbleBee, and the ProYo II, are very affordable, and excellent performers. The ProFire, a sliding brass transaxle yo-yo, though pretty noisy (you think it's bad when you buy one, then the break pads where down and this thing screams like a banshee), is one of the best loopers I have ever used, and the ProYoII is the longest sleeping fixed axle yoyo. The Turbo Bumblebee, and the BumbleBee GT, without a doubt are some of the top transaxle yo-yos under $20. Playmaxx has been one of the top innovaters of of yo-yo technology, including rim-weighted design & the new brake pad system, that I imagine they will last as long as the yo-yo itself. | ||||||||||||||||||
| BC What's Next | ||||||||||||||||||
| Some of the best wooden yo-yos on the market are probably from What's Next. Their president, Brad Countryman, has made wooden yo-yos for some of the best companies like Duncan. Now he's selling some of his own master designs. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team Losi | ||||||||||||||||||
| This company is better known for their work in RC cars. They have taken their knowledge of quality manufacturing and applied it to yo-yos. Their line of BB (Ball Bearing) transaxle yo-yos are some of the best under $20, excluding the new Silver Series, which were a bit more pricy when they hit the market and still may be just over $20 in some catalogs. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Henry | ||||||||||||||||||
| The makers of the Viper, one of the triumphs of German engineering. They have now created 4 new yo-yos, and introduced the AXYS system. AXYS are interchangeable axles that can be exchanged from yo-yo to yo-yo. This is extremely cool because they have made transaxles that are all in one piece. I know this is hard to understand, so visit yoyoguy.com, and look under Henry for a better explanation of the AXYS system. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Spintastics | ||||||||||||||||||
| Not the first name you need to know, but one of the first. They have a widening line of yo-yos, all of which are good for different things. The Technic, a wooden axel, is a good all around, freestyle yo-yo. The Tornado is the BB version of the Technic. The Tigershark, is a butterfly, rim weighted, BB yo-yo, that is one of the best sleepers on the market, but just not quite as good as a Team Losi or BumbleBee. One of the coolest yo-yos Spintastics has made is the Torch. It is the brightest light up yo-yo on the market, and comes in BB and wooden axle models. There are also some glow-in-the-dark models of different names. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Yomega | ||||||||||||||||||
| SSSUUUUUCKKS!!!! | ||||||||||||||||||