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Simple toys often offer kids the most. For instance, a yo-yo can get children away from their screens and help them develop fine motor skills, have better hand-eye coordination, increase their confidence, and help them learn to socialize.
A quality yo-yo is well-built, so it can endure the occasional floor tap. It’s sized to the player’s height and has features the user desires — modern yo-yos can have everything from lights to auto-return technology. The right yo-yo should also have a fun design that lets the user express their inner flair.
Our top pick is the colorful Duncan Toys Hornet Pro Looping Yo-Yo, which is designed to keep up with the most advanced yo-yo enthusiasts.
When a yo-yo is wound up and in your hand, it’s filled with potential energy. The instant you drop or throw that yo-yo down, that potential energy turns into kinetic energy. If the string is tied or affixed securely to the yo-yo’s axle, once it reaches the bottom of its descent, that energy is enough to bring the yo-yo back into your hand.
Most modern yo-yos, however, are not tied securely to the string. When they get to the bottom, they stay there, spinning without coming back up. This lets the player perform tricks. To get the spinning yo-yo to return, there needs to be a little slack in the string. When the player dips their hand just a little, this gives the yo-yo the slack it needs to rise back up. This puts the player in full control of when the yo-yo returns, making it possible to perform a wide variety of tricks.
There are three different yo-yo shapes: imperial, butterfly, and modified. Each type has different pros and cons.
Imperial (classic) yo-yo: This is the traditional shape. It features two pieces that look vaguely like the tops of mushrooms sandwiched together with the string in the middle. What makes this type of yo-yo stand out is the flat inside walls. While this type is a good all-around yo-yo, the narrow opening can make it harder to perform tricks that depend on catching the yo-yo on the string.
Butterfly yo-yo: The butterfly yo-yo has a wide flare in the middle that somewhat resembles butterfly wings. This type of yo-yo was designed to shine on string tricks — the wide gap in the center makes it much easier to catch the yo-yo on the string.
Modified yo-yo: This type of yo-yo is midway between the classic yo-yo and the butterfly yo-yo. It only features a slightly wider gap, but the inside edges are rounded to make it easier to catch the string. This is considered the best all-around yo-yo by many because it can do a little bit of everything.
If your yo-yo string is too long, you can cut it and tie a new slipknot.
You can get a yo-yo that’s made of plastic, wood, or metal.
Plastic: Plastic is by far the most flexible material. It can be manufactured in any shape or color. It’s lightweight and can be inexpensive, though the type of axle the yo-yo has can raise the price significantly.
Wood: Wood is a little pricier than plastic, but since wooden yo-yos have basic axles, it keeps them in a comfortable price zone. The classic look of wood impresses and it’s a good way to go if you want to stick with tradition, but you won’t find a wooden yo-yo that has advanced features for modern tricks.
Metal: Metal is the most expensive yo-yo material. These are the heaviest yo-yos, so they tend to have better spin, which makes them ideal for many tricks. They’re best for advanced users, however, and the heavier weight means you must use more caution when playing — if the string breaks or you misjudge the proximity of your surroundings, a metal yo-yo will do more damage to anything it hits.
At one point, the axle was just where the string connected to the yo-yo. Models with basic axles are still very popular and you can perform a lot of tricks with them. However, a modern axle is a high-tech part of the yo-yo. It can feature ball bearings or a sleeve that allows the yo-yo to spin longer. Additionally, an axle may have a clutch or another design that keeps it spinning until certain conditions are met. Once those conditions are met, the yo-yo automatically returns to your hand.
The extra features on a yo-yo are anything that impacts its aesthetics, not its functionality. This can include a fun design, a glow-in-the-dark shell, lights, colored string, additional strings, a maintenance kit, and more.
In general, having a smaller yo-yo makes it easier to perform complicated string tricks. On the downside, it doesn't have as much momentum as a larger yo-yo with a heavier rim weight. Ultimately, the best size for a yo-yo depends on how you like it to feel in your hand and the type of tricks you want to perform.
For under $10, you can get a basic yo-yo. Unfortunately, these might not always be the best-performing models. However, a shrewd consumer who knows what to look for can find the perfect beginner yo-yo in this price range.
This is the best place to look for a quality yo-yo that can do everything you want but doesn’t cost a great deal of money. These models have user-friendly features that make them more versatile for performing tricks. Expect to spend anywhere from $10 to $20 on these yo-yos.
Once you move above $20, you’re at the high end of the price scale for yo-yos. These models are top-performing yo-yos that are best for advanced users. If you’re serious about dazzling others with your skill, at some point, you may want to step up to this price range.
When you hold your hand at your navel and let the yo-yo dangle, it shouldn’t touch the floor.
A. Place the yo-yo string over your middle finger. Slide it down so it’s midway between the first and second knuckle. Pull the string to tighten the loop against your finger so it doesn’t slip off, and you’re ready to begin.
A. While it may be tempting to drop the yo-yo because it feels like you have more control, that won’t give you as much spin, so it will make performing tricks much harder. The best way to throw a yo-yo is to start with your palm facing up and the string at the top of the yo-yo. Bring your hand up to your shoulder and snap it down until your forearm is parallel with the floor. Let the yo-yo roll off your hand. As soon as the yo-yo reaches its lowest point, flip your hand over so your palm is facing down — this way you can catch the yo-yo when it comes back up.
A. While there are many advanced ways to wind your yo-yo in less than a second, the best way for an absolute beginner is to wind the string round and round the yo-yo by hand. Unfortunately, this method can also twist your yo-yo string, but it works fine until you develop more yo-yo skills.
A. If a yo-yo can’t spin freely, you won’t be able to perform any tricks. This can make winding it up a little difficult. Luckily, there’s a trick that keeps the string from spinning instead of wrapping. On the first wrap, include the finger of your opposite hand. Pull the finger up and continue to wrap the string three times under your finger. Carefully slide your finger free and pull the string tight — but not so tight that it slips. This creates a little knot in the yo-yo that will come undone as soon as you throw it. The knot lets you wind the yo-yo without it slipping.
