Beginners : Teens and Adults

For a teenager getting into yo-yoing for the first time, or perhaps an adult who is rediscovering the hobby after some years - there are some additional offerings that may suit better then some of the yo-yos we recommend for younger people.

On top of our own Tornado yo-yo that we've found adults love just as much as younger kids (you can check out the overview in the 9 - 12 years section here). Teenagers and Adults have more refined motor skills - so can venture more easily/safely into the world of metal yo-yos.

So our top recommendations are tied with the below 2 metal throws

The V3 and the V6 share many of the same characteristics - the only real difference is their shape, which just comes down to personal preference. 

Both are responsive right out of the box - which is rare for a metal yo-yo (most come unresponsive by default) however as with other yo-yos like the Tornado and the Arrow, both come with unresponsive upgrade kits - meaning you can make them unresponsive at a later date.

Due to them being made of metal - they are heavier and also subsequently generate a more powerful spin, meaning you have even more time to work on your tricks before having to return the yo-yo to your hand. And the coating on each yo-yo makes them super smooth to play with - even knocking the yo-yo with your hand while practising won't cause it to slow down as much as a plastic yo-yo might.

The V3 vs The V6 'Locus'

 As can be seen from the profiles - the V3 has a smoother, curved profile, where as the V6 has a more angular design. The V3 is more rim weighted for stability and long spins, where as the V6 is more designed for speed (but still has exceptional spin times).

Our own personal preference is the V3 as it's smoother design makes it more comfortable to hold, however customers overall appear to prefer the V6. Either way you're sure to have a fantastic playing experience with either of these throws.

What Other Options Are There?

The Arrow and the Tornado that we covered in the 9 - 12 category are also very popular choices, so make sure you check out the write ups here

 There's also a couple of other honourable mentions we need to highlight

SHOOTiNG STAR by iYoYo

In terms of price, this is probably one of the most expesive beginner options that we have. Featuring a vast array of colours - the Shooting Star comes stock with a responsive bearing, but also comes complete with a high-quality 'Pixel Bearing' which iYoYo use in all their high-end mono and bi-metal offerings, for advanced play when the time is right

And same as the Arrow, it features a metal fingerspin hub for mastering fingerspin tricks. The shape and profile take inspiration from iYoYo's flagship model - the iCEBERG - and unlike the other Beginner offerings, this one is more specifically designed and engineered for Advanced Play. Many will actually purchase this yo-yo for it's advanced capabilities, and immediately remove the responsive bearing - however we feel it's great that iYoYo have included both options. A truly spectacular throw, and one of our own personal favourite advanced plastics.

Freehand One by Duncan

 This yo-yo often gets overlooked by many. The original version of the Freehand One was made way back in 2001, and was quite possibly the world's favourite advanced playing yo-yo for a long, long time. However as the world of competitive yo-yo moved away from plastic - towards metal and metal/plastic hybrids, the Freehand One remained a popular choice for many. That is, until the mould broke....

At this point Duncan decided rather than investing in recreating the original mould, that they would come up with a plethora of alternative Freehand designs, and over the last 20 years we have seen many variations - from plastic to metal, from Magnesium to Titanium.....but the yo-yo community are very nostalgic, so when Duncan re-released a re-made version of the Original Freehand in 2021, players were over joyed!