Want to enter the 5A realm and don’t know how? Don’t worry as you’ll be shown some freehand yoyos to start with and other advanced yoyos for 5A to step up your game
So let’s start with the starter 5A yoyos!
Beginner freehand yoyos
Duncan Freehand Pro
This Duncan model is great to start with if you don’t want to spend too much money on this hobby. It has a shape similar to the YYF Protostar, another great plastic yoyo. In fact, it resembles it so much that you would say that the FReehand yoyo is a YoyoFactory Protostar with flat side caps on it, not bumped ones.
Duncan Freehand specifications
Diameter:58 mm
Width 43.4 mm( a bit narrow)
Gap width 4.3 mm-just about average
Weight:64.3 grams
Bearing: Concave 10-ball bearing(better than 8-ball bearings such as Center Trac bearings which are not as smooth)
Response:19 mm slim pads
Before starting playing with this yoyo you need to adjust it tightly. In this case, you need to crank it down all the way to almost breaking the yoyo(be careful though). This is because there might be a chance for the string to slide between the bearing and the response system and locking the bearing, thus breaking the string.
The Duncan Freehand has a cool solid shape that goes extremely well with the dice counterweight that is included in the yoyo package.
As for the bearing-axle system, it can be said that it works reasonably well even though you can’t remove the axle to make adjustments as you would break the yoyo. Don’t attempt to remove the side caps to see the axle and adjust it! You will just break the yoyo!
Playability and feel
One thing that applies to Duncan yoyos, in general, is that the Freehand gets better and better the more time you play with it, as the bearing breaks in, the response pads break in. It just makes a more pleasant playing experience.
There are some minor disadvantages though. The first one is the shiny finish that doesn’t let you do finger grinds as you may want. In fact, it grinds like a drunk girl! I think it would have been better if Duncan had applied a mat finish just like YoyoFactory had done with the Replay Pro.
The second aspect would be the fact that yoyo is a bit too light for my taste. The spin isn’t as powerful as I initially thought. However, for its price tag, it still performs well.
All in all, you should get your hands on this yoyo!
Replay Pro
For only around 16 bucks this is as good as you can get. This was the first plastic yoyo I’ve ever bought and I don’t regret it. Why? Because of its amazing features. The yoyo was designed by 2015 world yoyo champion Gentry Stein along with the YoyoFactory team and it presents all the main characteristics of a competitive yoyo. Let’s have a look at the specs!
Replay Pro Specifications
Weight | 69g
Diameter | 58.2mm
Width | 44mm
Gap Width | 4.5mm
Bearing | CBC Large Center Trac Bearing
Response | CBC Large Slim Pads
Design and construction
The butterfly shape outlines the elegant design of this yoyo. The side caps aren’t removable so you will need to limit yourself to off-axis finger grinds.
The yoyo is far heavier than most of the yoyos on the market at a hefty 69 grams. In my opinion, the yoyo doesn’t feel so heavy, but maybe other yoyos may feel extremely floaty in comparison to the Replay Pro.
Unlike other similar models like the YYF Northstar, the Replay doesn’t have metal spacers on which the bearing to sit on. The bearing seat is moulded onto the yoyo body. That doesn’t make the yoyo unplayable, fortunately.
Playability for 5A
What I like the most about the Replay Pro is the fact that it is so durable that simply don’t care if I drop this yoyo to the ground or smash it hard. I discovered that even though some annoying scratches are created after the crash itself, the yoyo surface tends to smooth out and I don’t feel the imperfections any more.
This aspect is totally different from what happens to aluminium yoyos. I once had a YoyoFactory Boss which was ok, but it was made of aluminium. It happened to hit it once or twice to the ground and after he smashes, a part of the anodization went away.
Some uncomfortable scratches in the aluminium body remained and could have caused me bruises if the yoyo had come too forceful to my hand.
The durability of the yoyo is especially useful in 5A play. When you start playing 5A with any yoyo you may notice that the counterweight of the yoyo will hit the yoyo many times. In this case, the Replay Pro will resist any kind of hits from the wooden or plastic counterweight which should be 1/7 of the yoyo weight.
The butterfly shape makes this yoyo suited for 5A and you should definitely check this yoyo out!
YoyoFactory OneStar
This yoyo model is practically the copy or the equivalent to the YoTricks Sage yoyo and it has the same shape as the YoyoFactory Protostar. The material used for this yoyo is the same used in the YoyoFactory One yoyo and the side cup is extremely similar to the Replay Pro.
YoyoFactory OneStar Specifications
Diameter:55.25 mm
Width 42.87 mm (narrow)
Weight:62.8 grams.
Bearing: Center Trac bearing
Response: OD 19 mm
Design and Construction
If you are just a beginner and want to stay cheap this yoyo is for you! Obviously, you can’t get all top notch features for this price but you can do reasonably well with this yoyo.
The bearing seat is moulded into the plastic and not on an aluminium spacer, but that shouldn’t become much of a problem, as the Replay Pro has that plastic seat too. The Center Trac Bearing works decently even though it makes a strange rattling sound.
Playability and feel
The spin is enough to get you through most of the tricks but you may realize that the yoyo spins slower than normal and the spin dies out quickly. When you see that the yoyo slows down too much, it is time to bind it to profit from the remaining spin power.
As for the grinds, they work OK but don’t as well as the Replay Pro. The shape is superior to the YoyoFactory One in terms of grinds and stability. This is the major plus of this yoyo. Another advantage is the durability given by the Delrin material of which the yoyo is made.
This yoyo gets the job done with most of 1A tricks and works as well for 5A tricks. The V-profile manages to make the yoyo easier to catch, an important feature of a freehand yoyo.
For its price point of around 10 bucks, it is hard to complain about the yoyo even though it’s a bit vibey and too light.
To conclude, this cheap through can do many amazing things even though you don’t invest so much money into the yoyo hobby.
If you want to get more out of a yoyo I suggest you add extra 40-50 dollars to go on the budget line of high-quality yoyos that will hold literally a lifetime!this way you will be more satisfied with your end results!
Professional freehand yoyos
Raincityskills Metalhead
Tyoyo is one of the less known yoyo models created through a collaboration between Tom from Throws N’ Brews Youtube channel and Jeremy the owner of RainCitySkills yoyo company. This yoyo incorporates several design elements from very competitive yoyos.
MetalHead Specifications
Diameter:56.4mm
Width: 46.7mm(on the wide side of the yoyos which is a good thing)
Weight: 66.5 grams ( a bit above average)
Bearing: grooved concave bearing(centres the string very well)
Response:19 mm slim pads
Axle standard 8 mm axle(quite short)
Design concept and main elements
The overall design of the yoyo takes elements from CLYW Orca one of Tom’s favourite yoyos. Some of the cuts and the width is borrowed from this amazing yoyo model.
One yoyo called G-squared Banshee inspired the more of the V-shape acts and steps of the Metalhead yoyo.
The cut in the rim of the yoyo is borrowed from the 2sick yoyos Olympiad along with the fingers in a cup shape. and other cuts near it. Other elements for the side cups were used by Joe, One of the collaborators in the project In Unspoken(yoyo brand collaboration which turned out extremely beneficial for the end product.
Some of the yoyos have the engraving of the MetalHead logo with a man playing an electric guitar and others don’t. This doesn’t affect the overall playability of the yoyo.
Yoyo finish
The yoyo was machined by the Chinese Company YoyoEmpire who did an astonishing job of manufacturing this yoyo. The metalhead anodization feels dead smooth and there is also no vibe at all when the yoyo spins.
Playability and feel
The overall shape of the yoyo is very comfortable to hold in your hand, unlike earlier prototypes which had sharper edges. The weight distribution is ideal for both 1A and 5A due to the rims that give power to the throw and the cuts on the outer rim on the side cup.
The shape allows for a lot of spin power and the high-quality machining from YoyoEmpire made the yoyo dead smooth for finger grinds that last an eternity, finger spins that work like crazy and then grinds that also work well.
What I enjoy the most about this yoyo is the W-shape and the low rounded edges near the response pads. These features are the main advantages of the Metalhead that recommend it for 5A especially. The weight distribution almost feels like by-metal but this yoyo is just a monometal ).
This yoyo is especially good for competition due to its width and stability. It can also play fast on the string, something that makes me more to like the yoyo. It is somewhat close to the YoyoFactory Edge which is the yoyo used by Evan Nagao to win diverse yoyo championships.
Overall opinion
I followed the advice of the Reddit community to have a look at this yoyo and I was pleasantly surprised. It had everything I wanted. Something similar to Shutter Wide Angle with better finger spin capabilities. Just check it out to see how amazing is this throw! You won’t regret spending 50 bucks on such a great toy!
Magic Yoyo Desperado
If you still want to get a fairly good yoyo and you don’t want to spend more money, I recommend you to have a look at the Magic YoYo Desperado! Why? Because it is just around 15 bucks and you don’t regret anything if you break the yoyo and have to replace it. However, this yoyo looks a bit weird because of the unusual shape and specs. Let’s see them!
Desperado yoyo specifications
Diameter:50.8 mm(significantly smaller than the average diameter which is around 55-56 mm)
Width:45.5 mm(just about average, maybe a little wider)
Gap width:4.72(a bit wider than the average yoyo)
Weight:49.5 grams(kind of heavy)
Bearing: Magic Yoyo Concave bearing
Response system: silicone 19 mm ring pads
Design and construction
The yoyo presents a wide shape which makes it ideal for Freehand style(5A ) especially if you don’t know so well to play this style and still want to catch the yoyo easily onto the string. There is a step almost in the middle of each yoyo half that makes the transition from the outer rims to the groove of the yoyo and the special gap for the bearing.
Yoyo finish
The N5 Desperado has a surface which is sufficiently smooth to allow you to do finger grinds fairly easy, even though there is a shiny finish and not a matt one. This may cause you some problems with the palm grinds, thumb grinds and arm grinds tricks that add flair to your game. There also is an engraving on one side of the yoyo with “Desperado” written on it which integrates seamlessly within the yoyo design.
Yoyo Side Cup
This part of the yoyo presents an aluminium ring that isn’t painted in any colour and it is only for aesthetic purposes. The most it can do is just to provide some rim weight to the yoyo, otherwise, it’s useless. The finger spin cup is deep, but it doesn’t help you that much with finger spin tricks. However, you can do them along with the thumb grinds if you throw the yoyo at an angle.
Playability and Feel
This yoyo plays OK for its price. It is especially good when you just feel you made progress with a plastic yoyo and want to move to another level. with 5A play. The Desperado is super stable and hard to tilt due to its extremely wide profile. It also feels rim weighted even though he has a small diameter. You may need to take care of the more technical tricks as you may happen to hit to strings at once instead of just one string.
Overall the Shape weight and smoothness make the Magic Yoyo N5 Desperado the perfect cheap option for 5A!
Conclusion
These models are the best for 5a for starting this style of play or improving it. Stay cheap? Go with the plastic yoyos! Want to yoyo like a pro in 5A.Try this unique Metalhead! Want to be cheap and try metal yoyos? Desperado should be your option!.
