How to Maintain Your Yoyo by Using Yoyo Replacement Parts

Contents

• 1.Strings
  • 1.1 Kitty strings, Blueprint strings – what are those?
• 2.Ball bearing system
  • 2.1 NSK bearing (flat)
  • 2.2 Concave vs Center track -the difference
  • 2.3 Grooved bearing
  • 2.4 YYF CT vs Ceramic CT
  • 2.5 V-cave Bearing
  • 2.6 Axles
• 3. Response pads
• 4. Counterweights
• 5. Yoyofactory Multi tool
• 6. Conclusion

Strings

This category isn’t related to the yoyo itself, but you need to be aware of it, as it may affect your toy someday. Have you ever happened to play happily with your skill toy and suddenly the string broke, and the yoyo hit the ground with full force? About that kind of damage, I’m talking about.

To prevent this is necessary to have a stock of strings to replace the old ones. The strings wear out quickly, especially those made of cotton.

Talking about the materials there are three types of strong: polyester, cotton and 50/50 strings (both cotton and polyester ). Cotton strings break the most often, and you need to replace them countless times. If you really like to feel the string, try this string.

In my opinion, the polyester cords are the best. They feel soft and long-lasting, thus making you spend less on replacing the threads. I talked more about strings in a previous article, so check it out later!

Kitty strings, Blueprint strings – what are those?

Kitty strings are the most used cords in the world when it comes to yoyoing. Maybe you have one too, but you may not have been aware of this fact. These strings have a greater length than most others. The material used in the manufacturing process is mainly the polyester which presents the advantages mentioned above.

 

 

On the other hand, Blueprint strings are shorter than the average and feel more coarse in your hands, having a texture similar to a cotton cord. However, they are only made of polyester. Take note that if you have a yoyo with a Starburst response system, you shouldn’t use this type of string, as it can melt and snap.

If you want to know more about the strings you can go to the previous post and check it out.

Ball bearings

Bearings represent the most important aspect of every yoyo. If you don’t have a high -performance bearing, the spin time will suck and that’s not a thing that you may want to happen.

To ensure increased performance while playing, the manufacturers added 2 more balls ( not yours -if you’re a man of course :)) ) to the regular 8-ball bearing for OneDrop yoyo to improve performance and smoothness. For other yoyos, 8 spheres work as well, so you don’ need to worry too much about the actual number.

There are several types of bearing :

NSK bearing (flat)

The flat bearing is OK, but I don’t like some aspects of it. Firstly, the flat surface allows the string to move to a side of the cylinder to another. That movement influences the way the yoyo spins, more exactly its tilt. If the string is more to the right, the yoyo will tilt to the left and vice versa.

Secondly, when the cord is more onto the left or to the right, friction will be created between the string and the side of the yoyo. As a result, the yoyo will tilt even more and slow down.

Having said that, imagine yourself playing with a YoyoFactory Boss yoyo(with which I played a long time ago ) and see it slowing down more than usual.

Concave vs Center track -the difference

After playing with the YoyoFactory Boss, I purchased a Replay Pro, an amazing plastic yoyo for performing advanced tricks. This yoyo had a Center Trac Bearing(CT bearing) which removes the problem of the string near the edges of the bearing gap.

CT bearing has slanting edges so the string stays closer to the centre. If you want far greater results, you can try a concave bearing It is definitely worth trying.

There’s a simple difference between these 2 bearings.

Concave = centres the string

Center Trac(not track)  = keeps string off the edges

I prefer concave because it completely centres the string while others may prefer Centre Trac because it is still similar to a flat bearing.

Grooved bearing

Want to keep the string dead centre and not allow it to move even a millimetre? A grooved bearing just does that for you. It also has a concave shape stopping the cord even more from moving sideways.

YYF CT vs Ceramic CT

The main difference between a YoyoFactory Center Track bearing and a Ceramic Center Track is the material of the balls located between the two metal tracks.

The average YoyoFactory bearing is made of stainless steel and The Ceramic CT uses ceramic balls-these give the yoyo a longer spin time and are not likely to rust like the steel ones (Duh!).

V-cave Bearing

The v-cave bearing has straight slopes to a centre point. This creates a similar effect to a concave bearing.

Axles

The axle on modern yoyos is usually a threaded metal rod that is screwed into each side of the yoyo. Then bearing then sits on this axle.

With repeated use, the thread on the axle can get stripped (damaged) causing the yoyo sides to keep coming loose, and sometimes come apart altogether during use! (not good!).

Keep in mind that bearings also need maintenance, so to do that you can use two types of lubricant: thin lube for unresponsive play and thick lube for responsive play. The lube helps the bearing last longer.

 

Response pads

You may sometimes need to replace the response pads because if you don’t do that, expect the yoyo to be less responsive, a thing which you may want to avoid, especially when you perform the bind. In most of the cases,19 mm silicone slim pads work the best. You can find them in any kind of yoyo shop.

Counterweights

A counterweight is a MUST when it comes to 5A yoyoing, so make sure the next time when you pick up the yoyo and want to move on from 1A string tricks to 5A to buy one!

YoyoFactory multitool

 

It can help you with the bearing removal, string cutting (when you adjust the cord to your needs ) and the bearing adjustment of responsive yoyos like Loop 900 with the hexagonal key.

Conclusion

Replace any yoyo part when needed.change the bearing if you don’t feel satisfied with the one you have or just buy some new strings. It is up to you.

If you have any thoughts about this topic or just want to ask something, don’t hesitate to comment below!