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What are the different types of yo-yos?
Home » Gadgets » yo-yos » What are the different types of yo-yos?Today, you can purchase yo-yos made of wood, plastic, rubber, and aluminum, as well as yo-yos of all sizes and colors. The main differences between yo-yos lie in their design and in their axel.
DESIGN
• Imperial—The Imperial is the basic and familiar model and is ideal for a beginner.
• Butterfly—Within the last forty years, Duncan introduced the butterfly, which is an inverse model of the Imperial (the discs are narrow in the middle and wider on the edge). This model simplifies tricks that require the yo-yoer to land the yo-yo on the string.
• Modified—The modified design, which can be made to look like an Imperial, has more mass around the rim so that the yo-yo spins longer.
AXLE
• Fixed Metal Axle—Most basic yo-yos have a fixed metal axle—a single metal bar that connects the two discs.
• Fixed Wooden Axle—Wooden axels have a longer spinning (sleep) time than do metal axles, but they are slightly weaker. You can also have a hybrid model, which has a wooden sleeve over a metal axle.
• Transaxle—A transaxle (often made of brass) is an independently spinning sleeve over the axle. The transaxle reduces friction and thus increases sleep time and also allows you to separate the two discs to untangle the string. Transaxles are, however, generally more difficult to use for looping tricks than are fixed axles.
• Ball Bearing—Like the basic transaxle, ball bearing axles have independently spinning parts. The reduced friction allows for high-speed spins and longer tricks, so most competitors use these models.
Duncan, the leading yo-yo manufacturer, suggests that serious yo-yoers, like golfers, need different types of yo-yos for different purposes. The beginning yo-yoer, on the other hand, will be just fine with a basic design. The Yomega Brain yo-yo is also popular because it essentially comes back up automatically, so it’s very hard to fail.
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