YoYoing is for geeks who can't juggle. Well, that's my excuse because I really can't juggle and yoyoing requires some amount of skillz and is also fun. I got into yoyoing when my 5th grade teacher, Mr. Jaeger, sold Pro-Yos (which are still sold and are great for looping). After being away from it for a long time, I've recently gotten back into yoyoing only to find that modern yoyoing is a whole new world: there is unresponsive play, hubstacks/t-stacks, and top-tips. So after buying over 15 new yo-yos, I'd like to focus on a favorite brand of mine: YoYoJam, and here specifically their "Lyn Fury." YoYoJam isn't as big as brands you may have heard of like Yomega or Duncan, but I think they offer a lot more choice and playability.
My favorite YoYoJam's are any of them with the dual o-ring response system. This, IMO, is the most versatile response system available without having to modify the yo. The o-rings can be replaced with those of a different material, the rings can also be sliced in half (flush with the sides), or you can even pour flowable silicone into the groove where the o-ring normally sits. I really like the large size YYJ bearing, it's easy to clean but not to lose. Also the gap on most YYJs is easily adjusted by adding spacers between the bearing and the sides of the yo.
The Lyn Fury is a great double o-ring YYJ yoyo for under $20. It's small, so it fits in your pocket. Best of all it can easily be used by a first-timer or expert enjoyably.
Throwing it as a beginner (tug-responsive): use it bone stock, straight out of the box. The Lyn Fury is great because it becomes immediately apparent if your throw is not straight. This may have to do with how wide it is compared to it's diameter. Regardless, it will teach you to throw STRAIGHT. Stock this thing should be able to do every beginner trick (minus looping tricks) up to advanced tricks like grinds.
Throwing it at an advanced level (unresponsive): the only thing that is required is a cleaned bearing. Remove the shields from the bearing and shake clean in a film canister with some mineral spirits. Lube with your favorite oil for unresponsive play. A pin-tip of 3-in-1 oil or YoYoJam Thin Lube are my favorites. This will make the bearing so fast that the string will become "unresponsive." You'll have to perform a bind to make it come back up.
Besides being unresponsive, it will sleep longer with a good, straight throw. Now you can easily do lacerations, whips, and slack tricks -- which require slack on the string without it coming back. One thing it won't be able to do is a thumb grind which require a special lip at the rim.
To get this thing back to stock, just re-lube the bearing with some YoYoJam Thick Lube. This will slow it down just enough to get the tug response that it came with out of the box.
Even with buying Thin & Thick lube ($5 each), mineral spirits (~$5 @ hardware store), and the yo itself ($15-20), the total should still be under $30. Have fun!
