The honest answer: this is a personal preference. But we are happy to advise which yo-yo we think are best for each yo-yo player.

The best yo-yo for beginners

The best yo-yos for beginners are plastic yo-yos with a long ball bearing spin time. Ideally, these yo-yos also have an extra (unresponsive) ball bearing, with which many more yo-yo tricks can be learned. The best yo-yos for beginners are the YoyoFactory Arrow and MagicYoyo K2 .

The best yo-yo for children up to 8 years old

It is usually still very difficult for young children to yo-yo. The YoyoFactory Spinstar is the best yo-yo in particular because of the plastic transaxle system . Because of this system, the yo-yo has more friction, making it easier to return the yo-yo to the hand.

Frankly, for a young child, any yo-yo from the local toy store will suffice. You can yo-yo with this. If the aspiring yo-yo player still wants to do real tricks, we recommend the YoyoFactory Spinstar because this yo-yo remains hanging at the bottom of the rope after a throw . This so-called 'sleeping' of the yo-yo, at the bottom of the rope, is a characteristic of modern yo-yos. There is a good chance that the cheap yo-yo from the store (a so-called 'fixed axle' or 'auto return' yo-yo) cannot do this.

Another reason why the Spinstar is suitable for young children; it is easy to roll up again . Young children sometimes have trouble with this. But because the Spinstar has such good friction, the extra finger that is often needed is not necessary.

The Spinstar is also available with lights. This is great fun for young children. This yo-yo with lights turns on automatically when the yo-yo is thrown, and stops again when the yo-yo is back in hand.

The best yo-yo for children from 8 years old

For children from 8 years old, we recommend a sturdy budget yo-yo, but with a ball bearing for longer spin times. The best yo-yos for children over 8 years old are the Yoyofactory One or the Magicyoyo K1 . These yo-yos are very suitable for modern yo-yo tricks.

These yo-yos not only have a good ball bearing but also have a much better weight distribution than the average yo-yo in the toy store, and this gives these modern yo-yos more stability and rotation time. Because the yo-yos have a good spin time and stay asleep at the bottom of the rope, they can do many fun modern tricks. The yo-yos can withstand bumps and falls. Both yo-yos come with extra string(s) and manual (in English).

The best advanced yo-yo

Advanced yo-yos are characterized by being 'unresponsive'. The best plastic advanced yo-yos are the Luftverk Fulvia and YoyoFactory Replay Pro . The best metal advanced yo-yo is the Shutter , a very popular yo-yo from Gentry Stein. Practically every other (bi-) metal yo-yo is also good.

If you would like to try the highest segment (bi-metal) yo-yo, then the Magicyoyo Z01 Focus and Magicyoyo Z02 Chosen are the best budget bi-metal yo-yos currently available in this segment.