Hello everyone

[tvellalott]

So, I'm getting back in to yo'ing (is that the correct term? )

My main hobby (apart from gaming) is sleight of hand and I've been doing that quite a while.
However, I was walking through a $2 shop and decided to buy a cheap yoyo, just to muck around with.
I have a tendency to obsess about things when I start getting into hobbies and this is no different. The cheap yoyo was awful, didn't work and was thrown in the bin after about ten minutes. However, my desire to throw down was sparked and I couldn't resist beginning my google-fu in search of good quality yoyos...

But I had no idea how far down the rabbit hole went.
Impulsively, I went with what I knew... I only remember two brands from my long-past ventures in to yoing... Moose (http://www.mooseworld.com.au/our-brands/traditionals-home/view-products/yo-yo/ here is what I remember... these were THE yoyo when I was young, maybe 15 years ago... Fixed axle, solid plasic? I'm new to this stuff, but like I said, I obsessively learn about things I'm interested in) and Yomega, particularly the Brain, which was like the super deluxe yoyo, which I never had.
Since the Yoyo stores I googled up didn't sell Moose, I naturally went with Yomega and before I knew it, had ordered a Raider and a Maverick on eBay. Now I know that the Maverick has strongly mixed reviews, but I didn't really see the negative ones until after I'd already ordered it. I'm happy to stick with my choice and if need be, get a better string-trick yoyo later (or sooner, depending on how much I enjoy yoing). I also didn't know about the 'Worlds 07 incident' until after, so save the "YOMEGA IS TEH DEVUL" type posts (or not, ). The Maverick looks cool to me and the Raider seems to be quite well acclaimed for looping type tricks.

Since then, I've read hours and hours of stuff and I'm anxious to get a decent yoyo into my hot little hands and start knocking things off the shelf.

So, I'm here to introduce myself to the community. Hello! I'm tvellalott.

[archieaxe]

Hi

This a place to geek out. If you become obsessed, great. There will always be someone who is more obsessed (Lucky in Florida). As for Yomega (and Alan Amaral) don't worry about it. Most of the people who bring it up weren't around back then anyways, it was just the drama of the year. Have fun, don't worry about dinging your yoyo, and make up some cool tricks.

J

[MattB]

Hey tvellalott - Welcome down the rabbit hole.  If you find the way out, let me know, I have been stuck here for years.  Given your sleight of hand background, I imagine you will have fun with yoyos.  Same kind of skill building patience rewarded type of thing, only it's better if they can see how good you are.

Have fun with it.

[Graiskye]

 The Maverick is an excellent yoyo. The only gripe I had with it was the odd bearing and that isnt really that big of a deal, unless you need to replace the bearing, then you need to get one from Yomega.
That is the only complaint I had with the Maverick, it is a solid beginners yoyo that will take you to unresponsive play. And it is priced right.
 The Moose yoyo is a simple fixed axle looper, never tried one so I cannot say how  good or bad they are. Looks pretty standard for a cheap looper.
 Raiders are great yoyos for looping, beginners will need to get some THICK lube(vaseline or petroleum jelly works well also), this is to get the yoyo to respond well without having to mod the yoyo, just lube the bearing up with thick lube, and you'll have a fine looper.
You should understand the differences in play stye I guess, most of us are into 1a, which means 1 string trick yoyo(a butterfly/H shape usually non response), 2a is two looping yoyos, 3a is two string trick yoyos,  4a is Offstring, and 5a is the 'freehand' style or counterweight style where the string is attached to usually a Dice or other counterweight, and manipulated while throwing the yoyo.
 Examples of all can be found on Youtube, good luck bud and have fun.
Peace.