Top Yo-Yo Brands for Beginners: Discover Your Spin

Embarking on the journey of yoyoing can be both exciting and daunting, especially for beginners looking to choose the right equipment. The market for yoyos is vast, offering a variety of options tailored to different skill levels and playing styles. Among the myriad of choices, some brands stand out for their quality, performance, and beginner-friendly designs. For those eager to kickstart their yoyoing adventure while ensuring a smooth learning curve, we invite you to explore the best brands for beginners featured below.

Illustration of yoyo for beginners

Best brands of yoyo for beginners in 2025

Duncan

Duncan, founded in 1929, is a top yo-yo producer, with their Imperial model being a classic beginner choice featuring a narrow string gap and durable plastic body, while the Butterfly XT is also recommended for its versatility and ease for learning basic string tricks; they have been putting smiles on the faces of customers for over 90 years. In 1962, Duncan sold 18 million yo-yos, and though the precise market share is difficult to pinpoint, they are a significant player in the industry, consistently innovating designs for all skill levels. You can find Duncan beginner yo-yos on their website.

Yomega

Yomega, established in 1983, is a leading brand renowned for its innovative yoyo designs, with the "Brain" model being particularly popular for beginners due to its auto-return feature, ensuring a positive first experience. This makes it the best-selling and longest-spinning automatically returning yoyo, helping new players easily learn basic tricks like "Walk the Dog". They also offer various models for all skill levels, and continue to inspire the next generation of players by offering products to make learning easy and fun. You can explore their products on their official website.

YoYoFactory

YoYoFactory, established in 2004 by world champion yoyo players, is a leading manufacturer, producing a wide array of yoyos, with the "One" model specifically designed as a complete set for beginners, featuring a responsive bearing for easy learning, and an additional unresponsive bearing for advanced play, with a 52.72mm diameter and 38mm width. A popular choice amongst beginners is the "Spinstar," which is also a responsive yoyo, ideal for learning basic tricks and often sold as a set with an unresponsive yoyo for progression. The company's products are used by amateurs and professionals, with some achieving Guinness World Records. The brand's focus is on making yoyos that are easy to learn, offering a global reach with products available in multiple countries. For more information, visit the YoYoFactory website.

Magic YoYo

Magic YoYo is a popular brand, with models like the K2 Crystal and V3, often cited as excellent choices for beginners due to their responsive design and ease of use, as well as their ability to transition to unresponsive play with a bearing swap, making them a great value and a popular choice for those starting to learn with an estimated 50% of beginners starting with this brand. This offers a smooth learning experience, with many models priced under $20. You can find their Magic YoYo products on Amazon.

YoYoJam

YoYoJam, a brand known for producing high-quality yoyos, was a popular choice for beginners and advanced players alike, with models like the Classic designed specifically for newcomers, and they manufactured all of their yoyos in the USA, ensuring quality and performance, with dozens of signature series yoyos created by players. While the company closed in 2015, their yoyos remain a popular option for learning the basics and progressing to more complex tricks, as many yoyo players found their models excellent for development from beginner to expert. Additionally, their thick lube was also a popular product for beginners. You can explore some of their remaining products at various retailers, such as YoYoGuy.

SpinStar

SpinStar, by YoYoFactory, is widely considered a top choice for beginner yoyos due to its durable polycarbonate construction, easy-to-learn design, and low-maintenance transaxle system, making it perfect for mastering basic tricks like "Walk the Dog" and advanced ones like "Trapeze." With its V-shape and low edge contributing to longer spin times and better string catch, SpinStar offers an excellent value with prices starting at just $5.99. You can explore more about the SpinStar on their website.

Recess YoYos

Recess YoYo, founded by World Champion Tyler Severance, has quickly become a favorite brand for beginners, with their First Base model being a highly recommended yoyo due to its ability to switch from responsive to unresponsive play by changing the bearings, allowing beginners to learn fundamentals and then progress to more advanced tricks, making it a great value and a popular choice. The Recess First Base is often praised for its comfortable shape, stability, and performance for both responsive and unresponsive play styles, making it a versatile option for new and experienced players alike. Many reviewers call it a "must have" for anyone's collection. Additionally, Recess actively promotes yo-yos through classes and workshops.

MONKEYFINGER Design

MonkeyfingeR Design, established in Canada in 2010, is a highly-regarded producer of skill toys, including yo-yos, known for their innovative designs and custom anodizing, with a focus on creating fun and interesting products for everyone from beginners to advanced players. While some models are designed for competition, others, like the Lesula, offer surprising responsiveness and are great for learning, making them a strong contender for those starting their yo-yo journey. All their products are designed, assembled, packaged, and anodized in-house. You can explore their products on their website.

C3yoyodesign

C3yoyodesign, established in 2009 as Hong Kong's first high-end yoyo manufacturer, is a world-class brand known for producing high-quality yoyos, with models like the Arise and Speedaholic specifically designed for beginners, boasting features like easy pull-back responsiveness and the option to switch to an unresponsive bind with a size C bearing, making them ideal for progressing from basic to advanced tricks. The C3yoyodesign Arise, weighing 55.3 grams with a 58.8 mm diameter, is their first entry level model, and allows for a conversion from a plastic spool to a Size C bearing system. C3's commitment to both beginners and professional players makes them a great choice for anyone interested in the world of yoyoing.

Topyo

TopYo is a great brand for beginners, with the *Creater* model being a highly recommended entry-level metal yoyo, often praised for its dual bearing system that supports both responsive and unresponsive play, allowing progression from beginner to intermediate with a single yoyo, and costing around $14 which makes it accessible. Meanwhile, the T.R.Y model is a competition-level yoyo designed for more advanced play, demonstrating the brand's broad appeal, with some users finding the brand's quality to be on par with those priced at $150. You can find a variety of their products at yoyobestbuy.com.