How not to break your Yoyo

So you have bought a yoyo! Congratulations! This is no ordinary toy. Think of his yoyo as professional sports equipment.  Please read the following carefully if you want to get the most fun out of your new skilltoy.

Take care where you play

Play only over soft surfaces such as carpet, grass, etc. Hitting a hard surface will damage your yoyo. Concrete and tar is the worst and will leave your yoyo all dinged up and possibly bend it beyond repair. Wooden floors will not scratch the yoyo so much, but a hard knock can bend the inside of the yoyo and make it permanently unstable. If you are going to put your yoyo in a backpack or bag, put it in a sock or pouch to protect it from scratches (and to stop the string tangling up with everything).

Very Important – Don’t over-tighten!

• Only unscrew the yoyo if you absolutely have to.
• Use a toothpick or your fingers to unpick knots inside the yoyo.
• The axle thread can strip if it is not tightened correctly, if it is unscrewed too many times, or if it is over tightened.
• Be very careful when you screw back together. Align the two halves exactly. Hold the yoyo between your thumb and middle finger. Place your fingertips exactly in the middle of the yoyo on the axis. Do not apply any pressure; just hold it in place lightly. Use your other hand to tighten one half of the yoyo. Never force it, stop tightening when it feels nice and snug.
• We do not take responsibility for stripped axles or damage caused to the yoyo. Nor for any damage or injury caused by a yoyo. Please take care when playing around people, pets or any breakable objects.

Try to unscrew your yoyo less

It’s easy to drop one yoyo half while you are trying to take out a knot. In some yoyos the inner parts are loose and can get lost if it is unscrewed. Dirt can get into the bearing or the axle can strip.

To put a string on the yoyo, untwist and open up the bottom end of the string and slide the loop over one half of the yoyo. If the string knots inside the yoyo from playing, try to untangle it with a toothpick first. Most knots can be unpicked without unscrewing the yoyo. Try to figure it out and only unscrew the yoyo if absolutely necessary.

Bearing

All bearings come standard with the proper amount of lubrication, so there is no need to lubricate the bearing. It will cause the yoyo to become responsive. Do not let your bearing get wet, it can rust. Bearings become dirty from time to time. You will notice this if the yoyo becomes responsive and/or if the bearing starts to make a loud noise or does not spin. Learn how to clean a bearing here.