Imperial Yo-Yo

Perfect. Exactly the same as I had as a kid 55+ years ago.

Some childhood favorites just don't live up to our memories of them, but thankfully, the Duncan yo-yo isn't one of them. We bought two yo-yos, one for each of our two kids (ages 11 and 8), but all of us in the family have been having a great time playing and learning new tricks. Cheap yo-yos are just frustrating. They don't snap back crisply, and they don't lend themselves to tricks. The classic Duncan size and shape is just right for smaller hands, and even newbies can successfully grasp the basics quickly. Within a day, our daughters were able to do the basic yo-yo throw and were well on their ways to getting their yo-yos to sleep. Worth every penny.

Duncan is the only brand of YoYo I like.

So, my yoyo experience level is intermediate I would say, and I have had quite a few yoyos in my life. I have a $20 dollar yoyo that I absolutely love, but as a collector I can never have enough. So when I saw this Imperial for $3 shipped to my door, I threw all worries and bad reviews to the wind. I thought- could this yoyo really be THAT much worse than the one I had as a kid?Well the truth is-I don't remember haha. But for 3 bucks, what are we really complaining about here?? It was probably exactly that much "back in the day" so the fact that these are made in China now is not surprising. Costs rise. You want a better yoyo, then pay the $10+ and get a nicer one. This one though, in my opinion is just fine and has quickly become one of my favorites!Out of the box, it DID feel kind of jenky. But after about 20 throws it was pretty broken in and now feels as smooth as butter.Quality is so so, but again, figure in the cheapness. Mine had 2 pretty nasty plastic burrs on the side that I chipped off with my nail (as shown in the pic). Also, the gold screenprinting on the front is basically all worn off on mine in less than 24 hrs. I do however, have it in my hand constantly, plus I run hot, and generally kind of oily. It's extremely therapeutic for me though, and keeps me off my phone :)In short, it was 3 bucks, I enjoyed receiving a mystery color, and I favor this over some of my pricier yoyos. What more can I say?Edit 1 week later- I can longer recommend this yoyo. I was going to grab another one because it was so cheap and hope for a new color, but they're $10 now! I would recommend something better at that price point. $3, sure. Definitely not for $10.My yoyo is also completely blue now btw, with only shadowy reminents of once was screenprinted.

I bought this for a little boy that his parents couldn't afford. He was the only boy at church that didn't have one to play with. I gave it to him and the smile that came across his face was good for me

The line that comes with it is twisted. the Yo-Yo spins wildly. Cannot do even simple maneuvers. I will have to pick up some good line.

Not sure how this is highly rated. String is far too loose. You can hardly wind it up and it does not work as a yo-yo. Maybe as a light weight paperweight.

Lots of fun teaching my Granddaughter how to use a yoyo. It has a nice finish to it. Does what it's supposed to do and is a nice option at a good price for a beginner. Bought another myself :)