What SpinTop Should I Get?

Saw what Mr. PatCondon was doin in his Kentoopa Vid and I got inspired to start spin topping. What Spintop should I get? Remember, YoYoJam Spintops only! lol any brand, just looking for a good top to start out with. Thanks

Bearing King with cleaned bearings.

However, I’ve been using my Strummol8 Sophia.

I’ll take my spin Tops with me to BAC now too. They are a big challenge. I can’t do much yet, but I am trying. I just don’t have the time to really dig deep into them. I will spin top!

I have a Bearing King set up fixed and another as a bearing tip. The Sophia is bearing. I have a Trompo Grande and Trompo Bearing, which are the same thing but one is fixed tip and the other is bearing tip. Lastly, I have a Gladiator, which is very small.

So, now I’m gonna go tape my Bearing King tops. That’s OK, it gives me something else to do Thursday.

Bearing Kings are a real good choice to get into it cheap and easily. Not too much commitment required. The tips break real easy (or at least mine have; others have said they were fine, and cited examples regarding such), so be careful about that, and the stock string is usually too short, if I recall correctly. Also, tape the crown and the body together with electrical tape, or else when you drop it horizontally, it’ll pop off and damage the insides. For improved play, Neff recommends drilling an inch diameter hole into the top of the crown to reduce weight and improve spin, but it’s not completely necessary to enjoy the top. One or twelve Bearing Kings is a sure way to have fun.

I’m currently using a Spintastics Trompo bearing, and I’d recommend it as another good, though more expensive, option. It’s bigger and has a better weight distribution. If you get the bearing version, you can play it like that, and you can tighten down the nut inside to convert it to a fixed tip. The tip shape isn’t the best, but it’s certainly better than the Bearing King one in build quality. While you can get Spintastics tops from here, I bought mine from the Spintastics website, because I could get uncut string in bulk, as well as a whole slew of spare parts that YYE doesn’t offer yet. Certainly another option to consider.

I’m short too so the string shouldn’t be a problem.

It’s not related to height more than it’s to how the top flips over when thrown, as well as general spin quality.

Whats the vid?

Correct - please note; spin top string length has nothing to do with the player’s size. Just like yo-yoing, new players seem to prefer long string, but it gets you into bad habits. For bearing play long string won’t get in the way as much but when you finally graduate to fixed tip the longer the string the greater the hassle.

I got the Bearing King in the mail today, but I forgot to tape it and it fell on its side and chipped one of the “locks” that keep the top from opening, so now it slides open on every throw, would André replace it or do I have to live with this?

Seeing that you dropped it, and it wasn’t a manufacturing error, I’d say that was your mistake. Tape should hold it together okay enough.

Tape will keep it together just fine, but I say call Duncan. The more breakages they hear of the more likely a re-design will come about. The world needs a more durable entry-level-price spin top…

My cousin received his today (I bought 2 with my order, one for me an one for my cousin, but he barley came back from his camping trip.) and he called and told me that the lid of his spin top cracked on the first throw.

That makes me sad. Contact Duncan and tell them they are making Chris Neff sad.