Many thanks for all the replies and help.
I’ve picked up a N12 and a Purple Line recently as well and I’m really digging them a lot. I agree with the K8. Mine showed up OK and I cleaned the bearing and lubed it out when I got it (it looked like it had been sitting around awhile) and its just OK.
I’m glad to know they’re a decent company who is doing good things. I’ve really liked 5 out of 7 Yo-Yos that I’ve purchased from them, and the other 2 were fine.
I’m coming from an experience in playing, building and modding guitars, so for me, if I get a cheap yo-yo and have to pull it apart, clean it, set it up a certain way or change something to take it from kinda crummy to pretty good, I don’t find it to be a bother. I like to experiment with things like that. I’ve been approaching yo-yos the way I approach guitars. I want a bunch of them for different reasons. I don’t play blues on a metal guitar and I don’t play metal on blues guitars. I feel like Yo-yo’s are the same way. If I’m having trouble catching a trick or mount, I won’t practice on a small gap throw. If I’m having trouble hitting the yo-yo off of strings I don’t want it to hit, I’ll grab something smaller. I also have little kids who think yo-yo is just awesome, and I want enough to share.
I’m hoping around Christmas time, I’ll feel like I’m good enough to warrant spending $50-$75 on a pro level throw. That’s not to say that I don’t think the MagicYoyos are awesome and fun, because I do and I like that they’re inexpensive enough for me to throw around downtown and not worry about what happens to them because they cost about what a decent lunch would cost.