my yoyo became responisve

not sure if this should be in maintenance or recommendation formum - but here goes:

so i got a yyf protostar when i bought a couple of looping 1080s. Since i have a lovely Shu-Ta for my 1A stuff, i decided to put a counter weight on the protostar - i was pretty impressed with how well it worked.

skip forward a couple practice sessions - BAM crash! I missed and the yoyo fell to the ground. Now it is fairly responsive. I tried lubing it, but not change. The bearing barely spins - certainly not nice and free as on my Shu-Ta.

Do i just replace the bearing with another center-trac - or might something else be the issue? Also, those spaces that fit in the bearing are REALLY tight - what is the best way to separate them (i used a small flat-head screwdriver)?

related questions - is there some type of rubber bumper you can put on these so impacts are not as devastating to yoyo or the house? Is there a particularly durable/cheap yoyo that is good for learning the 5A basics and can survive rough and tumble learning phase when I am dropping quite often?

Thanks for the thoughts.

Check the axle to see if you bent it. Take it out and roll it on a flat surface. If it wobbles or doesn’t roll smoothly replace it. You can probably find a set screw that fits at the hardware store. If not buy a regular screw and cut the head off at the proper length. Smooth the cut end with a fine file or a sharpening stone.

If that doesn’t do it try replacing the bearing. Hobby shops that sell RC cars etc usually have a good selection. Also check that the bearing seat isn’t damaged. If that’s the case you may be able to fix it with a fine file but that is iffy.

BTW - lube does not make it spin better. Try cleaning the bearing and lightly lubing it.That may be your first task.

Thanks. I will try those things, I think the axle is fine and I lightly used thin Lube.