What makes a yo-yo "built for competition"?

You gave your personal definition of what a competition was just below that.

If you didn’t intend for people to read that as “all competition ready yoyos were/are Signature yoyos” then you worded your response poorly. The fault for you poorly expressing yourself does not fall on Myk_Myk, I’d say his take away and response to your original post was perfectly reasonable and there was no need for your condescension.

In regards to the OP, when I see a yoyo described as “built for competition” it usually tells me a few general things to expect. The yoyo is most likely a V, H or W-shap (or some hybrid of them), will have low walls and an at least slightly larger gap width. The yoyo will likely be full sized (~55-57mm diameter 42-44mm width) and likely won’t have any crazy design features (e.g. the X Steamroller and Stampede or the YYF Turntable), usually opting for a sleek design. The term usually applies to yoyos designed for 1a use (which is often transferable to 3a and 5a). It will also use a C Bearing (though most yoyos do now), be rather rim-weighted and it is unlikely to have an IGR.

None of those are rock hard rules or anything, a yoyo can be “built for competition” and meet barely any of those criteria. Those are just general characteristics that I associate with modern competition oriented yoyos. In the end, it is just a marketing tool, meant to attract buyers looking for a certain type of yoyo (or just an insight into the original goal of the designer). I wouldn’t put a huge amount of stock into it, it is more useful to examine the yoyo itself and what people say about it if you want an idea of how it plays.

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