Velocity Yo Yo from The Yo Yo Factory: Toy Review

Reruns of the Smother Brothers show entertained me many nights growing up. To many people, Tommy Smothers is a comic genius, outspoken liberal, and variety show host. But to me, Tommy Smothers was something more; he was also The Yo-Yo Man. He was the first person that I ever saw do crazy tricks with a yo-yo, and I wanted to learn how. I practiced and practiced, but like a lot of kids and toys, I grew impatient and moved on to something else. The yo-yo was put on the shelf and only played with when boredom set in.

Many years later, my 8-year-old son put down his money on a counter and purchased a yo-yo. It was a pretty cheap yo-yo and it soon broke after too many bounces on the floor. He was much more determined to master the yo-yo, and so he bought another one. This one too met its demise. Yo-yo after yo-yo made its way through my home and most of their lives have been relatively short.

Enter the Velocity Yo-Yo from the Yo-Yo Factory. The products at the Yo-Yo Factory are durable and this particular yo-yo is great for kids who are learning. There are dials on the side that can either be set at pro to allow its owner to perform great tricks, or it can be set on an easy setting and so the child can learn how to catch and release. Maybe if I had this yo-yo as a kid, I could’ve been the next Yo-Yo Man.

The Yo-Yo Factory products would make a great addition to any Easter basket or a great stocking stuffer when Christmas or Hanukkah rolls around at the end of the year.

Pros: The yo-yo is durable, easy to use, and comes with a clip and wrap to hang from a belt or bag.

Cons: Like other yo-yos, if you have children with short attention spans, they might lose interest.

Scale of 1 to 10: 7

To learn more about the Yo-Yo Factory, go to www.yoyofactory.com.

You can also follow them on Twitter @yoyofactory