Customer Reviews

Yo-Yo Imperial(Colors May Vary)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

My daughter (16) received a low quality Yo-Yo as a gift and started to do fairly well with it. It was clear from the start that Yo-Yo was not so well balanced and was not one that she would be able to to use to do a lot of tricks. She bought two Duncan Yo-Yo's, this one, the Imperial, and the butterfly yo yo.

This Yo-Yo made a big difference from the cheaper one she had right away. Even my wife and I were able to do basic tricks with the Duncan Yo-Yos and my daughter is able to do some fairly cool things with it.

This is a great low tech toy (no batteries required) that can still entertain kids. It has "passed the test of time".

Highly Recommended!

It has been years since I owned our used a Duncan Imperial yoyo. I was wondering through the local Wally World store the other day and spotted them hanging there on a rack in all their glory. On a whim I bought three of them. They were only three dollars each and I figured why not.

Over the past week or so I have been giving them quite a workout, driving both my wife and dogs crazy; which truth be told is sort of half the fun of it.

Now I have several yoyos stashed around the house that I play with, some good, some better and some great. The intent of this review though is not to compare these yoyos as the prices of the ones I already own is significant.

I found these Imperials to be just fine and dandy and they did the job they were suppose to do, which in reality is to provide an inexpensive pleasurable pastime for kids and big people, and to provide the initial yoyo exposure to see if the young ones actually take to the things before you lay out big bucks for a nicer one.

I found that these yoyos performed all of the basic tricks quite well. Gravity pull, the throw down, the sleeper, the forward pass, walking the dog, around the world and around the corner; all were a piece of cake. I found that the sleep time to be adequate for all of these tricks. Using all three of the yoyos; testing each I found the sleep time ranged from 10 seconds to a little under 15 seconds. It must be remembered that the string needs to be unwound quite often, (The sleeping beauty or flying saucer is great for this as it does the job with the benefit of actually looking like a trick).

Now keep in mind that while more advanced trick can be performed; tricks such as the dog bite, jump he dog thought the hoop, the monkey climb the tree, and the bank deposit, they are never-the-less more difficult unless you are quite experienced. Always keep in mind that any trick is 99 percent user skill and 1 percent yoyo. It is just easier to perform the trick with the higher tech yoyos. Really though, it is all a matter of practice no matter what the yoyo type may be.

Also keep in mind that this is a very, very inexpensive model and in no way should you expect it to even come close to performing like a high end Kuhn, or one of the high end Duncans. In this area you sort of get what you pay for. Spending three or four dollars on one of these things is quite different than dropping one hundred or more...it would be quite unfair to compare these different yoyos.

This yoyo does have a narrow string gap and a fixed steep axel. It is made of plastic and I have given it some pretty good bashes without it breaking. The design is classic. I might suggest that you pick this one up for the beginner and pick up one of the low end butterfly models at the same time. Hey, we are not talking a lot of money here.

I you find your kids like these wonderful things, then you might want to give the Duncan Bumblebee or Yomega Raider a try. For the beginner I think I would stay way from the metal model until they get use to handling their yoyo as the metal ones; the high tech models with bearings and such spin at about 100 miles per hour and can bruise little hands quite easy. I know for a fact that they can bruise and hurt old hands...trust me.

And don't forget to buy plenty of extra strings! Stings bread and just a couple of hours of intense practice can sometimes do them in.

Anyway, this is a neat and very inexpensive toy and a great thing to fool around with and a great yoyo to get a kid started.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

My little sister can't stop messing with this! She loves it! It's way easier than my Butterfly yoyo, so its perfect for beginners. It is a really pretty violet purple color and the string is a little long, so she can fit it to her size.

Could not be more pleased. I purchased this as an alternative for my 10 year old son's computer games. He has really enjoyed it, and his other friends are rediscovering the fun of the yoyo also. It's been a hit and we have now bought more. Great hobby.

I'm an 80 year old kid, and my 55 and over community is having a yo-yo contest on the 4th of July, so I ordered a Duncan Yo-yo, as when I was a true kid, they made the best yo-yo's.

I made the mistake of ordering the least expensive, and am sorry I did so, as it's a terrible reflection on the name of Duncan. As with most things today, it is made in China, and they can't tell a lop-sided yo-yo if it stares them in the face. Walking the dog, the most basic of all the tricks, is impossible, as one side is larger in spots than the other. Likewise, the other side is larger than it's counterpart in spots, making for an impossible situation. I wouldn't recommend this item for any use, let alone trying to learn how to use a yo-yo.

Obviously, I can't say it's much fun to use, but it is probably pretty durable, as it's all plastic. As an educational toy, if it worked properly, it would rate very highly, but as it doesn't work the way it should, it would be very hard for a child to learn to use, therefore, it isn't a good educational item.

I bought several of these for a family reunion. Young and old enjoyed them and even had a spontaneous yo-yo contest.

A while ago at a garage sale, I got a Duncan Neo (the equivalent of a Duncan Imperial, just in solid and brighter colors) and was immediately pleased with it. So far, it has not broken and has only gotten a couple of scratches when I've hit it on the floor. It's made of nice, durable plastic, and the string meets expectations. I've been able to do a lot of tick on it. This is one of those yo-yo's that is exceptionally good in all areas (Durability, "Trickability", etc.) I've gotten it to sleep for roughly 7 seconds, but I haven't played around with sleeping that much.

Overall, this is a good, strong, sturdy toy, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good time.

My daughter (16) received a low quality Yo-Yo as a gift and started to do fairly well with it. It was clear from the start that Yo-Yo was not so well balanced and was not one that she would be able to to use to do a lot of tricks. She bought two Duncan Yo-Yo's, this one, the Imperial, and the butterfly yo yo.

This Yo-Yo made a big difference from the cheaper one she had right away. Even my wife and I were able to do basic tricks with the Duncan Yo-Yos and my daughter is able to do some fairly cool things with it.

This is a great low tech toy (no batteries required) that can still entertain kids. It has "passed the test of time".

Highly Recommended!

I always wanted a real Duncan Imperial yo-yo. Well, I ordered, and the only thing that I can say that disappoints me is that I could not select the color. I do not think I had a particular color in mind, but I know is was not a pink-purple hybrid. Anyway, great yo-yo to get to remembering some of the old tricks.

Duncan Yo Yo - still a great toy.

Right now, Walmart/Walgrens has these for $3.00 - $3.49. I almost always buy on Amazon, but happened acrosss a Duncan Butterfly in Walmart for $3.00 and noticed they'd had an entire rack of them. On the way back from Christmas, stoped at Walgrens [usually HIGH prices] and found an Imperial for $3.48. Plan to check another Wally world tonight.

Again, great toy. My daughter is hooked. :)