Response
Response systems are crudely the method used to get the yoyo back to the hand
once its at the bottom of the string.
In the past it was fairly straight forward as people wanted the yoyo to come up with ease. However more recently tricks have been developed which are were made much easier if the yoyo is unresponsive and does not come back after the slightest tug on the string. This introduced the technique of binding. Over the past two years binding has become more and more common and in fact standard for SingleA yoyos in the yoyo community. This was formally recognised when The World Yo-Yo contest allowed binds in the single A category.
Due to players, and in particular the binding method, responses systems have
had to get more and more varied and advanced.
There are 5 main types of response:
1 None: Just the flat surface of the yoyo causes the friction.
2 Automatic: Yo-Yo returns with out the yoyoer really doing anything, a mechanism
causes the Yo-Yo to stop spinning and wind up.
3 Starbursts: Slices on the inside of the Yo-Yo near the axel that help cause
friction on the string.
4 Friction discs /stickers/ pads: Replaceable material that causes more friction
than the side of the yoyo on the string.
5 O-Ring: A ring that is indented into the side of the yoyo that rubs against
the string causing the friction needed to produce a wind.
Other types of recponse:
Hybrid response: Hybrid response is where one half of the yo-yo is equipped
with an o-ring and the other half with a starburst.
Recessed: A Friction discs /stickers/ pads is sunk into the side of the yoyo.
This produces response that is less aggressive than Traditional Friction discs
/stickers/ pads
Each type of response has its ups and downs (now that's humour people!), pros and cons. Each style of Yo-Yoing has its own needs (Single and Double A play need different amounts of response) and therefore there is no one 'best' response system.