Oh yes, these fetch a pretty penny on Ebay in good condition. The closest current offering is the fixed-axle Duncan Wheel, but an even more fun version is the Bandai HyperFreehand or the soon-to-be released Duncan Freehand Zero, both of which have ball bearing transaxles. The progenitor of both of these is the original Duncan Freehand (FH1), the mold of which broke a couple of years ago. These now fetch US $50 and up on Ebay. The current Duncan Freehand (sometimes referred to as the FH2) is a great yo-yo, but is a descendant of the ProYo line of yo-yos produced by Don Duncan Jr.'s Playmaxx company and is a different shape from the classic Wheel design.
I can understand banning yo-yo play in crowded situations and in public buildings where people are not expecting a yo-yo to be flying around. However, the situation with the teacher simply sounds like an unfortunate accident. Did the string break? If not, why was the teacher so close to the performer? The student was "showing off" in a sanctioned forum, "show and tell". Common sense would dictate that a respectable distance must be maintained when a person is demonstrating yo-yo moves and tricks.
Professionals won't use these. Only folks with more money than they know what to do with or die-hard metal yo-yo collectors will buy them. But that may be enough. Professionals use more reasonably-priced yo-yos like the late model hardcore series from Duncan (ThrowMonkey, Flying Panda) or YoYoJam's Hitman or Night Moves. There are some really cool, playable yo-yos out there now in the $15-$20 price range (Duncan Freehand, YoYoJam Lyn Fury, Spintastics Maelstrom).
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Oh yes, these fetch a pretty penny on Ebay in good condition. The closest current offering is the fixed-axle Duncan Wheel, but an even more fun version is the Bandai HyperFreehand or the soon-to-be released Duncan Freehand Zero, both of which have ball bearing transaxles. The progenitor of both of these is the original Duncan Freehand (FH1), the mold of which broke a couple of years ago. These now fetch US $50 and up on Ebay. The current Duncan Freehand (sometimes referred to as the FH2) is a great yo-yo, but is a descendant of the ProYo line of yo-yos produced by Don Duncan Jr.'s Playmaxx company and is a different shape from the classic Wheel design.
I can understand banning yo-yo play in crowded situations and in public buildings where people are not expecting a yo-yo to be flying around. However, the situation with the teacher simply sounds like an unfortunate accident. Did the string break? If not, why was the teacher so close to the performer? The student was "showing off" in a sanctioned forum, "show and tell". Common sense would dictate that a respectable distance must be maintained when a person is demonstrating yo-yo moves and tricks.
Professionals won't use these. Only folks with more money than they know what to do with or die-hard metal yo-yo collectors will buy them. But that may be enough. Professionals use more reasonably-priced yo-yos like the late model hardcore series from Duncan (ThrowMonkey, Flying Panda) or YoYoJam's Hitman or Night Moves. There are some really cool, playable yo-yos out there now in the $15-$20 price range (Duncan Freehand, YoYoJam Lyn Fury, Spintastics Maelstrom).