Ratings
1. * - no play value at all, souvenir value only
2. ** - some/little play value, or redeeming novelty value
3. *** - average yo. plays ok, but nothing to write home about
4. **** - good yo. plays well, feels good. usually the one to let people borrow
5. ***** - excellent yo. outstanding play and feel. keep this one to yourself!

Duncan
1. ** - Glow Imperial - steel axle. typical duncan
2. ** - Butterfly (transluscent orange) - steel axle, typical duncan
3. ** - Professional (black, with DIY logo) - steel axle. The only thing I like is the removable sides, allowing me to put my own image inside (although I made the mistake of using glue)
4. ** - Professional (transluscent red with cool dude logo) - I like the pretty colors. ;-)
5. ** - Jewel (white, clear jewel) - my first yoyo that I bought in high-school when I actually started yo-ing. same old crappy steel axled duncan style.

Hummingbird
1. *** - Starburst - solid wood axle, all hardwood. good feel, but hosed if it goes flying
2. *** - Trickster - solid wood axle, dyed and laminated hardwood body, otherwise same as starburst (yes, this one *did* go flying once.... *ONCE*!)

Pro-Yo
1. **** - Classic Pro-Yo (transluscent orange/clear and purple/clear) - riveted brass axle shaft with replaceable wood or brass axles.
2. **** - Playmaxx Pro-yo (transluscent red) - same as classic, but with new logo
3. **** - Mr. Pro Yo (transluscent green/clear) - same as classic, but with old logo
4. ***** - VID-e-YO (blue) - GREAT YO! my best player yet. comes with ball bearing, brass transaxle, and brass or wood fixed axles. The best of all worlds! And the highly responsive BPT (Brake Pad Technology) kicks SLAG! (photo includes picture of case it comes in)
5. ***** - Turbo Bumblebee GT - GREAT YO! Designed for string tricks with ball-bearing axle and BPT (Brake Pad Technology). Also, check out the packaging.

Tom Kuhn
1. *** - No-Jive 3-in-1 (natural) - same as junior, but slightly better feel due to standard size.

Yomega
1. *** - YoYo With a Brain (red/purple brain) - teflon transaxle, auto return. the original commercial yoyo with auto return.
2. *** - Gemini Gyro - teflon transaxle. tough to return, but sleeps forever. also changes into a top.
3. *** - Strobe-Yo - Yomega transaxle design, but with LEDs in the rims, one on each side. The LEDs turn on when you touch a contact on either side of the yo, and ramain on as long as you play. They can be turned off by pressing an internal button with a special pin, or allowed to turn off automatically after a few minutes at rest. It plays ok, but it's pretty heavy, and the light aren't as impressive as the one below. With a hefty price tag around $40, it's a hard sell to anyone but a collector.
4. ** - Yo-yo on a keychain - Gimmicky at best. The main problem is that it's so small, it's hard to get a balanced spin on it, and the auto return doesn't help. The auto-return is metal instead of pastic, and one sided, creating an inherent imbalance. Refer to the piture to see how it connects to the keychain.

Other
1. **** - proyo Ripoff - almost identical to the classic Pro-Yo, and with hologram sidewalls too! (pretty colors! ;-)
2. *** - Hyper Russell - fixed wood axle, not a *bad* player, but, eh.
3. ** - Power Clutch YOYO - one of the worst auto-return yoyos I've had the misfortune to purchase. it feels and sounds as if it will fall apart on the next throw. I bought it pretty much ONLY for the holster/clip it came with.

Souvenir
1. *** - Acacia koa - Another yo from Hawaii (family members travel a lot), this one made of the Koa species of Acacia. Other than something turtle-like, I've no idea what the design is, or means. It plays ok, but it would seem the grain of the axle causes it to sleep on one throw, and return immediately on the next. Reasonably well balanced for hand-made, but one side has a wiggle. Pretty cool looking, though.
2. * - "Hawaii" - wood yo with a Hawaiian ceremonial helmet design of some kind. Doesn't really play, since the sctring is embedded in the axle, and will not allow the yo to sleep. Pretty design, though.
3. *** - Taco-Time - Promotional yo-yo, came in kids meals. Not a bad yo-yo, actually. Similar in shape to yomega's yoyo's, and plays well enough for a cheapie.
4. *** - Lasertech Alaska, Bald Eagle - laser engraved wood yo. not bad, but mostly just pretty.
5. * - Washington Park Zoo, Portland Oregon - good as a souvenir only.

Novelty
1. * - "Poof" Yo-yo - a cheap plastic yoyo encased in a foam shape of an explosion... I think... Also says "Poof" on each side. Plays horribly, and even when you get it to work, it has too much resistance and not enough inertia to keep spinning. Nice in a collection, though. ;-)
2. * - light/sounds/auto-return - this one seems nameless, and it should be. the sounds are annoying, and it's got a hair trigger, so that the slightest tap sets it off. For that reason, I have not really played it enough to formulate an opinion on its other qualities. It's a pretty safe bet that it sucks in those categories as well.
3. * - Light Up yoyo - won't sleep, and doesn't even light up well or reliably. stay away from these!
4. **** - Lights and Auto-return - LEDs change patterns as it spins, and the auto return is ok. This one is great to impress the kids. See it in action!
5. * - Yo-Bomb - makes (or should make) exploding sound with each rep. very large and hard to play, doesn't sleep, piece of crap.
6. * - Star Strek - The Next Generation, Enterprise.
7. * - Noise maker - steps through different gun/bomb sounds with each rep. doesn't sleep at all
8. * - Itsy Bitsy YoYo - 'nuff said
9. ** - Turbo Sparkler - looks cool when spinning (strips flare out) but hard to sleep. I'm trying to get an action shot, but timing is hard to get right, since it's hard to sleep, and when it does, it only lasts for a couple seconds (low inertia)
10. ** - E-Yo - calculates RPM, mph, kph, distance (if rolling), time, and reps. it's too heavy and large to play comfortably, though.

Holsters - I still carry my player in my pocket ;-)
1. Yomega - genuine leather, but I don't like the unprotected snap on the inside, which could damage a hardwood yoyo.
2. Tom Kuhn - genuine leather, snap is protected, but the belt loop is pretty much unusable.
3. DIY (Do It Yourself) - genuine leather, of course. this is actually the snuff can caddy from Tandy Leather. ;-) i made this in my novice leathercraft years. I've been tempted to make another leather holster, but am waiting until I find the right design, or come up with my own.
4. Clip holster - came with a cheap yoyo, the clip is too small for my belts, so it won't stay on well, and i worry that the yoyo will come off as well.

LINKS!

1. Lee's Yo-Yo Page
2. Dave's YoYo Talk - bulletin board
3. Ken's World on a String