Just started looping about a month ago, and this was the first quality yo-yo I've bought. It's got great speed and is amazingly forgiving when looping. If you don't throw the loop straight (which you will when learning loops) and the off-axis spin starts the string flailing wildly, it almost always recovers and returns cleanly. I wouldn't consider this a string trick yo-yo as the tight, friction sticker response won't let it sleep well when doubled back onto the string. This yo-yo has radically improved my looping, though.