CompanyYo-yo BrandEst. 2001–2024
Dif-e-Yo
Dif-e-Yo was founded in 2001 by Frank P. Difeo (March 7, 1952 – March 3, 2024) of Bradford, Massachusetts. A precision machinist by trade, Frank trained at Haverhill Trade School and spent eighteen years as a tool maker at Lucent Technologies before retiring early to pursue yo-yo manufacturing full-time through his home shop, Difeo Machine.
Frank’s defining contribution to the hobby was the patented KonKave (KK) bearing — a concave-profiled ball bearing that automatically centers the string in the gap, reducing friction and enabling longer, more stable spin. Introduced in prototype form with the Daizzy-Yo (2002), refined, patented, and licensed widely, the KonKave bearing became one of the most influential yo-yo components in history and continues to be sold by multiple distributors today.
Unlike most manufacturers, Frank used a milling machine rather than a lathe — allowing him to cut complex internal hub geometries, multi-stepped profiles, and distinctive weight ring channels impossible on conventional turning equipment. Nearly every Dif-e-Yo model featured removable rubber weight rings, giving players direct control over mass distribution and feel.
Dif-e-Yo’s sponsored player Dave “Dazzling Dave” Schulte set the AYYA Eli Hop world record of 120 hops at the 2005 World Yo-Yo Championships using a Bare Bones, and received two signature models: the Bare Bones and InTernal Turmoil. Frank passed away unexpectedly on March 3, 2024 at Massachusetts General Hospital, age 71. In May 2024, Beyond YoYos released tribute versions of the Bare Bones and a new Bimetal Cross Bones as a memorial collaboration.
