How did Bad Wolfe Co start?

 - Bad Wolfe Co began in 2018, and I started out making paracord dog toys, leashes and collars. Over time, my shop has evolved into what you see today. You can read a more detailed history of my shop on my home page under "About Us" if you'd like to know more. 

​

What inspired the shop name?

 - Originally, I made dog products and I wanted the name to reflect that. My middle name is Wolfe, so I started under the name "Wolfe Designs." My wife came up with the "Bad Wolfe" idea as a reference to the BBC show Doctor Who, where the phrase "Bad Wolf" is a recurring motif in several seasons of the rebooted show. I liked the idea, and so I designed my logo as a "bada** wolf" with the scar on his eye implying he's survived some fights. Same thing with the different colored eyes: sometimes damage can cause an eye to change color. I called my shop "Bad Wolfe Co" because I think the name flows nicely, and I use "Bad Wolfe Designs" as my email and as the name for my art/design portfolio. 

​

When will my order arrive? 

 - Hopefully soon! 

Almost all of my products are made-to-order, meaning I produce them after you have made your purchase. This allows me to offer way more colorways and options, because I don't have to keep a ton of inventory in stock at all times. But this also means I can't just go to a box, grab what you need, and ship the order out that day like Amazon. I have a constant queue of orders, and I work on a "first in, first out" basis. My absolute maximum turnaround time is two weeks, meaning I 100% guarantee I will ship your order within 14 days after receiving your order. Usually I can go faster than that, but when I get really busy (like when I supply a yoyo company with strings, or when I have a bunch of pre-orders to work on) it can take up to the full two weeks. Please be patient, and you will receive a tracking number via email when your package has been shipped. 

​

Would you ever consider doing bulk strings?

 - Probably not. If I did, it would probably just be very limited colorways with a small (maybe 10%) discount on a 50-pack or 100-pack. But honestly, I probably won't. I couldn't make it cheap enough to compete with other pre-existing bulk string makers, because I already price my products as low as I can go while still making it worth my time. I think part of my appeal is my wide variety of color options, and if I pre-made strings in bulk then I'd have to drastically limit those options and that's not a trade-off I'm willing to make. 

​

Do you offer custom orders?

 - Absolutely! I love doing custom orders. Use the contact form on my website, DM me on Instagram @badwolfeco, or send me an email at badwolfedesigns@gmail.com to talk about whatever you need. I can do custom colorways in any formula/thickness you'd like. If you're wanting custom strings to match a certain yoyo, be sure to include pictures of the yoyo for reference. Generally, custom strings cost the same as whatever thickness/formula you choose. So for example, if you want a pack of Goldilocks Slicc strings in a custom colorway, it would be $10 since that's what all Goldilocks Slicc 10-packs cost. This is just a general rule of thumb though, and is subject to change at any time, so message me to talk about it before just sending me money. 

​

How do Booster Packs work?

 - Booster Packs are for people who like a surprise, or who just like getting a good deal and don't care what colors they get. The idea is based on booster packs from trading card games like Pokémon or Magic: the Gathering. In those games, you can buy booster packs that contain random cards, and you never know what you're going to get. The same principle applies here: Booster Packs come with 12 strings for the price of 10, so you're getting 20% extra for free. These strings come in two blind bags of 6 strings. Each bag will have 6 unique colorways, with no duplicates in a single bag. This way, you're guaranteed to always get at least 6 different colorways, ensuring a bit of variety. I make Booster Packs using extras I keep on hand, so depending on what I have in stock you may get duplicates from one bag to the next, but I try to make them contain as much variety as possible. Booster Packs come in Plushh, Slicc, or 50/50. A 50/50 Booster Pack is just half Plushh, half Slicc, so you'll get a 6-pack of each. 

​

What colorways are in my Booster Pack? 

 - Short answer: I don't know. 

 - Longer answer: I have a lot of orders, and I can't keep track of precisely who gets what. Most of my colorways are pretty distinctive, so you can probably figure out what you got by looking at the pictures on my site. Sometimes I include prototypes of colorways that didn't make it into the store. If you're unable to identify a string, feel free to send me a pic and I'll try to identify it for you. If you want to know what they are but don't want to look through my site, send me an email with a pic of all the strings and I can usually identify all my colorways on sight. 

​

How many people work at Bad Wolfe Co?

 - Just me! I think some people assume it's a big company with employees and staff, but the truth is I'm a one-man show. Hi, I'm Michael! Nice to meet you. I make all the strings and paracord products by hand, package them myself into their little baggies, stick them with labels, etc. My wife often helps with packaging after she gets off from her job, stuff like putting shipping labels on mailers and stuffing them with business cards, stickers, etc. But she has a full-time job and only helps me with some of the managerial/clerical stuff, not the actual production. 

​

What companies have you collaborated with?

 - I started out with Circle City Yoyos for the Warbird and Warhawk. I also worked with Zero Gravity Return Tops for the Basilisk and the Don. I supplied strings for the Saboteur from Guy With A Yoyo, and the PWRhouse from Throwing Sideways And Friends. I also supplied strings for the Typo from OP Yoyos. If you own a yoyo company and would like me to supply strings for your yoyo launch, shoot me an email at badwolfedesigns@gmail.com and I'd be happy to discuss bulk pricing. 

​

What's your favorite colorway/string?

 - Depends on the yoyo. My favorite Plushh colorway is probably Rainbow Dream or Fruit Stripe. My favorite Slicc is probably Thriller or Rainbow Connection. I also really love anything cotton candy colored pink and blue, so Cotton Candy Plushh and County Fair Slicc are some of my favorites. I almost exclusively use Goldilocks thickness. The only exception is my Loonie from Rain City Skills, which plays better using Slimm in my opinion. If you're not sure what to get, I recommend trying a 50/50 Booster Pack. This will come with 12 different colorways, 6 Slicc and 6 Plushh, all in Goldilocks thickness. I also offer sampler 6-packs so you can try different thicknesses, but I think Goldilocks is best for 90% of yoyoers so I'd still recommend the Booster Pack over the sampler. 

​

How many yoyos do you own?

 - Around 50 if I'm not mistaken. Some of my favorites include the Circle City Warhawk and Warbird, the Zero Gravity Return Tops Basilisk, the Guy With a Yoyo Saboteur and Daredevil, the Throwing Sideways PWRhouse and Sistine, the Rain City Skills Metalhead and Guitarist, the Freshly Dirty Moldy Bread, the Duncan Orbital GTX, and the Turner from PlayTMBR. 

​

Will you ever make cotton strings or any other blends?

 - Eventually, maybe. I'm experimenting with cotton, but it's an entirely different beast than polyester or nylon. Since my shop has been blowing up recently, cotton string has been pushed lower on the priorities list, and while I would like to revisit it someday, right now I just don't have the time for experimenting. Eventually, I want to have options for every yoyo play style, so I'm trying 2A, 4A, etc. myself so I can see what kind of string is needed for each style. For now, Plushh works well for 1A, 2A, 4A and 5A, and Slicc works well for 1A and 5A. I haven't tried 3A yet, but I plan to soon and I believe Plushh will be good for that as well. So 0A is the only common play style I don't have string for yet. 

​

What do you do while making strings? Listen to music? Watch YouTube?

 - I used to watch YouTube constantly, and sometimes I still do. I watch a lot of Hermitcraft, as well as informational content such as Brandon Sanderson's lectures on writing. I'm also a fan of Game Theory and similar content. However, I've recently realized I'm much slower when I watch video vs. when I listen to audio-only content, so I've been listening to  audiobooks, podcasts or music while I work. I recently learned that you can get Audible books at really good discounts if you own a book on Kindle, so I've been buying some big epic fantasy books that can get me through a week or two for just a few dollars. I use Pocket Casts to listen to podcasts, and I've been going back through listening to Welcome to Night Vale from the beginning. This allows me to keep my mind working and entertained, without the distraction of a screen, so I find I'm much more productive than I used to be. I also have Apple Music, and my music taste is usually rock or metal, although sometimes I get in a weird mood when I just listen to the Sweeney Todd soundtrack or rap or whatever. I like most genres, so feel free to recommend your favorite band or album and I'll check it out! And let me know if you have any good book suggestions, I've really been enjoying The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson but I'm almost caught up on the series so I need something else! I'm probably going to dive into The Wheel of Time next, mostly because it's narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading and I loved their work on The Stormlight Archive.