i am looking to buy my first kendama and I was wondering what the different types and styles of kendamas are.
Please answer and thank you
Kendamas, unlike yoyos, are very standardized, with only slight nuisances separating them. The size and shape of the tama (ball) and ken (stick) are all very consistent across manufacturers. There are actually standardizing bodies like the JKA and BKA which approve kendamas for competition.
The biggest variance is the tama finish. Natural, painted, or a tacky feeling paint. (Tacky is not allowed in competitions.)
Others use different wood varieties other than the standard beech.
The kens will have a different feel to them due to differences in the thickness, wood placement, etc.
And of course, wood is wood, it’s natural, it varies. I once got multiples of the same type of kendama and they all had a slightly different feel to them.
Then there are big and small sizes. And ones with extra cups or spikes or holes. (You’re probably better off with a standard competition sized kendama)
Anyways, I don’t have enough experience with the kendama manufacturers to offer you any solid advice on which one specifically to buy, but I hope this helps clear things up for you.
I hesitated for quite a while, then I finally bought one when I broke my dominate hand and couldn’t do much else. I haven’t put it down (although I’ve switched hands).
It really depends on what you want in a dama. For starting, a lot of people like a tacky dama to make balance tricks easier. Something like an oozora premium, a sweets atack, or a kendama usa pro model or super sticky (among many others). The thing is, a lot of the stickier paint will chip off easier since it is softer paint whereas a lot of the regular paint is a lot more resistant but starts out pretty slick. After a bunch of play the paint will get a little bit more broken in and grippy though. Nattys ( raw wood kendamas) (as far as my experience goes) aren’t too slick and break in to be reasonably grippy. Some solid brands to look at are oozora, sweets, kendamausa, tk16 master, shin fuji… the list goes on
Don’t forget the Voodama! Never forget the Voodama!
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