I honestly don’t see the big deal with yoyos.
They’re just skill toys, like yoyos, spin tops, devil sticks, etc.
I asked the same question on /r/kendama.
People pointed me to Sweets (as mentioned in this thread previously) and their natty model (for natural)
I got it, and it is delicious, but their painted ones will suit you just as well I assume.
good luck.
AWESOME.
Whoa so sweet! I love how the Kendama boom is happening in the Kendama community as well, just with yoyos (Obviously)
Lol. This is so funny. I don’t think “burnout” is the politically correct term. It just seems that the most skilled kendama players are textbook Bros. Epic Flows (long wavy hair), tank tops, pounding nattys all day (consuming Natural Ice beer). Know what I mean? ;D
I am not very bro-ish myself, but some of my closest friends are. So no disrespect.
Ok, Kendama question. What are some good brands for Kendamas.
My real question is, if you could compare some of the best Kendama companies to yoyo companies. In quality I guess.
Its hard to compare yoyos and kendamas. I will do my best with the minimal research I have done.
The holy grail that is no longer in production is an original Mugen Kendama. They are like $400.00 for a MIB one. It is kinda like the OG Peak in yoyos.
Ozora and TK16 are approved standards by the Japanese Kendama Association (JKA). They are old school and trustworthy. They go for around $20 to $30. Kind of like Duncan in my opinion.
The most beautiful kendamas I have seen are Terra Kendamas. They are made of exotic woods and fetch extremely high prices. The demand is much higher than the supply with these bad boys. They cost around $250 to $300. This feels like the CLYW of kendamas.
Tribute kendamas remind me of YYJ and YYF. Popular and affordable. They are around $20.
Grip Kendamas are pure sickness. They take stock Ozoras, and modify them. They cut grooves in the ken and fill them with colorized rubber. Very stylish and comfortable. Prices for these are between $70 and $120. I don’t know what company to compare these to.
Sweets Kendamas have great durability and the best paint jobs I have seen. Prices range from $20 to $50 for a standard size kendama. Perhaps you can compare them to One Drop.
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Thanks a whole lot man. Totally helped. ^^^
Omg kendama is so boring -.-!!! After 1-2 weeks it gets boring. You can do more tricks with a yoyo than a kendama imo.
Seeing people do crazy kendama tricks on YouTube just doesn’t “dazzle” me as much as Worlds freestyles
Kendama isn’t for me. Having said that, I enjoy watching people that are totally into something they love. If you love it, you love it and that’s an awesome thing that can be appreciated and respected.
20 dollars for 2 weeks of challenge and fun? I will take it! Especiallt since it may be even longer.
Well…
Kendama takes work & love. Just because you dont have the patience to learn kendama doesnt make it boring. Learning a kendama trick could take anywhere from 1 day- 1 year! Yoyo tricks can be like that but the only yoyo trick that doesnt take a week tops to learn that I can think of is seasick, that trick is a doozie. Kendama takes a great amount of patience, but once you get going, and once you learn enough tricks to make some fun combos; theres no stopping the fun.
GregP, im sure you’ll love kendama A TON. I suggest getting the tribute for learning the basics, but once you get past the basics and start wanting to learn balence tricks like Lighthouse and Lunar, I highly suggest the Sweets aTack. (Find them at: Kendamausa.com and sweetskendamas.com )
And JamesMay, I dont know if I’d compare Ozora and TK16 to Duncan, I actually thought of them more like Yoyorecreation of kendama. I do agree on Sweets being a lot like OneDrop (but I would compare them to Werrd for having the whole Biggie and Sumo models simply because theyre oversized and Werrd has quite a few oversized models), Mugen being like OG peaks, and KendamaUSA being like YYF and YYJ though.
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Hey, I was watching some youtube videos. Playing Kendama without a string looks a lot more fun than with a string.
I got a wooden pro yomega kendama from amazon! What do you guys think about it?
I’m not doubting the quality of any kendama company, least of all Sweets. Their stuff looks awesome. But I do think it’s unfair to promote something like the Tribute, or any others with a glossy tama, as a beginners kendama. It’s not like those damas aren’t more than capable of Lunars and Lighthouses. The tacky tama just makes them easier.
I’ve only been clicking for a few weeks. I actually kind of wish I’d gotten a tackier tama. I’d be sticking Lighthouses by now instead of only holding them for a second. But, I know a few more weeks of sneaking in play will wear my tama in well enough to hold them.
So, Greg, if you’re in the market, I’d say go straight to the Sweets Atack. It’s about $5 more than a Tribute and will probably flatten out your learning curve a little. Or, if you like to do things the hard way, like me, get something else and break it in.
Quick question, Nemyo… How tacky is the Atack? What sort of surface would you compare it to?
It’s quite tacky, and I honestly don’t know what surface I would compare it to…
Its sorta like the beadblast of kendama, and is sorta like a beadblast in feel, but I can’t really think of a surface right now that it resembles it fully or is very similar to it. All I can say is that it made lighthouse easier to land (but it is still challenging to land of course, just a lot easier than with a glossy finish)
I have 2 sweets. One with the Aisuru finish and one Matte Marble. The Aisuru finish is tackier than my Ozora and tribute, but it still isnt easy sticking lighthouses. The matte marble on the other hand feels almost like cheating. The chalky texture makes lighthouses extremely easy. I would recommend an aTack or a Matte Marble to anyone starting out.
I use the term “extremely easy” loosely. Meaning extremely easy for someone who can semi-consistently land them on a glossy ball. At my poor skill level, the matte finish is really the only way I can land lighthouses. I have landed about 4 on my Aisuru (glossy), and about 25 on my matte marble. I have landed 0 on my tribute and ozora tamas.
I’d seen where someone had mentioned a matte surface helping with balance tricks. Sounds like maybe that’s it.
Sigh, the last thing I need is a new hobby with tons of subtle variations in the products that I want to try.
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