Sun Rise Street Kendama. READ BEFORE YOU BUY

[Ash]

Hi guys,

Just wanted to let you all know about my recent purchase from amazon of an Orange Sun Rise Street. Firstly I would like to say that I really love SunRise as a brand and have loved them since my first Green SunRise. I have also visited the store in Amsterdam and played a game of ken with the owner who I mean no disrespect to with this post. However my purchase of the Orange Sun Rise Street from an Amazon based seller has been such a let down. I paid around £16.50 with delivery for it and the quality is really not good, it has lacked sanding and feels rough to hold, also there is a serial number on base cup of the ken and the paint on the ball is not brilliant either. If your gonna go with SunRise, whatever you do, don't buy the street. Just to clarify, I think SunRise is still a great company selling some brilliant kendamas, just I am sadly let down and disheartened with this one.

[The Void]

I'll agree that it's slightly rough to the touch (but, personally, not enough to bother me), and it has a serial number in the base cup. But I find the paint very durable, and all round it plays okay for me. You didn't mention how you feel it plays...?

[BenPycroft24]

I bought the same one as ash. I don't fully understand the serial number on the base cup. I played it for a short while this morning and found it actually plays okay. The string is a bit strange though and can't get the cups off to change the string. If I could change the string I wouldn't mind playing it as much. It's just a pain when you want to do hand rolls etc. Because it's so thick and rough it irritates the hand and gets twisted a lot easier than other strings. No disrespect to sunrise. I've played on Ash's other sunrises and loved them. Just hoping they improve the build of the street kendama. It's a shame really. But alas we all live and learn. Can't wait to play on my sunrises that hopefully come sooner rather than later.

[Ash]

I will update on the playing once I've worn it in a little, but not really liking the feel at the moment.

[the milky oolong]

I take it that the point of these SunRise Street models is more for getting absolute newcomers into the game with minimum investment; 16 pounds is a ridiculously low price for a kendama, and to expect it to be well-sanded/balanced/painted and all the rest is just as absurd. What am I talking about? Well, let's break it down:

Cost of wood for whole kendama (not factoring the odd split or badly-turned component)
Cost of paint
Cost of labour time
Other factors (flyers/stickers/branding)

Good heads up from [user]Ash[/user], and I think the message is helpful for people buying only online and not having the chance to hold the kendama first. Personally, I don't think SunRise are doing anything positive my producing these kendamas. Some people will moan that 10 pounds for a kendama is too expensive. Should SunRise start making kendamas for that price group also? Probably not.

[Ash]

While I do agree that some kendamas can be a lot more expensive, I do not agree that £16 pounds is a "ridiculously" low price for a kendama. I would estimate that it is just below the average price paid for a kendama if you looked at the sales statistics. I have purchased this kendama http://www.tigerstores.co.uk/tiger_kids/games/japanese_wooden_toy_1701294.html from their store in Cardiff, and it beats the sunrise street hands down for performance and build quality and only costs £5 (less than 33% of the SunRise Street).

Regardless of this, the performance:price ratio for the street IMHO is just not worth it when you can get a normal sunrise which is at least twice as good for only a 10-15% increase in cost... For me it's a no brainer.