[Initial review] KendamaUSA Pro - Cherry wood models

[The Void]

Limited edition models for 2012. I decided to take the plunge and splash out on one of the Sage Smiths for my collection. They feel very chunky in the hand. Mine weighs in at ~220g, as opposed to an average kendama of 135-155g. A nice weight for spacewalks, well balanced (the ball is cherry wood too). [nb]I suppose these must be a different type of cherry wood to the Shin Sakuras (heartwood? Different type of cherry tree? Or my info on the S-S is wrong).[/nb]The wood is a medium-dark brown, varying in shade across the ken & cross-piece, with (on my model at least) a strongly striated grain.

The paint feels very smooth and shiny, and LHs and Moons are slidey, very hard work, even for a new kd. I'll wait to see how it wears in, but so far it is standing up to the heavier bashing that the ken is giving it.

Packaging is pretty lush - you'd expect there to be a bottle of whisky in the box. I'm not sure how much I'll end up using this one, but it'll sure look good on the shelf.

[primechicken]

Nice (initial) review Void. I'm Hoping/expecting a cherrywood Smith to be under the tree for me this Christmas. Ill post some thoughts as well as I break it in.

[primechicken]

Update: Been playing this for over a month now and it has become one of my favorite kendama's to play with. Like Void said it is very heavy, but well balanced. I have come to like how heavy it is actually, and the paint has been holding up really well. The paint around the hole is chipping a little bit but that's all. The paint is super slippery at first but has gotten a lot better as its been breaking in. I am able to do lunar flips and lighthouse somersaults without it slipping now and cups are staying pretty sharp. On top of being aesthetically beautiful, this kendama is very good and a lot of fun to play with.

[Buddhaprice]

Just today I finally give my Zack Yourd Cherry model a solid couple of sessions. It was hard for me to adjust to the weight of this shiny beast at first, but after a couple Around USA's I felt very comfortable with it. Dependable for traditional style space walks and very appealing to the eye. I'm very anxious to break this one in now. KendamaUSA did a superb job on that line. And thanks for the initial review void   

[jackmccloskey]

I traded my friend one of my sourmash customs KD's for the Alex Smith all cherry. When I initially got it, it was chipped severely around the hole, revealing the beautiful grain that the tama had. I couldn't resist it, I sanded off all of the paint to make it an all cherry, and it looks absolutely gorgeous and plays very nice.

[primechicken]

Wow I too saw that the tama had a beautiful wood grain but I would never want to take the paint off unless it was actually chipped to death. Could you post a pic to share with us?

[Tetsuya Takahashi]

Apparently kendama usa is going to put out all cherry 2013 pros sometime this fall. Can't wait for them if they do come out and, rumor has it they're making a red all cherry pro!!!