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Kendama Weight?

Started by kendamski, 01 November, 2012, 22:10:11

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kendamski

I was on kendamaco.com just about to purchase an ozora.  Then I noticed that is asked what "weight" i would like.  The options were: light, mid, heavy, or any.  I dont know if ozora come in different weights or not, but if they do what should i get?

BKA

Kendamas are made of wood, and every piece of wood will vary in weight, if only by a few grams. So the ball could be light, mid, or heavy, and the same thing goes for the ken, so you'll never really know exactly what you'll be getting unless you're given the exact weights of each piece.

If you haven't played with a wide enough variation of weights of kendama to come to a conclusion about what weight you prefer (and it's probably quite a tricky conclusion to reach), then you probably won't go far wrong with a Medium.

kendamski

Okay, thank you. I had no idea what to pick, but I'll follow your advice and get a medium. Thanks again

AlexSmith

Most kendamas weigh in around 130-135 grams (this is for the ken and tama together). I'm not sure exactly where kendamaco draws the line between the different weight classes, but the 'mediums' should be in the 130-135 g range. This would be fine for a beginner, really, you probably won't notice any difference (nor will there be much of a difference, its pretty much personal preference).

Most players prefer that the tama and ken will be evenly weighted (~65 grams each), but finding a really well balanced kendama isn't easy. I've had well balanced and extremely poorly balanced kendamas from pretty much every brand. Like BKA said, you're dealing with a wooden product, and wood density will vary naturally. Unbalanced kendamas are fine, they just behave a little different for spacewalk / air sort of tricks, so they take a little getting used to.

kendamski

Thank you Alex.  I have had experience with unbalanced kens, and I did not like it.  It was actually a Terra painted ozora. Haha. I know you had nothing to do with this, and I like the paint . It is just that I want to have a ken that is good for lunars and such.

aderan

I know that heaviness or lightness can be subjective to different people depending on what they have used. What do you guys consider heavy/light for a kendama. Do you prefer a certain weight for different tricks? I am really curious about others opinions.

BKA

#6
Perhaps 130-135gr is about average. For a beech kendama, that is. Other woods will vary.

Edit: Threads merged.

AptDweller

I have an Ozora that weighs in at 124.74 grams.  Much too light for me.  My Tk 16 is 144.58 grams, much better.

Larry
I have always maintained that the one important phenomenon presented by modern society - the enormous prosperity of Fools.

Wilkie Collins

The Void

This is an old thread, but there's a great write-up on the subject just posted by Sweets: http://sweetskendamas.com/why-do-kendama-weights-matter/
If you don't want to BUY MY BOOKS 😉, then why not ask your local library to order them in, and read them for free? That would help too. Cheers!

Blackhawkfan

Interesting article, thanks for sharing it, Void.  I had just ordered a new kendama from kendamaco, and saw the thing about being able to choose kendama weight, but I passed on it.  The kendama they sent has the tama a lot heavier than the Ken, but actually I find it somewhat helpful in catching the tama in a cup.

shalafi

Quote from: The Void on 15 July, 2016, 12:19:03
This is an old thread, but there's a great write-up on the subject just posted by Sweets: http://sweetskendamas.com/why-do-kendama-weights-matter/
Very nice write-up, thanks for adding it to the thread
Spanish Kendama Champion 2010, 2012, 2014-16
Depth Perception is Overrated.

The Void

Yeah, it's a good summary. I tend to be in the "don't really care" camp, unless there's a really noticeable difference.
If you don't want to BUY MY BOOKS 😉, then why not ask your local library to order them in, and read them for free? That would help too. Cheers!

shalafi

Quote from: The Void on 17 July, 2016, 14:51:08
Yeah, it's a good summary. I tend to be in the "don't really care" camp, unless there's a really noticeable difference.
I don't particularly like light Kendamas, and I like them to have a close weight. Right now I don't care much about sara-do / ken distribution.
Spanish Kendama Champion 2010, 2012, 2014-16
Depth Perception is Overrated.

PikWik

Quote from: PikWik on 29 April, 2016, 02:47:32
i wrote this up for another new kendama player. perhaps you can gather some info from it as well

Quote from: PikWik on 16 March, 2016, 04:13:55
Quote from: sarethums on 14 March, 2016, 23:10:14


Differences between silk, painted and natural?
I have a silk, I love it and I feel like the others would be too slippy. Is this the case? Would it make certain tricks harder? Does it make any tricks easier?

the great thing about a silk tama is that it lets you get an idea of how to land harder tricks without the need to break in a tama for months to get the same grip.
that said, if you start and only play with a silk, you are learning tricks without increasing your minor muscle memory and when you pick up a glossy or fresh natural wood kendama, you will have a hard time :(

and good players can land most advanced stuff without the need for silk paint


How do different woods compare?
I use a beech and wondered how the heavier woods play? Im ordering a padauk as I love the sound of a kendama and ive read that the padauks sound is even more predominant.

beechwood is great because of how soft it gets when broken in. its also more fragile than the premium hardwoods, but is the standard wood used for ozoras and most standard kendamas for sale.
the harder the wood, the more dense & heavier it is, will help land lighthouse tricks easier but will require the cups to be broken in before becoming a lunar machine.
my favorite kind of wood for a kendama is maple. it is durable, great sound, and gets broken in relatively quick


Do different models have benefits in particular tricks or is it purely preference?
I have a kaizen and love all the moves except ones like tornado or anything similar that is more like a yoyo trick.

not so much different models but different weightings will lend each kendama to help with specific tricks. some will have heavier sarados, some will have heavy swords, & others will have heavier tamas.
my preference is a "lunar balanced kendama". or, where the sarado is heavier than the sword by 2-4grams.
& if youre very lucky/selective you can get a weight matched tama for your kendama. meaning, the weight of the ken is equal to the weight of the tama. this is my preference, but for good reasons

slightly heavier tama will make spacewalks quicker to pop off but make birds a tad more difficult.
slightly heavier ken than sarado will make juggles and whirlwinds easier, but inhibit lunars and stilts.
slightly heavier sarado than ken will provide a more solid balance for landing lunars and stilts.


How much difference does a split make?
Does a split make tracking easier for landing a spike etc?

a stripe/line definitely makes a big difference in tracking where the tama hole is. with the reference, you can be sure where to spike, everytime!

I hear that the jumbo pill is easier than the regular pill, is this the case?

jumbo pills/kendamas are easier to land balance tricks because theres more surface area to stall and balance with


& welcome to the boards!

and i'm in the "balance is everything" camp. i feel weights and measurements are the keys to true efficiency in competitive playing. if your kendama is top-notch, the playing will follow. knowing that your kendama isn't holding you back from learning certain tricks is a freeing idea. at that point, it truly is all about practice, practice, practice