Unimpressed with Rubberwood Krom.

[NJKendama]

I recently received a pink Rubberwood Krom for Christmas. I was very excited to have it. That excitement turned into disappointment when I discovered getting a lighthouse with it was extremely challenging. The cups are shallow making other balances tricks like lunar near impossible. Has anybody else had this issue? Thanks for any replies or feedback.

[The Void]

Hi NJK,
There are some thoughts on Krom Deluxes here:
http://www.kendama.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,1237.0.html
With regard to cup depth, I've never seen the advantage of having a cup deeper that the curve of the tama. As long as it's not shallower than that, that shouldn't be an issue in my eyes. But the paint is a bit slippery. I've not yet spent a huge amount of time playing mine, so I'm not sure how it will wear in.
I assume yours is Rubberwood tama/Walnut ken? (I don't see a full rubberwood on the KDK site).

[the milky oolong]

Hey NJ,

Sorry to hear about your frustrations with the Krom (Deluxe?). I've had mine for a few months now (Rubber wood tama, walnut ken) and, indeed, Lighthouse Somersaults and Lunars etc. are very, very difficult. The mating of the two types of wood, moreover the respective density of the walnut to the tama makes for a very unforgiving kendama.

You can look at this in a different way, however; your Krom is not a 'lunar machine', but perhaps a kind of very demanding coach in balance tricks - nigh-on perfect accuracy landing them is being demanded of you the whole time you're using it. I'm almost certain that your overall control will be improved, not damaged, by this.

Second of all, if it is the walnut ken version, they might not be balance-friendly (not sure if I've landed a single satisfactory one yet with mine), but they're powerhouses for ken tricks; the weight is excellent for Whirlwind and Gunslinger stuff, Around tricks are crisp and clunky, and, due to the added weight, you can execute Turntables that would be as difficult on any other kendama I've played as an Opposite Lunar on the Krom Deluxe.

A general point about kendamas here; I have begun to look at my kendamas very much in the same way as my carving tools - like these, some kendamas are better than others for different tasks, and some are closer to a multi-tool (Ozora, for my personal preference) than others, and with many there is a fine balance between aesthetics/functionality (the Krom Deluxe is for my tastes a high-end 'statement' kendama, the equivalent of a carving knife made finished with exotic wood/antler/Damascus steel etc.).

I would suggest you put the Krom away while you're practising your balance tricks, and maybe when you've reached a relatively satisfactory level with them, go back to it.

[NJKendama]

Thank you Void and milky oolong for the advice and comments. I didn't think of it as a way to hone my accuracy with balance tricks.

[daniel.patten.73]

My friend Adam actually slid me a pink tama delux while we were in the woodshop the other day. Opended it up immediately and after a couple days of play, it's been lighthouse and lunar friendly for me. The tama dings pretty quickly and deeper than the tribute and first-round cherry KenUSA I'm used to, but it has also felt grippier/lighter than those glossy models.

It's been a smile-inducer in my experience despite pink not being a part of my go-to palette.

I fully subscribe to milky's "tool" reference for ken characteristics (I've been turning everything I can get my hands on, and time for, just to explore this further).

[SamB]

Thorkild told me the kendama kind of dictates how he plays, like if it's sticky, do loads of lunar combos, if it's slick, get down with some cup tricks!

I have a walnut krom deluxe with a rubberwood yellow tama, and have basically smashed it in using it as an everyday kendama. The ball is pretty dinged up, I chipped the cup after a hard slam on a marble floor, but I still play it all the time and it plays great.

It may be hard to lunar but it is possible. The lighthouses have only got better the more beat up it gets. But the major strength is that these things bird and wingwalk like nothing else, it's totally crazy how good they are for that!

Only major problem is the string was no good, but I popped a sweets premium string on mine and now it is one of my favourite kendamas.
Actually the walnut is also hard to see if it is a bit dark too, but that's going to be common for any dark wood.

So I recommend giving it time, and just don't lunar it, there are infinite other kendama tricks!