I have some general questions that i would like answers for.

[sarethums]

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?


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.


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.


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

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

 

[The Void]

http://kendama.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,718.0.html

[BKA]

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

Yes. Also, any patterned kendama might help to show moves up on video.

[BKA]

"silk" is a synonym for a type of rubberised paint. Yes, it adds grip, but you'll become a better player if you learn not to rely on it. Same goes for extra-tacky paint. Try a natural, wear it in, and see how you get on with it.

[PikWik]

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

[The Void]

slightly heavier tama will make spacewalks quicker to pop off but make birds a tad more difficult

I'm not sure what you mean about spacewalks, but I disagree about Birds. I love a heavier ball for tama stalls.

[KenSan]

Regards different woods. I don't have a great deal of experience, but have a a fair few damas all of the “beech” variety and that one wood can differ quite a lot. I have  a Ronin kendama a Royal kendama and a Krom all beech and the wood seems very similar, its darker and more durable than my beech ozoras. I also have a Ken.co stripe zen, again beech, but seems less durable than the ozoras that I have.
So I'm guessing there is a lot of  variation in species (of beech wood at least).
 Just something that I've noticed.

[KenSan]

Stripes are great for tracking and aesthetics.

[Paul_S]

tack paint is great for learning harder stuff (eg lunars) but can be a bit too grippy imo, a really nicely worn in natural is my fave for sure.

[sarethums]

these are great replies, thanks