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Tribute Kendama

Started by Chadman, 20 June, 2012, 05:51:15

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Chadman

I was thinking about getting a tribute kendama and was wondering the flaws to it? Like does it chip easy or wear down quick etc.
Thanks!
-Chad
Laxdama

The Void

They only just came out, so surely it's a bit early to say!? (The limited ones that have been around for a few months were a different or custom paint job, as I understand it, so should not be compared to the new, official, release.)

I don't have one, so can't comment further.
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Anthony A

I've played with a test model a while back when I was in Atlanta. The ken feels nice, as a ken should. The paint feels nice as well but I'm not sure how durable it is as they haven't been out that long.

My main problem with it is that metal string hole thing on the ken. When you go to do 1 or 2 turn anything something just feels off. Maybe I needed to spend more time with it but any other kendama I've picked up I've been able to get perfectly straight 1 turn airplane's without much trouble.

I would wait a bit to get one if I were you.

They are carrying these and oozora kendamas in the Dube Juggling Store in NYC. Seeing as I live here I'm going to go to the store to check them out. I'll report back after my visit.

I'm also going to be shooting a video for them about kendama so I'll keep you posted on that as well.

MattDeCoteau

I've played with every generation of tribute and the new on has the best ken yet. As far as the tama goes it starts off super glossy I've been in the process of breaking mine in for a while now...

Greg the Strangler

I wouldn't waste my time with them. The fixed sorado is a marketing ploy to try and sell more kendamas to mom's who cannot figure out how to string them for their kids. The paint is fine, the ken is a 7/10 in my book. But all nuance in play is lost because of the inability to move the sorado, and the subsequent position of the hole to anchor it there. Anybody who uses the "Ken-turn" advanced technique for stilt, lunar, pull-up turns, everything worthwhile is negated because of the awkward way the ken rotates due to the hole position. Buy JKA, they really are better than the american's (all made in china).
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MattDeCoteau

"The fixed sorado is a marketing ploy to try and sell more kendamas to mom's who cannot figure out how to string them for their kids" hahahah did Jeremy tell you that one? Kendamas come strung up already, why would a mom need to string one?

Also the technique you are referring to Greg can be accomplished just as easily on the tribute I realized just start with the big cup a little more to the outside and wait for it straighten out before tugging it up. Hope that helps!


Ultimately I agree that JKA is best..specifically Oozora. Which I believe is still made in Japan but I could be wrong...

Greg the Strangler

Not Jeremy himself, but both Jake and Matt repeated it to me.
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KendamaUSA

Definitely mis-quoted haha.   I would not invest that much time, or my life savings into a "marketing ploy". 

The Tribute was a challenge to improve the existing Kendama design.  We had tons of complaints from people about sarados becoming too loose during play, and lots of customers who didn't like the advice to superglue it together.  The Tribute is 100% playable and fixes that entire issue.   Still, it's not for everybody.  Each brand of Kendama has its own strengths and weaknesses.  The Ken doesn't turn like a JKA might, but any advanced player can quickly learn the small tweaks to control and finesse it properly.  Everything feels awkward until you practice and learn.  JKA design isn't flawless or holy, it's just what people are used to.

We could have dropped a clone Kendama a few years before the Tribute was ever out.  Instead, we really  wanted to try and progress things, and create something unique instead of making a carbon copy like so many others choose to do.     

Also, on the China note... lots of the beloved JKA brands are made in China as well ... just sayin'.  Ozora is 110% legit in my book, but beyond that, would you rather give your money to a faceless company overseas, or a company who's committed to supporting the Kendama community across the globe and growing the scene in the Americas?

Regardless, there's lots of Kendamas out there and they can all be enjoyable to play if you're a little open minded.  Eggs, Pills, Bilboquets, etc. aren't JKA, but they are fun to play and that's really what matters at the end of the day. 

-jeremy
www.KendamaUSA.com

Anthony A

Quote from: KendamaUSA on 22 June, 2012, 02:46:55
Definitely mis-quoted haha.   I would not invest that much time, or my life savings into a "marketing ploy". 

The Tribute was a challenge to improve the existing Kendama design.  We had tons of complaints from people about sarados becoming too loose during play, and lots of customers who didn't like the advice to superglue it together.  The Tribute is 100% playable and fixes that entire issue.   Still, it's not for everybody.  Each brand of Kendama has its own strengths and weaknesses.  The Ken doesn't turn like a JKA might, but any advanced player can quickly learn the small tweaks to control and finesse it properly.  Everything feels awkward until you practice and learn.  JKA design isn't flawless or holy, it's just what people are used to.

We could have dropped a clone Kendama a few years before the Tribute was ever out.  Instead, we really  wanted to try and progress things, and create something unique instead of making a carbon copy like so many others choose to do.     

Also, on the China note... lots of the beloved JKA brands are made in China as well ... just sayin'.  Ozora is 110% legit in my book, but beyond that, would you rather give your money to a faceless company overseas, or a company who's committed to supporting the Kendama community across the globe and growing the scene in the Americas?

Regardless, there's lots of Kendamas out there and they can all be enjoyable to play if you're a little open minded.  Eggs, Pills, Bilboquets, etc. aren't JKA, but they are fun to play and that's really what matters at the end of the day. 

-jeremy
www.KendamaUSA.com

Well said. I think that I just need to spend more time with one and I'm sure I'll work out the small differences in the 1 turn stuff.

As a juggler I switched to a new juggling club at the time (called a PX3) that had a plastic dowel instead of a wood dowel. This gave the club a small amount of flex that lots of people hated because they were used to the stiff wooden dowel. The Play Juggling company is constantly trying to innovate and bring new technology to the juggling community which I think is great. If everyone does the same and doesn't try something new then nothing will improve.

I'm excited to head to the Dube Juggling Store and spend some more time with them.

AlexSmith

I've been able to experience pretty much every generation of Tribute kendama up to the most current, and I love the fact that KendamaUSA has been ensuring every single release is better than the last. The newest Tributes are definitely the best yet - solid kens and paint thats durable as hell. It takes some serious spacewalking into concrete to get em chipped up. If you don't have one in your collection yet now is a good time to invest.
Yes, the string hole is in a different spot than the TK-clones, but thats a given, and not something that you should be afraid of. Pulling up to certain tricks feels different the first few times, but any player should be able to learn and adapt quickly... and lets not forget that the string-straight-through style opens up a bunch of new string grab sort of tricks. It won't be long until the race to figure them all out begins (I'm surprised it hasn't yet).

& of course, lets not forget that kendama has been gaining popularity extremely quickly in N america, and this is largely due to the people and companies that are really pushing for good things in the community. I've seen it first hand, there are a lot of good people involved, each pushing and innovating in their own way. They support the growth of the community, and they need the support of the community as well. Lets not forget the most fun part of kendama - hanging out with friends, and pushing each others limits.