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Sweets Homegrown Kendama - Review

Started by mreasyguy, 30 October, 2013, 21:12:07

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mreasyguy



*I'll start by saying, I've only had this kendama a few days so this is my initial thoughts after a few days of playing. I've tried to take pictures of the points of interest*

As some will know, Sweets kendama have recently released their new line, The Homegrown. It's made locally in Minnesota so not like any of their other kens. The one I bought is the all maple. They do have a maple with Purple tama and also a maple with walnut stripe (which I have also purchased so should get soon)

The kendama feels great in the hand and you can tell it is not an outsourced to china job. I always test the slip ring first to see the point of contact and see if it "see-saws" on the slip ring but this sits nice and flush.



The tama is nice too, As it is a natural tama it is a bit slippery but i know with all natural kendamas, the more you play the better it will get after taking on some of the oils from the hand. I have found the tama hole to be slightly different to most. It seems to have a deeper bevel. being all natural I find it a little harder to spot the hole when doing earthturns and handrolls but that's expected with an all natural.



Overall I really like this kendama and it's becoming more and more my favourite to play. I've always been a fan of sweets stuff from the start but they've always concentrated on customs that nobody else could do. With the Homegrown they have stuck to the basics but took the time to research and produce a top notch kendama. 
If you can get the money for one I really do recommend it. I cannot wait for my walnut stripe to turn up!

Well Done Sweets Kendama!







Kendama_Llama

Wow! Thanks for the review! I've been thinking about picking one up! How would you rate the lunarability? Does the sarado (crosspiece) ever come off or slip? How long is the string? Thanks!

mreasyguy

I find it fine to lunar, I always test with a lunar>flip>lunar and managed to get it within a few tries, it is a bit slippery mind but it will get better. No sarado slipping as of yet and string length is not something i can judge as the first thing i did was restring it. I always have a 3 finger under bottom cup length.
Hope this helps

Kendama_Llama

Great! Really appreciate your help!

emagdnim


PikWik

rather than starting a new topic i figured id just post my mini-review here.



"best kendama ive ever played," was what i said after the first hour with my maple stripe. theres a satisfying clack and perfect weighting (68g ken, 71g tama) that make it great fun to play. the maple wood seems denser/tougher than beechwood (similar to bamboos toughness). my spike has not blunted, tho i did glue it immediately after opening. the sarado weighting mixed with the ken/sword give an amazing balance and i could land everything right out the box.

the $65, at first, seemed high for a kendama, but after actually playing with a striped homegrown, i am thoroughly impressed. the maple seems like it will live a long dama life!