no problem with all the questions. this is stuff i enjoy talking about
just to break down the average weights of maple striped HGs;
walnut stripe is the lightest at ~140g (70g ken, 70g tama)
padauk stripe is the middle ground. ~145g (70g ken, 75g tama)
purple heart is the heaviest of HGs ~155g (70g ken, 85g tama)
i would also like to add, the homegrown ken might be lighter, ~65g area, on some of the maple HG kens.
& if youve never seen what a padauk kendama looks like when it goes thru its color changes, id say check that out, cause its cool looking.
it starts orange-ish, then gets redder and redder, until it peaks at a blood wine almost purple color and stays there. the purple heart wood will also get darker as it ages (to a near black).
so if youre looking to have a kendama that has an interesting color years from now, the padauk striped HG would be my choice.
but, all of that may not matter to you right now, so just get what you think looks the best. i am very particular about my weights and only play with balanced kendamas, but that may not be a concern for you at this time.
in the beginning, when i was first learning tricks, i didnt really have a preference. but now, i greatly prefer a balanced kendama. & it doesnt matter what brand. if its balanced, it plays better. period.
