Downspike
Kendama Entertainment Network

A community for the balanced lifestyle.

Spectraply

Discussion in 'The Sesh' started by Nel.slay, Jan 29, 2017.

  1. Nel.slay

    Nel.slay Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2016
    Location:
    Saint George Utah
    Hello fellow slayers! I've recently been looking into buying a new spectrum GT. From what I've heard, specs chip like crazy. I trust that this is somewhat true, but then I see people doing crazy tap/insta lh tricks on them and am led to believe that they must be pretty durable(for example, stodd's recent "double stodd" edit). I was wondering if you could give me some insight as far as how well they really hold up(can they be daily jammers?). Thanks!
     
    Jan 29, 2017
    Aloysius_hung_ and 7Cabbages like this.
  2. htimSxelA

    htimSxelA Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Sep 29, 2016
    Location:
    Vancouver
    On average, its probably a little more brittle than a solid wood ken. If you avoid high impact tricks, then your chances of not chipping are much higher
     
    Jan 29, 2017
    Kiyoshikame and Aloysius_hung_ like this.
  3. Nick Lectura

    Nick Lectura Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2016
    Location:
    Santa Cruz, CA
    While it's not entirely fool proof, getting some hand oils/sweat into them somewhat helps. It "softens" the wood so it's not as brittle. When the cups start to become less sharp and more rounded from playing, this can also help reduce chipping, at least in my experience it has. Basically when it stops being fresh and starts to get darker and dirtier. I've seen people like Ben Herald do crazy tap tricks on his specs and they hold up well, or at least for a longer time than one would expect. Specs will chip eventually, but that's not always a bad thing. Wood glue and a clamp works wonders. That being said, I recommend copping a GT spec. The raw ash tama it comes with plays super well, highly recommend the two
     
    Jan 29, 2017
  4. 7Cabbages

    7Cabbages Slayer

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Location:
    California City
    Did someone else mention in the other spectraply thread how they can use oils like Coco oil or whatever to soften it like you said?
     
    Jan 29, 2017
  5. James Hoang

    James Hoang Slayer

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2016
    Location:
    San Jose, CA and Milpitas, CA
    I believe yes, but it wasn't really "confirmed" yet. At least that's what I think.
     
    Jan 29, 2017
    7Cabbages likes this.
  6. 7Cabbages

    7Cabbages Slayer

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Location:
    California City
    It definitely makes sense though
     
    Jan 29, 2017
  7. Nick Lectura

    Nick Lectura Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2016
    Location:
    Santa Cruz, CA
    I think I remember reading that, but I've never had any experience with it so I didn't mention it
     
    Jan 29, 2017
    7Cabbages likes this.
  8. Kucdama

    Kucdama Member

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2016
    Location:
    Jackson Hole, WY
    I don't know if you guys remember, but the "Harvest Moon" Homegrown dropped over a year ago, and I managed to cop one. Today, it is still one of my main jammers and it was an amazing purchase. I haven't dropped it much, but there are still no chips or crazy dents. It's way too honed and was worth the price tag!
     
    Jan 30, 2017
  9. azleonhart

    azleonhart Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2016
    Location:
    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    I've had my Cappuccino chip only once thus far.
    But when paired with a Musou tama, the grip for lunars and LH is phenomenal!
     
    Jan 30, 2017
  10. Emil Apostol

    Emil Apostol DS Legend

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2017
    Location:
    Philippines
    Hi guys! On the topic of spectraply kens, how do Sweets HG spectraply kens hold up? I'm asking because I heard that they chip alot, even more so than GT spectraply kens.
     
    May 1, 2018
  11. lategreat808

    lategreat808 DS Legend

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2016
    Location:
    Eau Claire, Wisconsin
    Totally confirmed. I have tested with four seperate kens. 2 oiled and 2 not. Kenditioner and coconut oil make a huge difference with spec kens of all brands. The first thing I do when I get a spec ken is grease it up with my homemade "woodbutter" and it prevents chips and helps to ken wear more evenly around the edges. With that said, I still feel it is a good standard practice to give the specs the respect they are due and play over softer surfaces.
     
    May 1, 2018
    James Hoang likes this.
  12. James Hoang

    James Hoang Slayer

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2016
    Location:
    San Jose, CA and Milpitas, CA
    Welp now that you mention this I realized that I have no Kenditioner or any type of wood conditioner...kms
     
    May 1, 2018
    lategreat808 likes this.
  13. goenKendama

    goenKendama Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2016
    Location:
    Metro Manila, Philippines
    You might want to watch the coconut oil, or any organic based oils, or you could end up with a rancid ken like @Cheech_Sander mentioned here.

    @Emil Apostol if you haven't already seen it the Shades of Grain thread might have useful info for you.

    For reference:
     
    May 1, 2018
    Jasper B. likes this.
  14. JHard502710

    JHard502710 Slayer

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2018
    Location:
    Louisville, Ky
    Sorry I know this is from over a year ago, but I found the same Kendama new but wasn’t sure if the tag of $110 was good or not? Any info helps thanks!
     
    Oct 24, 2018
  15. lategreat808

    lategreat808 DS Legend

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2016
    Location:
    Eau Claire, Wisconsin
    Yeah wow, that is pretty high. They don't make Sweets specs anymore so there is that but even then $110 is a lot to pay. Is it ken only or tama included? Is is Cushion clear or natty?
     
    Oct 24, 2018
  16. Relyk

    Relyk n00b

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2018
    Location:
    Arizona
    If you want a sweets spectra without selling a kidney, go to sweets Romania website and order the mystery homegrown spectra ply, I ordered two last week and it came out to look like 81 dollars after tax and shipping, I live in Arizona in the us so they definitely are doing something right. It took 4 days to get here. Just something to look into. P.s if you're curious I got two next gens, 1 green goblin and the other was a fushcia flash
     
    Oct 24, 2018
    JHard502710 likes this.
  17. JHard502710

    JHard502710 Slayer

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2018
    Location:
    Louisville, Ky
    I appreciate the tips thanks!
     
    Oct 24, 2018
  18. Matthew Rice

    Matthew Rice Member

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2016
    Location:
    Portland
    it can be a bit of a gamble. ive had some for 3 years and they are all good while others dont last as long. its not a solid piece of wood so it does have more places for it to chip. best is to not play over concrete and you should be fine. lots more GT specs coming soon though so stay tuned to the GT ig page for drops
     
    Oct 27, 2018
    KeeganS and Jacob Everett like this.
  19. JHard502710

    JHard502710 Slayer

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2018
    Location:
    Louisville, Ky
    D171CB3F-E6F9-4B35-953C-E8CDC7C19AFF.jpeg
    I ended up getting two mystery spectra from Romania and ended up getting the same two u got. With a blue icy gloss Tama and a green icy gloss Tama. Thanks again for the help I love the look and feel of these kens and have replaced the Tamas with a MSweetsPro Tama and ATack magenta fade for some fun/good looking setups
     
    Nov 6, 2018