anybody own a kaleb kendama? if so are they good? I never see anyone playing with them so if you have own I'd love to here your thoughts.
They're sort of famous or shall I say infamous for being the cheap-y bad damas that everyone starts out with. But I've actually played someone's at ULS and it wasn't close to being as terrible as I actually thought it would be considering how much people don't like them. I actually think the worst kendama I've ever played was a toysmith. It played like a Christmas ornament - it didn't even feel like wood. The balance hole was fixed like a trib (I think), and set onto a weird part of the ken that it pulled up crooked. LOL. Anyway - Kaleb is probably not as horrible as people make them out to be, but I'd highly recommend playing something else if you want something cheap and affordable but still playable. You can get a standard issue ozora for about 20 bucks. The new prime solids are under 20.
I got one as a christmas gift from my best friend who doesn't know much about dama. it was a nifty black with yellow crackled lightning paint design. (it's now a nifty shelf piece for my collection lol). The gesture was nice but as far as playability goes it isnt the best (nor the utmost worst). the paint chipped sooooo easily and the shape didn't feel right yo me. i'd say it's a okay for like entry level. honestly, adding on to @Jenny Cho was saying, you can get wayyyyyy better quality damas for the price as in the Sweets primes or even KUSA classics or kaizens or DWI barebones. PNW slates are coming out later this week for about $22 as well.
kaleb almost got me when i was looking for my first dama on amazon, they just looked and smelled shitty... thank god I didnt buy
I learned a lot of tricks on a Kaleb since it was my first dama with a rubberized ball. It has some nostalgic value for me but I would not recommend.
I haven't played one myself and it might be considered blasphemy to suggest but they're running a sale and have a number of kendama under $8 (many under $10) so it might not be a terrible time to try one out and get a first-hand impression.
I bought one for my first cause of the obviously cheap buy in case i didnt get into it. But within like 3 weeks the ken started shaping weird the more i played. It got super weird to hold. After maybe a month it looked like i had been beating the crap out of the cups. They werent terrible but they wore out super fast. If i were you i would invest in one of the "better" known kendama brands just because they are designed to play better and they last longer.
^ What @Jenny Cho said! Also, someone else had the a similar question about Bahama Kendamas, and my answer would be the same about Kaleb Kendamas. I just took my answer there, and copied and pasted it here, haha! "If you really want to expand your Kendama collection by gathering as many Kendama brands as you can, even if they're a novelty, cheap, and don't play very well (which is what I do) get one! It might be a nice novelty item for a collector. But if you want a Kendama that you can jam everyday, that's durable, breaks in well, that's super honed, well-designed, and plays amazingly all around, and that can help you progress... do not get one. You're better off getting yourself a better set-up from a different brand. Despite the company being around for so long, their Kendama products are quite mediocre. If someone is a beginner, I can see someone buying a Bahama Kendama as their first Kendama. But even for a first-time Kendama player, there are way better options out there."
I think it's been said in a lot of different threads already, but more goes into a choice than just quality VS price. Every time you buy a product, you're supporting something. If you really enjoy Kendama and care about the community, then it's seems to me that you should vote with your dollar. You don't need to shell out for a mugen musou for your first Kendama obviously, but now that sweets primes are $16 and minna no Kendama are about ¥1100, there doesn't seem to be a good reason to buy a Kendama from kaleb, alibaba, catchy, or anything like that, unless you're trying to collect em all like Chelsea
I sort of see them in the same genre as general toy companies, since they make plastic kendamas and are affiliated with the Yotricks channel. But they are specifically a kendama-only brand, so it was unfair of me to put them in that list.
Thanks for the clarification. FWIW they do also make two styles of wooden kendama the Street and Standard both of which have some interesting features. Their parent company is Yoyo Factory hence the injection molded plastic kendama the "Air." As for their association with Learnkendama.com I believe it's client and mfg; I'm pretty sure Catchy doesn't own them. (just some FYI, no crankiness intended)
You got it right, YYF produces the catchy brand, learnkendama.com is another yoyo-er run business that buys from them. FWIW I think the catchy plastic damas are cooler than the wood ones. They're more unique, always cool to see something new
I like their Air too and the Street is just a wooden Air; it even had big cups long before the current trend. The standard's interesting bit is the tama hole. I've never seen one elsewhere that's so shallow and flaired. They definitely were thinking stalls.
I have one because my mom gave it to me. I'M NOT a fan. The paint chips terribly and it's suuuper slick. The wood... well I'd bet that a kendama made out of a potato would last longer than the wood... BUT! Its great for a first kendama.... didn't mean to crap on them like that...
Mine has a rubberized tama that looks kinda like an orange cow hahaha. The cups are destroyed and theres a big ol' chip on the bottom cup. So many sads.
I hated it, it was gifted to me. The spike is shorter than the cups, it's so unbalanced, the bevel is non existent, but really good for birds