I was thinking is there any way to make a Kendama better? The newest shape is bigger sharper cups and skinny sarado and spike, it seems as if there is no way to upgrade the shape but I also think there is always something to change. What do you guys think?
I copped a yumu eclipse at mko yesterday and I’m loving the shape. It has big cups and a skinny serado.
Oh yeah. Some companies like Analog and Mugen Museu have added bird perch spots on the top of the Sarado. I don't know how well they work, but in the future I expect A LOT more of these.
Taller shapes like the LBB, craft +, sol flow, aynedter, tall boy, etc. Swoop and slip stops like the NextGen/prime, GT, #Giveadama
in the vid for the new sol shape, they had features that had "never been done before" that vid was quality
I see two main upcoming styles. The first is a slim and tall ken with big cups. An example is a prime, pop, craft slim, or ayaneter mod. These tend to have great slinger or lunar balance. Compromising play, which I am okay with. The second is a compressed and more chunky ken. Examples of these are slaydogs, the new sol pastels, BH-GT, and isr big brother. These help the lunar balance without the compromise of slingers. I don't know which I like better because one has feel and one has consistency.
Hahahhaha!!! That’s known as the “Fugly dama” @Bryan Scagline did a giveaway on KUSA IG live about a month ago. I forgot who coined the name. “5 cups and 5 holes”
I would like to add one more, a 'refined' shape rather than improved imo. The RWB Classic and KUSA Kaizen 2.0 shapes. Essentially a similar but more updated feel of the Ozora shape. Both are very similar to each other, with the Kaizen 2.0 shape having the rounded cup rims and a slightly thicker ken. I've seen other smaller brands use shapes the same/similar to the 2.0 shape already.
In my opinion, I don't see this shape growing/expanding as much. It doesn't have many advantages. The slingage and lunar ability isn't there in my opinion go the 2.0's. That is why I didn't include it.
For a look at more "theoretical," and sometimes a bit goofy, look at kendama design check out this thread: Lets push the limit of what is allowed
I disagree. In my experience, the slinger and lunar ability is definitely heightened compared to both the Ozora shape and other 'standard' kendama shapes. But this is just an instance of differing experiences.
In my opinion, bigger is better! A chunkier ken shape feels sturdier, and I believe Competition+ kendamas are the best playing ones from experience. Success stories include: -Terra LBB -KROM Slaydawg -Sol Flow -KUSA Craft Plus -KenISR Big Brother -GT BH and KA mods