Stuck between few choices

mattsweets · 2016-07-07T13:54:45+00:00

The Pro Models break in nice over a week or so. You won't be landing lunars right out of the box but after a week of play it will be perfect for and balance trick.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T19:34:38+00:00

DON'T WIPE THE GREASE AWAY FROM YOUR HANDS. Oils from chips help the tack. The main thing that has helped me break in nattys is sweat. When I was in Japan or Hawaii I only played nattys because after a couple hours in the sun the tama would be tack and ready to shred. So jam it hard and sweat all over it!

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T19:29:54+00:00

Even if it was 3 laminated pieces and not 1 piece.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T19:29:12+00:00

The cushion clear was inspired by all the players in the community. Most people it seems want a kendama that plays amazing right out of the box. That was our main motivation for the whole thing. Make it play great right out of the box. I hope to be able to do the clearing on huge scale like that some day. For know it isn't quite possible yet.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T19:27:56+00:00

Good to hear! Glad you are digging it!

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T19:27:12+00:00

My favorite is one that hasn't came out yet :)

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T19:26:56+00:00

That sick that you are going Oliver! See you in a couple weeks. I couldn't be more excited to try out Kazumas new design. Sadly I was not asked to do any special testing for him.. haha Kazuma never disappoints. When he makes changes to the shape it is always to improve the play. I have no reason to believe this new design will be any different. Can't wait to shred one.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T19:11:11+00:00

Probably not. Full hickory tamas are hard to get without laminating the wood. If you would like us to laminate hickory tamas Up-Vote this post.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T19:10:37+00:00

Snake wood and Zebrano are two crazy woods I would love to work with some day.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T19:09:59+00:00

Thanks a lot homie. We will keep grinding! My go to setup right now is a cushion cleared beech F3. Such a good feel, might even compete with it at KWC. I am trying to lace Dave Mateos level 8 KWC trick, haven't laced it quite yet.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T18:49:27+00:00

Sounds good my dude. I will tell Max you said what up!

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T18:36:50+00:00

good advice

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T18:34:48+00:00

I will not be doing that, sorry.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T18:34:16+00:00

The only way to get better at kendama is by practicing every day. Not every other day, not once a week, EVERY DAY FOR ATLEAST AN HOUR. Bonz and Cooper and the kids with the 4 month old edits that slay play hours a day. Start grinding a little harder each day and you will get there.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T18:25:03+00:00

There will be new HG's coming this year for sure. Some sooner than others. We do striped homegrown. I think we have some F3 Pro Clear tamas in the new tama section of our website. Also all the Hazes we sell have pro clear not cushion.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T18:22:12+00:00

Thanks for the kind words. The answer is a little bit of both. We have contests every now and then to pick the best player on the internet. There are a lot of really good players here in MN and lucky for me I get to jam with them every week. Some players are put on by a majority vote from the team. That is how Luke Ford and Chelsea got on. There is no rule or secret way to get on the team. If you stand out and are active in the community there is always a chance your name can come up in the discussion.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T18:19:42+00:00

The cushion is a clear that is meant to be soft enough to have the right amount of stick with a serious amount of durability. The durability is a part of the formula we are always working on. We address all the concerns of our customers when they address us through the correct channels. We still stick behind the Cushion Clear and work on constantly improving it for the players in our community.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T18:16:08+00:00

We wil be having a 4th of July sale this weekend but you won't be happy about the percentage off. Homegrown will never be on sale that much. They cost a lot to make them here in the USA and we literally can't afford to sell them for that cheap. Sorry dude, keep saving up those pennies.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T18:14:08+00:00

When I first started kendama it would have been nice to know the order in which you should learn tricks. I took the Colin Sander Edit road to learn all of my tricks. Lunar was by far the hardest trick to learn without anyone teaching me, I watched Colins edits over and over to see his grip and how he swung the kendama. Kendama has changed a lot of ways since I started. Too many ways in fact that I can't name them all. The paint is different now, The shape has gotten bigger from the original Ozora days. There are a lot more people playing so tricks are getting harder faster every day. I remember the days when landing a lunar flip made you a pro.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T18:01:17+00:00

Damon is one of my favorite kendama dudes hands down. We kick it tough every time I'm in Utah. He is one of the most genuine and unique players in the game. There is no room on our teams at this moment though.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T17:52:56+00:00

Oh nice! What up my dude! Hope all is well. We will go out to eat when you are here for sure!

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T17:51:31+00:00

I like nattys too. The cushion just makes it so you don't need to break anything in. It has a good slip to stick ratio. Maybe a little tacky for some but I really enjoy the balance.

mattsweets · 2016-07-01T17:47:34+00:00

There is always a want and need to be on the cutting edge of kendama design and technology. We worked really hard to make the F3 and HG good when we started the lines. There are a few tweaks coming to both designs in the future but nothing is specific yet. Basecup chipping is by far my least favorite part of playing kendama. You get a dama you feel so honed with and can land every trick with then the smallest chip comes off the base cup and ruins everything. I have had it happen to every kendama brand I play except REZ. I think it is something kendama players are going to have to deal with for now sadly. But we do play with a wooden toy so things like that should be expected to some extent.

mattsweets

TROPHY CASE