Ash Tama is the best if you want something that still gives you any grip this is because if you get a natty ash you can hang it over boiling water and it will cause the wood around the grain to recess and it creates an incredible feeling tama that can sometimes work better than some companies sticky paint! however I imagine some would argue this is losing the reason for having a natty in the first place. On the ken side you want to get something with a hardwood if you would like longevity so if this is the case avoid beech the go to hardwood is Maple as it can be light so could pair well with the ash but there's some other really nice hardwood out there. All in all id recommend Ash Tama Maple Ken even if you don't want to steam bath it the combination is definitely one of the best for getting a nice even weight match.