When i went to buy my teal stripe zen it said they were shutting down. Im not entirely sure why though.
My first natty was actually my first dama: kenco bamboo shenzu! It was great, but I eventually wanted to try different tamas. Honestly, i don't play natties majority of the time but my fav set up is my gt stodd prospect w/ a raw ash tama.
My first natty was gifted to me, about two years after i started playing! A local company by the name of Yoyoskeel asked me to get some tricks down for the new (yet, short lived) kendama line, and i was given a natty as thanks (it's pretty much a generic manufactured dama). As for the one i bought, it was a couple of months later, which i ordered myself a Krom Red Oak Deluxe!
My very first natty was actually the Kaizen craft 2.0 slim in maple. When I saw the release I just couldn't help myself and I had to cop one. It absolutely slays and I love how east slingers are on it. Go big or go home right?
First natty was a Ozora Keyaki and i really love that kendama. The grain is so sick and after you play with that dama will become a slayer machine! I totally recommend it. Peace!
My first natty was an Ozora Enjyu. It was not my first kendama (Green Oz) but I did grab it at the very beginning. I didn't necessarily love how hard the wood was. Especially because at the time I was trying to learn lighthouse, and IMO really hard woods are tougher for balance tricks. I was still stoked on it though because it was my first exotic wood dama and I loved the grain. It was nice and light, and you can never go wrong with the Ozora shape. I think that kendama actually sparked my fire to get damas of all different wood types. My advice would be to grab a Maple, or Birch natty. Those two will break in the best and be able to take the greatest beating. I always like to have a broken in natty TK-16 within reach.
First natty was a kaizen padauk. Super icy but looks neat and maybe I'll actually legit break it in one day.
My first natty was either an Ozora Keyaki or a Walnut Stripe HG! I think it was the Keyaki - hard to remember since I have gotten so many damas since! Both of them slay - some of my all time favorites.
Mine was a cherry lion head and I didn't like them at first because it was plane and I was the only Dama player I knew and never saw people playing with them I always thought of them as a "pro players kendama" but later it broke in great and was a bird machine.
I would recommend just getting a natty BLK off of kendamasyndicate for like $10. The OG series has been a Godsend for my natty collection, each one slays so hard and they are super durable. Also recommend KROM kendamas. Their vertical stripe red oak deluxe was my first natty and it slays like a beast.
Just got my first natty, a balanced ash kaizen 2.0. It's a beauty! The grain has a dark/light optical illusion at certain angles. It's definitely poses more of a challenge, especially for balance tricks. Before this I had a couple Kroms (Ash Slaydawg + Naked Pelle). It was nice to learn on those with the sticky tama. Tricks seem more achievable as a beginner. Kept me motivated on learning new stuff. Now that I've been at it for a while, I'm stoked to hone in on a natty. Do balance tricks and stuff get easier as you break in a natty? What were people's experiences starting out with a natty or switching over from a painted tama?
Mine was a Brown Stained Sweets F2. It was gifted to me by a fellow member of my high school dance team. I didn't really play it too much as I gifted it to my sister. Looking back on it now, it was pretty dope that someone got me a kendama as a Christmas gift exchange kinda thing
2.0 shape is dope, been wanting a bamboo 2.0 for a while now. As you break in a natty, it does gets easier. Lighthouses can seem slippery when fresh, but after you get some sweat and dirt in the tama, it can get as grippy as paint does.
I recommend an ASH CRAFT SLIM. It was not my first, but probably my best. Also maybe look for the Grain Theory Ben Herald pro mod which is natty