Any have the scoop on Mahogany kens? Might actually go with that for my next natty. Also, while we are at it, say Mahogany out loud and just think of how weird that word is.
I have a mahogany Krom Viking and I love it. It has a great weight, sound and feel. However, it is incredibly slick so that makes it difficult for balance tricks like loon or lighty. Highly recommended however
What mahogany ken are you looking at? There are a number of species of mahogany, with different densities, hardnesses, etc.
@htimSxelA, https://shop.kendamausa.com/collections/krom-kendamas/products/krom-deluxe-v3-mahogany-smoked I was looking at getting the smoked version because I hear that it might make the wood softer but that could be totally wrong info. I also might just get the normal version but that one looks really slick. My first krom was the vertical stripe red oak and that was one of the best I ever had. It's still broken in nicely.
@lategreat808 nice, the KROM mahogany plays well, its kinda middle ground for hardness and density as far as mahogany species I've seen go, so they play great!
@htimSxelA ...so you might not know this but I'm guessing if anyone does it probably you. So what does smoking the wood do to the wood exactly? Does it make it softer? Denser? Does it break in faster? Or does it just change the look?
@lategreat808 I don't know if it will give any advantages or disadvantages, from what I know 'smoking' the wood is actually a chemical process that is used to bring contrast to the grain, so its an aesthetic thing. It may very well change how the dama plays a little bit, but I'm not sure exactly how. I just poked around a bit online and everything just talks about aesthetics. That isn't to say it won't change the properties of the wood otherwise though, thats just a variable that a furniture maker wouldn't worry about (but a kendama player would), hence it isn't reported. I can't imagine it makes a large change though
Mahogany is a very beautiful wood! It's a pretty unique type as far as kendamas go. Not many companies produce Mahogany! It breaks in fairly well, but it's a pretty dense feeling wood. Be forewarned, it's fairly brittle like Walnut. They don't take well to ground drops!
Happy to help! To quote my cousin during xmas dinner "you don't have to wonder anymore" (ie the internet can answer all your questions). No excuses for ignorance these days, I guess. Depends on the species of mahog. Genuine honduran mahogany is more like maple. Super soft, not dense, very hard to chip.
I've had a Krom mahogany Viking since they first dropped, wasn't a huge fan at first as it was super slick, and I've broken the big cup twice on very easy tricks, (super glue has held up since then) however it has broken in to be super sticky for a natty dama and one of my all time faves. I couldn't comment on how a regular size one plays. One thing I can say is you should definitely glue the tip, I've glued mine a number of times but it's awfully dull nowadays, can still shred though, and can sometimes even hit a boarder or two.
I have a full mahogany Sol Flow. It's a very soft, but very durable setup. The spike takes a beating (even after 2 layers of super glue), but the wood definitely broke in pretty good. Managed to get this Around Fast Hand after working with it for nearly a week.
Nice! Classic sorta line I love it. Worth mentioning: one of my favourite kendamas was a mahogany ken, it was a very low density Honduran mahogany. It was the first ken I handturned with a larger size (Terra 'omega' series, basically the LBB size but handturned), and since it was lower density, each half was like 74-75 grams. I made it in 2011 I think, it was the greatest for just about everything.
I have a couple of mahogany Vikings which i use for performances. Great pop and sound, grain that never disappoints. The only caveat is that the sarado can get loose pretty easily, but at the same time, it’s not that easy to break in the tama.
I have both but I prefer the Flow. The Viking just feels light for its size. I have a mahogany that's ~188g and a rubberwood that's ~234g. They're both finished pretty much the same but the Flow doesn't appear quite as slick/smooth.