For me it's the birch natty. The wood comes with a rough grainy finish, and while it's not sticky like paint, it has a lot of fine sandpaper-like grip. It really behaves nicely fresh out of the box. And waxing doesn't diminish this... and years down the road you could even re-sand this finish if it wore out. And it's handsome. I think they're very worth it. I have three. I'll let others opine on slim vs shift shape.
shift: good feel, typically good for lunars or slingers, depending on weights. slim: usually good lunars and slingers. really fast rotation for flips. I recommend a fish cake tama with a maple slim ken probably, just because I like the fish cake, the slim shape is really well rounded, and maple is super durable and playable. Another point of discussion, hand size. Small hands go slim, medium hands go shift, big hands, go plus.
Thank you my man, I had the luck that I already got a Dwesty and fell in love with the shift shape. The thing is I‘m from austria an the shipping will fuck me up so I wanna be 100% sure about it haha
If you like natties get a new Red Elm Craft shift while they’re here. It will make the extra shipping worth it.
@lookdadnohandz We already had a similar thread so yours has been merged. Also the forum Search function turned up ~20 related threads. Here are a couple: KUSA Craft Shift Analog Squab vs Craft Shift
Just picked one up (in slim though). Exposed grain like crazy, almost feels unfinished if I didn't know better. I can see why it's not a super-common wood choice but you just can't get grip like that out of rubbery paint. I can't wait to see what some wax does to the color. With the deep grain it's gonna soak that stuff up like a sponge.
I just got my craft shift red elm and man does this thing STINK! Seriously smells like a pile of manure. This grippy grain is insane though!
Cannot confirm the smell but it definitely is grippy! Got mine earlier this week with a Graphite Craft Colors tama and normally I kendition my Crafts but did not with the red elm because the kens usually come out slightly slick after kenditioning.
IIRC Elm and Keyaki are related and Keyaki also has a distinct smell. I second hitting it with a wood treatment. Some treatments are less waxy and more oily so I'd lean toward those to avoid making it slick. On the other hand most treatments wear off or wear down after a while. From a woodturners forum: The problem is not from the soil. The elm died during the growing season while the sap was up. The wood has plenty of sugars, etc. in it. The sugars ferment to form alcohols, which smell. The alcohols are converted to acids, which smell even more. http://www.aawforum.org/community/index.php?threads/smelly-elm.5634/
FWIW it takes way like a pro, really darkens nicely, and keeps plenty of grip. I have three Crafts and, waxed, it's still got the most bite. It also stops some of the hardware store smell.
Well, it is citrus scented so I'd assume it goes without saying it stops the hardware store smell I think I'll keep it as is though
Just got my red elm craft shift graphite! This puppy sucked up an unreal amount of kenditioner but now she is lookin purty! The grippy texture of the red elm is unlike anything I have experienced so far. With this and the new Dave + mod it's obvious that kusa is stepping up their game.
Oh BTW, here is a comparison photo of the shift vs slim shape. I also have a craft slim plus on the way so I'll update this post once it arrives. You've gotta try the red elm! It's crazy awesome and unique!
does anyone know any average weights? i have a hickory shift at about 86g and was wondering how much birch and maple weigh?
As for my opinion on the shift vs slim debate, I got a hickory craft shift and a kaizen slim in my mystery box. I was really hyped on the craft but it was a little lackluster due to poor lunar balance (38g sarado 50g sword) and the shape didn’t allow for slingers that well. Don’t get me wrong tho it is a great dama and i still jam it, and it came for $50 + more so i can’t really complain. The slim however blew me away! I did not have necessarily high expectations for it but lunars, jugs, and stalls on point! I paired it with a gt-e1 tama and it’s a dream. Planning on copping a craft slim next!