I've seen a bunch of companies that carry them but we have Bahama Kendama at our shop and they've been well received. The spike itself is a bit thinner under the sarado which some people like.
Maple. Love the grain, clack and durability Second would be ash cos it has better grain than maple, has amazing clack too but chips really fast. Third would be beech simply cos its cheap, havent really tried other woods alot yet
Birch, I feel like the lighter ken is worth the sacrifice because of how crazy honed birch can get. I have a shredded TK-16 that is the softest and most honed thing despite having 1/4 of its original base cup. Maple is great too, for reasons you don't need me to tell you. For tamas? Raw ash. Kens beside birch/maple? Hickory. And beech is always great...
If a woodchuck could chuck wood he would his own wood. However, a woodchuck cannot chuck his own wood, or any wood for that matter because his arms have evolved to be two inches too short to properly grasp the wood for the act of wood chucking. No woodchuckery for the poor woodchuck. But with that said... poison sumac.
Hickory has been my all time favorite. I love the crispy feel of the wood and in general tanky weights they have. Birch would definitely be my second fave. Basically a softer maple that breaks in a little faster and is durable af.
Same lol maple and ash. Ken is durable for taps and stuff and tama is still good for birds and stalls