Hello, I'm currently debating whether to get a Maple or an Ash slim Craft and I can't decide. Which wood breaks in better? I know Maple is more durable but is Ash really that prone to chips like everybody is saying? I would appreciate any answers, thanks!
I've heard ash CAN break/chip a bit more easily but I don't know very well from personally experience. Hard to go wrong with maple from all the feedback and people's preferences. But some folks LOVE their ash too. I'm sure either one will slay. Do you do a lot of tricks that are hard on the dama like taps, instas, etc?
Ash is NOT immune to chips. Personally I've tried 3 different ash damas and so far they all have chips. Im not a very reckless player that drops dama every 2 seconds, I DIVE for my damas so it wont hit the ground and i do my best to keep them nice looking and fresh. I advice that you get a maple if you want a jammer but if you want a dama that feels nice and looks nice i would go for the ash
Out of all of my Kendamas, my TJ pro mod has chipped a few times. I personally don't like the feel of an ash ken. In my opinion, the maple is all around clackier, durable, and smooth! But I know many players that swear Ash is the superior wood, it's all preference!
I don't like maple all that much to be honest. It is nice and durable, and I do have one that is nicely broken in. But my ash stuff breaks in faster, and is better from the get-go. It does not last as long, but that's it (in my experience). I actually don't like either woods that much tbh. I kinda just like beech and birch. I have a hickory ken though, that I like a lot, but other than that I kinda wish more products would be offered in birch - its just soooooo good! Ash > Maple
I LOVE ash. It is durable, clacky, and feels nice. Only problem is that if you drop your ken every 3 seconds it will chip.
Yup agreed with the comments above! I think ash vs. maple is the difference between break-in vs. durability. My personal favorite wood of all time is maple - guaranteed to be clacky and extremely durable. It does break in much slower, but once it breaks in, it becomes honed. Perfect for the ken (not so much the tama). Ash wood always has gorgeous grain, and breaks in much faster for stalls and balance tricks. If you get an ash ken, you're risking chips and general damage as it is a much softer wood, but it's perfect on tamas. So my advice is - it dpeends on what you like more; A sturdy ken, or a honed tama? Best thing to do is get both eventually and put the ash tama on the maple ken. But I know how it is - s'lot of money to spend, hahaha.
I'm no tree expert but the reason why many people in the dama community think ash is more "chip prone" is because of the vessel. If you look at an ash wood, they have what a vessel called a ring porous which means that the pores in the wood are bigger. Maple wood has diffuse porous where the diameter of the pores are much smaller. (Note, the bigger the pores, the grain from the wood will pop out more) I'm generally terrible at explaining and not sure on how to answer this in a way that people can understand, but I believe that the structural integrity of ash will likely be worse than maple because of those vessels. The larger vessels in the wood is giving it a chance to chip more easily =. Now this doesn't mean that ash is bad and you have to be gentle with it forever. With the oil and sweat that's being produced from your hand, it can fill in those pores and help the structure of the wood. You just have to keep on jamming it. Some links to understand what vessels are: http://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/understanding-wood-four-structure-types Ash wood spec: http://www.wood-database.com/white-ash/ maple wood spec: http://www.wood-database.com/hard-maple/
Ash breaks in better imo. The wood gets "splintery" so it grips well. Maple is usually more durable though. I've played an Ash Slim Craft and it was super honed. Good for lunars and slings. Super nice for stalls. I personally like the ash more even though I usually don't like ash kens
I see lots of great answers to your question. I personally have the ash slim and love it. It is amazing for stilts, birds...any stalls really. Lunar and slings are great as well. One trick I can seem to land better on my ash slim is kenflips and late kenflips. The weight is perfect. It does have some ash chips but nothing to serious. My Craft Ash Slim broke in very well and surprisingly fast. After a couple days played way better (in my opinion) then when I first played it. I have not tried any of the maple crafts but I am sure in saying that they too are a very well crafted and durable kendama. If it was my decision between an Ash or Maple I would choose Ash. But either one you choose, you will come out with an amazing kendama.
I decided to go with the Ash Slim because I really want a natty tama that will get really broken in (especially with how much I sweat). I heard and understood that Maple tamas don't break in as well so I prefer a tama that will get super good and then if I'll need to replace the Ken I'll probably replace it with a Maple ken. tl;dr - I went with the Ash Slim.