Hey all! As the title will tell you, I'm finally going to try to detail the PNW Slate and it's capabilities as I've seen so far. I've had it for about 3 weeks and reminiscent of the Kotodama, it has been holding up crazy well. I also have had it strung up on a KUSA halfsplit tama, and I highly recommend y'all do this, Cush/silk slay on this ken. Alright, so one thing I noticed about the ken right off the bat, is the cups. Having played a Prime, they aren't that huge, but the stall points are unreal on this thing. Even with a slippery bevel, stalls were locked. The slip-stop area is thick and helps when catching the ken, so that helps control. Slings are good, and when doing lunars, the big cup just seems to wrap around the tama, it's pretty crazy. You can also totally tell that it's American made, the quality is great! Overall, this kendama is suuuuuuuch a steal for $20. Totally would recommend. If anyone has any questions/picture requests, I'd be happy to oblige. Much Love, Blake W.
@Blake W. You need to head over to the DS Exchange and get in on the coupon code for the next drop!! Still a few slots left.
Fresh out of the package. This is an excellent beechwood setup. Comes with a flat and soft, white nylon string with spinner. The shape mirrors the Kotodama shape. The cups ever so slightly wider than JKA Ozora. Slate: Tama 67.25g Ken 72.90g sarado 35.46g spike. 37.45g Made in the USA for $20!!! This is insane. Do yourself and PNW a favor, show support and get one.
@Blake W. could we turn this into a pnw owners thread? Here's my kotos finally came in, stoked to sesh on one after work image upload api
I've had this tama sitting in the box fresh for almost 2 years now.. I figured it was about time to jam it, and this weight match is better than the beech tama it came with
I just got my first PNW product this past monday, a V2 Kotodama. First impression was that the whole product felt extremely crisp. The cups are indeed smaller than a Prime or a Next Gen HG, but they are still great sizes and the tama fits them very well. This is one of my first natural kendamas and I was very intimidated by the break in period that I was getting myself into. Boy, was I wrong. Sweat acts like insta-grip on this bad boy. The first time I seshed it was for about an hour. I was playing outside, and quite vigorously, I might add. At first, lighthouses were tough, and lunars were out of the question. Once I rubbed it down with some good ole perspiration, it was as if the grain gained little tiny microscopic hands, grabbing on to the cups with ease. Soon after, I was lacing lighty flips and almost even some lunar flips (which is out of my comfort zone at the moment). It was astonishing how much more playability the dama had after some liberal application of my nasty. Kinda gross, yeah, but hey it works like magic, and it's not like it makes your dama stink. Also, that is not to take away from the quality of this kendama. I'm sure that it was just due to my skill level that I needed some help with balance tricks. It feels extremely well balanced, although I haven't yet taken the time to weigh the parts. It just felt good to hold and better to play. Would recommend!
Hey, did anybody notice on the slates, the spike wears down really fast, and is perenially short. Just wondering if this is a problem with others as well
So beech wood is softer wood. It should break down just as fast as sweets primes. Or really any other beech ken I guess.