Alpha Series
The Alpha Series were the very first kendamas we ever sold, each one has a small greek 'alpha' symbol burned into the ken, hidden under the sarado. These kendamas are classics - from the beautifully simple Maple to the vividly popular Purpleheart, we experimented to find the best process for making the highest quality kendamas possible. At the end of 2011 we decided it was time to retire the Alpha Series, and move into production of the more refined Beta Series kendamas. All in all there were less than 40 Alpha Series kendamas produced, each one represents a piece of our history, hard work, and love for what we do.
Check out some of our Alpha Series work below:
Hard Maple comes largely from Eastern Canada. Being a Canadian company, we just had to make a couple kens using this wood! Maple is a beautiful, white wood with weight similar to that of your average kendama.
We nicknamed these the 'Canadamas', for obvious reasons.
Santos Rosewood is a beautiful deep brown wood from South America, and it is one of our favorites. The weight of this ken is 87.5 grams, making it the heaviest ken in the Alpha Series! The sarado on this ken is particularly striking, as it has a small beetle hole through it which has caused heavy figuring in the wood grain - truly making this kendama one of a kind.
Purpleheart wood comes from South America and is naturally purple. It is a very hard, dense wood with kens usually weighing around 80.5 grams. When purpleheart is first cut, the newly exposed wood is a sort of brown/greyish purple color. Once exposed to light the purple color darkens, then playing with the ken only furthers this (as oils and dirt from your hands work into the ken).
The purpleheart's beauty and playability has quickly made this ken a staple of our company.
Yellowheart wood (also known as Pau Amarello) comes from Brazil, while Ebony is found in Africa and Southern Asia. Ebony is an extremely hard, dense wood, which contrasts nicely with the lighter colored yellowheart. The sarado of this ken is made of two pieces of yellowheart wood which were bound together. The weight of this ken is 78.2 grams, it truly is a unique kendama that stands out in any collection!
Padauk is a beautiful wood from South America. When freshly cut it appears quite orange in colour, but over time it turns a deep red. It is a rather oily wood, so you can expect the string and tama to gradually take on a slight red tinge over time. These kens weigh an average of 75.4 grams, and have a crisp, 'glassy' sort of feel to them when juggling.
Purpleheart and yellowheart (also known as Pau Amarello) wood both come from South America. As their names suggest, the woods are naturally purple and yellow in color. This ken is a 50/50 split right down the middle, fitted with a purpleheart sarado. The weight of this ken is 80.6 grams. Complementary colors to complement your kendama collection!
This kendama is a wonderful combination of purpleheart and maple. Each stripe was precisely cut to 1/10", and then aligned so the stripes were perfectly centred down the length of the ken. This one of a kind ken weighs in at 80.6 grams, so you know it will have the solid feel that our purpleheart kens are renowned for. Complete with a white tama, this is a ken that stands above all others in any collection.
Hard Maple comes largely from Eastern Canada. Being a Canadian company, we just had to make a couple kens using this wood! Maple is a beautiful, white wood with weight similar to that of your average kendama.
We nicknamed these the 'Canadamas', for obvious reasons.
Santos Rosewood is a beautiful deep brown wood from South America, and it is one of our favorites. The weight of this ken is 87.5 grams, making it the heaviest ken in the Alpha Series! The sarado on this ken is particularly striking, as it has a small beetle hole through it which has caused heavy figuring in the wood grain - truly making this kendama one of a kind.
Purpleheart wood comes from South America and is naturally purple. It is a very hard, dense wood with kens usually weighing around 80.5 grams. When purpleheart is first cut, the newly exposed wood is a sort of brown/greyish purple color. Once exposed to light the purple color darkens, then playing with the ken only furthers this (as oils and dirt from your hands work into the ken).
The purpleheart's beauty and playability has quickly made this ken a staple of our company.
Yellowheart wood (also known as Pau Amarello) comes from Brazil, while Ebony is found in Africa and Southern Asia. Ebony is an extremely hard, dense wood, which contrasts nicely with the lighter colored yellowheart. The sarado of this ken is made of two pieces of yellowheart wood which were bound together. The weight of this ken is 78.2 grams, it truly is a unique kendama that stands out in any collection!
Padauk is a beautiful wood from South America. When freshly cut it appears quite orange in colour, but over time it turns a deep red. It is a rather oily wood, so you can expect the string and tama to gradually take on a slight red tinge over time. These kens weigh an average of 75.4 grams, and have a crisp, 'glassy' sort of feel to them when juggling.
Purpleheart and yellowheart (also known as Pau Amarello) wood both come from South America. As their names suggest, the woods are naturally purple and yellow in color. This ken is a 50/50 split right down the middle, fitted with a purpleheart sarado. The weight of this ken is 80.6 grams. Complementary colors to complement your kendama collection!
This kendama is a wonderful combination of purpleheart and maple. Each stripe was precisely cut to 1/10", and then aligned so the stripes were perfectly centred down the length of the ken. This one of a kind ken weighs in at 80.6 grams, so you know it will have the solid feel that our purpleheart kens are renowned for. Complete with a white tama, this is a ken that stands above all others in any collection.