The Loon comes flat packed in a luxurious padded custom foam case. Because Kendama is not just about instant gratification. Kendama is about enjoying the process. With The Loon, we encourage you to soak in the process, the experience of assembly. The satisfaction of creating something new with your hands, making it your own and custom fitting it to your playing style.
If you have never assembled a Kendama before follow the directions in one of these helpful tutorials by Sweets or Kendama USA.
For the string length, it's all about personal preference. Find a length that is comfortable for you and trim the string down to that length. Remember, you can always make the string shorter, but not longer. So don't cut off more than you want, just do small trims at a time.
THE LOON is great when it's brand new, but it gets even better over time. The more you play with THE LOON, the more it breaks in. This wear and tear only makes this kendama play better.
Pendama SKILL TOY // TIPS&TRICKS
When you receive your Pendama it will be fresh and so perfect...but that's not how it should be. The goal of the Pendama is to enjoy it. Don't keep it perfect. The more you play, the more it will build character. The wood will get smooth and broken in, the pen cap may get some marks on it. These are signs that you're progressing and learning new tricks. Show us your well loved Pendamas, we love to see how they transform over time.
We recommend not trying to "yank spike" the Pendama. This will most likely break your ink...but do what you want ;)
IF your ink does break, it's fairly easy to replace yourself! Here's how:
Go find a BIC brand pen, you probably have one laying around your house somewhere already!
Pull out the ink from the BIC pen and your Pendama.
Cut it to the same size as the Pendama ink using scissors. Make sure to do this in a place where you wont get ink everywhere (like in a sink or outside).
Super Glue the end of the ink to stop the ink from flowing out.
After it dries, insert it back into the Pendama. You can use a tiny bit of super glue to ensure a tight fit.
Super glue is your friend when it comes to maintaining your pendama. The wood that holds the ink is super thin and prone to cracks, a little super glue goes a long way to keep your Pendama fresh for a long time!
For more trick ideas with the Pendama, visit our dedicated Pendama page! There you can see different levels of tricks to challenge yourself to learn!
Wooden TABLE TOP SKILL TOY - KURURIN // TIPS&TRICKS
If not already installed, to attach your pads, just peel off the adhesive sticker and place on each end centered. Press the Kururin down on a hard flat surface to ensure it's secure.
To play Kururin all you'll need is a hard flat surface like a table or counter top. If the surface is uneven, playing will be harder.
First, try to roll the table top toy. Just a gentle push and it will begin to topple over. Now, try to stop it while it's balanced on one end.
The trick possibilities with the Kuruin are endless. Try a 1 roll, 2, roll, 3 roll. See how many you can get. Try rolling in a square. Try a Ghost, where you don't touch it but it stands up on it's own after rolling!
If you purchased multiple Kururins, you can do tricks with more than one at once! Knock one into the other, or try to roll them at the same time!
Another fun way to play with this little skill toy is with a friend! Sit across the table from one another and roll it back and forth between you trying to perfectly catch it before it topples off the table. If someone messes up, the other person gets a point. Play to 11!
For more Kururin trick inspiration, check out the following hashtag on Instagram: #Kururin
LuNATAC - MOLDABLE KENDAMA WEIGHTS // Tips&Tricks
Stick LunaTac wherever you need extra weight. For better lunar balance try starting with a small ball of LunaTac into your Kendama cup (a little goes a long way) From there take the Tama and SMASH down the LunaTac to flatten it out into a nice circle. Keep flattening until you can hear the normal "clack" sound of your Tama hitting the cup.
*NOTE* Depending on the grain/color of your Ken, LunaTac may leave some dark residue behind. To help avoid this, make sure your hands are clean when handling LunaTac. Also, to remove residue, use the LunaTac to dab at the spot until most comes off. Don't put LunaTac on any Kendamas that you're not okay leaving a little residue on.
When not in use, store your LunaTac in the container it came in at room temperature. In extreme heat the putty can start to melt. In the cold it gets a bit harder and it may take some rolling around in your hands to soften.
Other places to experiment putting LunaTac? Try rolling a worm-like shape with the LunaTac and then rolling it around below or above the Sarado.
To add TACK to your Kendama, add a little extra LunaTac into the cups so that it makes slight contact with the Tama when played. Mess around with this, it's fun to use the stick to your advantage for some tricky maneuvers. Have fun with it!
Use LunaTac to add weight to make your Kendamas #SlayLunars better OR to balance out your Kens and Tamas perfectly for string tricks.
SlayBands are great for everyday play. They don't add as much weight as LunaTac can, but definitely help with Lunar Balance, Birds and Stilts.
Put them around every cup to protect from chipping when dropped.
To stretch them around your cups, use two hands, and stabilize your ken with your knees (or recruit a friend to help). It's helpful to get one side one first, then stretch the other side over.
SlayBands are great for tracking. Put them on around your cups and you'll be able to track juggles and other flip tricks way better!
Put one around each cup, or even more on the sarado if you have them! Each band you put on adds weight which can help with tricks like Lunars.
When not in use, leave on your Kendama or wear as a ring to show your #SlayLunar love.
Want to jam but stay quiet? Slide the SlayBands just slightly out off the cups to create a little rubber bumper. This will play way different as it will be very tacky, but you'll be silent as a ninja!
Due to the nature of SlayBands, they're not indestructible. Like a rubber band, they will eventually wear down and break. To extend the lifespan, we recommend leaving them on once applied and not moving them on and off constantly. New versions of SlayBands (V3 and higher) are more durable and longer lasting.
HOW TO INSTALL SLAYBANDS (see video below for visuals)
Stabilize your kendama against your body or between your knees.
Stretch the SlayBand out a bit between your thumbs or fingers to loosen it up.
AVOID stretching hard and fast as this can cause bands to snap.
Slow and steady is the key. The SlayBands used in the film below have been pre-stretched. For brand new SlayBands, stretch them slowly the first time. If your bands feel too stiff, soak them in hot water before stretching.
Get the SlayBand around one side of the cup, then slowly stretch it around rim and other side. As soon as it's around the other side, slip your fingers out and you're ready to SLAY!
Trainer TAMAS // TIPS&TRICKS
Trainer Tamas come in two different sizes, Large and XL. The tamas are the same size as normal, but feature wider bevels for easier spikes.
To learn a new trick or line, start with the easiest, the XL size.
Keep practicing with the XL until you have the muscle memory down.
From there, move down a size to the Large or back to your Standard sized bevel on your favorite tama.
Use the tracking lines to your advantage to see the spin of the tama and spot your spikes in advance. Also use, the tracking LunaTac logo on top to know where the hole is on the opposite side at all times.
The tamas are natural ash wood which can be a bit slippery out of the box. If you prefer a more tacky setup, add a little beeswax, or some LunaTac Weights or some SlayBands (hang them just a little bit off the edge of the cups for tack) to dial it in to your liking. Over time the oils from your hands as well as repetitive play will break the tama in very nicely.
