The 5 Stripe is Sweets Kendamas’ take on the classic striped kendama: five coloured stripes on the tama instead of the traditional one or three. It belongs to the Prime series, the brand’s entry-level range, and this is the Dougie colourway.

• BrandSweets Kendamas
• SeriesPrime, 5 Stripe Dougie
• ShapeBOOST, designed by Christian Fraser
• TamaFive stripes with white base, Sticky Clear lacquer
• IncludesMatching spare string and Prime stickers

Design

A kendama has three parts: the ken (handle with spike), the sarado (the piece with the side cups) and the tama (the ball). The tama combines five coloured stripes with the lower part painted white. That light background surrounds the hole and makes it easier to find, which helps you land the spike, the trick of landing the ball on the point of the ken. The tama has Sticky Clear, Sweets’ glossy clear lacquer: slightly tacky, it gives grip in balance tricks while leaving room to correct the ball’s position.

Shape and level

The ken is the BOOST shape, created by veteran Sweets player Christian Fraser as an evolution of the old Prime: slightly bigger cups, more pronounced landing points for stalls (the ball resting still on the ken) and a balance bevel on the base cup that makes the lunar (the ken balanced on the ball) easier. It belongs to Sweets’ entry-level range, although experienced players use the BOOST too. The string matches the tama, and the box includes a spare one and Prime series stickers.