The Jacob Acrobat Mod, the second version of Jacob Grégoire’s (@jacob_acrobat) signature model, is a collaboration between Krom, the Danish kendama brand founded in Copenhagen by Thorkild May, and this acrobat, who was born in Quebec and trained at the city’s circus school. His fluid, highly visual style and large social media following are the basis of the design.

• BrandKrom Kendama
• ModelJacob Acrobat Mod (V2)
• ShapeFreestyle
• WoodBeech (ken and tama)
• Tama61 mm, I+D Clear lacquer
• IncludesOnion-shaped stress ball, stickers, spare string and a tool for changing it

Design

A kendama has three parts: the ken (the handle with the spike), the sarado (the crosspiece with the side cups) and the tama (the ball). The model’s theme is the onion: each kendama comes with a stress ball in that shape, kept in its own onion net bag. Krom suggests using it to warm up your hand and loosen your grip between sessions, or as a collectable to go with the kendama.

Shape and finish

The ken uses Krom’s Freestyle shape, a versatile shape with large cups. Both ken and tama are made of beech, a hard, durable wood. The 61 mm tama is finished in I+D Clear, the clear lacquer Krom describes as the grippiest in its range, designed to give hold in balance tricks. As with other models from the brand, Krom’s weight guarantee applies: there is a maximum difference of 7 g between ken and tama, so the set is well balanced.