The Krom POP LOL Sky Blue is part of the POP series, the line Krom uses to cover the entry point to kendama. It is a model built for anyone picking up a kendama for the first time who wants to learn the basic tricks without the tool itself getting in the way, but it also works as a second kendama for experienced players looking for a daily driver.

The ken is turned from beech on the CK shape, one of the most versatile shapes in Krom's catalogue. It is a ken with friendly profiles, a stable base and well-defined cups, ready for learning the spike, basic stalls and the first lunars without any odd feel. The tama is also beech, measures 61 mm in diameter and comes finished with the LOL clear coat system: a glossy, slightly tacky finish that helps tricks land more easily while you are still building the gesture.

This colour, Sky Blue, is part of a wide palette within the POP series. Krom offers this model in about a dozen different finishes (among them Naked, Dark Blue, Dark Green, Lavender, Lime Green, Orange, Pink, Red, Sky Blue, White, Yellow and Black), so you can pick the unit not only by feel but also by look.

The included string is 60 cm, a standard POP length that can be cut down to fit each hand. The pack also throws in a spare string, string-swap tool and stickers.

Within Krom's catalogue, the POP LOL is the logical starting point: a kendama that meets the specs of a real kendama (beech wood, roughly 61 mm tama, professional finish) at a price clearly below the Pro Mod and MOD lines. It is the go-to answer whenever someone asks 'which kendama should I start with?', and the most common recommendation for clubs, birthdays and for keeping a second unit at home without wearing out the main one.