Thomas “Toto” Balmes was born in 2000, lives in Lyon and has played kendama since 2020; before that he skated, and it was a skater friend who first put a kendama in his hands. After years of taking kendama through the streets and mountains of France, he joined the pro team of Krom, the Danish brand, and this is his signature model.

• BrandKrom Kendama
• ModelToto Pro Mod
• ShapeToto
• WoodMaple ken, beech tama
• Tama62 mm, I+D paint, navy blue
• IncludesMini bearing, spare string, a tool for changing it and stickers

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 dark navy tama features a mountain graphic in tribute to the landscapes that have shaped Toto’s style, and the ken has his stamp on the base. The model uses the Toto shape, which bears his name; Krom pitches it for big tricks and technical play.

Materials and finish

The ken is made of maple, a dense, stable wood, and the tama of beech, which is harder. The tama measures 62 mm and is finished in I+D, Krom’s paint designed to give consistent grip in balance tricks. Krom also guarantees a weight difference of between 0 and 7 grams between ken and tama, so the set is well balanced. The string is attached with a mini bearing, a small swivelling part that stops it from twisting.