Lyndon Whalen Pro Model Kendama Review

After the model being out for many months, I finally got my hands on one at KWC this year. Lyndon Whalen was a part of the first team that Sol Kendamas ever sponsored; so it is only fitting that he is a part of the Pro Team after representing them in the community for so long. His pro model has a Maple ken, Beech tama, and the paint is sticky.

This is the first release of his pro model and features some pretty important differences from the other Sol Kendamas – let’s take a look:

KEN SHAPE

The Lyndon Mod uses the Sol Vibe Shape, which I have previously written about in detail HERE.

To pull out the key points about the Sol Shape, I have listed them below:

It has bigger cups (comparable to a KUSA Shift) It has a wider sarado (73mm if I measured correctly) It is NOT taller than a standard kendama shape The space for gunslingers is great for adults with bigger hands

What’s different about the Lyndon Mod, however, is that Sol has introduced a balance hole. A balance hole is known to improve lunar balance on kendamas.

Why is it needed in this case?

As we see an increase in size of kendamas, we see the base cup widening and disproportionately increasing weight towards the bottom of the kendama. Although the sarado gets bigger and cups there get wider, this usually is not enough to compensate and as a result the lunar balance deproves.

With the balance hole on this kendama, I see lunars improving significantly.

Important to the design as well is the “110%” burnt into the underbird of the kendama. I asked Sol Kendamas owner Chad Covington what this meant, and this was what he had to say:

TAMA

Where do we start with the tama? It is unique in multiple ways.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way; The tama features sticky paint, similar to the kind seen on the KD mod, and Pastel series. Note, however, that sticky paint breaks in differently depending on the wood it is painted on. This tama is beech and should break in super grippy.

Now onto the design; From top to bottom, the tama starts with a big red dot for tracking. It then travels to a pattern, reminiscent of a Scottish Tartan, comprised of red, green, blue and white.

The tracking features a grey scope with a zig-zag around the perimeter, similar to a broken egg shell, if you will. What I like in particular about this is that it helps with the orientation of the tama when it is spinning. (Calling all you typhoon players).

On to the technical parts, the tama is 62mm – similar to that of Slaydawgs/Legaxis Zoom and bigger than the KUSA (61mm) or generic (60mm) tamas.

What’s special however, is that this release features the new (and very deep) ALL-STAR bevel from Sol Kendamas. The all-star bevel is similarly wide on the outer and inner portions as regular Sol tamas, BUT it contains a much longer gradient from the outer to inner hole.

This means that you will have much better controls of releases from tamas (earth turns, j-sticks) and when a tama is broken in, you do not end up with a flattened bevel.