MKUltras - 14mm Mílos Animal Horn Editions

MKUltras - 14mm Mílos Animal Horn Editions

Animal Horn

Animal horn is one of the classic materials used in traditional Greek komboloi, and other worry beads. It’s known for its durability and crisp feel.. harder and less porous than wood or bone, and with a beautiful and distinctive range of translucency and colour variations. We are pleased to finally be able to add this timeless natural material to our range of beaded products, with both sheep horn and ox horn options.

Both materials are warm to the touch, crisp sounding, and durable. The sheep horn is relatively even in colouration, with just slight differences in tone. The beads are quite translucent and catch the light beautifully, but as with their colour, there is some variation in opacity between individual beads. The ox horn beads, by comparison, are much more opaque, but vary dramatically in colour from very light off-white, to dark brown. You'll find that each individual bead really has its own character, with unique coloured patches, stripes and striations, or even fade patterns.

Being a natural material, the horn does require a bit of care to ensure its longevity.. avoid chemicals and even water to the extent possible.. if you need to clean them, wipe with water, pat dry, and rub in a little bit of oil to keep the material conditioned and prevent it from drying out.

About the Animal Horn Mílos MKUltras

The 14mm Mílos are our largest Animal Horn beads to date. With their generous rounding and oblong dimensions, the Mílos beads are extremely comfortable in the hand, and work great for raindrops and bead counting. The large 14mm size of the beads makes them very satisfying to manipulate, while the weight of the material keeps them light enough to flip around for extended periods. Given the versatility of these beads, we've opted to make them available in both short and long form MKUltras. 

With all of our other bead options, it's hard to imagine anything minimalist carving out a new space for itself between our Sigma begleri, our Hydras, our many spherical Boss beads, and the rest of our range. But the Mílos have done just that, offering a distinctive look and feel that works in a variety of setups. These apple-shaped beads are a traditional shape, and were originally modelled after our jade bodhis.  

Long Form Versions

The Long Form Edition of the Mílos features 27 of our 14mm Mílos beads, and are designed to be worn on the wrist in a double loop. The sliding 15mm Lil' Boss bead provides a friction fit locking mechanism to keep the set in place when worn, while sliding down to create slack when the set is being played. The long form setup features a slightly weighted tassel, consisting of two 10mm and two 12mm Titanium Mílos beyond the boss bead. This provides a nice counterweight when manipulating the set from the boss bead itself.

Short Form Versions

The Short Form Mílos MKUltras feature 17 of our 14mm apple shaped Mílo beads, and are designed to be worn on the wrist in a single loop. The sliding 15mm Lil' Boss bead provides a friction fit locking mechanism to keep the set in place when worn, while sliding down to create slack when the set is being played.

Details:

Long Form

• 27 x 14mm Mílos + 1x 15mm Lil' Boss + 2x 10mm Ti Mílos + 2x 12mm Ti Mílos
• Weight
  • Ox horn ~ 67g all in
  • Sheep horn ~67.5g all in
• Strung on AO2's new custom 12-strand, high density, 2mm Kevlar cord

Short Form

• 17 x 14mm Mílos + 1x 15mm Lil' Boss 
• Weight
  • Ox horn ~ 38g all in
  • Sheep horn ~38.5g all in
• Strung on AO2's new custom 12-strand, high density, 2mm Kevlar cord

Caution: Although the animal horn material is quite robust, it can crack and chip, particularly if they are allowed to dry out too much. We recommend relatively gentle use, avoiding contact with water or chemicals, and periodically oiling them with something like olive oil in order to keep them conditioned and resilient. 

More general information can be found below, and for anyone interested in the full narrative and some moving visuals of these beauties, have a look at the May 2024 drop preview video

General Information on the MKUltras

The MKUltras are a hybrid design, combining elements of traditional Mala and Komboloi beads. The MKUltra name gives a nod to this lineage, as well as their expedience as tools to help us focus our minds and still our thoughts. They can be used in a variety of ways, ranging from quiet bead counting, through to raucous flipping. 

The unique setup of the MKUltras allows them to be worn like mala beads, or carried discretely in the pocket. They adjust by means of a simple friction fit through the larger "Micro Boss" bead closure. Although the design is exceedingly simple, we're fairly confident you won't find anything quite like them around. This is a knotless system, and does not require any special lock bead. The cord is simply compressed when threaded through the Micro Boss bead, providing a reliable, secure fastener, that is easy to adjust when needed.

In this way, the Ultras can be worn on the wrist, or loosened and slid up above the elbow to keep them out of the way when needed. Excess cordage can be knotted loosely around the Micro Boss bead when they are worn on the wrist, or left dangling. This modifiable arrangement allows them to be used very quietly, for simple bead counting used in breath work and meditation, to "raindrop" methods marked by the satisfying, rhythmic clacking of the beads, as well as much more physical methods of manipulation which resemble short game begleri play. While they aren't intended as a highly technical skill toy, there are still a solid range of moves you can link together, and lots of ways of working with them.

New to the Ultras? You can wear em on your wrist, or check out the video below for some other examples of what these beads are capable of.