MKUltras - 15mm Wood Editions
MKUltras - 15mm Wood Editions
Cedar Wood Ultras
Aroundsquare's cedar beads have striking grains and a soft, warm feel to them that is quite unlike any of our other materials. Our cedar wood MKUltras feature a 3.5mm bore to accommodate our custom K2 (2mm kevlar) cord. We've paired these beauties with one of our 17mm brass Lil' Boss beads, which provides a great little accent against the colours of the cedar, and a nice end weight for handling them. The heft and size of the brass bead, relative to the weight of the cedar beads, makes them a pleasure to sling from the boss, and the long form setup provides a comfortable double wrap on the wrist when worn.
Note that the cedar beads have been polished with a light wax, and feel soft and grippy. The nature of the cedar wood also makes these beads much softer in tone for raindrops. The beads drop fine on the cord, but softness of the wood and the relatively slower dropping results in a very different raindrop experience compared to our harder woods and other heavier materials.
Cedar Long Form Details
The 15mm wood editions features 21 of our 15mm beads, and are designed to be worn on the wrist in a double loop. The sliding 17mm Brass Lil' Boss bead can be cinched up to keep them secure on the wrist, while sliding down to create slack when the set is being played. The long form setup features a slightly weighted tassel, consisting of two 8mm and two 10mm matching beads beyond the boss bead. This provides a nice counterweight when manipulating the set from the boss bead itself.
- Components: 21x 15mm Cedar bead + 1x 15mm Brass Lil' Boss + 2x 10mm Brass micro boss + 2x 8mm Brass micro boss
- Weight: ~ 72g all in
- Strung on AO2's custom 12-strand, high density, 2mm Kevlar cord
Our October 2024 Launch Preview video below dives deep on these guys, and provides some ideas for the types of usage and manipulations possible with them.
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.
