Kai Ukulele Review – The Best 5 Kai Models in 2023!

Kai Ukulele Brand and Range of Production

The Kai ukulele brand is devoted to the spirit of the Hawaiian ukulele culture, however, they are available in an international range, especially with the great offers from Thomann.

Kai Ukulele is a brand and part of the company Kristal Music, therefore, it is a little sister of the very successful sales brand Randon Guitars.

Kai ukuleles are also a visual delicacy. In the 20s and 30s series, used for the body there are some special types of wood such as mango or pacific walnut. In addition, the special tonal characteristics of these models because of their appearance (color, grain, etc.) are undoubtedly eye-catcher.

The motto “Small in form, big in sound” gets a really special meaning at Kai Ukuleles, because the second soundhole on the upper frame makes a new sound experience for the player as well.

Here at StringsKings, we made a list of the best 5 Kai Ukuleles that you can find available to buy in 2023. So if you are looking for a new ukulele, this is the place to be!

1. Kai KTI-700 Tenor Ukulele

Kai ukuleles KTI-700 Tenor is a regular scaled and shaped double bout tenor ukulele that really is kind of the looker. For the ‘solid’ part of the build, there is a strong cedar top. It is a tonewood that we both like the look and sound of this decent quality wood. It is in two pieces and the back and sides are made of Bocote.

The bridge is a tie bar type and traditionally styled. It is made of Macassar ebony and the dark wood in opposition to the coffee-colored cedar appears great.

The body comes with one or two other features. First, you get a side sound port then the top and back are edge bound in red padauk which appears to be great, and around the soundhole is an abalone ring. The body is then completed in a superb-looking mirror finish gloss which really helps set off the colors in the binding and the patterning in the Bocote very well. It is stunning.

To complete the whole package there is a set of unspecified strings that may be D’Addario Titaniums and it also comes with KTB 100 carry bag. You may think that all of this comes with a premium price, but the truth is that you can buy this package for around 170$.

We highly recommend this ukulele, especially because there are so many satisfied customers and reviews.

Features

Kai KTI-700 Tenor Ukulele Info

Chrome-plated guitar machine heads, Nut & saddles: NuBone, Color: Natural high gloss, Includes KTB 100 gig bag!

Buy On Thomann

2. Kai KCI-5000

The KCI-5000 is a classic-shaped double-bout concert ukulele made of solid acacia. It is almost chocolate-like in color and at first, it can remind you of walnut or even laminate bocote. It is extremely pretty with a lot of grain interest, lights, and darks and stripes.

The bridge is a step up from many other value ukuleles in the selection of ebony. It is a uniformly dark tie bar that’s completed really well.

Around the sound hole is an abalone ring, while on the side upper shoulder is a sound port with a channel etched around it which sets it off nicely. The entire body is then glossed and it isn’t overdone which is great.

The neck is made out of Nato wood, which is the wood from the Mora tree and is comprised of three pieces with pretty well-hidden joints.

The fingerboard is more ebony, extremely even in color, and in nice condition. The sides of the board are bound in more brown wood to match the body, meaning no sharp ends for the 18 frets joined to the body on the 14th.

The tone itself is what we expected from Acacia. Like Koa, this wood has a richness that ticks boxes in all the levels – neither overly bright nor overly dark – but a real mix across the dynamic range which is why these woods find such favor on ukuleles.

You may think that all of this comes at a premium price, but you will be able to get this instrument and all its extras at a really decent price a little more than 200$ (of course on Thomann, where you will get the best prices!).

Features

Kai KCI-5000 Info

Solid acacia top, back, and sides, Macassar fretboard and bridge, Black/Bronze classic machine heads, Color: Natural High-gloss.

Buy On
Thomann

3. Kai KTI-90 Tenor Ukulele

This Kai KTI-90 tenor uke is a great example of how ukuleles are improving at the relatively low-cost end of the market. There’s so much to love about it and very little to criticize.

It seems like it needs to be more expensive than it’s, sounds better than its price tag, and even has a gig bag that many would be envious of.

The flamed maple is very engaging, although pale wood is not everyone’s cup of tea. We actually think it’s looking good, and there is a gloss finish too, which adds a little bit of sparkle.

This is not a high gloss mirror finish, but an extra light varnish. Not as pretty as those perfectly flat gloss ukes, however, crucially light and thin enough to let plenty of volume out. The second sound hole on the upper frame makes the sound on this ukulele even more impressive.

If you read our reviews, you will know one thing that really appeals to us at the more budget end of the market is a ukulele that punches above its weight and offers great value.

The KTI-90 from Kai matches this category, with an impressive warmth – which is especially full within the bass frequencies. The days when not having hundreds of dollars to put towards a ukulele meant having something “bad”, are over!

Features

Kai KTI-90 Tenor Ukulele Info

Body: Flamed maple, Open chrome-plated guitar machine heads, Finish: Open-pored, Color: Natural high gloss, Includes KTB 100 bag!

Buy On
Thomann

4. Kai KCI-100G-BL Concert Ukulele

Like many of the other Kai ukuleles, this model KCI-100G-BL is also made in the La Mancha factory in Spain. La Mancha is known for making excellent quality and finished instruments and the same goes for Kai models made there.

This instrument is also made with an additional sound-hole, on the side of the body for extra acoustic volume coming from the soundbox.

KCI-100G-BL body is made of Sapele with some solid Sapele on the top, for the neck, they used nato wood and the bridge and fingerboard are made of Macassar wood, it’s a real eye-catcher.

This model has an open headstock with well-responsive tuners. On the fingerboard, there is an inlay of birds and a boat. The finish is green/blue transparent with gloss lacquer. This ukulele comes with a carrying bag KCB-100 (just like other models on our list).

Features

Kai KCI-100G-BL Concert Ukulele Info

Fretboard inlays: Seagulls and boat, Machine heads: Classic design, black/bronze, Strings: D’Addario Nyltech, Includes a KCB-100 gig bag!

Buy On Thomann

5. Kai KTI-5000

The Kai KTI-5000 has a fantastic-looking, well-executed slotted headstock that is fitted with quality geared tuners, with a bigger than the normal cog, which makes the tuning quicker than with regular models.

The 35mm ebony fingerboard is ebony black and smooth, and there is an upper frame sound hole port that directs the stunning tone up in the direction of the player in a new sound experience.

The tone is a mix of all things, tight trebles, and some rich depth in a melting pot of loveliness. It’s an awesome all-rounder, full of volume and sustains. The D’addario Titanium strings do not feel too taught and are good for bending and vibrato too.

Something that says a lot about this ukulele is the Kai-branded ukulele gig bag that’s included in the package. Most included bags don’t have a quality, however, this is a good quality gig bag worthy of this uke and for more expensive instruments as well.

Bag appearance is probably the least exceptional thing about the package deal – regardless of being geared up with lots of pads, the Kai logo and made to an excellent standard.

It’s imported by the same distributor who deals with Risa, Magic Fluke, and Kiwaya – they know their stuff and they know, that this is a brilliant instrument with special tonal characteristics that could possibly be sold at a far higher cost.

Features

Kai KTI-5000 Info

NuBone nut and saddle, Classic black/bronze machine heads, Colour: Natural high-gloss, Includes a KTB-100 gig bag.

Buy On Thomann

Conclusion

In this Kai Ukuleles review, we tried to cover the best ukuleles available that you can buy. Kai brings good quality at a really affordable price.

They have great ukuleles and some of them are made in the La Mancha factory in the central part of Spain, which guarantees that you are getting great instruments with 3 year Thomann warranty.

We hope we were able to help you choose your new ukulele or get more information about Kai as a brand.

Happy Strumming!