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 is so much to like about it and very little to criticise. It looks like it should be more expensive than it is, sounds better than its price tag and even has a gig bag that many a dearer ukulele would be envious of. If ukuleles could be envious of course, which is a bit of a silly notion.

Anyway, moving on... The flamed maple is very attractive, although pale wood isn't everyone's cup of tea. I certainly think it looks good, and there's a gloss finish too which adds a bit of sparkle. This isn't a high gloss mirror finish, but more of a light varnish. Not as pretty as those perfectly flat gloss ukes, but crucially light and thin enough to let plenty of volume out.

The sound is really impressive. If you read any of my descriptions, you'll know one thing that really appeals to me at the more budget end of the market is a ukulele that punches above its weight and gives great value. The KTI-90 from Kai fits into this category, with an impressive warmth - which is particularly full in the bass frequencies. There's still some nice bite too, with clear trebles and decent sustain. The days when not having hundreds of pounds to put towards a ukulele meant having something twangy, or dare I say 'plinky plonky' are over!

The KTI-90 has clear strings, which feel like D'Addario Titanium to me, but are a bit of a mystery. Whatever they are, they’re nice. At the time of writing the Kai website says the nut width is 37mm - but that's wrong (as is Europe's biggest musical instrument retailer in Germany), it is 35mm. That's what I, 6 foot 2 with fairly big hands play on my own uke, so it works for me. There's a side sound port, which gives the player a bit more immediacy (but isn't vital), and a Graphtech nut and saddle.

Just so it doesn't seem like I'm totally positive about Kai in every way... the name means 'sea' in Hawaiian and the brand's copywriters came up with various statements about it including... hold the sick bag... 'Like the water: spacious, always in motion, and basically unstoppable.' Personally I'd have gone for 'Kai. Flipping good ukes'.

To finish on a positive, the 15mm padded gig bag this comes with is really impressive - worth £20-25 on its own. If you click additional info below, you can watch a short video demo of the Kai KTI-90.

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For common accessories and customisations (like strap buttons / low G fitting) scroll down to the bottom of the page where you'll be able to add these common items to your basket.