When I was researching sakadama, my two problems were the hyperbolic claims (maybe this is that trust thing you mentioned at work, but I hate an over the top sales pitch) and that it really wasn’t that much less expensive than akadama, at least on the west coast.
It’s also worth noting that many of the poor reviews were from professionals operating at a high level. Clearly, there’s a different standard at play. If sakadama was marketed as a cheaper alternative to akadama, rather than a superior alternative, I think it may have done better in the states. There’s clearly a market for the former, as evidenced by the popularity of things like calcined clay and diatomaceous earth, but it would be hard to cut it in the latter unless you had something truly special.
I would love more options, but unless they’re produced locally, it will be very hard to compete with akadama economically.
