MKUltras - 12mm Mílos Wood Editions

£95.00 SHP

~~£95.00 SHP~~ £95.00 SHP

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Description

MKUltras - 12mm Mílos Wood Editions

With all of our other bead options, it's hard to imagine anything minimalist carving out a new space for itself between our mini sigmas, our spherical beads, and the rest of our range. But the Mílos justified their existence from the first samples, and they're set to become a new favourite for many. These apple-shaped beads are a traditional shape, and were originally modelled after our jade bodhis. In terms of weight and feel, the Mílos have a lot in common with our similarly sized spherical beads, but to the tactile and auditory connoisseurs out there, the differences will be immediately clear. The Mílos are essentially short and cylindrical, but with heavily rounded external edges, and a 3mm bore that hugs the cord slightly more than our spherical beads. This makes gives them a very comfortable feel for bead counting, dramatically reducing the potential hot spot where the thumb grabs each bead.

Purple heart

The purple heart edition has a truly unique character. They’ve been lightly polished and waxed, giving them a glossy and subdued colour straight out of the box. With handling the richer purple tones begin to emerge. Oils from the hands, friction and ordinary use gradually deepen the material, making the new state feel like the beginning of the journey rather than the final result. At 12 mm, these beads have a satisfying heft and presence, and a substantial feel for bead counting.

Zebrano

The Zebrano version follows a similar narrative to the purple heart. The distinctive striped grain of this wood is often lost on smaller beads, but at 12 mm the surface area is enough to showcase the contrasting light and dark striations. As with the purple heart, the beads are lightly polished and waxed, for a muted initial appearance. With handling, they will begin to darken, and the contrast in the wood colouration will become more pronounced.

Ebony

The ebony wood version of our popular MKUltras has turned out beautifully. The 12mm Mílos beads are a perfect size for this material, and work well with both the short and long form ultras setup. The 3mm bore on the beads provides a great experience during bead counting, and the soft clack of the beads during raindrops is pleasant and fresh. The ebony material is light enough to flip beautifully, regardless of your skill level, and the beads can be played in two packets, or from the 15mm titanium boss bead.

Short Form

The Short Form Mílos MKUltras feature 19 of our 12 mm apple‑shaped Mílos beads, and are designed to be worn on the wrist in a single loop. The sliding 15 mm 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:

Ebony – 19 × 12 mm ebony Mílos + 1 × 15 mm AO2 Lil’ Boss | Weight: ~29.5 g
Purpleheart – 19 × 12 mm purple heart Mílos + 1 × 15 mm AO2 Lil’ Boss | Weight: ~24 g
Zebrano – 19 × 12 mm zebrano Mílos + 1 × 15 mm AO2 Lil’ Boss | Weight: ~23.5 g
All Short Form sets are strung on AO2’s custom 12‑strand, high‑density 2 mm Kevlar cord.

Long Form

The Long Form Edition is designed to be worn on the wrist in a double loop. The sliding 15 mm boss bead provides the same friction‑fit locking mechanism, while sliding down to create slack during play. The long form setup includes a tassel for counterbalance – in the ebony version this consists of two 10 mm titanium Mílos beyond the boss bead, while the purpleheart and zebrano versions use two additional 12 mm wooden Mílos in the same material.

Details:

Ebony – 29 × 12 mm ebony Mílos + 1 × 15 mm AO2 Lil’ Boss + 2 × 10 mm Ti Mílos | Weight: ~45 g/set
Purpleheart – (29 + 2) × 12 mm purple heart Mílos + 1 × 15 mm AO2 Lil’ Boss | Weight: ~34 g/set
Zebrano – (29 + 2) × 12 mm zebrano Mílos + 1 × 15 mm AO2 Lil’ Boss| Weight: ~33.5 g/set
All Long Form sets are strung on AO2’s custom 12‑strand, high‑density 2 mm Kevlar cord.

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.

For a hands on look at the MKUltras, checkout our August 2026 Drop Preview!