I received the Kmise Banjolele for Christmas 2019. I love it. I immediately installed a Piezo pickup inside under the bride and a jack to the side. Like you I noticed that the screw holes were splitting and the back was a tad bit warped too. I did repairs to the split holes before reattaching the back. Your assessment of the instrument is spot on! I love my Kmise a lot but I certainly agree with you that the sound is substandard compared to the OS Banjolele you have. Regardless, I will continue to love my Kmise and have loads of fun with it. Thanks for your video and keep strumming!

Sound is everything with these imo glad I watched this video. Thanks.

Thanks for doing this comparison. I really love your spirit. Watching your videos really helped me. ❤️

I JUST STARTED PLAYING THE UKE, I CAN'T WAIT TIL I CAN PLAY A SONG. YOUR STRUMMING IS WONDERFUL

Very helpful. Nicely done. Learned a lot. Thanks so much for your help. Keep up the great work....Mucho Gracias

Great job on the comparison Jodi! I love your enthusiasm and obvious love of all things Uke!! As you said, both are affordable. The Oscar Schmidt is better, but as you said, for the money, the Kmise is good. Certainly, good to start with! Thanks!

Thank you! That was a very good review!

This was a helpful video, thank you!

Thank you for the comparison . I enjoy playing my Kmise banjolele.

As a banjo player myself, It isn’t a fair comparison unless you take the time to tune the heads. If you tune it higher (more tension) then it will be brighter. If you tune it looser (less tension) it will be more mellow. The tension you use plays a huge roll in how the instrument will sound. I tune to g#3, around 207 hertz. You may have to tighten the shoes to get the head tuned in. Give tuning your drum head a try and youll enjoy the instrument more. The oscar does have better build quality though and I liked the review other than the head tap segment.

To me, the sharp fret edges that cut your fingers is the dealbreaker. Great comparison, very helpful!

I just bought the OS and after watching your video I now I’m happy with my choice.

Brilliant comparison, I've been addicted to your banjolele reviews. The OS definitely has the edge but here the Kmise is £52 compared to £150 for the OS and to my ears it's not 3x the instrument. Thanks to your brilliantly detailed reviews I'm going for the Kmise, seems like an unbelievably good instrument for £50! It's only ever going to be a novelty and backup for one or two songs where I want something different to contrast with my wife's baritone and I think the Kmise will fill that gap perfectly.

Great comparison.

Great information. Thanks!

This was so dang helpful!

Thanks for the review. In the banjo world, the "bar on the inside" as you describe it is called a coordinator rod. :)

Something you were picking reminds me of the song Babylon that Don McLean did. I think it featured a 5 string banjo, but clearly could be covered by a banjolele. Thank you for the video.

I bought a Kmise Banjolele & have experimented with the back. #1 Removed the back completely - louder esp if held away from my tummy, but no sweeter ! #2 Cut a scalloped back from plywood - similar to open back, but not so muffled by my body. #3 Found longer screws and inserted thick spacer (2mm) washers between original back & body - this lets the instrument ring ! Highly recommended !

Nice comparison Jodi. I bought kmise few days ago and I was dissaopinted with the sound after unboxing. Later I did some adjustment of the neck and tighten the head ( it was very lightly tight out of the factory), put the spacers between the body and resonator and it suddenly starts singing. Much more resonance and brilliante sound and I am really very happy with this instrument now, speacially for the money I spent (costed me USD 70 with soft case, strap, pickup etc, including shipping). Try to tighten the head on your kmise and make new comparison....

The OS Sounds much better when compared to the Kmise. I think it is better looking also. Thanks for the comparison!

Great comparison

Prices are climbing. As of November 2023, the best price I have found for a brand new O.S. OUB1 is $240 on Amazon. (Jodi's best price was $189 on Amazon, four years ago).

I like The ring resonance when you fingerpick on the body rather than strumming on the bridge. You play so very well!! 🎶🎶🎶🎶

Thanks for this review. Now I'm ready to buy that Oscar Schmidt even with it being twice the price. It does sound much better than the Kmice to me.

Just personally, I'm not a lover of Banjoleles - but it this comparison, the OS definitely sounds much nicer to me. The OS is more expensive, but the quality difference makes it worth every cent.

The main sound is made through the skin top. It would make more sense to make a new hoop and install a real lamb skin on it. As for the slit holes, apply some "Titebond" glue in the cracks, and vise them back together snuggly and let it cure for at least 24 hours, then redrill the holes to the proper size you requite it to be so it doesn't split again when the screws are installed. This will also allow you to use a slightly longer screw to add on spacer washers as well for louder audio. That will improve the cheaper instruments sound greatly. Might even sound a whole lot better than the OS once you're finished. You can also sand down the sharp frets till it's smooth along the neck. Remember the main sound is made through the skin that the saddle sits on when the strings are plucked. Even banjos sound better with real skin as a drum-head instead of plastic.

At the end of the day you get what you pay for love the vids 😀

Very informative. Thank you for the comparison. After see your video. I really wanted the Oscar but decided it was too expensive so i did some more research and found thr Mulucky was only 79.00 and had a Remo cover.which was important and helped the instrument have a better resonant sound. The back plate on the Mulucky and fret bar also looks thicker but still not as thick as the oscar...and hands down the oscar foes have a clearer and more mellower sound when played. On another video i saw where the player put a poece of foam behind the internal rod then replaced the back to get a melloer sounds. Some times he also uses rolled up socks. He stated he did this because some of his uke players found the banjolele was too over powering for them. As mentioned above it does mellow the sound without killing the banjo sound effect. I also have found that by just stroking your strumming action softer it akso has a very pleasant banjo sound with out the reverberations that can make a chord have that unclear fuzzy sound. Instead a bright clean banjo sound.

what affect do the strings have on the Banjolele's, are they the same string and and are there better strings that could be used? I play guitar and although I have a Yamaha 300, I find good strings real help with the sound.

thank you for the video I got a Kmise of xmas.

I too like the OS - I’m not much for banjoleles however I did p,ay an Outdoor Ukulele banjolele and loved the sound of it it I ever buy a banjolele I will more than likely buy the Outdoor one

Donner also makes a great banjolele at a affordable price, just like the Kmice, great video 👍.

Well done.

Okay then. I was prepared to defend my Kmise banjo ukulele but I think you have made a great case for the Oscar Schmidt in terms of sound and quality of construction. My Kmise does not have sharp frets and I give it bonus points for ease of action adjustment. I own several OS ukuleles and find the quality is outstanding on all of them whereas Kmise quality varies wildly. My “best” ukulele is my Kmise all mahogany laminate. It stays in tune and sounds more resonant than any others. I’m not inclined to replace the banjo uke because I play it so seldom. But if I were to switch, because of your excellent and detailed review, I probably would go with the Oscar Schmidt. Thanks, MikeinMinnesota

Thanks for the excellent comparison video! Thorough job as always! It looks and sounds like the Oscar Schmidt is far superior to the Kmise. I'm always in favor of spending a little more and getting a nicer product that will last. While the Kmise basically sounds like a banjolele, it's definitely a lot rougher sounding than the Oscar Schmidt. That sound may dissuade some players from banjoleles if all they try is the Kmise and they think it is representative of all banjoleles. I'm a banjolele fan, but I don't like the sound of the Kmise, so I wouldn't blame people for being turned off by it.

I am sold on the thinner neck,lighter weight and relative cost in Canada with shipping charges

A sanding block will smooth those fret ends and it's not uncommon for banjo heads to need tightening evenly straight from the factory. That can definitely change the sound.the Kmise sounds like it needs it.

Enjoyed

have you ever tried the gold tone little gem series?

That kmise has same strings as mine I don't think mine are aquila, the deadwood came with aquila

Hi! I just discovered your channel and I love your videos! Do you know what progression you played at 8:17 ?

Where can you find lessons for Banjolele riffs songs etc???

I think the Kmise one is great price for a starter instrument, just staying it out and an you like it after a year or so maybe get the Oscar Schmidt or the recording king I heard that one was very good.

Ordered Oscar Schmidt yesterday. Very excited. Hope easy to set up.

Your input please... I have a bluegrass banjo now which is too heavy for me... the long neck is hard for me to reach.. .. also what little I have already learned, will it confuse me more if I go to a banjolele ❓I love the sound of the banjo but it is not enjoyable for me, I am older and have had back surgery.. definitely need lighter weight and shorter.. thank you 👍🏻‼️🌸 also, are you not supposed to pick the banjolele ❓

I like the OS better than the kmise. It sound louder and better, it looks better too but for the price kmise is not a bad uku at all.

The kmise is only 60 euro on Aliexpress

I purchased my kmise used on ebay win bid for $60 it sounded bad took it to banjo shop and they had to completely set it up from neck to skin saddle $65 later ($125) it's very playable has 18 frets and every note is clear and stays in tune. Good enough

These sound good clawhammer style for old time groups.

Great comparison, thanks!

I'm trying to figure out the exact replacement strings for the Oscar Schmidt(gage, color, etc.). Does anyone know what strings it comes with?

Hi do you think I could replace my Kimise nylon quilar strings with steel banjo strings, I enjoy my kmise great sound, play it a lot, I managed to get a 2nd hand one to change the strings if possible

Here's what I'm doing. I'm buying two kuh-mee-say banjoleles instead of one Oscar Schmidt and converting one to a small Irish tenor banjo by installing ball end medium gauge mandolin strings to create a whole other instrument . I still call it kuh-mee-say because it sounds exotic . Maybe we can start a revolution.

Don't expect a great instrument out of the box for under a hundo. However with some adjusting and tweaking and possible replacing you can have a great instrument with a small investment. Replace the strings first, then the head if you want. Get nicer tuners if the ones that came with it are inadequate then finally replace the nut. Maybe you spent another 100 but you don't have to do it all at once and suddenly your 80 dollar instrument plays like a $500 instrument. This works for Chinese guitars too. Thanks for your fun videos

I got a kmise open back five string banjo, and would like other kmise instruments, but the quality of the Oscar’s compared to the kmise banjolele is fairly wide. I am happy with my kmise banjo for the price.

Very good comparison - thanks. I would have to go with the Kmise as a first banjolele. The Oscar Schmidt is superior but not 2 times superior. BTW, very nice hat! Where can I get one?

At 1/2 the cost

You did not mention the action height. Kindly add that measurement as a reply. The O.S. definitely sounds more like a real banjo, not a toy. Of course, there are additional choices in the $200 range. And a lot more decision paralysis.

I own the (The Fretwire) Banjolele , it came with a hard case and tuner for $140 from Amazon. I bought it on 3/16/19

I think the Oscar Schmidt definitely sounds better, but the Kmise also sounds great for the price.

Both offer good value for the money. My preference would be the Oscar Schmidt as it is a slightly crisper sounding and that is likely the sound head material. Not my style of ukulele incidentally but they have their place. Having said that I've been considering a tenor scale one on Amazon that is probably midway between these two for price and has the spacers between the backplate and the body. Keep up the good work. Enjoyable and informative as ever.

A banjo sounds better when picked, either three fingerpicking Earl Scruggs style,or claw hammer style.

Sorry but the Kmise sounds good and all it needs is better strings on ,and i had the kmise a few yrs back and loved it

I been searching for a case, O S does not seem to have one

Like the sound on the Oscar Schmidt best

Hi, there are small dimples where the bridge is. Should I tighten the drum? I know supposed to turn opposite of each side Thank you

Where are these both made?

OS is more vibrant. Could just be the cheap head on the other one. Replace it with a REMO and it would probably brighten up. I’m a drummer and head quality makes a difference. It’s also a fairly cheap fix.

The Oscar Schmidt OUB1 for me, overall, it sounds better, it's louder, and is better quality. The Kmise sounds muffled and dull, whereas the Oscar Schmidt OUB1 is clear sounding, and has a lovely ring and sustain. The protrusion on the rear of the Oscar Schmidt OUB1 neck at the top, where it joins the headstock, is called a volute. It's there to add strength, and is a sign of quality. Anyone who knows about broken headstocks on dropped Gibson Les Paul guitars will know about a volute, or lack there of!

The OS sounds mellower than the Kimise yet they are banjoleles and are to be loud and proud. I guess the quality of the Kimise has gone south over the past year. A year ago you couldn't tell the difference between the two but now Kimise has cut corners and has suffered because of it.

They both sound the same to me.

Oscar for the win!

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤❤❤

I love oscar 💗

The Oscar Schmidt looks nicer, but I just dont think a banjolele would fit it with my style of playing. But you did a very good review, very detailed! Could you do a video on staining you're fretboard? I have a bass with a pao ferro fretboard, its too light and im not in love with it. Oh, just wondering if you have thought about making a "GirlMeetsUke" facebook page to support your channel, you could totally brand yourself, I think it would be cool!

Think the Oscar is the best of the two.

All i Wan't is to HEAR Them.

Cost, cost, cost - entry level, people wanting to try a Banjolele for the first time probably want to try a banjo sounding instrument, rather than spending the extra on getting an instrument that they may not even enjoy??

I think you had your mind made up before you reviewed thus strongly compromising

sapelli (/səˈpiːliː/ sə-PEE-lee)

I Brought one, Sounds TERRIBLE UNPLAYABLE.

Your cute thanks for the upload