Millenium AF200 Cabasa

I chose this cabasa because the beads seemed to be slightly looser than on other models, which allows for a shaker-like technique. However, even with the beads hitting the cylinder from a slightly bigger distance when shaking, the sound is not quite as loud as I would like.
The non-metal parts are made of wood and have a natural finish which I like.

The beads are indeed oily as other reviews said.

After a week of light use at home a ring of beads came off. 2 other weeks and the handle went loose. The handle can no longer be tightened enough so the cabasa has been sitting in my drawer, unusable, and never made it to a live session.
The reason for these problems lies in 2 fundamental construction errors (it could be just the one I got that was poorly constructed). First, the cylinder is larger than the circle sticking out from the centre of the wooden top and bottom, so the cylinder can move around, get closer to one side and allow the bead rings to fall off. Second, the threaded rod in the handle and the nut in the wooden top are too short - they only connect in half a centimeter so the threading in the end of the nut will wear off easily.

I am planning to fix the handle myself if I can get a longer nut or a threaded rod and a connector nut. I've recently seen a cabasa with shaker filling, so I might also experiment with putting some filling in mine to make the shaking sound louder.

I know nothing about percussion, I'm just experimenting with ways to create Bossa Nova rhythms for the trio I play in, so this review is very much from the perspective of a beginner.

What a fantastic instrument! There are so many ways to play it. All the sounds it can make are very good and very useable. It is well made and balances very well in the hand. I'm still learning what can be done with it but so far I am very impressed. Thanks to all the other reviewers who helped me come to the conclusion that the Millennium AF200 would be a good choice for me. They were right!

This Cabasa was purchased due to the fact that my entourage and I have spontaneous jam sessions where everybody can join in with some sort of instrument. I admit that I have no experience with Cabasa or percussion instruments as a whole but this item has been a great purchase.

The Millenium AF200 looks really nice and is of great quality. I could not notice any issues with it whatsoever and has been accompanying me to various jam sessions.

The Cabasa acts as great shaker and percussive instrument which also has the distinctive metal balls that create a nice sound when twisting it. For the price, it offers everything I really need to spice up jam sessions with my guitar buddies.

Excellent looking Cabasa for a great price!

I'm no pro-percussionist and use the cabasa just for home-recording.
To me it seems well-made. Everything is solid and made nicely.
All usual playing techniques I know are possible and produce the typical sound. It's an intensive sound that cuts through a mix. I expect it to work fine in live situations and loud bands.
The only drawback I found is that the chains are covered with a bit of oil... perhaps for sliding smoothly or to prevent from getting rusty... but when playing you get oily hands along with an oily smell. Not great, but no real problem. I know water and soap...
So all in all I don't know why someone should pay more for a cabasa!