How much would you pay?

[iwatekenshi]

How much would you pay for a bogu set? Would you buy handmade or machine stitched?

Under 1000 dollars

1000 to 2000 dollars

2000 to 3000 dollars

3000 and above

[stakenaka]

This is a hard question to answer. If I had $10,000-15,000 to waste, I would go with a hand stitched custom set. Of course, I would have to wait 1-3 years for it.
You can purchase very good Korean machine made sets (2mm) for under $1000, made to your measurements.

Scott

[ben]

Is that Canadian, Hong Kong or Australian dollars?
;)
b

[iwatekenshi]

whoops! US Dollars that is:D.

[stakenaka]

Whoops! I forgot to add that in my post! :)
The numbers are in US dollars.

Mike

[Kuri]

This is a hard one.

If you really look around, you can pick up a bargain (relatively speaking :D). You can pick up a hand stitched set in Japan (1.2 bu stitched in Korea and assembled in Japan :eek: ) for just over US$1000.

Does the price necessarily reflect the quality and longevity of the bogu? Is the place of origin a real factor (or is it just perceived)?

Maybe the question should have been along the lines of
"... realisticly, how much would you spend of your hard earned cash"

Personally, I'm not adverse to owning a sharkskin do, titanium men, .......

[olaf]

New poll - how much can you pay for a new set of bogu? It all boils down to affordability...

Along the same lines, perhaps someone should re-do that waza poll from a while back so it reads, "what's your favorite waza that you can actually do?" :)

[Shinyaxyz]

Actually, I don't trust the price of bogu sold in Japan.

It's ridiculously expensive, but if you know the people at kendo shop, it's always 40-50% off.

So, the question is the price of pre-discount or post-?:D

[olaf]

Shinyaxyz: I'm sure it's even cheaper if you can find the time to go out into the mountains, purify yourself, cut your own bamboo, tan your own leather.... :)

[lewis]

In my case, it is not 'how much would I pay?' but 'how much would it cost?' When I do something for myself, I want quality equipment so that I don't have to spend unnecessary time on it. My equipment cannot injure me or otherwise waste my time through repeated failure or other problems. I will pay what it costs to eliminate these problems. At this point, my time has more value than money, and time spent on myself is even more dear.

[Shinyaxyz]

olaf>

Wow, can you make your own bogu????
You are really a Samurai. I admire you a lot.
I want to learn how to fix kote by myself at least. Did you learn from particular craftman in Japan, or did you learn by yourself?

My teacher told me we can go into the mountain and cut bamboo, then make our own shinai. I though it was just a joke....

[olaf]

Shinyaxyz: you must have mistaken what I said; I do not make my own bogu! But thank you for the flattery, though I have never really aspired to be a real samurai.

I was only joking, suggesting that if people wanted to save money, they should make their own bogu. The process your teacher described, of purifying oneself, going out into the mountains and looking for the right bamboo, etc...is actually what budo makers used to do, I presume. Nowadays much of this stuff is done by machine...

Sorry to disappoint you - but I don't know how to repair kote either. I never claimed such knowledge. Though I don't think it's terribly hard. Patching up holes and stuff, at least...

Hope that clears things up.

[stakenaka]

Hmm... I think I would pay $1000 rather than to make my own bogu. I would feel a lot more safe wearing something by a machine than my own creation. Same with shinai, but I think the opponent would be more at ease knowing that the shinai I wield was mass produced rather than my weekend project.

[lewis]

Takenaka-

Sounds like your weekend projects and mine are of the same caliber. I'm with you.

[kumakage]

Hello,

I spent $700 on my bogu when i ordered from e-bogu. The bogu I bought was 2mm machine stiched. I wanted to make sure if I was going to buy bogu it was going to be well worth it for my price range. Plus since I'm a bit on the large size it had to be made to my sizing. Not to mention that they were very helpful and patient with me.
Thanks, Manny

[alexpollijr]

My kendogu is also from e-bogu, and also 2mm. I don't like the fancy trimmings but the overal quality is reasonable and the price is below $1000 , which was my answer in the poll.

[KhawMengLee]

Hahahah!!!

My bogu set just arrived!

It's a 4mm set from Moribodu. The Do is a gold burnished colour and it feels really nice. The kote was upgraded to a handstiched pair with deerskin leather. It cost me about AUD$1300.


I also got two japanese made shinais...heh, nice...


At training it was like, oh...a new Do...hmmnnn...I bags first to "christen" it!

HAPPYLIKE,
Meng

[olaf]

KhawMengLee: is Moribudo having their summer sale right now? Rumor has it that they are.

[KhawMengLee]

Yersh they are.

The set I got was a 4mm bogu (machine stiched) with a selection of colours for the Do. It was priced at about 100,000 yen in the catalogue.

When my friend went over and got it for me he said the price was much lower and he managed to get me a hand stiched kote in to boot.

I don't know the prices yet but I'll ask him when he gets back.

But write to them anyway.

Last I saw on their web page my firend's set was going for 168,000 Yen. http://www.moribudo.co.jp/ef-90th.htm

Its usually 300,000 over.

heh...its got that new bogu smell. And you can still smell the smoked leather smell from the kote.

eep...could almost sleep in this armour...heh

Meng

[olaf]

Meng: yes, I knew about their 90th anniversary sale.

They also have a regular "summer sale" every year around August. Usually it only applies to non-bogu items, like hakama, gi, shinai, etc.

Good to hear you got a good deal.