Tozando or Ebogu

[kendokikentai]

Ok i need help choosing which 2mm bogu set to purchase..... Tozando or Ebogu? i know this "what bogu should i get?" question is annoying but i need your guys / gals help


thank you for bearing this famous question once again :)

[Mr. T.]

uhhhhh.... Ask your sensei?

[Budo Angel]

You're american right, so I'm surprised you aren't going for Ebogu, since its posted from there, and you pay in $$...Japan for us with the rubbish exchange rate, is making things much more expensive... 2mm is 2mm. Good luck.

[Bucho]

2mm is 2mm. Good luck.


I was suprised by this, there seems to be differences in that ebogu has two different quality 2mm bogu and the tozando 2mm bogu has a 60 pcs. bamboo Do while the ebogu versions both have a Yamato 50 bamboo look Do. Are these differences not significant?

[Shinsengumi77]

I've been using ebogu's 2mm set for the last 8 or 9 months and I like it. (don't have any info on Tozando's tho). Yeah, it is a yamato do, but they allow you to upgrade to a 60 piece bamboo do for an extra $440. And ebogu has free shipping for anything over $100, so there's a plus. Hope this helps.

[Neil Gendzwill]

2mm is 2mm.Only if you're just talking about the distance between stitches, and even then you might be surprised at the differences between one manufacturer and another. You can buy a 3 mm set from e-bogu for $700 or so, and the top-line Koei 3 mm set even at the old discounts was double that or more. Here's a hint: it's not that Koei is ripping you off. Generally you get what you pay for.

I haven't seen much Tozando product, so I can't comment. One of my students bought the e-bogu 2 mm and is pleased with it, but he's only had it a couple of months.

[Inner_Silence]

check the price in e-kendo first
a 2 mm e-bogu and a 2mm e-kendo is a big price difference

e-kendo stuff are great

[tango]

personally, i think tozando offers a very good quality bogu.... better than e-bogu, although I think e-bogu stuff is good, too.

i'd have no qualms about ordering e-bogu, but if price were no object, i'd go with tozando.

in either case, i personally wouldn't go with a 2mm... but that's just me.

[Shinsengumi77]

Although I am happy with my ebogu 2mm set, I have heard from many that ebogu's quality is good, but not amazing (like the wal mart of kendo equipment, cheap and decent, but not top-of-the-line). (I also heard something about the tools used being different, like how someone said ebogu uses a triangular needle on stitching, rather than a round one, and this leads the bogu fabric to wear out faster...but that's only what I've heard.) I have no experience with other manufacturers, so I have no credibility.

[StevestonKC]

I go with Neil-Sensei's motto - buy the best you can afford.

[Takuan Soho]

Hi,

While I cant comment on eBogu's range, I have had experience with Tozando and can recommend them highly. I recently purchased a set from them and have been thoroughly impressed with the product. Again, I guess you have to ask yourself what you want to get out of a set; be it durability, craftsmanship, value for money etc etc? If these are the sort of things that hold weight and will ultimately influence your choice I would be inclined to go with Tozando. Either way good luck.

TS

[kendokikentai]

Awsome, thank you plenty for the good replies!! to give a little more on my situation, I had owned a 2mm from Ebogu w/ a 60 bamboo upgrade, unfortunalty early this month our car got broken into and my bogu stolen.... life is sooo cruel sometimes...... anywho, i was happy with that bogu set BUT during the time i owned it, i heard meantion that Tozando had better quality..... so, here i am with the oportunity to choose between the Ebogu or Tozando..... judging from all your helpful comments, it seems that Tozando is of better quality, which is what im looking for...... i only have approx. $1800 us to spend.

Thanks for the response!!!

[a.lin]

If you bump your budget up about $200, you can get 1.5bu tezashi bogu from Moribudo (M-1500). You may also want to look into Eguchi's 3mm. I have no experience with Tozando bogu, but I have ordered a lot of other things from them (including custom stuff), and their customer service, at least, is excellent.

I have a personal bias against Ebogu, as I've never liked anything I ordered from them, and I find their practice of stamping their logo on everything they sell quite irritating. Their generally low pricing and US-based shipping means I usually go to them for less important stuff, but they're the retailer of last resort as far as I'm concerned.

[kendokikentai]

I decided to go with Tozando 2mm set and ordered it today, may take alittle while to come in, i think there is some type of holidy in Japan that may affect the shipping time :( plus the fact i live in Hawaii no help....... *sigh patients is so difficult.... hope it'll be worth the wait. Thanks again for the replies, learned alot of info for future purchases. :)