Need help with choosing a good KOTE set.

[Steve Ricci]

I have been practicing Kumdo for 2.5 yrs and I wanted too step up the quality of some of my equipment. I have a 2mm Bogu set but I have seen better quality Kotes. Since I dont have the option of going to a store how do I choose one. My instructors ( old set) has alot more padding and thicker cuff than the set I now have. I was looking at the 1.5/ 1.2 and 1.0 mm sets. Looking at Ebogu, E-mudo and some other retailers, thay all kind of look the same.
Any ideas so I spent the money once.

[Big One]

One of the best Kote is Mine model from Chibabogu. I have one and it is really good.

[steliosk]

One of the best Kote is Mine model from Chibabogu. I have one and it is really good.


I also have a pair. The finish of my older Koei S-22 kote is tidier and "nicer" but the Mine kote fit is better (of course) and they seem solidly made. Recommended.

Oh, and I have become a believer in the punctured synthetic palms (the Micro-Punch™) ! Especially in the hot and dry climate here, the palm does not dry stiff if left a few days like the deer leather would...

[NorthernKendoka]

I agree that the Mine kote is great. I have two pairs and both are really nice. Apart from all this shameless promoting all I can say is that you shouldn't get hung up on the witdth of the stiching. 2mm (for example) stiching looks nice and make it last longer but it also compresses the material so the hits might acctually feel harder then with a kote with lets say 4 mm stiching. What you get is a hard shell but with out the padding to soften the blow, the opposite can of course also be true. I personally think you should go for a supplier that use good materials and have an accurate (detailed) way of measuring your hand to make sure your new kote will fit properly. It's the kote that in a way transfers your intended attack to the shiai so flexibility and how the kote fits is of great importance. The best way is to try on different kote and see how they feel, but I can see how that could be a problem.

[ii_kangae]

Right now, I'm using the Hasegawa kote with removable liner. I really like them and the liner makes cleaning easy.

[H.Sandsleth]

I have a pair from Mori Budogu, 5mm, they are very well padded.

[steliosk]

I also have a pair. The finish of my older Koei S-22 kote is tidier and "nicer" but the Mine kote fit is better (of course) and they seem solidly made. Recommended.

Oh, and I have become a believer in the punctured synthetic palms (the Micro-Punch™) ! Especially in the hot and dry climate here, the palm does not dry stiff if left a few days like the deer leather would...

Update; first hole has appeared on one of the kote's thumb. Maybe I am not too happy about the micropunch after all, especially as the "conventional" Koei S-22's deer leather palms went for about four years before exhibiting any problems...

[CH0ZEN]

I'm using the kote that came with the Tada Jissen bogu set from Eguchi. They're light weight and after being broken in are very, very comfortable. I believe you can still purchase products from Eguchi over the phone but their website is still down.

[steliosk]

I'm using the kote that came with the Tada Jissen bogu set from Eguchi. They're light weight and after being broken in are very, very comfortable. I believe you can still purchase products from Eguchi over the phone but their website is still down.

Wait so Eguchi is still around? Do you have their contact information?

[SOLDIER]

I bought a pair of Sehyun General 1.5 handmade kote. I paid $150. These were at first really stiff and uncomfortable. They are extremely good now after about 4-6 good hard practices.

:calm:

[More Porridge]

I have the Mitsuboshi 6mm Pitch kote with micropunched clarino palms and antimicrobial (synthetic) liner, which I bought from a local bogu shop.

The kote is incredibly light and soft, and very easy to use. There was no break-in time required. Someone above mentioned about the importance of the kote transmitting your intended attack to your shinai, and with this kote I get a very good "feel" for the shinai in my hands. The kote dries out fast, and the synthetic liner is a big plus too, since it doesn't get that icky wet feeling if you need to use the kote again the next day after a hard practice. It's a very, very good kote.

That being said, I wish the kote had more protection, in both the kashira and the futon. I am motodachi for everyone from little kids to beginning adults ( the "lumberjacks") to more advanced kenshi. I've gotten my right index knuckle injured in these kote in the past, and every so often when we have practices that involve hitting lots of kote, it gets to be a problem and the knuckle gets pretty bruised and swollen. The futon could use a little extra thickness too. When I was ordering these kote, I asked if I could get extra thickness in the futon, but the bogu lady insisted that these kote were so good that extra thickness was unneccessary. In retrospect, I wish I had ordered some extra thickness to the futon.

Mitsuboshi is an OEM to many bogu shops, and I imagine many bogu shops have their own specifications on how they want their bogu made for them, so the above comments probably don't apply to Mitsuboshi pitch kotes bought at other shops. I'd say these kote are excellent when I'm practicing or participating in a tournament, and maybe average to slightly below average when I am motodachi.

So like the original poster, I am also looking for a pair of kote with well-stuffed kashira and thick futon for protection. So far, from past comments on the forum, it seems that some models of Mori Budogu kote are well padded, and the kashira on Sehyun kote are too. Can anyone comment on how well the futon on the Sehyun kote absorb strikes?

[Keith Hong]

I presently own three pairs of kote. I've also had two other pairs in the past.
5 pairs overall in my kendo experience.

My first was a 2.5 mm machine-stitched set with cow leather. Form a store my dental school kendo club dealt with(the old Sangmoo-sa, not the new one that sells TKD gear). I think I paid 450,000 won for the whole bogu set(in the mid 90's!). The store's now gone(the owner retired or something - he was old even then). Offered excellent protection, albeit with stiff wrist joints, but when I left kendo for several years(internship, residency) and stowed it away in the club locker, the leather went completely kaputt. Threw it away.

The second set was a 2 mm machine-stitched with deer leather fist and palm that I got from a kendo store near Dongdaemun Stadium. I think it was Woochang, I'm not sure. The price was, I think, 150,000 won(in 2003, I'm not sure). It had a very flexible wirst joint - I thought it would be a good idea. I wasn't. The joint flexibility came at the price of reduced protection in that area. Hurt too much when someone missed kote and hit me there. Gave it away to a cousin who also does kendo - at competition level.

My third pair came with my 1.5 bu hand-stitched set from Mori Budogu(M-1500). The whole set cost 195,000 yen(excluding S&H). It needed a short breaking-in period, but has since offered an excellent balance between good grip, wrist flexibility and protection. My favorite among all my kote sets. One complaint - moderate protection only. When someone does the 'Conan' on me, it hurts - and I end up with bruises on my forearm sometimes.

The fourth kote came with my leave-at-the-dojang bogu set. A 2.0 bu hand-stitched with deer leather fist and palm but cow leather trim throughout. From Kumdomall. The whole set cost me 430,000 won(with 50 bamboo look-alike imitation do-dai). As a promotional event, I had the men fitted and assembled by the craftsman in situ -took three hours(excluding the time it took to lacquer it and dry it, of course). For the kote, they had a whole array of sizes at the store - I tried on various pairs and chose the one that fit best. Of all my kote, it offers the best grip. The fist part was modified by the craftsman to offer the oblique 'pistol-grip' from the get-go. It required zero breaking-in period. Offers excellent protection - even from the 'Conan' strike.
Two complaints - with the cow leather trim, it looks like some sort of a knock-off. Also, wrist flexibility isn't as good as with my Mori set.

My fifth pair is something I bought(?) as a sheer toy. Here's the story:
There's a kote craftsman in Seoul who lives near Seogang Uni - that's also near Yonsei Uni and Ehwa Women's Uni. The name's Pyun Moo-Sil(a lot of Korean kumdo people would know his name, I guess). He's been making kote only for over 30 years. Does no retail business and deals mostly with Japanese bogu-ya's.
I have an old issue of a Korean kumdo magazine that has an article about him. Last sumeer, on a slow day at the clinic, I did an internet search and, by accident, came across a news article bout him being praised for community volunteer work in his neighborhood. Further search lead me to his cell phone number being listed on his community center's website(he has a semi-official position there). Phoned him, apologized for intruding and respectfully asked to visit him and see his work. He was very generous and welcoming.
When I visited him at his home, he showed me his workshop, tools and materials. He even showed me his kote kata(or patterns) that he'd inherited from the craftsman who used to make the high-end kote for Eguchi in Fukuoka. Mr. Pyun told me that he still deals with them, and is indeed a friend of the family. He also showed me different pairs of kote, name cards and packages(to be shipped ) involved in dealings with different bogu-ya's in Japan.
I asked if I could order a 1.5 bu hand-stitched pair of kote from him(remember, he does no retail business - if you try to order his kote from kumdo stores in Korea the the price they qoute you is 350,000 won). He said he would make it for me. And he quoted me a price that was very reasonable and acceptable.
The futon's not tsumezashi(=honzashi), but nagazashi. He doesn't do any quilting himself. Different bogu-ya's send him the futon's already made - they just specify the grade of materials for the fist and palm. Mr. Pyun then fabricates and hand-sews the fist and aseemble the kote into a whole. The workmanship and the quality of materials used is just superb. For my pair, he even upgraded the leather(as a generous gesture to a fan, I quess) used what's called fukumatsu.sed a
Took a little breaking-in, but is excellent in all aspects of funtion and form. The only downside is that because it's so nice, I end up up not using it often - it's my Sunday pair, so to speak.

There it is. My kote experience and breakdown.
I hope this is helpful to others.

[shred_lord]

I have a set of Tashiro Sensei's Kote (http://www.palmtaiga.com/index_files/Page559.htm) - Absolutely fantastic. Supple and flexible (Love the curve join from buton to kabushi), will dry in a flash (punched palms a help) and only the most sledgehammer of stikes bother me.

[Shawn Dormishev]

keith very nice post. my sabumnim is heading to korea, wish i had the money to spend on a new set of kote.

[JoonShik]

I'm using the kote that came with the Tada Jissen bogu set from Eguchi. They're light weight and after being broken in are very, very comfortable. I believe you can still purchase products from Eguchi over the phone but their website is still down.
:surprise: Somebody told me they were out of business


Wait so Eguchi is still around? Do you have their contact information?

I guess you could try eguchibudo@gmail.com or try either of these two numbers: 310-534-3329 or 310-465-5164.

[CH0ZEN]

:surprise: Somebody told me they were out of business



I guess you could try eguchibudo@gmail.com or try either of these two numbers: 310-534-3329 or 310-465-5164.

I tried both numbers and they're disconnected and no longer in use. Damn, I swear I just saw the Eguchi lady at a November taikai. In fact, I still have an unused $50 eguchi gift certificate that I need to claim. Does anyone have their current contact information?

Again, I really like the kote that came with the Jissen set and I would actually purchase another pair.

[Theodore]

I tried both numbers and they're disconnected and no longer in use. Damn, I swear I just saw the Eguchi lady at a November taikai. In fact, I still have an unused $50 eguchi gift certificate that I need to claim. Does anyone have their current contact information?

Again, I really like the kote that came with the Jissen set and I would actually purchase another pair.

I'm reliably informed that they are totally out of business.