alfanator
28th August 2010, 12:00 AM
It all started with a hole in my kote...
I am on assignment in Shanghai for a few years so took the opportunity to see if onlinekendo.com, which is local could repair the stinky, holy and old kote. After visiting the shop and speaking to Mike, the owner, i ordered a set of 1.2 handstitched bogu with 2 pairs of kote. Japanese & Korean material, handmade in China. Idea is to leave one set in Seattle to use when i am there for biz trips and the other with me in Shanghai.
The whole bogu with 2 sets of kote cost <$1000, which is less than what i paid for my Koei 2bu Ti Men alone, 15 years or so ago.
Men
I ordered it with IBB alum. It is much lighter than the Koei Ti. Stitching was all going in the same direction as opposed to the Koei which goes diagonal at the fold. The Koei had more even stitching than the OLK. OLK futon seemed slightly thinner but nicely flexible. Took 1 practice to mold to head, very comfortable and no issues with impact. Light, flexible and protective, i like it.
Kote
Love these things. All leather fist, half leather arms and smokey deer palms. All nicely padded and plush. Took 3 keikos and lots of pounding to break in. Most importantly no hole and not stinky. I ordered 2 sets to rotate during the impossibly humid Shanghai summers. Stitching on one set was not very even, ok on the other. Compared to the Keio machine stitch set, the olk hand stitching offered a thicker and plusher futon in the arm area.
Do
It is a Yamato 50 piece bamboo look. My old one is a 60 piece bamboo. No comparison. Koei is better all around, but it also costed more than the entire OLK set. So i am fine with it. It does what i need it to do and is much lighter and easier to travel with.
Tare
OLK tare is more flexible and broke in almost immediately, the Koei 2mm if i remember too a while to mold to shape. Leather in all the same places, but the OLK is more pliable and has nicer looking stitching.
Overall i am happy with the OLK set. Could not beat it for its value. If you are considering getting a $500+ machine stitch set, pay a little more for a custom handstitch set from these guys.
Mike the owner is super nice as well, he spent time telling me about the armor and the bogu trade. Amazing how much has changed in the last 20 years and very interesting how that biz works...best not discussed on a forum :)
Hope these pics work and you found this review useful.
http://s835.photobucket.com/albums/zz278/alfanator/bogu/?action=view¤t=9776653c.pbw
I am on assignment in Shanghai for a few years so took the opportunity to see if onlinekendo.com, which is local could repair the stinky, holy and old kote. After visiting the shop and speaking to Mike, the owner, i ordered a set of 1.2 handstitched bogu with 2 pairs of kote. Japanese & Korean material, handmade in China. Idea is to leave one set in Seattle to use when i am there for biz trips and the other with me in Shanghai.
The whole bogu with 2 sets of kote cost <$1000, which is less than what i paid for my Koei 2bu Ti Men alone, 15 years or so ago.
Men
I ordered it with IBB alum. It is much lighter than the Koei Ti. Stitching was all going in the same direction as opposed to the Koei which goes diagonal at the fold. The Koei had more even stitching than the OLK. OLK futon seemed slightly thinner but nicely flexible. Took 1 practice to mold to head, very comfortable and no issues with impact. Light, flexible and protective, i like it.
Kote
Love these things. All leather fist, half leather arms and smokey deer palms. All nicely padded and plush. Took 3 keikos and lots of pounding to break in. Most importantly no hole and not stinky. I ordered 2 sets to rotate during the impossibly humid Shanghai summers. Stitching on one set was not very even, ok on the other. Compared to the Keio machine stitch set, the olk hand stitching offered a thicker and plusher futon in the arm area.
Do
It is a Yamato 50 piece bamboo look. My old one is a 60 piece bamboo. No comparison. Koei is better all around, but it also costed more than the entire OLK set. So i am fine with it. It does what i need it to do and is much lighter and easier to travel with.
Tare
OLK tare is more flexible and broke in almost immediately, the Koei 2mm if i remember too a while to mold to shape. Leather in all the same places, but the OLK is more pliable and has nicer looking stitching.
Overall i am happy with the OLK set. Could not beat it for its value. If you are considering getting a $500+ machine stitch set, pay a little more for a custom handstitch set from these guys.
Mike the owner is super nice as well, he spent time telling me about the armor and the bogu trade. Amazing how much has changed in the last 20 years and very interesting how that biz works...best not discussed on a forum :)
Hope these pics work and you found this review useful.
http://s835.photobucket.com/albums/zz278/alfanator/bogu/?action=view¤t=9776653c.pbw