Kendo Vendors

[Will]

Just curious to know everyone's experience with different kendo vendors. I noticed that some vendors might make good shinais that last a long time but their hakama's might be awful. So tell me your opinion of the different strengths (and weaknesses) of the vendors (i just added the ones i knew that had websites :p)

If i left anyone out on the survey, please feel free to mention them.

[Floberg]

My vote goes to Tozando, both for their shop online and their local shop in Kyoto.

[qpuppy]

I vote for others because I'm an agent for a bogu company.... :P

[Simon Chien]

I vote for Tozando also since never deal with other vendors. The quality is good but the price is ............. !!!

[lewis]

For clothing and shinai/bogu bags, Bujin Design is the best quality.

[Jerry Wellbrock]

I have dealt with Eguchi Kendo in the USA and with Tozando in Kyoto and have been very happy with the service and products.....Bogu and shinai.....I have purchased equipment bags from Bujin Design....some of the best bags available.....Rick Polland at "The Sword Store" is extremely helpful with Iaito and Shinken....he is a representative for Noysuiaido and his knowledge and customer service is the best.....

[kendo_chick]

I vote for kendoshop because I find Tozando to be too expensive for my needs at the moment.

[S. Takamori]

European kenshi can also byu at eurobogu.net
A new organisation for all kendo, iaido, jodo & naginata players equipement in Europe. Good japanese quality (Koei Budogu Co. from Himeji - Japan) at fair prices

[KhawMengLee]

I got a bogu from Moribudo which is excellent and I am also getting a 3mm from Koei Budogu so I will report on their gear soon.

[Darthchevy]

I voted for kendoshop,just today I got my new bokuto and shinai bag from them, the quality of the products are great and the prices are cheap.:D

[JSchmidt]

I just ordered a few bits and bobs frm Eurobogu and had them within 5 days. I've ordered from Tozando a few times and have in general had good service, but last time, they were awful...took them over two months to send 4 shinais, emails weren't replied to and phonecalls were replied with "They'll be shipped this week". (Which they weren't).
The shinais were fantastic, though.

Jakob

[Kuri]

I've previously dealt with Tozando in purchasing equipment for an Australian University club. The university process of ordering and paying for goods is a real nightmare for the uninitiated, but the guys at Tozando were really helpful and understand. Top marks for service (but that was about 3 years ago).

Now, there is no substitute for easy access to a wide variety of vendors, just a stone throw away :D

[Tato]

Yes, the more the better.

As a beginer, I just orderd my first bogu at e-Bogu, so I can't compare.

May be in a few years...

[Danny Boy]

How about ninecircles.org.uk (or some such) did anyone tried that one ?

[Confound]

Does anyone have the location of Tozando in Kyoto? I'm popping down there in december, and it might be nice to drop in and have a look.

c

[alexpollijr]

There you go

Tozando Co., Ltd.
Nakadachiuri Chiekoin Higashi
Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City
602-8205 Japan

[mingshi]

Danny Boy: it's ninecircles.co.uk

... I'm actually complaining about this shop and Kendoshop. I guess it's at the beginning of this year that Kendoshop make Ninecircles to be their "sole distributor" in the UK. So when ever anyone try to order some equipment to the UK, he/she'll be redirected to the Ninecircles site. Not to mention that with all the shipping cost, ordering from Korea is still cheaper from ordering within this country... even the goods are exactly the same!!

And Ninecircles always run out of stock! Last time my Gi was 2 size larger!!!

Mmm... Corporate monopoly
(Although their site design is quite elegant...)

Sticking with Eurobogu now. They are the only one selling tsuba in colors!

[JSchmidt]

Jenny, I recently had a look at the ninecircles website and the prices for bogu seemed quite reasonable compared to the kendoshop.com ones, especially once you add tax and shipping on top.

Jakob

[saki_wooah]

our dojo ordered 50 shinai (40 size 39 and 10 of size 38) from e-bogu lately. We received them on monday, and guess what...
they sended us 50 shinais of size 38.... :|

[AlexM]

Just so that our dojo doesn't get sued by e-bogu, defame their reputation or rufle any feathers (be careful Saki, Taro Ariga is coming in October and I don't want him mad at me...the dude is gigantic and growls when he loses!) let me say that they've agreed to rush the shipment of replacement shinai and pay for sending back the 38's we received (we're due to receive new students in a week so this was a bit of a problem). E-bogu apologized profusely and didn't make any kind of fuss about their mistake.
I suppose mistakes will happen and this was an excellent test for anyone who was worried about their "extended" customer service.
Strange coincidence: While I was writing this post Sean or John from e-bogu actualy called my home and told me not to send back the 50 size 38 shinais. Ariga will take care of all that when he comes to Montreal in October. One less headache for me....although I will have to find a place to store the damn things.

[Will]

Anyone dealt with tokyoman? Their prices seem reasonable and their goods appear to be good on their site (but that's the website's job, right? to sell us the goods)

[Tato]

Hi!

I've to say that e-Bogu acted in the best way anyone can expect in my case. I ordered a Bogu (my first one!) and, bad luck, the package went lost in the US postal system...

The guys from e-Bogu sended a new one without any esitation, trough a fully traceable carrier this time.

This is they right way to manage customers, almost a textbook case.

[saki_wooah]

AlexM:
yea, it's nice from their part. Everyone does mistakes, huh? hum... who is taro ariga??? ^-^ (The files in my head about kendo people is limited to ''Great kendokamax'' and ''Honorable Loic Champ'', I know I should read more about it...)
Is there a kendo vendor (online) that is in Canada and sells good stuff at good prices? Everything I see is in £ or in US$...

[chidokan]

I went to Meirin and Tozando for kit this year and had it sent through the post, as all items were made to measure.
Got bogu from Tozando for a friend, very cheap ( under £400 for a made to measure set!) and they said it was only 10000yen on the box so only paid £20 tax.
Meirin sent me the wrong size montsuki ( good quality though) with no mon or name on them ( even though I'd paid for them) and put the full price on the box so I ended up paying £50 tax. No replies to e-mails when I queried and it was delivered 3 weeks after the bogu. I'll be paying them a visit in May at the next taikai....
Guess who gets my vote then, and who I dont buy from in future..

Tim Hamilton

[AlexM]

Originally posted by saki_wooah
AlexM:
who is taro ariga???

Taro Ariga is the owner and founder of e-bogu.com. He's on Team Canada and this will be the sixth time he's been chosen for the team (that would make 18 years of representing Canada at the worlds). He's big and does growl when he loses but he's probably a nice guy more or less (we'll find out soon anyway). I think he's fairly respected in kendo (although I can't be sure about this).
Don't call Max "Great Kendokamax" or even "moderately good Kendokamax". Call him "lowly maggot Max" or "Max who loses CDs with club pictures on them". Sensei is already too nice with him so we have to berate him or he'll get arrogant. Besides, even I can beat him sometimes (but not often) and I'm downright awful.
BTW, I hope you're alright from that do I missed. Please forgive me.

[Will]

I heard rumors that Tozando has very slow shipping or like they don't keep in contact with you too much if you have a problem, any of that true?

[alexpollijr]

Will

That would depend. I've placed a couple orders with them. One was a Iaito. They told me it'd take two weeks to make and ship, but it took 6 weeks. They answer the emails you send when they are feeling like it, otherwise they don't. They also like to lie (yes, believe me), they say 'no no we have shipped it yesterday' but when the goods arrive you see that it was shipped after, things like that.

The second orders was a trinket one: kote pad, tenugui, choji oil and so. Very fast, mind you.

So, if the orders is complicated, tozando is a risky bet.

:bandit:

[saki_wooah]

Originally posted by AlexM

Don't call Max "Great Kendokamax" or even "moderately good Kendokamax". Call him "lowly maggot Max" or "Max who loses CDs with club pictures on them". Sensei is already too nice with him so we have to berate him or he'll get arrogant. Besides, even I can beat him sometimes (but not often) and I'm downright awful.
BTW, I hope you're alright from that do I missed. Please forgive me.

Lol, I was just kidding, max is not that great (hehhe) but he's just damn nice :)
BTW, I hate you for that do you missed... *>_<

[AlexM]

Hello. Has anyone ever ordered from e-kendo? (doesn't look like it from the poll results but you never know)
Their prices seem so low that something must be wrong. Their machine-stitch seem very inexpensive even for Korean manufacture. Or maybe I'm miscalculating?

[inner_cent]

Originally posted by mingshi
Danny Boy: it's ninecircles.co.uk

... I'm actually complaining about this shop and Kendoshop. I guess it's at the beginning of this year that Kendoshop make Ninecircles to be their "sole distributor" in the UK. So when ever anyone try to order some equipment to the UK, he/she'll be redirected to the Ninecircles site. Not to mention that with all the shipping cost, ordering from Korea is still cheaper from ordering within this country... even the goods are exactly the same!!

And Ninecircles always run out of stock! Last time my Gi was 2 size larger!!!

Mmm... Corporate monopoly
(Although their site design is quite elegant...)

Sticking with Eurobogu now. They are the only one selling tsuba in colors!

I agree with you.... my current bogu, which I had it for almost 4 yrs now, were from kendoshop. As a beginner, i didn't know where to look for things, so end up buying from the "representative" distributor of kendoshop in Singapore. After I bought the thing, I found the web, and it costs twice as much as I bought on-line with kendoshop! And later I found that it took my a long time to receive it :( And not to mention, Men is abit big as well. Gi and Hakama is really bad quality......
Now, the quality hasn't turn better, instead, this guy becomes the Sole distributor of Kendoshop for the whole of Asia Pacific and Australia region. No one is allow to buy directly from Korea anymore.