Eguchi or Eurobogu?

[LanaCat]

Hey guys!

I m an Iaidoka living in Germany who want to start with Kendo soon! As I m a student, my budget is limited... So I need to think twice when buying a bogu. I m aware that I ll have to wear it after 6 - 12 months, but I have to start saving the money ... :)
Ah back to my question...as I ve read all the 14 pages about new bogus and companys and i ve decided these two companys...

as for eurobogu i ve already purchased a lot of stuff because of my iaido...
i ve also talked with lisa(eguchi) and she was quite nice :)

I think that i ll go for either gz-17 or a4 ... as for gz-17 the men seems to have deer leather(is this a sign of better quality?)
the service of eguchi seems to be good though (they customize kote and men when you send them a pic of your face and hand)

I need first hand information! Arigato gozaimasu! :)

[JSchmidt]

Start doing kendo first, try on armor and then make a choice.
This would be like choosing an iaito before even trying holding one.

Jakob

[Hai_hai]

Deer leather on the men is the best material. The others are synthetic leather, cow leather, and vinyl.
However, there are different qualities of deerskin leather.

[LanaCat]

Well I know that I want to start kendo. I`m serious about that. And I wont run away from Kendo after wearing an armor and being hit, because kendo is what i ve dreaming of doing for a while already. it was just the financial thing which held me back, though now i can.

I ve already had enough exp. with a sword that i know what to do or? and how should i suppose to try an armor on when there is no kendo shop in germany? My dojo which i m going to train do not offer used armor.

I just want your suggestion about those two companys...thanks... :(

[Bleda]

It usually takes a couple of months before the sensei will talk to you about getting bogu. Often you can borrow someone elses for a class to see if its for you. Its really important that you try the armor on before spending money on it unless you want it for decoration aswell as you because many people find out that kendo is not for them once they get the armor on.

[Masahiro]

This is a really tough one, since both of your choices are truely reputable suppliers of kendo equipments. Ah, I will offer you my "first hand experience" . .. ... I have purhcase many of goods from Eguchi, and I have never had any disatisfactions with their quality for the price they ask. I have never purchased anything from eurobogu but I would trust Koei's bogu. As I have heard many compliments about Bogubag.com (U.S. representative of Koei) But do you suppose it would be easier for you to acquire items at relatively more convenience from eurobogu than eguchi? I suppose if you are considering Eguchi, then you have already thought of this. It really comes down to which you "trust" and feel more comfortable dealing with. ..

p.s. Lisa Sugimoto is a great gal, very helpful and very honest.

[moetl]

hi lanacat!

don't take the harsher posts personal! as you may have already noticed the atmosphere in this forum can be quite unfriendly sometimes... ^_^
i fully understand your situation and personally i think it's ok to think about which bogu you want to buy before you are in bogu. [i've done it too ;)]

being first time in bogu is quite...well, unpleasing for some ppl :redface:, but if you stick to it, you'll soon get used to it. [if you wanna read more about this, there's a thread: "do you remember the fist time"]

it's bad that your club doesn't have club bogu, so bleda's suggestion of borrowing a bogu and practising with bogu before you buy one seems quite reasonable!


being honest, i've already chosen the bogu i would like to buy in about half a year - i'm gonna buy from koei :)

summing everything up: i believe it's reasonable to start thinking a while about buying before you do, because you might reconsider your decision!

[Neil Gendzwill]

Well I know that I want to start kendo. I`m serious about that. And I wont run away from Kendo after wearing an armor and being hit, because kendo is what i ve dreaming of doing for a while already. it was just the financial thing which held me back, though now i can.

Regardless of how you view it, you won't be able to wear bogu for some months until your instructor says you can. Use the time to do some research, have a look at other people's bogu, decide what you might want. If your dojo allows you to rent or borrow bogu, take advantage of it. No matter how you feel now about kendo, it's a different beast when you strap on the bogu and people start hitting you. You may change your mind and if you have already bought bogu, it's an expensive mistake. You think you're sure, but I'm here to tell you that well over 50% of people quit after they earn the right to wear bogu.

As for when/if you finally purchase bogu, Eguchi and Eurobogu are both reputable suppliers, I'm sure either can supply you with a set you'll be happy with.

[Neil Gendzwill]

the atmosphere in this forum can be quite unfriendly sometimes...
This forum is exceedingly well-behaved compared to some others. Try hanging out on usenet's misc.fitness.weights (http://groups.google.ca/groups?q=misc.fitness.weights&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&edition=ca&hl=en) (motto: we hate each other but we hate you more).

[Masahiro]

You think you're sure, but I'm here to tell you that well over 50% of people quit after they earn the right to wear bogu.
This is very true. Do you want know why? ~Allow me to give you a glimpse of the list of reasons. Even though many are so very "sure" that they will stick with kendo before or even after they've began to study it. Many do quit in their life time. Because "the more advanced of a kenshi you are, the harder you have to work." quote my sensei. And let's all face it, we all have other things to maintain in our lives. Such as a job, family, and other responsibilities. To have the time, space, and undying devotion to practice kendo consistently and "never" quit is really a luxury some can not afford. With that said, I leave bid good luck to each and all of you with your journies. Don't ever quit!

[Neil Gendzwill]

I'm not even talking about those sorts of people (who quit due to other life commitments). I'm talking about people who get to wear bogu and don't even last 6 months after that. And I'm being conservative with my 50% estimate.

[Masahiro]

I'm not even talking about those sorts of people (who quit due to other life commitments). I'm talking about people who get to wear bogu and don't even last 6 months after that. And I'm being conservative with my 50% estimate.
oh "those" people! <s.i.g.h> yeah I wouldn't doubt it if your 50% assumption is a bit conservative. I have a couple of "those" in my club not worth mentioning though.

[utsutsu]

What's the problem to buy a bogu with or without the senseis word?

I know he will tell you when to put the bogu. I can imagine that, you can wear bogu but maybe you can't practice with it receiving hits... even you will still with the newbies for a big time.

:s

[JSchmidt]

Oh, you can buy bogu if you want to...what we're telling is that there's a large amount of people, despite swearing that they will do kendo for the rest of their life, who stop after trying bogu in practice.
So..start practicing and once you start wearing bogu, talk to your teacher and seniors about buying (Sometimes they may get discount from shops) and take it from there.
I've seen more people quit after they bought their own bogu than I've seen peope stick with kendo.

Jakob

[Hotei]

Personally, I think it goes even deeper than that. I think it's a simple matter of respect. You don't get to graduate high school until you've completed the required course level, and Kendo is simply another type of school. Sure you could go out and buy all the stuff you want, but why? Why spend money that, put simply, will do you no good at this point? Traditionally, you simply don't have the option of just "deciding" when you are going to wear bogu; that's up to your Sensei.

What's the big deal with just waiting until your Sensei says okay? Again, I think this all gets back to the basal issue of respect. In order to drive a car, you must first prove that you're ready to drive. The same situation appears in almost everything you do.

So, why the big rush, anyway? The big bogu sales don't happen until just after the new year, anyway. If you've really got all this money, go ahead and send it to me and I'll, umm hold it for you. Yeah. . .

[elssha]

Hi...

I was just reading some of the threads when I came across this one. I'm thinking of which bogu set to get on my tiny student budget (with a side of bugging my parents for it) too, and I'm quite glad to have run across this one. Do most companies have sales around January? Second quarter (during which I'm planning to get the bogu) starts on the fourth, so perhaps I can get it then... how much of a sale are we talking about (more or less)? Is it like a big discount, or a penny and dime sort of thing that's not really worth waiting for? Also, do most companies have these sales? I'm thinking of E-kendo right now (I hear the quality is good, and their prices are the lowest i've seen), though the only set I’ve actually tried on was from e-bogu.
thanks a bunch!

[streetcleaner]

kendoshop hase a HUGE 30% discount, but not in january - in august. so, you may wait till next august and buy really cheap ;)

[elssha]

is kendoshop and e-kendo the same thing????

[elssha]

sorry, forget my other post...

do you know when e-kendo will have its sale & how much it would be (not sure if i can wait till summer)?

[ben spain]

From what I have read - kendoshop and e-kendo are not related, but are very similar. I think e-bogu and e-kendo use the same bogu (e-kendo is the manafacturer). Hard to say for sure as several peoples opinions on this conflict.

[crabbi]

If so many people quit Kendo after buying their first set of bogu... does this imply that there is some sort of second hand bogu market somewhere? Is this a vast untapped source of good quality, nearly new bogu? (Shinai... keikogi... hakama... etc...)

Where can I lay my hands on some?!!!

penny-pinching crabbi...!

[Hai_hai]

eBay is the new graveyard for rich-boy show-off bogu.

[crabbi]

eBay is the new graveyard for rich-boy show-off bogu.
The number of auctions for bogu (RBSO or otherwise) is tiny... one or two at any given time... other than that guy who sells cack bogu and stars and stripes hakama!!

If the proportion of Kendoka leaving after buying bogu is so high, then they must be hanging on to it to decorate their front room, donating it to their clubs or throwing it away....

Unless anyone out there has found the fabled bogu graveyard....?

crabbi