Kendoshop?

[Kendo15]

Hello,

I posted a while back that i was ready to buy new bogu, and that i had been okayed by both of my senseis. Well i have had a lot of trouble with kendoshop and they are not letting my order through and i have tried many many times, does anybody know what is wrong? i have e-mailed them and havn't gotten any responses.

I have also begun to look at another site and i have come across another site which has crossed me. It is www.tokyoman.com (http://www.tokyoman.com) . I was wondering if any one has had any experiences. I read that Eiga the world champion has been using there equipment. Any information passed along would be great thanks!!!

[hamish]

Check out one of our sponsors, Mitsuboshi, at http://www.mitsuboshi-web.com/

They've got good quality gear, and if you have any problems I can contact them directly for you (maybe even a discount off their list prices).

Check out their site and e-mail me at hamish@kendo-world.com if you're interested.

regards

Hamish

[Hingus]

Can you order direct from Mitsuboshi?

[Will]

Among Koreans, Pentagon [tokyoman.com] isn't very popular even though it is produced in Korea. I was going to get my new bogu from them, but because they never responded to phone calls or emails, I decided to go with Eguchi (eguchi.net)

[hamish]

Yes, you can order direct from Mitsuboshi. They have English speaking staff, too.

If you do enquire, please mention that you found them through us, so they know our advertising's working!!

Hamish

[Hongsermeier]

Will, you have a new bogu and I'm not there to help you break in the do. I feel left out.

[amatsuda]

Originally posted by Hamish
Yes, you can order direct from Mitsuboshi. They have English speaking staff, too.

If you do enquire, please mention that you found them through us, so they know our advertising's working!!

Hamish

Kendo15 - You might want to try e-bogu.com. I bought my bogu from them earlier this year and I really like my new bogu. Plus if you order from them or eguchi, you are dealing with someone domestically. You don't have to worry about language or time zones or import fees or tariffs.

Regarding Mitsuboshi....

One thing that did catch my eye regarding Mitsuboshi Co. from the advertisement is the JQA ISO Logo and that they are ISO 9002 certified.

This means that the company has taken the time and energy to implement a quality system focusing on customer satisfaction and continual improvement.

This means they have built a system following the elements of ISO 9002 Standard (i.e. all elements except Design Control).
and have received certification from an independent third party that they are satisfactorily meeting the applicable elements of the standard.

Therefore, the company should have documented procedures in place to produce quality bogu such as:

1. Responsibility and authority are defined throughout the organization and for each task performed.

2. There is a defined process for Purchases made that affect the quality of the product. For example Men-Gane may be bought from an approved vendor and inspected upon arrival.

3. The assembly of the product is performed in a controlled environment. The process is performed uniformly each time and the product is inspected throughout the production process. (initial, in-process, final inspection)

4. Any equipment used to test, inspect or measure product is calibrated to an international standard (e.g. ANSI, etc.) at defined intervals.

5. Any product found to be nonconforming (i.e. BAD) is segregated and adequately identified to prevent accidental sale/delivery.

*Ever been PO'd at a store because you bought something from them that was obviously previously sold and returned but found its way back onto the sales shelf?

6. Handling, storage, Preservation, and Packaging and delivery of product is controlled and peformed uniformly. *e.g. Products are stored in a manner that prevents damage or deterioration or products are identified and stored in a manner that prevents them from being mixed in with other sizes or models.

7. Servicing of products are defined. All products returned for repair, etc. are performed uniformly.

8. The company should also have a procedure in place to handle customer complaints. There should have something to correct and/or prevent future customer complaints or deficiencies in the system.

9. Management Review - Records that manifest itself from the operation of the company are kept and analyzed at intervals defined by the company. Results of their own internal audits, statistical data, customer complaints, etc. are reviewed and management should be creating or reviewing their current objectives.

There are more elements covered by the standard, but those are just a few that I could think of off the top of my head to ensure a quality product.

But as with anything, there is no guarantee. There is a flip side...One popular example is that a company can be making cement life savers and as long as they are following their procedures, they can be ISO certified. The Firestone tires on the Explorer also came out of a QS9000 (similar to ISO but for the auto industry) Certified plant.

But my opinion is if the company is really trying to follow the intention of the standard the likelihood of getting a quality product is higher...

Hope this helps.


amatsuda
http://mywebpage.netscape.com/sjkendo

[gill]

Kendo15,

I am very surprised that you have had problems with kendoshop. I bought my armour from them about 18 months ago, and had fantastic service, my armour was delivered within a couple of weeks. Have you tried phoning them? They do also speak English.

I beleive in the UK now you can only buy from them through a distributor - it may be that something similar has happened in the US, and that is why it is difficult

Gill

[Voodoo-U]

Mistuboshi's prices seem very high, by comparison to Kendoshop, e-bogu, etc. $870 US for a 5.0mm machine stich is 25-40% higher then anywhere else I have seen. And the margins go up even more as you get to 3.0 and 2.0mm sets.

Is their quality worth the price difference?

[Hingus]

I have had experience with the Mitsuboshi Karate uniforms and found them to be of the highest quality. Actually they are my favorite. Difficult to get in the US though. Nice to know I can order direct. Interestingly their prices are very competitive in that arena.

It seems that you will always pay "a price" for bogu. While Kendoshop is very good on the price/performance ratio, you need to be very patient with them.

[KhawMengLee]

Well, I feel that japanese made bogu have better quality to it. eg. with the DO base and materials. For the price I think korean made sets are a bargain. Japanese sets are pricey which is why you should find out when the sales are and get the best price.

Both my sets are Japanese made but I have seen kendoshop's bogu and I would say its good but the workmanship is better with the japanese sets. I think when you start out, a korean bogu is good because of the price and quality and you can give it a good bash without worrying of the price you paid. As you get better you can get a japanese set to use for shiai.etc.

Take it like japanese and european sports cars. A Skyline may have the power and speed but a BMW has prestige.

PEACE
MENG

[Kendo15]

Hello,

Thanks for all of the replies. Kendoshop has finally given me an e-mail back and that system that runs there credit card thingy is kinda weird. Also another kendoka at my dojo also had the exact same problem that i had trying to buy his bogu from them. He said he called them and everything was settled. But that is my problem, how do u call to Korea???

Thanks

[JSchmidt]

You pick up the phone and dial their phonenumber!
(But go here first to check the timedifference http://www.timezoneconverter.com)

Jakob

[laurien]

Originally posted by amatsuda

This means they have built a system following the elements of ISO 9002 Standard (i.e. all elements except Design Control).
and have received certification from an independent third party that they are satisfactorily meeting the applicable elements of the standard.


Matsuda-sensei,
Thanks for taking the time to explain that standard. I've seen that label in several different places, and I always wondered what it meant!

Cheers,
laurien