My first Shinai...

[Phorest]

Hey gang! Quick question: Whats the best way to go for my first shinai? I'm assuming that I'll need to buy one before my first Kendo class. (And I'm planning on buying one even if I don't stick with kendo -which is doubtful- becase I just think they're cool :D )
Anyways, I was looking on e-bogu.com and saw that I can go with either the "Practice Shinai" http://www.e-bogu.com/ketawesishoo39.html (lower quality) or the "Hyoei" shinai http://www.e-bogu.com/hycomshin.html (looks like better quality). Which of these would be better? Is it smarter to start off with a lower quality one in the beginning and upgrade later on? Or am I going to wish I had gone with a better quality one from the start?

I've never touched one of these things, so you guys help me out!! :p

Also, if theres somewhere else I should look when shopping for a shinai, please point me in the right direction!

[JSchmidt]

The dojo will normally provide you with a shinai for the first month or so. Try it first before you spend any money on it.

Jakob

[AlexM]

Phorest,

You're probably better off buying the cheap one to start (my first shinai lasted six months, which is a record for me, despite it being a cheap tawainese make). You'll probably get finicky as you get older (the right balance, the size of the grip, etc.) but right now it just don't matter. Don't be one of those people who buys the most expensive stuff when they start a hobby on the false assumption that it'll make things easier, it won't.

I buy whatever I can find on the cheap (starving student afterall), although I do have a preference for the "fat" grip shinai over the "thin" kind. Ebogu's cheap starter shinai are good (we have a few), I like the balance and the price is reasonable. Plus the more expensive ones don't come with the leather parts which you will need (you'd have top order them separate). BTW, before ordering anything you should ask you're dojo if they sell them (dojo's often buy in bulk). One last thing, if you do order, Ebogu is probably a good choice.

[Neil Gendzwill]

I agree - for all this stuff, check with your dojo first. We have suppliers we buy in bulk from and our members get their best deals through us. If you must buy a shinai, buy a cheap complete. Make sure you get the right size. If you're an adult male, you need a 39 (46" long overall). If you're high school age (17 or under) you could use a 38 (~45" long) but if you're big you might still want a 39. I say this because we routinely have people coming into our dojo carting a 37 they bought from a local knife shop that insists on selling the wrong size (even though the owner spent about 6 months with us and should know what's what).

[Phorest]

Well the place I'm gonna be taking Kendo is just a group of college kids that meet to practice it looks like. This is just based on what I've heard though. Still haven't been to the class, as it starts back up in mid-January.

[AlexM]

You may as well ask anyways. People often need shinai (read: I often need shinai because I break one every 5 minutes) so maybe they might want to order at the same time you do (that's what we've had to do when the dojo doesn't have any, brings down the cost), or maybe they've delt with ordering shinai before and they'll offer to help. Good luck!

[saki_wooah]

at the beginning, it's better to use a cheap one, because you don't really need a high quality one (you're not practicing in bogu yet). You'll also see if you like kendo enough to continue it. And then you can buy different kind of shinai (carbon, oval handle, etc). I haven't dealt with internet kendo shop yet (but I bought an eguchi.net shinai in a taikai) so I can't tell you my opinion about e-bogu or anything like that.