CF or DB?

[AlexM]

I have a newbie question (the newbie being me).

I "need" to buy a carbon shinai. Yes, I know: My hits should be lighter, Bamboo has a soul, You're too lazy to do maintenance. You may spit on me all you want. But I still want one (the cold, dry winters in Quebec are hell on bamboo. . . . and anything else organic for that matter).

My question is very specific.

What is the difference between CF and DB carbon shinai (I know it has nothing to do with the grip).
Where's the balance centered? How fat is the tsuka (the grip)? I like a nice fat grip. Is one more fragile than the other? (you never know) Which do you prefer? Anything else I've failed to think about? What does the extra 50$ for a DB get me?

Please help.

[Neil Gendzwill]

DB stands for "dobari". The shape is fatter near the handle, which has the dual purpose of moving the balance point back and providing a little extra width for suriagi waza. The handle is round (unless you get the K1 or K2 models) and medium diameter. If you're not happy with the diameter, you can always bulk it up with hockey tape as you are not going to be routinely disassembling this shinai.

[alexpollijr]

Dobari (fat chest) all the way.
I own a CF one but it's a hand-me-down one. DB feels lighter, thus quicker, and so IMO 'tis worth the extra fifty bucks.

[scbang]

AlexM, since you'll be training with carbon shinai most of the time, I recommend CF. Its weight is a bit more towards the tip so it feels heavier. You can buy nice DB bamboo shinai for shiai. One can learn to handle heavy one and use light one but not the other way around.

Karaken

[AlexM]

Should have mentionned this: I'll probably only use the carbon shinai for practice, not for gradings or tourneys (the sound is just awful).

[munenmuso]

The sound will annoy your opponent more and could become the reason why they would become more aggressive and fast.:D

[saki_wooah]

the cold, dry winters in Quebec are hell on bamboo. . . .
that'S not an excuse!! o_o
winters in quebec do not affect any organic (if they're inside, and it would explain everything if you leave your shinai outside)
My flowers blossom (?_?) and my aloes plants are healthier in winter.

[Steve]

Don't feel bad about wanting a Carbon shinai...they're great. Although unfortunately not indestructible....<sniffle>. Painful memories....

Anyway, the Dobari shinai has quite a nice feeling to it. The weight of it is closer towards the tsuka. The sound of a carbo is pretty bad till you get used to it.

On a side note, i actually did begin to miss shinai maintenance after a while. ;)

[AlexM]

Originally posted by Steve

On a side note, i actually did begin to miss shinai maintenance after a while. ;)

That confirms my suspicions, you Halifax guys are nuts.

[KhawMengLee]

...I feel guilty but I love my carbon shinai...I currently use a Dobari shinai and its great...feels good on the hit as well. The CF's felt a bit out but if you have the cash buy a DB.