Dead Already

[Tsunemori]

http://strawberrymilk.com.au/tsunemo...ek/Shinda1.jpg
http://strawberrymilk.com.au/tsunemo...ek/Shinda2.jpg

R.I.P. my first shinai
August 2007 - May 2008

It lasted for nine months (which is probably a very long time for you guys). I took good care of it! Sanded it after each training, oiled it every few weeks, disassembled and retied everything every few days, rotated the sake around, etc. But I suppose it can't last forever.

I just feel disheartened because it's my first and only shinai :(

How long do they usually last for anyway?

[JoonShik]

I think the cause is you did too much to it. I only sand it if there is a potential threat to cracking or splintering.

Anyway, for me, a shinai usually lasts about 8-10 months, but that's if I use the same shinai for practice and shiai. I was smart enough to buy a couple practice shinais, and a few shiai shinais. I learned after I was breaking so many. Plus a few of the ones I have now are compiled of different shinais of the past.

[cruzemi]

um i have only had one shinai and it has lasted me for a year and a half.

[Martino]

Buy 2 replacements, your second and third shinai tend to have a really short life.

Anyway training 3-4 times a week here in the dry Canberra weather I am usually lucky to get 3 months out of my shinai.

[Kagerou]

http://strawberrymilk.com.au/tsunemo...ek/Shinda1.jpg
http://strawberrymilk.com.au/tsunemo...ek/Shinda2.jpg

R.I.P. my first shinai
August 2007 - May 2008

It lasted for nine months (which is probably a very long time for you guys). I took good care of it! Sanded it after each training, oiled it every few weeks, disassembled and retied everything every few days, rotated the sake around, etc. But I suppose it can't last forever.

I just feel disheartened because it's my first and only shinai

How long do they usually last for anyway?

Bah! A little duct tape and it'll be fine.

The age of mine depends on who comes to class. Some people are hard on shinai. Anyone who leans their head back when you're hitting them will reduce the lifespan of your shinai. Tall people are hard on them if your technique isn't good.

My current one is going on 6 months so it's time for it's second sanding and waxing. My oldest two are going on a year old but they don't see continuous use as I rotate my shinai quite regularly.

[ShinKenshi]

My oldest shinai is the same one I started with, 4 years and 5 months strong and just now starting to show signs a slat might crack soon. The funny thing is that I while I did sand it when I first got it and to fix splinters, I never oiled it until a little more than a year ago when I started to oil all of my shinai. I've got a bio-shinai from ebogu (mino) and that one has lasted for almost 2 years with no signs of splintering. Other shinai that I've had lasted about that same amount of time. It could be because I rotate through all my shinai regularly and every 3-5 practices for one shinai I rotate the slats.

I don't think you needed to sand it after every practice, that's a tad overzealous in my opinion. I think the general consensus is to sand only in these instances:

1. When you first get it.
2. To fix a splinter
3. After rotating through all the slats as well as re-compressing the edges.

Order a few more shinai and ask them to match the shinai for you. That way you can rotate in a slat if one breaks.

[ne0r]

Bah! A little duct tape and it'll be fine.

Are you serious? I know of at least one person that died because of a broken shinai... (not kidding)

[zaemon]

I was disappointed when my first shinai broke. My second lasted about a month, and it's replacement...A club member asked to borrow it after he had broken his (I was out) and later informed me it was the worst shinai he had ever seen.

I later tried one of his good ones... the weight , the grip... the balance.... anyway, make sure you buy your shinai from a kendo outfitter rather than a sports shop.

So much to learn in this kendo thing. That's what I love. Nothing comes easy. Everything has to be learned.

[Atonito]

Tsunemori, keep the old shinai as a trophy and testament to your hard training. Buy a new one and please Don't fix it with tape or use a shinai that has splintered. It's just dangerous and could cause a very nasty accident.

[ShinKenshi]

.... anyway, make sure you buy your shinai from a kendo outfitter rather than a sports shop.

Um, sorry if this sounds condescending but didn't your sensei or sempai tell you where to get your shinai from? Buying a shinai from a general sports shop is equivalent to going to K-Mart for Callaway, Titelist, or TaylorMade golf clubs.

So much to learn in this kendo thing. That's what I love. Nothing comes easy. Everything has to be learned.

Glad you have a great attitude (seriously )!

[ShinKenshi]

Bah! A little duct tape and it'll be fine.

*cough* *cough* Sarcasm! *cough* *cough*

[zaemon]

Um, sorry if this sounds condescending but didn't your sensei or sempai tell you where to get your shinai from? Buying a shinai from a general sports shop is equivalent to going to K-Mart for Callaway, Titelist, or TaylorMade golf clubs.

Glad you have a great attitude (seriously )!

It's hard to get supplies since the armourer moved.

Anyway, I always recon it's less about the equipment than the spirit of the player. A poor workman blames his tools... The kenshi I lent the crap shinai to went on to prevail and enjoyed the challenge. Go figure.

[ShinKenshi]

It's hard to get supplies since the armourer moved. Anyway, I always recon it's less about the equipment than the spirit of the player. A poor workman blames his tools... The kenshi I lent the crap shinai to went on to prevail and enjoyed the challenge. Go figure.

To a certain extent, yes but not all shinai are made equal. Shinai in movie shops and general sports shops are by and large crappy in quality and will splinter and break much faster no matter how well you care for it. Buy from quality shops such as Sankei Australia (in your case since you're an Aussie). Talk to your sensei and sempai about where they get theirs and trust me, they'll tell you the same thing about shinai crappy-general-sports-store shinai.

[Kaoru]

To a certain extent, yes but not all shinai are made equal. Shinai in movie shops and general sports shops are by and large crappy in quality and will splinter and break much faster no matter how well you care for it. Buy from quality shops such as Sankei Australia (in your case since you're an Aussie). Talk to your sensei and sempai about where they get theirs and trust me, they'll tell you the same thing about shinai crappy-general-sports-store shinai.

He lives in Canada... He can buy from e-bogu.com or eguchi.com or bogubag.com.

And, Zaemon-san, never tape a damaged shinai and use it in the dojo or elsewhere. Much too dangerous!

Kaoru

[Kaoru]

Bah! A little duct tape and it'll be fine.

I can't believe you just said that... SHAME on you!! You know that's not safe! (I hope!)

Kaoru