Shinai and Bokuto Craftiness

[Neil Gendzwill]

Ah my mistake,
In the way of shinai, I don't know, there are some companies doing synthetic style bamboos and come out reasonably well, alot cheaper as well.

There is one company making synthetic shinai, Hasegawa, and they are most definitely not cheaper.

[Scully]

There is one company making synthetic shinai, Hasegawa, and they are most definitely not cheaper.

Perhaps, I couldn't tell you to be honest, never owned one,
Always been a traditional bamboo, although I do have a carbonized bamboo shinai, comes out with a much darker finish.
I think I good kendo invention in the way of shinai would be leather that doesn't pick up all the dye and grot from other peoples bogu,
I remember my first shinai, I'm not sure if it was just inferior leather, but it was contracting blue stains from my hands sliding up and down the grip, a shinia that would remain a nice white would be a good investment to me.

[JSchmidt]

I remember my first shinai, I'm not sure if it was just inferior leather, but it was contracting blue stains from my hands sliding up and down the grip, a shinia that would remain a nice white would be a good investment to me.

I can't remember my first shinai, but all my shinais have picked up colour on the leather. It got nothing to do with the quality of the leather, though.
I'm also curious to what other companies make synthetic shinais?. Can you give us some examples?

[Neil Gendzwill]

Perhaps, I couldn't tell you to be honest, never owned one,

I wasn't asking you. Hasegawa shinai are $300 and up.

[dillon]

Keeping a shinai tsukagawa white would be like trying to keep dirt, dents and scratches off a rally car.

Why would you want this anyway? Shinai break all the time. Unless it was owned by someone famous it's not going into a museum, and even then it's more charming with scratches, stains and whatnot (evidence that the famous someone used it).

I was given a very unusual shinai as a present. It was custom made for the late-sensei of one of the local dojo I go to. What's unusual about it is that looking from the top it is a koto shinai but looking from the side it looks a bit like dobari and it has an oval handle (hence there's no mistaking which way is up). Now this is a shinai I don't want to put marks on because it's value as a conversation piece is too great so in this case I don't intend to use it at all.

[dillon]

In the way of shinai, I don't know, there are some companies doing synthetic style bamboos and come out reasonably well, alot cheaper as well.

I can't imagine anything synthetic that would be cheaper than bamboo since the stuff grows like weed (ok, the bamboo specific to shinai might be more finicky, especially madake). Like certain six-legged vermin the stuff will probably survive long past the demise of human beings.