New and first men, questions about the pressure points

[Kizeme]

Hi,

I've just received my first men a few days ago and spend some time fiddling around with it to get it to fit comfortably. When my chin is in the cup, my forehead and top of the head seem to be exactly where they should be and when I pull hard on the himo and tie it tightly, it does not move around.

However, there's one thing I don't like, it seems like the Men is very front heavy so that there is a definite pressure point against the front of my chin, as if the weight of the mengane would tilt the whole men forwards and it would all be held by my chin.

It is an IBB D-Pro mengane, so I thought it should be well balanced enough not to be that front heavy.

Is that normal for new men that haven't been broken in by buckets of sweat yet? At the moment it feels like fastening the men really tight would take some pressure of the chin so I don't really think that loosening up would solve that problem at all as it would just fall forward even more. I don't have a lot of space left to fit a men pad, I can just fit a really thin peace of towel on top of the tenugui otherwise it gets way too tight and opening my jaw gets too restricted.

I also think that a bigger or smaller men would not be better, the quality of the product is good and the stitching is 3mm.

Anyone with similar problems or tips? Highly appreciated!

[DCPan]

Have someone take a photo of you wearing your men sideways.

It is very possible that your knot is too low...a common mistake. The knot should be at eye-level...or right around your occipital protuberance....

[Kizeme]

I will post a picture once I get home. I have tried many positions for the knot and I think ended up having it directly above the op. I also found that having the chichikawa on the 4th bar from the bottom is a slight improvement of having it on the 3rd.

How hard do you pull the himo? I don't expect it to be as comfortable as my shoei but I want to make it through an hour of wearing it without calling out for my mother

[Lloromannic]

In a Men that fits you well, not very tight at all. I have a men that was custom built for me and I just have to pull it tight enough that it won't fall off. I also have another that is my stock size and you have to put a fair amount more pressure in it.

Have you had other Men at all (loaner, etc)? The IBB Durapro is super light, so you may just need to get used to the weight.

[Kizeme]

here's a pic: http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/5528/mentie.jpg (himo are pulled tight as hell)

and here's the pressure point cause it still feels so front heavy: http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/2186/pressure.jpg

[D'Artagnan]

Hi Kizeme,

I hope you don't mind me answering this, as I can see this Bogu is from our website. So first of all thank you

Looking at the photo's and reading the explaination, I am not sure what you mean by 'front heavy' as this Men does indeed use the IBB D-Pro Mengane, and is much lighter than many other models. However, I understand what you mean about the pressure that is being applied to the front of your chin. This is not the weight of the Men that is causing this, rather it is the stiff shape of the new Uchiwa (chin and face padding). It is quite normal for a new men to feel like this, and as I just used a brand new Men myself at practice on Monday, I understand how uncomfortable it can be at first. However, I assure you that after a few uses it will feel much more comfortable, and will fit you perfectly. We make the Uchiwa tight like this on purpose, particularly with in-stock Bogu, so that it can stretch to form the exact features of your face, and ultimately provide the best fit

I hope that helps, I hope your Bogu brings you many years of enjoyment!

All the best!

Andy

[Halcyon]

If this is your first men, then it's going to feel tight and weird at first. As Andy mentioned, even for experienced folks, a new men feels weird at first. It takes a while for the uchiwa to mold to your face.

[Scott H]

If this is your first men, then it's going to feel tight and weird at first. As Andy mentioned, even for experienced folks, a new men feels weird at first. It takes a while for the uchiwa to mold to your face.

That's the truth. Indeed, if this is your first time wearing this stuff it's all gonna feel weird for a while. You'll get used to it.

[Neil Gendzwill]

here's a pic: http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/5528/mentie.jpg (himo are pulled tight as hell)

Hard to tell for sure from the picture, but that men doesn't look like it is tied too tightly.

[Kizeme]

Thanks guys, I will just train hard in it and enjoy a good fit later I am sure that the measurements I have taken are correct. The rest of the bogu fits perfectly and it seems very well finished, as expected - thanks Andy and tozando!

[trevor]

Hard to tell for sure from the picture, but that men doesn't look like it is tied too tightly.

Is the head nape back too out from the men?

[Cailin Coilleac]

or right around your occipital protuberance....

Ooohhh, I love it when you talk anatomy!

EDIT:
Whoa, didn't notice that Trevor raised this thread from the dead. That comment was made a year ago.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Is the head nape back too out from the men?

Not sure what you mean by that question, but that picture looks OK. Of course we can't really see much from there. I assume Kizeme has it sorted now as it's a year later.