fibre/carbon shinai's

[A1DZ]

hey guys

dont know if this has come up before but I was browsing the net recently and came accross a sit advertising Hasegawa's fibre/carbon shinai's saying it was approved by IKF. I am a total newbie to this game but I personally feel it takes a bit of the history out of it. I would prefer a bamboo shinai to this Ill find the site and post it up.

I just want opinions as it wages the question New age or Tradition?????


Dan

[A1DZ]

http://www.hasegawakagaku.co.jp/eshinai.htm
this is the link tell me what you think

[hamish]

Go to the top of this page and enter 'Carbon Shinai' into the search, and browse this site first, you'll get a pretty good idea what people think.

You can also read about how they're made, and why the company produced them in the first place in Kendo World 1.3.

Try using a bamboo shinai in places like Iran, (Plug- see the article in the upcoming issue!!) in some dry climates there is no other choice.

Hamish

[Zaphiel]

ONLY BAMBOO SHINAIS HAVE A SOUL!!!!!
well...and they are moore cheap......

[Shamshir_11]

Carbon breaks less often, and has a dead lifless feel to it. Most dojo's have a carbon for backup (usefull if someone breaks a shina during tournments its best to use the back up carbon and hopefully not break any more bamboo Personally though I perfer Bamboo over carbon.

[Deco]

I have a carbon shiani for 6 months, and i´m not a fan. I use it for hard practice. For suburi and shiai i use my bamboo shinai.

I have a hasegawa becose i was tired of using my good bamboo shinai when motodotachi (sorry, i don´t know if it is corect) the new ones, the hit to hard and in the end they break their shinai and ours as wel.

The balence of the carbon shinai is not good, it realy feels that you are using a dead shinai. But it is good to save your best shinais for taikai.

Any doubts i can help... just ask.

Deco

[Mr.Tvola]

I have been using carbon for many years. There definitely is a small diffence from bamboo. But if you don't like carbon, perhaps you didn't get the one which suits you. Like bamboo shinais, carbons have different ballance.

[Deco]

I can say that i like chokuto shinais, but the hasegawa have a diferent balance from my other shinais. I am used to it now, but in taikai i use my bamboo shinai.

Cheers

Deco