Best Bang for Your Buck; Get Your Shinsa Uniform Set from Nishiguma Budogu

So previously, KendoStar's gold label keikogi was my high watermark for quality in European kendo uniforms, but then I ordered from Nishiguma. The website is not particularly easy to navigate and the shipping time was long. I remember when I ordered it seemed too cheap to be real and the crazy thing is, the quality was even better than I expected! I ordered the heaviest weight hakama and it drapes extremely nicely. More importantly it is the broadest hakama I have ever bought, finally something that can accommodate a mother's hips and the himo are equally generous, so if I want to tie it iaido style there is cloth to spare. The gi is very similar in appearance to KendoStar's with some key differences. It's a bit broader, but the ties are both higher up and placed closer together. This means while they can accommodate a wider frame, they also better accommodate a smaller frame. KendoStar's gi seem to be broad European optimized, which means the look great on larger builds, but I've had slim student practically swim in their kendo gi with the ties almost at their waist. The opening tends to gape and I've started not tying the inner ribbon, so I can get it to wrap tighter, since the gaping problem is also an issue for me. The Nishiguma one tied in a very pleasing manner. While KendoStar's gi is the softest I've ever owned, the Nishiguma one is even softer and just cozier. They are semi made to order (hence the long lead time), but the value for money is fabulous and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a best kendo suit and especially to people who have pear shaped figures.