Why You Should Buy Your First Set of Bogu From KendoStar
If you live in Europe and you are buying your first set of bogu, you should get it from KendoStar. Why? Well, a number of reasons starting with KendoStar’s bogu is designed for the European market. Many people often forget that you are supposed to start kendo as a small child or maybe a spindly teenager. Nothing around the pedagogy is designed for fully muscled adults to be donning bogu for the first time. As a result, European beginners hit hard and it hurts. Even, because it is such a normal thing, their tenouchi isn’t necessarily corrected and they might make it to 4th or 5th dan and still be a very heavy hitter. It is easy to say kendo isn’t for the weak, but I’ve had students concussed and one get bruised so hard she had to go to the doctor get stitches. Kendo is not supposed to hurt like that.
KendoStar does a lot of innovative work with mixed wide and thin stitching to create more pockets. Like a good keikogi, the more texture to take the impact, the more the force is distributed. To date I unfortunately do not have samples from the different bogu suppliers to compare, but all of my observed experience says KendoStar’s cheapest beginner set is much better than the competition in terms of general protection.
Next there is the question of head size. I know, I know, every shop asks for your exact measurements and then, guess what? They go to the shelves and decide if you’re an S, M, L or XL. Woe to those of you who are between sizes and aren’t informed about adjustor pads. If you have a good sensei to take care of you, there is nothing wrong with the bogu from the other suppliers, in fact I would highly recommend Nine Circles Nexus Cross Stitch model. I have their kote and they are positively magical. Kendo24 makes a really good custom set, however for off the shelf and affordable, the most bang for your buck is just to get it from KendoStar.
Not only that they offer free shipping with VAT paid and have an automatic currency converter on their site. If you have questions their customer service is prompt and informative. It’s simple, great value and better protection. If you’re an advanced practitioner the math is different, but as a European beginner, you can’t do better.