Customer Reviews

Set of 2 47" Kendo Shinai Bamboo Practice Sword Katana

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I bought these as a quick, cheap replacement for my last shinai, thinking that even if they were not excellent at least I'd have a spare. The parts that are traditionally leather (sakigawa, tsuka, and nakayuki) are made of a cheap, dry foam that disintegrates on contact (literally - my shirt was covered in foam particles when I unwrapped them). The bamboo is of the lowest quality, and looks like it will splinter at the lightest suggestion of contact; one reviewer has experienced quick breakage already. If the bamboo takes oil well I may rewrap them and use them as long as I can, but there is nothing to recommend these shinai.

This is a set of two "bamboo" swords, for a rather decent price. However, the wood is some sort of composite, and after less than a day, during a light practice session, one of the swords broke clean through at the hilt. All four pieces of wood broke in an almost straight line. Now, this may be atypical, because one sword was noticeably lighter than the other (that's the one that broke) so be sure to read other reviews as well.

I purchased this set of shinai based on price, and that was my first mistake. They are made in China, with all the poor craftsmanship that this normally entails. During my first kendo practice using one of these shinai, one of the take (bamboo slats) broke within the first hour of use. They are not strong enough for kendo and may cause injury due to their weakness. Possibly useful for LARP or cosplay, but not martial arts.

picture shows 2 swords, only recieved 1, clever use of "SET". purchased 4 total and was charged for shipping twice, have yet to recieve 3 others.

Right out of the box my daughter and I started playing around with these in the living room, not really going at it very hard and about 3 minutes into our light playing my daughter came at me with a swipe that broke the Shinai I was using clean in half. We just stared at each other for about 10 seconds. All I could do was assure her that she hadn't done anything wrong. Amazon was Excellent on the UPS pickup and return credit.

I have used bamboo fighting sticks for years and I didn't think it could break like that. I have to assume these are made of some kind of bamboo substitute. Obviously, I wouldn't recommend.

Nice and sturdy and great for a good workout if you're into the traditional forms. They kinda hurt to get with but, that's what the pads are for. Excellent!

Not bad. Took 8 days for delivery. Started fighting with them as soon as I took them out of the package. I already fought about 10 times already, and have not took them lightly . Has not even cracked, even when fighting with different materials. I say it is a great Shinai for beginners. Will order more when these breaks.

This Shinai was a complete and utter waste of money. The parts of it that were traditionally leather were some kind of flaky synthetic material, and the wood used is brittle and cheap. It has been about 20 minutes since i removed it from the packaging and already I've scheduled for UPS to pick it up and its now on the front step. about 5 minutes after it came out of the box, i had a sparring match with my brother. bear in mind, I only weigh 130 pounds and I'm not swinging at full strength. After about 20 quick strikes, the sword breaks in all 4 pieces at the handle. Do NOT buy anything from this company.

I recieved TWO bamboo training swords. I bought them as a gift for my boyfriend. the leather did NOT disintegrate on touch. we played with it semi-roughly and they held up. the shipping however was late it took 2 days over a week, and one day over the estimated delivery date. at any rate these are a nice set of beginner swords.

Out of all the shinai I have seen, these are pretty good. The leather at the tip could be a bit tighter I think. Thats its only downfall. It still holds together pretty well none the less. Also, for the price I would suggest getting these.