The new goshinken

[rawnshah]

 

So far this new type of goshinken has held up pretty well. It's only been a month of use but so far nothing immediate.

 

We've tried it among the senseis and brown belts and it certainly held up. The entire class has used it (swapping it between people) for sparring and kata practice. They're getting used to others using it on them.

 

Wear and Tear

The grip is holding. Even with very hard smacks the is no paint chipping, cracks, tears, breaks, permanent kinks or bends. When you swing, you can see the goshinken bend with the acceleration but this is nothing really.

 

I've whacked it hard against a table top and nothing.

 

I have not tried it against a rough surface like a rough concrete or masonry pillar or wall. I think it might scratch or tear the material.

 

There is no obvious break point at the tip like the older ones have.

 

Pain level?

A soft hit creates more impact than the old goshinken because the force gets focused along the edge.

A hard hit (by me or sensei Andrew on ourselves) hurts and lasts for a minute but there's no bruising (immediate or delyaed).

Multiple hits onto the same spot do hurt because you haven't recovered from the sting yet.

 

This kind of pain is hard to tell but they are definitely more painful than the old ones.

 

Cost

It is still expensive at $95 (after shipping is included) but I think this will last much, much longer so its worth it in the end.

 

At this point, I'd say it is safe to buy and use for the class. I'll see about getting it as a standard item at the Kodenkan of Tucson, so people can order it easily. (keep in mind its free shipping when you get it from KoT saves you $8 at least)

 

[rawnshah]

I've looked around some more and heres some advice:

 

- NOT RECOMMENDED: Knighthawk carries a katana goshinken called the Yakamoto (manufactured by Calamacil) priced $158 - $180. I have not tried it yet, but its not so impressive. The ha edge is not an edge but a flat surface. The tip is rounded probably for safety but it just looks wrong. The videos they have on their site really don't show them putting much effort into the strength testing and whacks. The following two are the same sword on two sites:

- http://www.calimacil.com/weapons/katanas/yakamoto.html

- http://www.king-cart.com/oknight/product_name=Yakamoto+(Katana)/exa...

 

- DUBIOUS:  The Strongblade guys carry a sword which looks very much like the Calamacil Yakamoto but with a different name: Mantis, also around $169. It does have a nice grip though.

- http://www.strongblade.com/prod/sbcl-swd-mantis.html

 

- NOT RECOMMENDED: This cheaper $48 padded sword is simply the wrong size. at a total length of 29in and blade of 22in. The handle is only 4.5in which is basically a one handed weapon. This is not what we practice with and a little too big for a wakizashi too.

- http://www.king-cart.com/oknight/product_name=Battle+Ready+Katana+(...

 

- NOT RECOMMDED: The $67 LARP katana from Strongblade is 34in which means its too short.

- http://www.strongblade.com/prod/sbif-katana_spec.html

 

- NOT RECOMMEDED: Leopard katana -- because it is just too dorky. And at 33 inches it is short overall. We expect around 40in for standard katana length.

- http://www.strongblade.com/prod/sbeg-sw-leaopardkatana.html

 

- NOT RECOMMDED: Elven Katana -- c'mon really? I'm not even going to link to it.