This is the second part of my bogu review for E-Kendo! After around a month and a half of waiting, I finally received my huge package in the mail. To remind you, I ordered the 4mm/2mm custom bogu set with a blue do (D06) and red mune embroidery (M25) both of which came free. It did take a little while for them to order in and alter the parts to fit the measurements I provided, but once it left the Korean warehouse it reached Canada within 4-5 days.

I finally brought it to class to try it out and was very pleased! Everything seemed to fit quite well – it’s all still a little stiff but just needs to be broken into. The men is awesome – the 2mm stitching protected my head quite well. I could feel hits but they weren’t painful for the most part – there were a couple of times I would flinch and duck my head, consequently receiving a blow to the back, but that was my fault .

I cannot believe how soft the kote palms are! E-Kendo doesn’t state whether the palms are made of synthetic material or leather, but it’s very, very comfortable.

The do was gorgeous, I was worried that the blue would be too bright (and it is in my dojo, everyone has much darker/subtle dos) but I love it. If I were to order again I would probably pay the $10 to upgrade to the fake plastic bamboo on the inside. I think that would make it a little more sturdy and make it look nicer.

I believe the tare they sent was meant for a junior (I’m small and they sent me a L tare, so I can only assume!). It’s a tiny bit big on me but does what it’s supposed to. Now all I need is a zekken!

The provided tenugui is BIG (compared to my other tenugui at least!) and the fabric feels a little thicker. It has kanji printed on it that I believe says ‘Shadow Sword’. It looks quite classy.

The free bogu bag is very helpful as well, there’s lots of room inside and it easily fits a hakama/gi along with the bogu. It comes with a strap, so you can sling it on your shoulder or carry it on your side. However after lugging it around not even a block I’m already wishing it had wheels!

The total cost for everything, including conversion rates from Korean to Canadian, shipping, the price of an extra tenugui/do buttons/kote and men protector and customs came to just under $500CAN.

Pictures speak larger than words, so below is a gallery containing a bunch of photos taken of a bunch of different angles. Have fun perusing!

Bogu Photo Gallery

Here I am wishing all my readers a craptastic 2009!

I’d like to share a super wicked site that I’ve been following religiously for the past couple of years. It’s known as Cockeyed.com, and is run by an intrepid fellow by the name of Rob Cockerham.

Each year he creates a calendar containing photographic highlights of his articles and experiments. That in itself is neat, since a lot of the stuff he does is hilarious, but as an added bonus you can actually request for your birthday to be printed on the calendar!

I finally took the plunge this year and purchased one to help support one of my favourite websites. Check it out:

On the left is my birthday. On the right is the image for January, taken from the investigation into Cash4Gold.

Yes, that’s a nail you can see in the left there. I ask you, what other seller-of-calendars would have the insight to include a hanging device with every purchase?

The Instant Outlet™ was also a surprise gift. In just five seconds and no electrical experience, I was able to install the outlet in a place where no outlet has ever been installed before.

Beautiful.