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Post by f.m. on Dec 27, 2010 1:55:17 GMT
this may not be a 100% original idea but i found $1 bamboo/straw mats at a department store (target i think but probably everywhere) as "beach mats" or something to that effect. i just rolled one up as shown in the long pics around some cardboard and soaked it in water for a few hours, it performed very nicely! just the right amount of challenge for a good sword, if not a tiny bit easier than the rice mat kind of tatami.
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Dec 27, 2010 2:33:40 GMT
yup that's a beach mat. wish I could find them by me, I'd buy them for a dollar.
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Post by chrisperoni on Dec 27, 2010 4:20:48 GMT
'Round here the dollar stores sell these during the summer months, last year they raised the price to 1.50 though. I've never cut with real tatami so I couldn't say how it compares- Tom, remind me in the summer and I'll mail you some to give it a go -I'd like to know from someone who's cut his share of the real deal how these suckers stack up.
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Dec 27, 2010 4:28:25 GMT
don't bother Chris, I have cut these and they aren't bad if you can get them cheap but on the rare occasion that I do find them they are always like $5. yeah I live in a tourist town. mailing them to me would be quite expensive too.
as to how they stack up, well . . . they are easy. they don't punish bad edge alignment like the green tatami mats, they aren't as hard and stiff as Sword-N-Armoury's double omote white mats or the green tatami, and they are about the same challenge level as Begei's brown and long wara, but the wara because it is so long won't fall as fast so the wara is actually even easier to do impressive cuts with than beach mats.
so, yeah if you can get them for $1.00-$2.50 they are worth it but any more than that and I'd say pass.
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Post by chrisperoni on Dec 27, 2010 4:31:58 GMT
alrighty- good to know. I wouldn't pay 5 for them either, but as cheap as they are for me they are a fun alternative
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Dec 27, 2010 4:34:59 GMT
they are definitely worth cutting, just don't pay a lot of money for them.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2011 4:00:18 GMT
We've used them for years here but, we roll 3 together and as tight as possible. It makes a roll just over 3" and cuts more like tatami as far as the feed back on your form is concerned.
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Jan 8, 2011 4:10:14 GMT
I have never cut a triple beach mat but I'm not surprised to hear they give good feedback. if i could get them cheaply enough that 3 beach mats would still be cheaper than 1 tatami I'd be cutting them. heck if i could get them so two mats were cheaper than 1 tatami I'd probably cut them. sadly I have never found them cheaper than $3 per mat and quite often I find them more in the range of 5 to 8 and there's no way I'm going to pay equal-to-tatami prices for them let alone more-expensive-than-tatami prices.
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Jan 8, 2011 4:28:46 GMT
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Jan 8, 2011 4:51:35 GMT
well when you consider that you have to roll 2 or better yet 3 of these together to get similar target quality as tatami then these actually turn out to be more expensive. I can get the Hanwei/Bugei mats for about this price per mat but they are just too darned easy to cut in single rolls but the Hanwei/bugei mats are super tall when rolled so you can get more cuts on them. if was going to buy the easy mats I would buy these: www.bugei.com/cutting-targets-19-ctg.htm
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Post by Maynar on Jan 8, 2011 5:10:15 GMT
Tom, have you tried dollar stores? I buy beach mats by the case, 36 for about $50 after tax. Double roll 'em and it works out to about $2.50 per target. I also found a bulk lot on Craigslist, 500 for $50 (sheer luck I know) but the seller told me he bought them at an auction. So now I have a stash that I supplement with dollar store purchases, and I'm a happy camper. note: Our local dollar stores only stock mats seasonally, so keep an eye out and look in late May/early June. Good luck!
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Jan 8, 2011 5:22:18 GMT
it may surprise you that while I live in the USA I do not have a dollar store anywhere near me. nor do I have a Walmart less than a 45 minute one-way drive from me. that was a good find on Craig's list I'll have to check into things like that. I have seen internet site where I could buy them in bulk but the quantity required was beyong my price range. not to mention other problems. I'm just in a bad place right now for getting cheap targets. last place I lived if I wanted cheap targets I just when out to the bamboo grove down the road and got all I wanted for free. . . ahhh those were the days.
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Jan 8, 2011 5:40:24 GMT
Fair point. As a matter of fact, this is quite educational for me, seeing as I live in an apartment complex, so no outside cutting even if I had the sharpies to do so; as a result, I'll be limited to something I can cut that won't make a mess.
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Jan 8, 2011 7:21:08 GMT
if you let your tatami or other mat drain a bit before cutting they don't make too much of a mess.
pool noodles and empty bottles are good indoor cutting targets too, just avoid cutting the building including all of its parts, appliances, and furniture.
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Jan 8, 2011 8:04:56 GMT
I may have to stick with pool noodles since they're cheap and, down her, abundant even when it's not summer; I wouldn't have to worry about draining the mats. As for cutting the building, I think I'll be fine in that regard. If I stand my bed (just a mattress and box spring, which probably accounts for how poorly I sleep) up against the wall, I've got a good 10'x10' area.
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Post by whitefeathers on Jan 8, 2011 14:48:42 GMT
Watch out for those appliances :lol: ) My practice area is about 10 x 7. When I move the tool box out it'll be a 12 x 7. So far all ive attempted cutting in the apt. was hanging newspaper. It was frustrating as I couldnt get the string tight so it was drooping. I will be keeping an eye out for the beach mats/pool noodles at walmart though. good idea.
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TomK
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Post by TomK on Jan 8, 2011 18:28:27 GMT
how about your ceiling? that's the thing you really have to watch, them critters are sneaky. just when you think you have lots of room they jump down on you. vaulted ceilings are best obviously but if you have normal ceilings I recommend cutting in a deep bent knee stance to give you more head room. also please thoroughly practice your cuts slowly before you ever do them so you will know if you are going to be cutting plaster or ceiling tiles or whatever you have up there.
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Post by whitefeathers on Jan 8, 2011 23:54:01 GMT
Ceilings! Those pesky critters! I've smacked the ceiling numerous times with the bokken and once with iaito. Sometimes you just get into it and get carried away. I can get away with angled cuts standing up but the center cuts I have to get in a low stance to avoid the ceiling. Lateral cuts I have to be careful with. Got the cabinet once :shock:
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Jan 9, 2011 2:46:52 GMT
Ah, yes, those dreaded and sneaky ceilings. Luckily, I don't have to worry about them because I have to first watch out for my ceiling fan. Mind, I wouldn't really complain if I broke it since the thing is literally older than I am (let's put it this way: it came with my grandmother's house that she bought 37 years ago); it'd give me an excuse to get a new one. :lol:
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