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Post by Dalaran1991 on Nov 4, 2022 23:48:43 GMT
For those looking for good sparring katana, Akado Armory just released their Sparring Katana for EU, but I think their USA site opened a few weeks ago already: eu.akadoarmory.com/product-category/weapons/I've been sparring with them for the last 6 months as an early beta tester and totally fell in love. It's a Spring Steel 9060 Katana of traditional construction and look that can be safely used for sparring, and have lasted 6 months of abuse against longsword, sword buckler, etc. But I think the really unique product is the Nodachi. That beast is one of a kind and finally allow the Nodachi vs Longsword dream to come true. And also it's a sexy beast. I fought the SIGI XL using the Akado Nodachi here: For those who don't believe in sparring, these are still great blade for kihon, battojutsu and kumitachi for under 300 bucks, and you dont have to worry about damaging them.
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Post by JH Lee on Nov 5, 2022 0:29:11 GMT
I would be interested except using these for sparring means so much more expense for protective gear....
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Post by Dalaran1991 on Nov 5, 2022 0:56:17 GMT
I would be interested except using these for sparring means so much more expense for protective gear.... I use this with standard HEMA equipment and everything is fine, never got more than a little bruise. Even the Nodachi doesn't hit harder than a feder. Akado did a good job of making a solid blade but with a deep bohi, and the blade geometry lessen the impact a bit without sacrificing the balance
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AJGBlack
Member
"This world will stress you like Orson Wells on the radio." -RTJ
Posts: 383
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Post by AJGBlack on Nov 5, 2022 2:21:56 GMT
What does the "ruggedized" option do? Can't find an explanation on the site.
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Post by soulfromheart on Nov 5, 2022 4:39:12 GMT
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Post by Dalaran1991 on Nov 5, 2022 11:36:55 GMT
Yes, I did it on the deluxe katana I receive, basically make it undestructible. Epoxy is as strong as welding, so by doing this you basically turn the tsuka into one solid SOB. You can't disassemble it later, but if everything is rock solid then I dont see the need for disassembly, not for a sparring sword at least.
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Post by RufusScorpius on Nov 5, 2022 12:34:37 GMT
I used the nodachi when I trained with Dalaran earlier this year. I have the money in my pocket now, so when it hits the market it is coming home with me immediately. It's that good.
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Post by JH Lee on Nov 5, 2022 14:25:34 GMT
As a non-HEMA person (who has a lot of respect for HEMA, btw), I have to ask--
Could you please provide me with an economical breakdown of the protective gear loadout? Basically, minimal but still effective protective gear needed to spar with these. I ask because there are more options there than what I can process. Do I need the heaviest looking gauntlets(?)...?
I imagine kendo helmet is not okay... probably because the blade could get between the gaps of the grill. What if I installed a fencing wire mesh into the kendo men? Can I use it then?
What about the kendo do (the chest/abdomen protector)? Would the metal blade break it?
Etc. etc.
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Post by Dalaran1991 on Nov 5, 2022 16:37:52 GMT
I used the nodachi when I trained with Dalaran earlier this year. I have the money in my pocket now, so when it hits the market it is coming home with me immediately. It's that good. Go grab it on the USA site man: www.akadoarmory.com/You missed the pre-sale discount by just a few days :'( . Next time I'll be sure to warn you :D
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Post by Dalaran1991 on Nov 5, 2022 17:01:59 GMT
As a non-HEMA person (who has a lot of respect for HEMA, btw), I have to ask-- Could you please provide me with an economical breakdown of the protective gear loadout? Basically, minimal but still effective protective gear needed to spar with these. I ask because there are more options there than what I can process. Do I need the heaviest looking gauntlets(?)...? I imagine kendo helmet is not okay... probably because the blade could get between the gaps of the grill. What if I installed a fencing wire mesh into the kendo men? Can I use it then? What about the kendo do (the chest/abdomen protector)? Would the metal blade break it? Etc. etc. So that's my standard gear when I'm sparring JSA. After 4 years of constantly searching I think I've found the perfect set. Believe it or not you don't need the same heavy gear as HEMA because I feel like JSA people (at least the ones I fought) have much better control and also don't spam hits. To answer your first question: you can indeed use many part of the Kendo gear. I keep the Tare + the Do. Here's the breakdown of the prices using Akado price as reference. They offer the same gear as other HEMA sellers except for swords and sparring Gi Necessary: Head: Fencing Mask + Mask overlay. I wouldn't use a kendo helmet unfortunately, you need something with a reinforced face grill and also padding. 150-200$ Torso: Light Akado fencing jacket. It's very light compared to other HEMA jacket while still offering good protection. You feel like you are wearing a heavy Judo gi. You can add plastic protectors to areas you want. Add a kendo Do for added protection against thrust. My Do still holds up really well even though it got a lot of scars. You can easily find cheap Do on ebay. 200$ jacket + whatever it cost you for Do. Thigh: Tare Hands: SPES lobster are good and reliable. 150$. If you want mobility you can try the Thokk gloves like I have. Great mobility but durability is semprini. 260$. If you trust your partners then just get Kevlar gauntlets: 75$ Optional: Arms: I dont use elbow guards. Even though i should. 30$ Forearm: again, i never needed them. 40$ Shin: any shin guard is fine, even the foam ones. 30$ on amazon Knees: any hard knee protectors is fine. 20$ on amazon? Neck: the akado jacket has a good collar guard but I wouldnt skip on neck, especially if your opponent is good with tsuki. 40$ Hope this helps! Edit: if you are training with a partner you trust, then I would say you just need jacket, head and kevlar gloves. Go about 80% speed.
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Post by JH Lee on Nov 5, 2022 17:43:57 GMT
Phew... that's a lot of $$$...
For a while, we were sparring with hard foam bokken, with no protective gear. Some bruising, but nothing unreasonable.
The biggest problem is that the hard foam bokken are entirely too floppy and was starting to cause bad form/bad habits.
I really want to train/spar with the Akado habiki... but am hesitant to drop almost a grand altogether (sword+necessary protective gear)...
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Post by Dalaran1991 on Nov 5, 2022 18:32:38 GMT
Phew... that's a lot of $$$... For a while, we were sparring with hard foam bokken, with no protective gear. Some bruising, but nothing unreasonable. The biggest problem is that the hard foam bokken are entirely too floppy and was starting to cause bad form/bad habits. I really want to train/spar with the Akado habiki... but am hesitant to drop almost a grand altogether (sword+necessary protective gear)... I understand, I and many other JSA friends who spar have all been there. To keep it in perspective, a bogu cost anywhere from a grand to several grands, and doesn't even have a lot of practical values outside of Kendo... HEMA gear is different. You dont have to buy the whole set. Start off with the helmet and gloves, you can wear a heavy motor/leather jacket/double GI in the mean time. Spar with control first. Then start to add gears gradually over the year. Ebay is really your friend here because a lot of this stuff go on the second hand market. You can also try borrowing from local HEMA clubs. Over here they are pretty friendly with this kind of things. The Akado habiki is a great even if you don't spar..yet. It's a very good Iaito considering what it can potentially do. I've seen Iaito at 300$ with really bad quality.
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Post by RufusScorpius on Nov 5, 2022 21:13:59 GMT
Don't forget that the sparring gear will last you for several decades. So factor that into the cost analysis. And when sparring with steel... don't go cheap on your protective gear.
I second the advice to buy a piece at a time and practice accordingly. There is always a risk of injury even with the right gear, so approach practicing with discipline and control. If you don't have a part of your body protected, then your sparring partner must respect that limitation and work on other techniques or use foam/bamboo for whatever practice involves hitting that area of the body.
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Post by ambulocetus on Nov 6, 2022 18:05:59 GMT
Thanks for this post. I spent quite a while on their website last night. They seem to have very reasonable prices. Unfortunately I'm broke at the moment, but I'm definitely keeping them in my favorites.
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Post by Drunk Merchant on Nov 8, 2022 0:34:54 GMT
Is it balanced like a proper katana though?
Also it still looks like something that could gore someone or crush a joint in bad luck. Even with protection.
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Post by JH Lee on Nov 8, 2022 1:30:35 GMT
If it is balanced properly like a shinken should be, I would absolutely get one.
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Post by Dalaran1991 on Nov 10, 2022 19:52:05 GMT
If it is balanced properly like a shinken should be, I would absolutely get one. It's definitely balanced like a shinken! At least, how I was taught a shinken should be. Maybe a little bit more tip-heavy, just like what you would use for tameshigiri
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Post by Dalaran1991 on Nov 10, 2022 19:55:12 GMT
Is it balanced like a proper katana though? Also it still looks like something that could gore someone or crush a joint in bad luck. Even with protection. 6 months in and I've had no issue with it. It hit no harder than a feder. If anything I feel like it is safer to use because people don't do helicopter feder swing with it. And yes it's balanced like a shinken! it's worth noting that the people developing this are martial artists just like us, so these are definitely made by JSA people for JSA people, unlike the SIGI.
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Post by toddstratton1 on Nov 10, 2022 19:58:23 GMT
Phew... that's a lot of $$$... For a while, we were sparring with hard foam bokken, with no protective gear. Some bruising, but nothing unreasonable. The biggest problem is that the hard foam bokken are entirely too floppy and was starting to cause bad form/bad habits. I really want to train/spar with the Akado habiki... but am hesitant to drop almost a grand altogether (sword+necessary protective gear)... Definitely worth it though for effective and safer sparring, and sparring is one of the most fun things about sword training. You can always resale on 2nd market if you don't want to use the gear anymore at a later point too to recover some of the costs. My local HEMA club does this. On a side note my concern with sparring is avoiding concussions as much as possible. Anyone have suggestions on the best headgear in regards to that? Also these swords look awesome! but curious what is the weight and Point of balance of these different length models? Thanks!
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Post by RufusScorpius on Nov 10, 2022 21:23:10 GMT
There's not much that will stop a concussion if you get hit hard enough- a helmet will soften a blow, but it won't stop the laws of physics. The best way to avoid this is to train properly and safely with a partner that is level headed and knows how to pull a hit. I've taken hits on steel armor over pads that still left bruises, and I've been hit in the armor chinks as well. Wearing a helmet is NOT a carte blanche to have somebody hit you in the head full force- your neck can be injured as well as the aforementioned concussions.
There is always a risk no matter the precautions. Be an adult and make an adult decision about whether or not you and your sparring partner are able to safely engage in the activity and whether or not your protective gear is adequate to the task. Using steel is definitely a level up from foam batters or bamboo shinais.
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