Salome T.
I like the shinais, I use them during every practice. This one is new. Got exactly what expected. Thanks!
jonghwa p.
Prompt delivery.
Just started using the first of three kendo star shinais after my very first one ($30 one) cracked, so I ordered KS this time. Am Still a beginner but the Sinai seems legit. I am liking it so far.
Cannot wait to grow my kendo and try different shinais.. then I would not mind reorder ones from KS.
Bradford B.
My order showed up on time, and the Shinais are beautiful! Well worth the cost. Well done, as usual!
Serge
Great allround shinai
I get one of these shinai in the beginner set 2,5 years ago and i still use it . the quality is worth every penny. The Balance and durability is just great.
Anna
Great set
Great quality, fast delivery, good price. I ordered this set over a month ago and have been using one of the shinai intensively and exept for the aizome dye it still looks almost brand new. I highly recommend this set.
Alfred Ong
Best All Purpose Shinai
Without a doubt, THE BEST all purpose Shinai! We will be buying more.
G Prins
Another Great Shinai
Great shinai if you are working with a budget. Strong and made of great quality, these shinai will more than earn their price back over time. The delivery was excellent as well.
Jonathan Fitzgerald
Great All Purpose Shinai
We purchased these shinai for regular everyday use at the dojo and we’re very pleased. The ladies versions are especially nice and have a great balance for the price point. Players from our dojo have also used them in shiai including the European Championship. Recommended!
Abraham De la rosa
Excelent balance
These shinais are perfect for everything, yes probably a dobari or a koto are prefered by some kenshi, but these have a perfect balance, in between of a koto and a dobari.
Alan Leveneur
Pleasant balance
Used for both chudan and jodan practice, I usually like heavier tip, but I feel realy confortable with this shinai.
I just ordered others.
Trust them, and trust KendoStar.
5/5
JonU
Great great great
As always. Fast delivery. In five days the shinais were at home here in Spain. Great product, fast delivery, great Quality. Who wants more???
Kendostar IS always my first option.
Salome
I like the shinais very much
I am a beginner so I don't have experience with many different types of shinai, but I like these. The delivery time and customer service is superb as well. Got the shinais in 3 working days.
Ismael Avalos
Excellent All purpose and beginners shinai
I'm just starting practicing Kendo but I can tell that the quality of these shinai is really obvious.
Great quality fittings, the tsuka diameter is perfect for medium to large hands.
It feels very well balanced.
The price is very similar to other shinai I have seen around and of not so great quality.
Great price for the set of 3
Francisco Villaverde
amazing quality for ideal price
All around best shinai in the market by far. The weight is appropriate, slightly balanced to the tip, which helps specially in suburi and for tenouchi. 100% recommended and sure to purchase again.
Enrico M. Crisostomo
Best value I've found so far
This is the general purpose shinai with the best value/price ratio I've tried so far, and although it's Kendostar cheapest model it does not feel 'cheap' at all, but quite the contrary.
It's well-balanced, the bamboo looks nice and feels flexible and sturdy, and the leather fittings are well done. The shinai is well packaged, and the plastic bag is very useful to keep it in a humidity controlled environment, especially if you buy multiple ones.
The Kendostar user experience is great as usual, and the delivery speed has outperformed my expectations.
Keep up the great work Andy!
Unknown
Amazing quality shinai!
I bought the set about 6 months ago and have used only 2 of them since. I have noticed splinters only a couple of times. With proper care, oiling and waxing I believe they will last me for a long time. Great quality and very quick delivery as usual!
Henning Schulz
Best value
These are truly the greatest all round shinai I’ve ever used.
They are very well balanced and feel almost like a koto shinai.
I used them for successfully for everything so far.
Keiko, shiai, grading… you name it.
Marko
Good for everyday practice
I think this shinai is suitable for beginners and everyday practice. The tip is a bit heavier, and since I'm used to Dobari type shinai, I wouldn't use it for shiai.
The bamboo looks good and durable, but they come with less expensive single folded fittings.
Considering all of the above, I think the price point is a bit high for this type of shinai. From what I've seen, similar ones can be obtained from other stores for a lower price (even after adding shipping costs to the base price).
Cam Wedgwood
Excellent product, brilliant service!
Items were received super quick considering the trip they took to Australia.
My son and I were quick to take them out and practice a little at home before next week's lesson. Leather looks and feels great, just perfect for those starting their kendo journey!
Scott
Great quality, great value
I’ve used these shinai since before the lock down, really good value for money. I really like the balance and feel of them as well as the longevity. Perfect for general use!
Takanori Kawaharada
Great quality, service, shipping
I was amazed how fast I could get Shinai without shipping cost, I could even get them before my next practice! :)
I could feel that this shinai was made by someone who really knows about Kendo in professional level. Waiting for some practices :) Thanks Andy!
James
good quality
well balanced, beautifully assembled, I would definitely recommend
Heath Waterman
Excellent
Fair price. Beyond excellent quality.
Abraham De la Rosa
Beautiful shinai
The shinais are beautifully assembled, the bamboo feels very nice, of good quality. I also like the balance.
Amr Amin
Excellent
Magnificent, beautiful and very fast shipping. Made me and the boys very happy. Waiting for my next shipment.
Rud R.
Great Value for money
Being relatively new to Kendo, I have been training with a cheap shinai till now. I tried to order the "cheapest" option on KendoStar and Oh Boy!, What can i say?
The feel, the handling, the look is just incredible.
The added "lighting fast shipping" despite being 10000km away and excellent customer service from Andy is awesome!
Robin Rogner
Great service + Quality
Fast shipping to Sweden Roughly 7 days due to slipup by swedish postal service. Great quality shinai. Recommended
Vladimir
Great shinai for great price!
Everything I purchased on Kendostar is great, and this set of 3 All-purpose shinais is no exception. Balance feels great, and delivery of the desired items was quick - it took only 3 days for shinais to arrive in my home Country.
Krzysztof
Great shinai option!
For everyday practice, shianais like these make practice a lot easier and pleasant! Buy now! :)
Narcisa Stoica
38 ladies - Ultimate All purpose model - a great shinai
As a beginner, I trained with used shinais during my first lessons. Each shinai felt different and somehow odd in my hands. After I bought and started training with the KendoStar Ultimate all purpose I understood what a light and well balanced shinai is. I like my shinai very much and I appreciate that it is robust also - it has not a scratch after one year of training with it.
Alice Fontana
excellent ladies 39 / good men 39
We have bought both ladies and men.
I have to say that ladies ones are excellent: right weight, a super balance that makes the tip heavy enoght to make a good sound without giving the averall impression of an haevy or difficult to manouver shinai.
Men ones appear to be a little less good, being heavier than expected and less well balanced.
Grant Montoya
I've waited to long to buy good swords
I moved to China and have been dealing with my dojo's choice of cheap, rough-leather, lightweight swords - seriously inferior products. They splinter readily and break quickly. The rough leathers wore holes in my kote and blisters in my hands. Last year, I even got DQd at an important shinsa because of issues with my sword being too light.
So I got fed up and decided that I would just have to figure out how to deal with the difficulty of importing things from a quality sword-maker into a communist country. Just picking the shinai up, I could immediately tell the improvement in quality. The leather just *feels* better, and it's noticeably heavier, besides. So not only will I stay in the tournament, but it'll also be a little better for strength training exercises. It feels amazing in my hands. Sadly, it arrived the week I got sick and missed practice so I don't spread it to my sword-brothers, but I can't wait to take it in and see how it feels during keiko!
Clément
All purpose
Conforme aux descriptif donné par le site.
Très bonne qualité et vraiment polyvalent. L'équilibre est vraiment génial, le shinai est autant adapté a la pratique quotidienne qu'au shiai.
Très bonne solidité en switchant les lattes j'ai encore deux shinai après plus d' 1 ans d'utilisation (3-4 fois par semaine).
Alan Leveneur
Nice, well balanced shinai and sperfast delivery
First of all, the package arrived... one day after the order. Just ONE little day to France! Amazing!!!
I haven't tried the shinai yet, but I love the balance, with a bit heavier tip, helping for sharp strikes.
However, the items seem solid to me.
I will do a review after keiko with it.
Thanks to KendoStar for their great work!
Olaf
Great Shinai
I am a beginner and decided to buy my own shinais, because with borrowed ones from my dojo, I had different shinais with different characteristics from training to training. Based on the other reviews. I decided to give these ones a try. And I am very happy I did. They feel well balanced have a good grip.
Customer service is excellent and shipping was ultrafast.
Tamara
GREAT!!!!!
I was looking for a good shinai for a begginer. They answer all my question in a very short time!!!
Im very happy and im sure i am going to buy here again!! =)
Dean Robson
Excellent
I have only been doing kendo for a short time,I have made do with let’s say ‘cheaper’ shinai.I didn’t realise how much I was cheating myself until purchasing and using these.Feels great,actually feels to me like my kendo has improved with this product.Unbelievable service,ordered on a Sun evening,in my hands on Tues morning.Will be back for all my Kendo needs.
Sebastian
So far, so good.
I was looking for a different type of shinai, after using very thick-gripped ones for a couple of years. After a couple of kirikaeshi-heavy keiko, the one of the three that I used so far, shows no sign of splintering. Solid quality!
The balance is very nice and the change from grip-heavy dôbari shinai to these didn't give me any trouble. Additional praises for the incredibly quick delivery!
Lucy
Brilliant Second Shinai
As someone just beginning my journey into kendo (I'm 6th kyu), I'd only ever used an entry-level practice shinai (adult ladies' 38), which was very durable but felt quite heavy (I'm small and not especially strong). I decided to get these shinai (also adult ladies' 38) in the sale when I ordered my first set of bogu and I'm glad I did. I used one of them for suburi recently and due to the shinai feeling lighter at the tip than my old one it seemed easier for me to swing, and also to stop a cut quickly and in the right place. I felt like my kirikaeshi also improved as the better weight distribution gave me more control over my strikes, especially the angled cuts. I'm definitely going to stick with this shinai for future keiko and I feel confident that it will last just as well as my old one.
SEAN THOMPSON
With no base of reference, Great shinai
i'm only a 5 kyu but i bought some of these shinai as an experiment as no one i know ever tried kendostar anything. i was dubious of the claim "all purpose" but i like them and both my Sensei and a visiting Yudansha from Japan borrowed one of me and said they were good. I only had issues with the Tsukagawa and sakigawa were very difficult to get on and off for initial prepping. The other problem was the courier company somehow managed to send them to the other side of my country through technology issues on both sides.
The only feedback i can give is maybe provide one of those rubber patches for initial disassembly.
Liliana Bray
GREAT DEAL
These shinai are amazing. I got them on the anniversary sale & liked them so much I just managed to get in another order before the sale closed. They're so well balanced they feel lighter than the scales say they are, and the bamboo quality (even after shipping!) seems better than any I've had before.
Chris
THE SHINAIS LIVE UP TO ITS EXPECTATION
I bought it a few months ago, so far the all-purpose shinai really does live up to its expectation. Great Job Andy! I love this shinai, the durability is nice as well. The balance is amazing. I use it for both Keiko and Shiai. I highly recommend this model to all beginners and more advance kendo practitioners as well. I will definitely buy again in the future.
Unknown
GREAT SHINAI AND EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE
I find this shinai very well-balanced and the grip is of perfect size to maneuvur.
Also I'm very impressed by the customer service - one of the shinai had a crack on it and Andy immediately followed up with a new shinai. Will definitely recommend and order again
Enrico D'Ursi
EXCELLENT!
Perfect set of shinai. They have a confortable grip and a good balance. The high quality bamboo prevent them from breaking even during long training session. Shipping was very fast, only 5 days from Japan to Italy!
Anthony
AWESOME SHINAI
I'm really enjoying practicing with this shinai. The balance is great, and the leather quality of the tsuka is really nice. The shipping was also very fast considering it was international. I'll definitely recommend this to the people I practice with.
Al
AMAZING SHINAIS
After a month of use, i can say it is the best shinai i ever had. The quality of the bamboo, the balance, the leather parts...
Highly recomended!
Unknown
LIKE IT !!
Product as what described and as other reviewers have said. Light and good balanced, i cant wait to use it for my next practice !! Good customer service and i think i will buy again from this shop for my kendo need
Al
HAPPY
Great shinai. It is not a dobari at all, but it still have a good balance.
The perfect one for practice, now i must check it for shiai.
Ivar Bengtsson
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Very happy, excellent service and shinai have a great feel to them. The overall quality seems great, although I am yet to test their durability.
If I have to point out a negative is that it's a tiny bit front heavy for my taste. Will definitely buy again when I run out though.
Unknown
FAST DELIVERY
Nicely finished shinai, great delivery, no problems at all. I will buy again at this webshop!
Paul
PLEASANTLY SURPRISED
It's living up to what the description and other reviewers are saying. I wouldn't say lightweight when compared to a jissengata dobari. But it's light enough to maneuver well and certainly feels great during the swing and on impact. Highly satisfied and recommended.
Robert
PERFECT!
I can highly recommend this shinai to all kendo practitioners. The balance is perfect, it is light but not flimsy, the grip feels very pleasant both with and without kote.
Stéphanie
PERFECT
after a first order, we are all conquered. Very good shinai, very well balanced, that keeps all its promises. Second order in progress ;)
Stéphanie
PERFECT
after a first order, we are all conquered. Very good shinai, very well balanced, that keeps all its promises. Second order in progress ;)
Unknown
GOOD SHINAI
nice shinai. Good balance, weight, feel. Can't ask for more for the price. I got a lemon on the 1st shinai so it broke on the 1st hr of practice. I wrote the company a short message and they sent me another one.
Stéphanie
PERFECT
after a first order, we are all conquered. Very good shinai, very well balanced, that keeps all its promises. Second order in progress ;)
Izumi
PERFECT
The shinai feels exactly what had been described; lightweight yet it has quite a really good balance and a solid feel when striking. Would highly recommend this model to others!
Urvesh
IMPRESSIVE
Shipped and reached me in 4 working days. Used these at a few practices now the weight feels well balanced, very sturdy overall. Truly is the best all round shinai I have had.
Paul Whitworth
LOVELY SHINAI
Ordered shinai and seven days later they arrived! Very impressed! Quality excellent (as expected) can't wait to use them!