From: Mjoravec (Original Message) Sent: 05/02/2004 3:13 PM
I was wondering about the two types of armor are there any differences? If i were to purchase a set which would you guyz recommend? from the pictures i have seen they both look pretty much the same.

From: Freshcav Sent: 05/02/2004 9:36 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the Federation armor provides alot more mobility than Kendo armor and an increased range of view as well

From: Anthony_Boyd Sent: 06/02/2004 1:09 AM

Kendo Armour: Helmet, Gauntlets, Abdominal/lower chest protector, "skirt"
All of this equipment is stiff or hard and protects covered areas very well
Acrobatic mobility is somewhat restricted, shoulder movement can be restricted

HDGD Armour: Helmet, shoulder pads, upper arm pads, elbow pads, gauntlets, torso protector,
skirt, knee and shin pads, shoes
All of this equipment (except the hard helmet) is soft and protects well versus
strikes only. Thursts are dangerous.
Does not restrict acrobatic mobility although shoulder rolls must be relearned

For a clearer view of the HDGD armour you can check the description at my website (http://www.stormpages.com/haidonggumdo/hdgdarmour.html) and see a clip of the original version in action at (http://www.stormpages.com/haidonggumdo/ ... tival.html). In addition clips of both Kendo and HDGD armour can be found in the Documents section of this site. Pictures of both the original version and current version of the HDGD armour can be seen in the Pictures section of this site.

As far as visibility is concerned, they are both quite limited. The view in the Kendo armour is more of an oval and the HDGD view is more of a circle. Neither allows peripheral vision.

In terms of what you "should" get. That will be dependent on what your sparring partners are wearing, the sparring conventions in your dojang, the amount of contact preferred in your sparring group, and any need you may have to spar with kendo people.

[Interruption: My copy of the Codex Wallerstein was just delivered!]

Since I got my HDGD armour I have not donned my Kendo gear once. It is a very expensive object filling space in my apartment at the moment. That's the other thing, Kendo gear is very costly. Good suits are very durable, and even cheap sets are quite tough so there is a lot of value for the dollar - but only if you use it.

I am curious about the reason for this question. Does your instructor provide more than one type of sparring?

From: Freshcav Sent: 06/02/2004 11:05 AM
What is the current going price for the Federation armor?

From: Anthony_Boyd Sent: 07/02/2004 10:33 PM
I think that the current price in Korea is 250,000 Won. I have no idea what sort of mark-up is necessary for those who supply it outside of Korea.