I've been looking for the same equipment for awhile now. I finally found some at mooye.com, but I've found an even cheaper price at http://www.swordshop.co.kr/ . I'm especially interested in the headgear and the some of the swords in the ???? section.

I'd like to know if anyone else knows how to get this equipment to Canada? I'm talking about a small-bulk order of around 8 ?????? (transparent headgear) and ??? ???? (foam covered mokgum). I'm just afraid of getting nailed by the shipping charges. The time from placement of order and arrival also worries me.

Can any instructors or school owners point me in the right direction? I've asked my teacher in Moncton and he doesn't seem to a source for these. It needs to be these specific models of headgear by ???????. Master Gihm?

Who is your supplier for you school? If you order by the hundreds, does it cost less?

(I'm looking into these items for a pilot-project with my teacher in Moncton. We're looking into having one class per week of sparring, and the only reason he's considering it is because we're not using jukto.)

No one?

Impatiently awaiting a reply, are we?
Hmmmmm...

There is a very detailed thread about sparring equipment and where it can be obtained. It is located in the sparring section. Also, several threads dealing with sparring offer reports and sources for other types of equipment that people are actually using. If you can't find what you are looking for there, it could very well be that no one is using what you are asking about.

Reviews of padded boffers such as the sponge-sword have been mixed, weighted more to the negative than the positive.

Have you corresponded with the company?

Argh! I completely forgot about the Sparring Section!

Thank you for the advice. Yes, cork coated mokgum aren't the best. This gear is for the children to use. I'm already trying to talk my teacher into getting some RSW.

Even the WHDGD brand of sparring sword will be significantly better than foam or cork sparring swords, and the price (~$25 US) is reasonable as well, IMO.

I'm still waiting for my RSW order. It was bumped back in order for Lance to accomodate some other customers.

But please keep in mind, the weapons and armor are meant for children ages 6-12. Parents also don't want to spend a bundle on weapons and the such.

Casey,

I suggested a few upgrades to Lance based on previous experience with ~20 RSW's. He is improving the design and experimenting with my sword order. The quality should improve quite bit by the time he is making your order.

Charles,

You can make the sponge swords for ~ 3 dollars from local suppliers. I wouldn't bother with international order. Why don't you ask master Han to ship you some if he doesn't mind?

Charles:

Sorry - there was no mention of ages in your original post. I don't get it: you're talking of the parents not wanting to spend a fortune on this equipment, but you're considering RSW sparring swords over the WHDGD product? The RSW swords are three times as much.

Master Gihm:

Thanks for the insight. I'm all for getting a better product for my money.

Sweet! Thanks Master Gihm.

How would I go about making them? Would a home renovation shop like Home Depot be a good place to start?

Here are the basic stuff you need

1 - 8 feet long, 1 ~ 2 inches thickbamboo pole -I get this from China town. You can cut it in half and get two poles. 1 dollar
A substitute for bamboo pole is plastic pipe. Heat the pipe gently with torch and bend it to sword-like shape.

hockey tape (to make handle wrap) 2 dollars

pipe insulation material or sheet of padding. price vary for this one. Cheapest material is pool noodle at ~ 1 dollar. Black pipe insulation was tried but it turned out to be really weak. try to find a sheet of firm sponge-like padding and fix it around the bamboo pole leaving some space for handle wrap.

Good glue - 4~5 dollars from hardware store.

The worst problem with this construction is that the weight of the sword is too light. RSW-like method could be used to compensate that but that makes the construction quite time consuming

Thank for the how-to Master Gihm.

To fix the weight issue, couldn't we just drill 2 weights at different spots in the bamboo to ge the appropriate weight and POB?

What RSW uses is segmented steel rods of appropriate sizes for balance and weight. The easiest way to simulate this would be bundle a few thin metal rods and insert them through the pipe. HOWEVER, KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS WILL MAKE THE SWORDS VERY DANGEROUS AND IT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR SPARRING AFTERWARDS

I suppose the RSW are the way to go for the serious sparring. Thank you for the fair warning about placing weights in the sword. I have Lance on MSN and we've chatted a bit on the subject. Seems the wait queue is around 3-4 months if I order 2 RSW.

Did you get your order Casey?

Yes, I have recieved it. It arrived shortly after returning home from Korea this summer. I had ordered two of the katana-like swords, one of which was ordered on behalf of another student. Neither of them have been used to this point, though.