Men Gane Wars; Duralumin vs. Titanium
Robert Stroud
suppliers of kendo equipment in the World.
Although Duralumin men gane is lighter by about 100g, and less expensive
when compared to a Titanium Men Gane, it is used extensively in the
construction of MEN protectors that are sold to Junior players and other
kenshi that do not practice as hard as adult yudansha. But despite the
weight advantage, there is a down side to Duralumin in that it has a lower
corrosion resistance. If the owner of a Duralumin Men Gane, neglects
maintenance the acidic nature of their sweat will start to attack the
Duralumin. In fact, the factory goes on to state that heavy corrosion (from
sweat and poor equipment maintenance) would weaken the Duralumin alloy
causing it to bend or even break, resulting is a serious safety issue for
the person using it. An examples of a situation that could be a problem,
includes a hard tsuki thrust to the Gane by an adult using a full size 3.9
shinai during hard practice.
The company I represent, Koei Budogu, uses 100% Duralumin but some of the
other makers use a weaker and therefore cheaper material. It is Duralumin
alloyed with some other weaker alloy(s). These are even weaker than a 100%
Duralumin Men Gane. So if you want Duralumin, be sure your supplier of
choice is selling you one that is 100% Duralumin
Titanium men gane is the metal of choice for adult players and yudansha
kenshi as they tend to have harder practice and are generally more
physically powerful. True the Titanium men gane is heavier and more
expensive than Duralumin but it has superior resistance to corrosion. The
manufacturer also makes claims about the superior strength of Titanium
lessening the impact/damage risk to your neck vertebrae.
Another item to consider when choosing a Men is the Men Buchi. The Men
Buchi is the black painted frame around the Men Gane. The best grade of
leather comes from Japanese cows. Although I would contend that the cow's
nationality is not the important point. My supplier points out that the fat
content of the (Japanese) cows gives the leather more durability compared to
lower cost alternatives. It is common to find Water Buffalo hide used on
many low cost Men as the leather is indeed cheaper. The downside of using
Water Buffalo is that the leather is less dense and more easily split during
practice. So the leather quality will directly impact the life of your MEN.
I hope these comments are useful to people on the list.
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Best regards,
Robert Stroud
www.BoguBag.com - Quality Martial Arts Equipment
www.Obukan.com
334 NE Hillwood Drive
Hillsboro, OR 97124 USA
TEL: 503-681-9413