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Chad Arnow
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PostPosted: Thu 16 Jun, 2005 6:16 am    Post subject: Good/Cheap source for straw mats online?         Reply with quote

Hey folks,
I'm looking to find a better cutting medium than pool noodles. I know a lot of people use cheap straw beach mats in place of actual wara/tatami. I can't find any locally (apparently Ohio has no beaches Happy ). Has anyone come across a good, reliable, relatively cheap source online? Thanks!

Happy

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Nathan Robinson
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PostPosted: Thu 16 Jun, 2005 6:22 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I haven't used these:

http://store.yahoo.com/asianideas/strawmats.html

http://www.beachtrading.com/strawbeachmat.html

http://store.yahoo.com/skate2000/strawbeachmats.html

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Chad Arnow
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PostPosted: Thu 16 Jun, 2005 6:25 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Nathan (who's up awfully early) Happy,
Thanks. I had run across some of those as a result of googling. Are those fairly average prices, $3-5?

Happy

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Nathan Robinson
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PostPosted: Thu 16 Jun, 2005 6:32 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Chad Arnow wrote:
Nathan (who's up awfully early) Happy,
Thanks. I had run across some of those as a result of googling. Are those fairly average prices, $3-5?


I used to pay $1.99 for them at Cost Plus (or was it Pier 1? We have both around here and I confuse them) a few years ago. It's been at least 3 years since I've bought them so, so I've no idea what is competitive now. Another thing to consider is that these beach mats come in various levels of "quality" (quoted, because you really can't expect much from a sub-five-dollar item) and size. I don't believe the $2 ones were as big as those shown in those links: they seemed more like 3'x4' or so.

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Nathan Robinson
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PostPosted: Thu 16 Jun, 2005 6:36 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Frankly, I'd ignore all those. Nevermind I linked there.

Go here http://www.tameshigiri.com/ and buy some better mats. They have some for less than three bucks apiece. New customers can buy their first box (20 pieces) of tatami omote at the "New Customer" price of $2.50 per mat, plus shipping

Bugei also has their lowest quality mats at about $3.20 a mat.

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Chad Arnow
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PostPosted: Thu 16 Jun, 2005 6:43 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Bugie is out of stock, as is tameshegiri.com. Tameshegiri.com is getting another shipment in a few weeks, though.

Thanks!

Happy

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Aaron Schnatterly




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PostPosted: Thu 16 Jun, 2005 6:50 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks, guys! I had remembered seeing these advertised ( think by Bugei) at these prices at the Blade Show. I hadn't got around to checking into them yet, but I was starting to get the bug to cut some different media.

I think there was an ad up at the CAS booth advertising mats, too, but I might be mistaken or it's the same thing.

-Aaron Schnatterly
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David Stokes





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PostPosted: Thu 16 Jun, 2005 7:33 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Chad,
As I host cutting parties often, I discovered long ago unless you live on the westcoast, shipping for tatami will eat you alive.
I got a price from bugei a while back for about 20 mats and basically the shipping was going to cost more than the mats themselves, I think the total price was over $125ish.......

I use East Coast Martial Arts supply. Bob Elder is a great guy to deal with http://www.ecmas.com/

Currently their website says they are out of stock, but id keep checking with them. Their prices per mat are comparable to others, but since they are east coast, shipping might be less for you.
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Folkert van Wijk




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PostPosted: Fri 17 Jun, 2005 12:40 pm    Post subject: Beach Mat         Reply with quote

So that's what it is!!!

It's simply a Beach Mat!!! Laughing Out Loud Laughing Out Loud Laughing Out Loud Laughing Out Loud Laughing Out Loud
I never thought of that!!

I quess I can buy them in any store that sells bading stuff.....

A good sword will only be sharp, in the hands of a wise man…

I am great fan of everything Celtic BC, including there weapons.
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Anton de Vries





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PostPosted: Fri 17 Jun, 2005 4:42 pm    Post subject: Re: Beach Mat         Reply with quote

Folkert van Wijk wrote:

I quess I can buy them in any store that sells bading stuff.....

I believe the "Blokker" shops are a popular dutch source for those mats Folkert. The "Xenos" (same owner btw) probably sells them too. I've never used them myself but they're supposed to work okay.
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Bill Grandy
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PostPosted: Fri 17 Jun, 2005 5:53 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Yeah, definately get real tatami mats, not beach mats. Not only is the price roughly the same, but I've found that tatami mats tend to cut more smoothly. I've only tried a "normal" beach mat once, and it just wouldn't allow a full cut. Maybe I didn't soak it enough, I don't know, but I've never had any problems at all with tatami.

David's totally right, though. Shipping will kill you.
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Chad Arnow
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PostPosted: Sat 18 Jun, 2005 7:41 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks for the advice guys. I may try East Coast Martial Arts supply. Or I may go the cheap route and use $1.50 pool noodles.... Happy
Happy

ChadA

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David Stokes





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PostPosted: Sat 18 Jun, 2005 10:17 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Chad Arnow wrote:
Thanks for the advice guys. I may try East Coast Martial Arts supply. Or I may go the cheap route and use $1.50 pool noodles.... Happy



In all honesty neither one is a TRUE test of a swords cutting ability.I think Pool noodles are a great training aid for mainly one thing; tracking. i have tapped several together to make a wider surface and just after one cut you can see exactly how you track a blade thru a cut..... Most folks cuts have dips in them from turning the blade........
Tatami is just grass........ some of the larger 3 and 4 mat rolls can offer some good resistence, but if you are useing the proper kind of sword to cut that type of target its not going to be a problem. Some folks use light swords to cut heavy targets and then blade the swords lack of cutting ability for it, but forget its not designed for it.
I have used alot of mediums at my cutting parties...... Pool noodles, every kind of bottle you can think of, Pringles cans, Tatami, Plywood.......
I know some frown upon cutting bottles, but I live in the south, at my cutting party last summer , the heat index was about 105. Getting splashed with water every now and then is a relief.
Good luck and have fun
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