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Reviews

Reviews

Sparring Gear

Vinyl Gear | Foam Gear | Accessories

 

Vinyl versus foam sparring gear. First off, I never liked the way sweat would collect and run under foam gear. It always felt like the gear itself was generating sweat. For this reason, the first time I tried vinyl gear, I fell in love. Not only does it absorb sweat, it breaths at least a little bit, making it infinitely more comfortable than foam gear. It also seems more durable since it can be sewn instead of glued together.

Of course, the gear's ability to absorb sweat creates its only drawback. You can't just wipe it off and shove it in your bag. You better air these pads out as soon as you get home or your hand gear's gonna smell like your high school gym locker. But that aside, I can't imagine going back to foam.

Vinyl Gear

TC2000 Tiger's Claw TC2000 Tiger's Claw
These are the gloves I wear. I love them. I'm on probably my fourth set. They hold up beautifully and are inexpensive to replace. The only reason I've ever had to replace them is the elastic in the wrist strap wears out. The open fingers are very useful for grabbing, and I still get complete coverage of my knuckles. I don't like to give five kiai unless I can't think of a reason not to. These gloves get five kiai.

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TC2000 Series - Action Kick TC2000 - Action Kick
I have a love/hate relationship with this foot gear. They're incredibly comfortable because they have a leather pad on the bottom front of the shoe. They stay on beautifully no matter how hard you go at it. Unfortunately, this leather pad becomes very slippery as it wears down. If you train on wood floors, it's nearly impossible to push off using the ball of your foot. It's okay on other surfaces, or if you push off with the side of your foot. Otherwise, I'd look to the next set of foot gear. Even so, I've got to give it four kiai as the most comfortable foot gear I've ever worn.

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TC2000 Tiger's Kicks TC2000 Tiger's Kicks
Yes, they are ugly. But they eliminate the problem with the foot gear above. Instead of the leather pad, they have a nylon strap in front to hold your foot in. Because of the square design, they don't hug your feet as well as the Action Kick, but because of the strap instead of pad, you can push off to the front better. They're the best overall foot gear I've ever worn. Luckily they come in cool colors, but even so, they only get four kiai for being so darn square.

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TC2000 Head Guard TC2000 Head Guard
This piece of equipment has a special place in my heart. Ever since I got the crazy notion that a jump spinning crescent kick would be a good idea. After laying on the floor for a few minutes, I found out I wasn't really hurt, but even with the head gear my head was bruised. I don't want to think of what would have happened without it. We don't wear head gear in my current dojo, which is just as well as I have given up jump spin kicks, at least while sparring.

There are adjustable Velcro flaps which result in a very secure and comfortable fit for virtually any head shape.  Also, like all vinyl gear, it breaths and is not nearly as hot as foam gear.  For comfort, price and saving my 'noggin, I give it four kiai.

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Foam Gear

Pro-Spar Head GuardSparmaster Series - Pro-Spar Head Guard
When it comes to foam gear, I've stated my opinion above.  However, sometimes foam gear is required due to tournament rules or dojo requirements.  So if you have to, this gear is as good as any.  It fits comfortably and provides good protection for non or light contact sparring.  Like all Tiger Claw products, the price is right too.  For value and fit, I give it four kiai.

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Sparmaster Series - The ChopSparmaster Series - The Chop
Tiger claw does an excellent job of combining quality with value and The Chop is no exception.  This glove is reinforced in stress areas and holds up very well.  It gives full protection and is comfortable. I give it four kiai.

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Sparmaster Series - The KickSparmaster Series - The Kick
The Kick is the companion foot gear to The Chop.  Like its companion, it's comfortable and durable.  The open bottom provides excellent foot to floor contact without sacrificing a secure fit.  It also gets four kiai.

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Accessories

Extreme Tiger's PackExtreme Tiger's Pack 
This is a great bag. I've had the large version about five years now and I've carried everything in it from weapons to weights. No kidding, at times I must have had fifty pounds of gear in it. It hasn't shown the least sign of wear. It comes with straps to use as a back pack, but I really haven't used them at all. It does come without a base support, so I took the box it came in, cut it up and slid it into a pocket on the bottom side of the bag to give it support. Without this, it will fold in half on you making it real uncomfortable. For value and durability, I give it five kiai.

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Men's Groin ProtectorMen's Groin Protector
This cup is specially designed for martial artists. It wraps underneath giving complete protection. Baseball style cups are not designed for the martial arts. They tend to slide up when struck from underneath, which can be more painful than the same strike without a cup. This one won't slide up, and is very comfortable. I don't particularly like the supporter that comes with it. The snaps are a pain and unnecessary, and the waistband is too wide. I usually get a supporter from Wal-Mart and use that with this cup. I give it four kiai.

(Addendum)

These recently lost a kiai.  I've never had a problem 'till the other day.  After stretch out, I was standing up from a cross legged position without using my hands when I heard a loud crack.  Never a good sign at my age, but it turned out to be my cup breaking.  Not a place you want sharp broken plastic!  It definitely reduced my level of trust with this cup and is therefore reduced to three kiai.

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BasiX Adult Compression Short With Protective Flex CupMen's Groin Protector
Outstanding! I've been looking for something more comfortable than the traditional jock strap. Every attempt 'till now led me to shorts that were too tight, too hot or both. These are perfect. The cup stays in place, they're comfortable and they breath. On top of all this, the cup is a pleasant surprise. It tapers at the bottom without being sharp. It's reinforced and looks like it could be run over by a truck and not break.  My search is over, I give these five kiai.

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