Quality Iaito that won't break the bank?

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone knows where I can find a good quality Iaito that won't break the bank? There seem to be a lot of cheap "off the shelf" options out there, but none that look to be of good quality. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places. ??? I realy like the one from Bu Jin Design, but its 1,300 dollars. Ooouch!

This would be my first Iaito, and I'd like to get somthing that will last for a while. How much should I look at spending? Are there other considerations that should be taken into account?

Thanks for your help!

Scott

Hello,
Five of my students bought their Iaito at Tozando.com

they are very good.
tozand

Originally posted by AskanisoN Hi, Just wondering if anyone knows where I can find a good quality Iaito that won't break the bank? There seem to be a lot of cheap "off the shelf" options out there, but none that look to be of good quality. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places. ??? I realy like the one from Bu Jin Design, but its 1,300 dollars. Ooouch! This would be my first Iaito, and I'd like to get somthing that will last for a while. How much should I look at spending? Are there other considerations that should be taken into account? Thanks for your help! Scott

An adequate iaito can be had for about three hundred. That's about the starting point for anything decent. Nicer ones are around $700 - $900 and the can go over a thousand as in the one from Bu Jin. My assistant Chief Instructor has the Bu Jin one and I'm jealous. Kiyota Company in Baltimore, MD has a selection of iaito. You should call and talk directly to Mr. Kiyota so that you can get the proper information. He carries the Tozando line I believe. You can check that out at:
http://www.tozando.com/index.html

Originally posted by AskanisoN Hi, Just wondering if anyone knows where I can find a good quality Iaito that won't break the bank? There seem to be a lot of cheap "off the shelf" options out there, but none that look to be of good quality. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places. ??? I realy like the one from Bu Jin Design, but its 1,300 dollars. Ooouch! This would be my first Iaito, and I'd like to get somthing that will last for a while. How much should I look at spending? Are there other considerations that should be taken into account? Thanks for your help! For a good starter model, you might want to look at Paul Chen's "Practical katana". It's not a folded blade, so it is heavy, but it is well-tempered enough to hold an edge. Pretty durable too. I got mine off Scott

Ebay but there's also internet shops like The Armory that carry them for under $200.

Originally posted by AskanisoN Just wondering if anyone knows where I can find a good quality Iaito that won't break the bank?

Scott,

I've owned and used iaito from Tozando and Meirin and both are fine pieces of equipment.

Tozando, however, has changed hands in the past few years and I don't know what sort of prices or qiuality or customers service they offer these days.

I got the Meirin iaito from Peter Boylan's Mugendo Budogu -- http://www.budogu.com/

I've handled and swung several models of iaito from Meirin and have found them all to be decent. And Peter is a fine fellow who goes splat real well and can swing a mean (if terribly ZenKen) sword.

cg

Thanks everyone for all the help!!