This week I received the final piece needed to complete my karate bogu gear set - the helmet, or Men, as it is called in Japanese. I look forward to getting a chance to use it in the kumite class, although just about everyone I've talked to who has actually worn this stuff before say they hate it.
I got the chest protector when I was in Okinawa this summer, but I still haven't actually used it. I've had the gloves (kote) for a while - they used to sell them at the dojo - and I use them in kumite class all the time. The helmet came from BoguBag. I was very surprised with how quickly the helmet shipped. BoguBag is located in Idaho, but just about everything they sell ships directly from a partner company called Koei Budogo, a large kendo retailer in Japan. My order was processed on Friday and I received it on Monday - direct from Japan! That's faster than I normally get packages from places in the US.