# Calling all dan holders!



## Ryun Ma (May 4, 2010)

Just to stimulate conversation since this board's been so quiet lately...What brand is your belt? What do you like or hate about your belt and some belt brands? What's your favorite brand and style of BB?


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## Master K (May 5, 2010)

Eosin Panther.  

Pros: Great quality belts!
Cons: The price for those great quality belts.

Respectfully,
K


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## Ryun Ma (May 5, 2010)

Master K said:


> Eosin Panther.
> 
> Pros: Great quality belts!
> Cons: The price for those great quality belts.
> ...


 
I have yet to use them but hear many great things about them, they are quite pricey though....but are they worth the cost?


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## Master K (May 5, 2010)

I feel they are worth it.  Plus, Mr. Vincent Yi is a really nice guy that stands behind his products, and has excellent customer service.  

I cannot say that about all of the suppliers I have used.  Some have been discontinued due to their lack of customer service and the lack of quality products.


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## MasterPistella (May 16, 2010)

I have Pine Tree (Sang Moo Sa). Got it through AWMA almost 10 years ago & it looks almost exactly like the day I bought it. I'm thinking of getting one from Eosin Panther. Glad to hear the good review.


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## MBuzzy (May 16, 2010)

Which one?  I have a century belt, a pine tree belt and an Elephant belt.  I HATE the elephant belt.  It was the one that was awarded to me in Korea, but it has these two large, heavy, obnoxious, bright green tags on it.


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## hussaf (May 16, 2010)

If anyone can read kanji, maybe they can help me find out who makes my belt.  My teacher bought it for me in Japan.  It has my dojo kanji sewed on one side and the kana for my last name on the other (end...not side, I guess).


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## MBuzzy (May 16, 2010)

Not sure what Kana is, but post or send the picture.

By Kana, are you thinking Korean or Japanese?  There is Hiragana and katakana.....but in Korea, you only have Hangul and Hanmun/Hanja (same thing).


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## scottie (May 17, 2010)

Ryun Ma said:


> Just to stimulate conversation since this board's been so quiet lately...What brand is your belt? What do you like or hate about your belt and some belt brands? What's your favorite brand and style of BB?


 
I use kataaro.com, Kataaro brand belts. I have called Tom a and told him what I wanted and everytim it is always perfect. The one time I tryied to use Panther they were rude to me and if i am going to spend that much money on a belt I am going to like the people i give the money to. that is just me. 
I have bought at least 10 Dan belts and a GI (karate uniform) from Kataaro and they have all been perfect. I am TELLING YOU FOR THE MONEY, KATAARO IS THE BEST!!!!!!!!! :asian:


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## Aikicomp (May 17, 2010)

All my belts were from eosin panther, quality is excellent, customer service is A+.  

I got my green, brown (when he sold colored belts in Clifton), all 4 (Shodan through Yondan) and my 5th degree (Renshi) belts from Mr Yi  and was very pleased.

Michael


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## Miles (May 18, 2010)

Preferred belt: Sang Moo Sa/Pine Tree

Other decent belts: Nike (this is 1 3/4 inch so it is not as wide as most "deluxe black belts;  Mooto (very heavy belt);

Not high on my list: Adidas (too flimsy)


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## SahBumNimRush (May 18, 2010)

I've always used Bear Brand, which in IMHO are high quality belts.  Although, I don't have much to compare them to, since they are the only belt I've ever used.

We are now issuing Sun/Choi Brothers belts, which are nice, but I prefer the Bear Brand myself.


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## Fuzzy Foot (May 31, 2010)

I have a belt from Eosin panther and the quality is excellent. However I just ordered one from Kataaro (?spelling) and from their site and testimonials I expect it will be as good.


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## OldKarateGuy (Jun 3, 2010)

Late to thread. For colored belts, normally buy Macho, mainly because they are local for me and I can get them next day, no shipping costs. I also use belts from WTSDA (GM J C Shin), which are obviously from another supplier and re-labeled. I _think_ they are Pro Force. For black belts, I give the new dan holders a WTSDA belt, so they have the official and correct label, although there is no pressure from the organization to have any particular label. The WTSDA black belt is fairly thin cotton and shows wear fairly quickly. This may be considered good by some, undesirable by others. It's also available from WTSDA with embroidery, association in Hangul, name and BB # in english.

When I earned my first black belt (from JKA), my sensei gave me an embroidered KI belt, U S JKA affiliate on one end, his name on the other (both in Kanji). I put it away as a keepsake and ordered a brand new Tokaido belt. If you have never tried one, they are great, double thick and very sturdy (in cotton. The silk shows wear pretty quickly). Tokaido splits the belt, front and back, and embroiders the belt, and then sews the back and front together so the embroidery does not show through. it's only on one side on either end. Very cool. Also very expensive. Tokaido will embroider in Kanji, English, Korean, whatever, in several colors of thread. For instance, you could order red thread on a black belt. A different look. Same with silver thread. Tokaido can be ordered with a variety of labels to match most of the Japanese styles and associations. They also have a generic Tokaido label that resembles the MDK fist. 

If you've never tried a Tokaido, I'd say spend the money once and buy one. Mine is 12 years old and looks better than my 2 year old Pro Force belt in terms of wear and tear. But with embroidery, expect to break $100. And don't buy the silk belt unless you want a ragged, whited out belt in 6 months.


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