I would recommend this to anyone who's thinking about joining Kendo. Kendo for those who don't already know is very fast past and demanding both body and mind and much different from other more common hand to hand arts. Kendo can also be painful when hit in areas where your bogu doesn't cover. but don't worry because you only hit each other when your a year or so in to it. This Shinai can handle about a month of Kendo so buy two. That's also a good thing because that's about how long top grade Shinai lasts for. Over all a good buy for a beginner.