Martial Arts Equipment Online Guide (Martial Arts - Equipment)

Member Name: Stevet1963

Product:	Martial Arts - Equipment
Date:	01/07/06 (77 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheaper, more choice

Disadvantages: Sending stuff back if you order a wrong size, not knowing who you are dealing with.

If you are a budding Martial Artist like me, the Internet has brought us all in contact with suppliers of just about anything you can want for whatever Martial Art you practise.

And with seemingly more and more online shops appearing, it does get confusing sometimes exactly who is offering the best deal!!

Having been training in martial arts for over 20 years now, my preference has always been to 'buy the best I can afford'. And that statement is as true today as it was back in 1980 when I started training!

The internet has shrunk the world, so it's probably relatively easy to start up supplying stuff, but I also think that is part of the problem, too many start up thinking that is all they have to do, get a Website, and everything will just happen!

Like most people, I started out using Kwon Equipment, it was generaly what our Instructor offered, it was excellent quality, and priced reasonably. Over the years I have tried many others, including Adidas, Blitz, Cimac and Playwell. Of all of them, I still preferred Kwon or even Adidas, because the quality was always consistent, and although a bit more expensive, it lasted longer!

I recently came across another online supplier, Black Eagle Martial Arts. What drew me to them was the fact that they were offering Kwon products, and I just happened to need some new gear.

What I found when I browsed their website was a very easy to navigate site, which seems something of a rarity these days! Everything categorised in a simple fashion, and very easy to see what I wanted.

I was also surprised to see they did some Adidas, albeit limited, and their own Black Eagle range. I'm always nervous of companies I haven't heard of offering an 'own brand' product, but the fact they also promoted other well known brands gave me confidence to try them.

My first impression of Black Eagle was helped considerably by the fact they had a good contact page, with real phone numbers so I could talk to a human being!! Another nice touch is that they also publish a mobile number, so you can call them evenings and weekends, which I have done, and, to my utter surprise, they not only answered it, but took the time (even on a Sunday!) to answer my questions and even take the order details from me!

I received the items just a couple of days later, superb service, but what about the quality?

Well, I'd bought a Kwon uniform, so I was not concerned about that, but I also bought some of their own brand equipment, and, I have to say, the quality was very very good. They are not the cheapest out there, nor are they the most expensive, but for what I bought, I was more than happy with the price. I also got free delivery because my order was over £50!

I did notice they have a standard post charge of £5.29, which seemed steep, but when I asked them about this they did explain it very clearly. You only pay exactly that, £5.29 for however many items you want below an order value of £50, and over that, it is free. I understand they are reviewing their postage costs due to the abundant range of DVDs they now supply, because, at £5.29 for one DVD, that is a lot, but, if you are like me, a DVD is usually part of something else on my order, so not a problem for me!

Another good thing about them is that when I did have a small problem with something, they agreed to change it without any fuss whatsoever! I did have to pay a return postage fee because I had ordered a wrong size, which is fair enough, but it was back with me inside the week.

They have a good range of gear, and seem to be adding more every month, and I shall certainly continue to use them for all my needs.

I thoroughly recommend Black Eagle to anyone in Martial Arts.

Summary: Ease of finding products you need.