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Johnny Sockitomee
Yea it’s a funny name. But I would be remiss if I based my whole review just on that, right?
I have been plagued for awhile by not having a proper location for a heavy bag, and came to the conclusion that the hanging variety was just not an option for me. Luckily, the good people at Boxing Depot had a solution. Johnny Sockitomee is a freestanding striking bag made by Everlast. Johnny is mobile, accessible, and can take a hit. Here’s a look –
(You’ll also notice that Everlast decided to use a picture of me from my male modeling days here. I’ll be expecting royalties, Everlast).
I would also like to show you the compact way Johnny arrived. I was expecting a bulky, unwieldy mess, but this was well organized.
I hated to take it out of the box and ruin all of Everlast’s planning and effort, but I unpacked it anyway. Assembly occurred in two different stages – the base and the bag. The base assembly was no big deal and went pretty smoothly. The bag was a little more complicated. I was surprised to see that inside the red casing went three separate layers of foam and a plastic insert. I needed a little bit of patience and persistence while trying to build Johnny from the inside out.
After my construction efforts, I put the two pieces together and stepped back to admire my finished product.
The striking surface is adjustable and ranges from 3′ to 6′. The base is large and can take a substantial hit without moving around. This is especially true if you can place it on a rougher surface, like carpet (and be sure to fill it up all the way with water or sand). The bag itself is much easier on the hands than others I have used in the past, which is important if you intend to have children beating on it.
One thing that I really like is the spring-back action Johnny delivers. A lot of heavy bags just hang there and sway a bit when you hit them. This bag flexes slightly with your punches and comes back immediately. Such flexing allows you to establish a rhythm with the bag and work on speed striking, as well as power.
Johnny requires some TLC to get up and running, but after construction he proves ready, willing, and able. He is mobile and can fit into confined areas. The adjustability and material makes him ideal for strikers young and old.
After all is said and done, Ikigai108 gives Johnny Sockitomee…
Crane Mountain Weapons
My search for a good bo was a long and arduous one. I tried a few of the major vendors but ended up with a variety of bo that just didn’t work for me. They either felt like this…
http://www.the-tree.org.uk/TreeTalk/News2/Big%20Log.jpeg
Or like this…
http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/PCH2094.jpg
Sure, the kids enjoyed watching the twig bo snap as I performed kata at only moderate pace, but it was becoming an expensive trick. Eventually I decided to give Crane Mountain a try since I heard through the grapevine that they were good at making solid, traditional weapons.
My first stop was their website, located here – http://crane-mountain.com/. I browsed around and was surprised to see a great variety of weapons available, along with many different options for wood. On top of that, they used a rating scale to recommend which woods would be good for each weapon. I was easily distracted by the different accessories and plaques they had available, but ultimately decided to stay focused and work toward getting a good bo.
After picking the woods I liked, I called Crane Mountain headquarters. The experts there helped me narrow down my wood selection even more by explaining which would best suit my body type and what kind of money I would have to part with for more exotic woods. Ultimately I decided to go with Cocobola, an expensive and heavy wood (remember, I was tired of failure and bo snappage). I also asked them to pear it down to 1 1/16 inches, so that I wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the weight.
I had to wait a few weeks for my bo to arrive since all weapons are personally made to each custumer’s specifications. However, when it did arrive, I was not disappointed. The wood was beautiful and the craftsmanship quite evident. Here’s a little taste of it…
If you find yourself in a situation where quality counts, Crane Mountain should definitely be on your list of vendors to consult. You won’t find the same bargains as you would at Century or AWMA, but good luck buying a Bo off of them anyway, let alone rarer items like Nunti Bo or Tinbe/Rochin.
Ikigai108 gives Crane Mountain…
Getting Rave Reviews
BlogHer Review
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