Is KarateMart Legit? Complete KarateMart Review

Written by Jeff Campbell in Gear and Equipment Last Updated February 13, 2024

Lots of martial artists buy training gear, equipment, weapons, and uniform components online these days. And one of the names you see out there is KarateMart. But is KarateMart legit?

KarateMart is a legit site and has been in operation since 2009. On average, it has a 4-star rating on review sites and has been written up in authoritative sites. It is based in Temple, Arizona and its full contact details are displayed on its website.

Did you know that the Better Business Bureau reports that about 10% of Americans become victims of online scams each year? For that reason, you don’t want to just buy from any old website.

But it is worth pointing out that the BBB does not have a listing for KarateMart. While that does mean no one has lodged a complaint against them, it also means they don’t have much history of doing business.

But there’s more. Read on.

In this article, we’ll check out the following:

  • Is KarateMart a trusted site?
  • What do Reddit users say about KarateMart?
  • Is KarateMart cheaper than Century Martial Arts?
  • Is KarateMart cheaper than Amazon?
  • Does KarateMart sell weapons?

Let the fun begin…

is karatemart legit lg

Is KarateMart a trusted site?

Karate Mart is a trusted site. While they do not list how long they have been in business, their website has been operational since 2009. It has, on average, a 4-star rating on many review sites. 

The site also has many links to and from authoritative sites and has a solid SSL certificate that protects any personal data you enter if you create an account or decide to make a purchase.

KarateMart is an American eCommerce brand that is based in Arizona.

It is rated 4.0 out of 5 stars on Knoji.com. Reviewers regard it as dependable and comparable to the top brands in its category.

One of the factors Knoji.com noted about KarateMart in the latter’s favor is the disclosure of its contact details. A simple yet key criterion for determining trustworthy sites. Its email, social media links, and even the address of its warehouse are on its website.

Scamaider.com rated KarateMart 100% and declared that it has a high reputation and is safe to use. And trustpilot.com says it’s an excellent site and rated it 3.6 over 5. What about its social media presence?

It has a modest audience on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

Considering that social media is a powerful tool for checking out if a brand is legit and trusted, KarateMart.com passed the test.

What do Reddit users say about KarateMart?

There are only a handful of Reddit users with comments about KarateMart. A search for KarateMart on Reddit simply shows: “sorry, there are no community results on KarateMart”. This is because there is no dedicated KarateMart page on Reddit, but there are comments about specific products.

And there are no comments on Reddit about KarateMart that are concerning.

There are a few comments about KarateMart, but there are hardly any that are insightful. One wonders why this is so. Perhaps most of KarateMart’s customers are not heavy Reddit users.

By comparison, though, Century Martial Arts, perhaps the leader in websites supplying these kinds of products, has a lot of active subreddits.

A lot of people spend a lot of time and money on martial arts. But why?

I get into all of it in a recent article. In it, I explored its benefits and why we need to learn self-defense. I even revealed the martial art that’s best for discipline. And explored something that might be keeping you away: do martial arts make people violent?

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Is KarateMart cheaper than Century Martial Arts?

KarateMart is cheaper than Century Martial Arts. On average, KarateMart’s prices are 24% better than Century Martial Arts prices. However many of the items Century sells are private label items, so an exact comparison is not usually possible.

But in my comparison, especially since I am very familiar with Century as we purchased tens of thousands of dollars of products from them during the years I ran a dojo, I did select very comparable items.

I will also say, however, that while I prefer KarateMart’s website and search bar and navigation menu, Century does have a lot of items that KarateMart does not seem to have (heavy bags, for example).

Here’s a quick price comparison on similar items between the 2 sites, with prices pulled as of the date of this article.

Item Century Martial Arts KarateMart KarateMart Savings
Octagon Nunchaku with Cord $14.99 $18.95 -$3.96
Full-Combat Foam Sword $39.99 $29.95 $10.04
Focus Mitts $49.99 $32.95 $17.04
Karate gi $39.99 $32.95 $7.04
Foam Headgear $37.99 $34.95 $3.04
Competition Karate Punch Gloves $39.99 $18.95 $21.04
TOTAL $222.94 $168.70 -24%

But both offer full training gear, products, and mats if you want to train at home.

Have you ever wondered whether Karate is something you can teach yourself? I took the time to do a deep dive into the question in a recent article of mine.

In it, I looked at whether it’s feasible to learn it from YouTube and how you can teach yourself. I also looked at how long it would take to learn it at home.

I even spoke to one of the biggest questions on your mind: how long would it take to get a black belt in Karate at home?

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Is KarateMart cheaper than Amazon?

Karate Mart is not cheaper than Amazon. On average, Amazon was 15% less expensive than KarateMart on comparable, if not exact, items.

So on the whole, Amazon is cheaper, and it has greater variety.

But it’s Amazon, so sellers and products come and go, and different sellers may sell the same thing for different prices. And their search function is not always great at honing in on exactly what you want.

Here’s a quick price comparison on similar items between the 2 sites, with prices pulled as of the date of this article.

Item Amazon KarateMart Amazon Savings
Foam Nunchaku with Rope $8.99 $11.95 $2.96
Full-Combat Foam Sword $38.99 $29.95 -$9.04
Focus Mitts $18.99 $32.95 $13.96
Karate gi $19.99 $32.95 $12.96
Foam Headgear $25.99 $34.95 $8.96
Competition Karate Punch Gloves $24.99 $18.95 -$6.04
TOTAL $137.94 $161.70 -15%

This shouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, Amazon is the numero uno in the eCommerce space. It has the resources and the network to buy incredible amounts of inventory at cheaper prices than almost any other store. Naturally, it passes some of the savings to its customers.

Did you know that Amazon ships 45 million products to different parts of the world?

It’s vital to add that some of KarateMart’s products are restricted in the U.S. That’s to say, you can’t order some of them if you are in certain states, and in some countries.

KarateMart is currently trying to update its website so that it can take international orders. As of now, only a few countries are supported and the shipping cost is high as can be seen from the below list:

Country Over $100 Over $200 Estimated Arrival Time Restricted Items
Canada $59.95 $79.95 2 to 7 days Knuckle Dusters
Swords
Stun Weapons
Throwing Stars & Knives
Nunchaku
United Kingdom $79.95 $107.95 5 to 10 days Knuckle Dusters
Swords
Stun Weapons
Throwing Stars & Knives
Expandable Batons
Continental Europe $79.95 $107.95 5 to 10 days Knuckle Dusters
Swords
Stun Weapons
Throwing Stars & Knives
Australia $79.95 $107.95 5 to 10 days Knuckle Dusters
Swords (Restricted in Some States)
Stun Weapons
Throwing Stars & Knives
Expandable Batons (Restricted in Some States)

source: KarateMart.com

Does karatemart.com sell weapons?

KarateMart sells a wide variety of martial art weapons, including nunchaku (nunchucks), swords, knives, and ninja stars. It even has region-specific weapons of Chinese or Japanese origin. And in most cases, both real and foam training options are available. 

The below is a list of some of the weapons they sell:

  • Collapsible Staffs
  • Escrima Sticks
  • Exotic Weapons
  • Hidden Weapons
  • Kama
  • Knives
  • Kung Fu weapons
  • Nunchaku
  • Sai
  • Self-Defense Weapons
  • Swords
  • Throwing weapons
  • Training weapons

The above, as you know, are categories.

Under each one, you can find loads of stuff. Weapons, as you know, are a sensitive category. So KarateMart does not ship certain weapons to certain countries or even states in the U.S.

I shared the restricted items in one of the sections above. But it’s best to check KarateMart before placing your order.

Conclusion

In the article, we checked out whether KarateMart is a trusted site.

And we dove deep into their product mix too. But we also looked at whether KarateMart is cheaper than Century martial arts or Amazon.

Finally, we wrapped things up by finding out whether KarateMart sells weapons. Yes, it does. There are tons of weapons on offer.

So while they aren’t the cheapest source on the web, or the most comprehensive, Karatemart is a good place to go when you’re looking for martial arts weapons, training gear, or sparring gear.

As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases if you click on Amazon from my site and choose to make a purchase. You can read my complete affiliate disclosure for more details.

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