# Communities > Modern-era Swords and Collecting Community > Modern Production Katanas >  Masahiro Ma-005

## Alfredo Ibarra

:Big Grin: HI there, first of all HELLO to everyone, im new in this forum, I am a big sword fan,particularly japanese swords, recently i restartedpracticing some kendo (got rusty for more than 6 years) and besides the traditional boken (for actual practicing), i decided to buy a shinken,unfortunately before i could get in this forum i had the sword shipped and well... The Question is.

 Is this sword (Masahiro MA005)useful for practicing kata?? i dont think it could endure Tameshigiri but, anyway 

ill give you the link to an Ebay seller that has the same model 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=020

I live in Mexico so its kinda hard to find cheap and good quality swords, so if you know something about a retailer or a way to get em, suggestions are absolutely welcome!!

Thanks , Be seeing you

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## Jennifer Yabut

Hi Alfredo, welcome to SFI.  Masahiro is widely regarded as a low-end production model.  Depending on who you talk to, the overall quality is a hit-or-miss.  I would also exercise caution buying swords on eBay, and strongly suggest you do more research on different sword models first.

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## Alfredo Ibarra

Thanks a lot for the Advise Jennifer im certainly looking foward to learn more about swords and their use, by the way, do you think its (as they say around here) just a wall hanger?? lol  :drool:  or it could be useful for practicing kata??

Alfredo

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## Chris Fields

> I live in Mexico so its kinda hard to find cheap and good quality swords


Remember, "cheap" and "good quality" do not normally go together when looking at swords, no matter where you live.  :Smilie:

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## Mike Hollingsworth

Alfredo,

My best advice is this: Always start every journey with a single step. Are you already intimate with the discipline(s) of the sword? *Cutting* is something that requires GREAT care and caution, and NO blade is beyond failure. 

As far as "safe" for kata is concerned...well...that's a matter of opinion. If you are practicing form and developing muscle memory, then it should not be an issue. The tsuka is double-pinned, but there *is* always possibility of failure. The only way to KNOW the characteristics, is to physically examine it first-hand. 

*Personally*, I would recommend going to a *sword-retailer* online in the future, if that is your only option. Communication before the sale will generally prevent "buyer remorse". People that specialize in certain things often have better information and more of it, than those on ebay just looking to make a quick buck with a snazzy listing! The listing shows POOR description, and little technical info. And paper is a poor measure of a blade's quality.  

"Blade that can cut steel wire." That tells you a little about who/what you are dealing with, right there. This person shows *no* repsect for the blade, as steel wire is not really something that the sword is meant for cutting. Respect for the blade is, to me, **paramount**. One can learn the discipline of the sword with a bokken. It takes respect, focus, and personal discipline to take it beyond normal practice.

I will reiterate some good advice I was given recently. READ, READ, READ! These forums have some VERY knowledgable people, and they generally offer good advice! 

As far as *this* sword goes: It would likely be fine for beginning practitioners and **LIGHT** cutting, but that really needs to come after getting to know yourself as a martialist...and getting to know the sword for who it is. (I feel that *every* blade has a soul...but that's me...) 

Many people focus on cutting, cutting, cutting. I feel it is smarter to get to know *yourself*, first, decide who you are and why you want it, then get to know the sword...then think about more advanced disciplines! 

I wish you the very best of everything in your training and growth!

Mike

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## C Yarbrough

If you are just looking to cut bottles and milk jugs, that blade will be fine. However, there are quite a few swords available on ebay with equal or higher quality at around 1/2 the price.

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## Alfredo Ibarra

Thanks for your advise guys, specially Mike, first of all I want to make clear that i meant no disrespect for anyone (incluiding the martial art , and the blade), im currently practicing with a regular oak boken and planning to keep on it until I have some control over myself, my movements and off course the technique and discipline themselves. 

 Now, talking about the Ebay Issue, i know its very dangerous to buy a sword (any) with a guy that normally  sees only profit, the full story of this sword :  I got it from a sword and collectibles retailer here in Mexico, he has practiced some martial arts and so has rispect for the sword, ommiting Fantasy VG Samurai terms like the steel wire one, and actually we kep in contact trough email before i decided to buy it, actually what i was looking for was a full tang sword (i didnt know baqck then much of them) that was graded full tang and not a fake rat tail tang in order to practice and strike the air without so many dangers to the surrounding and myself.  :Embarrassment:  Being Honest, i took a longshot, fortunately i founf this forum and promise that next time i have to make a desition where i dont have FULL knowledge of the subject, ill come with the Experts

  For the time being i gladly thank you for your advise and opinions. 

Well keep in touch

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## Mike Hollingsworth

I saw nothing at all disrespectful in your post, my friend! I was just trying to make sure that someone wasn't trying to take advantage of a good guy!

I hope you have all the best of luck in your continued growth!

M

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## A. Ko

I hate to break this to you, and this is not an attack on the specific brand you are inquiring about, but a few years back I was approached by various businesses offering steel "shinken".  I turned them all down.  It turns out they were nothing more than wallhanger people who got inspired by Hanwei so they reinvented themselves as makers of "shinken" and basically reinvented their products.  They basically use slightly better looking fittings (more "bling" factor), and instead of giving it a beveled edge, the cross section is basically a "V" grind.  If you look at the "hamon" and if you see machine scratches, the hamon is quite possibly cosmetic (read: fake).

Dont' get starry eyed by the bling and by the price. Find out if it's well constructed.  Unfortunately, you can't.  The "samples" I saw were atrocious when I examined the wood.  It was cheap and weak wood that split and cracked due to moisture and atmospheric changes as it arrived here in the U.S. from China.  Gee, that sucks.  A fine "blingie" Japanese-looking sword and the blasted handle or the scabbard has a crack in it, and the buffalo horn throat piece is recessed into the interior of the scabbard.

So watch out for cheap swords.  The cheaper the sword, the greater the unknowns.  The cheaper the sword, the lower the quality control, the higher the risk.  Please do not be fooled by other people's glowing reviews on "excellent craftsmanship" and "work of art" and "I cut a few bottles".  A broken blade or a broken sword can cause injury and death.  

Cheap swords will rarely have the same level of heat treating as high end swords.  A sword can become too hard or to soft.  Worse, if the heat treat was uneven, it could have both hard and softe regions in the same blade, and you'd never know at which point the blade might break.  You simply cannot ascertain the metallurgical strength of a sword by observing photographs.

I'd encourage everyone to be responsible with their purchases.  Buy the best sword you can get, not because it's a price bargain.  These are lethal objects; let us never forget that.

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## Edward Covolo

If you're looking for a good low-end producer, try Cheness: www.chenessinc.com . A good starter place while you save up for a more expensive and well-made weapon.

Also, I've had luck with this weapon when it comes to cutting plastic milk containers and tatami half-mats:

http://www.trueswords.com/bushido-mu...ng-p-2561.html

for a 'cheap' weapon, it has proven to be sharp and amazingly resilient after repeated use. Also a good starter on a cheap budget.

--Edward Covolo

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## michael wilson

First off the boat lets drop this every sword has a soul mantra 

buying a $60 sword purely to see what will cause the blade to fail 
is not disrespecting anything  - no one sat over the thing for days and nights on end polishing the steel to reveal inner beauty  - they churn these out in their thousands , 

Ive got no problem with anyone treating their production katana 
with great reverence  - I do that with my remounted hanwei musashi  :Big Grin:  but lets not lecture anyone who treats them for what they are  - cheap approximations of a real sword , not national treasures .

sorry for the rant Alfredo  - just wanted to keep things in perspective , as for a good , decent sword for kata and some cutting  - well theres only two options in my opinion  - to start from anything lower and your just wasting money and maybe risking a failed blade ,

1 ) if you want a shot at traditional get a differentialy hardened 
blade  - a new PC PK XL ( paul chen practical katana XL ) 
about $230 USD approx from nihonzashi .

2) if your not bothered about hamon activity and want a pure monster cutter of a sword  - The cheness Shura katana  - 9260silicone alloy , through hardened blade  - as tough as they come 
and IMO _one_ of  the toughest katana out there for under $500  - the other is the cold steel warrior series katana in 1050 carbon steel , cold steel katana are big heavy brutes  - not suited to kata at all , so back to the cheness 9260 series shura / tenchi , Paul Southern at sword buyers guide will do you one for approx $240 USD.

You want a first sword you can put your trust in alfredo  - no one on these forums is gonna tell you " my god that sword is an accident waiting to happen " if you have either of these two kats

I know I may upset a few people by saying dont buy anything below these two swords but I feel I would be letting you down 
if I told you to buy another sub $100 kat - 

do plenty of reading on SFI archives and save up the extra bucks 
to get that good first 'real ' sword  - I give you my word it'll be more enjoyable if you do .

Edited to add:  - remember my friend at the sub $500 level a decent through hardened blade like the cheness shura 9260 
will handle botched cuts and some abuse better than a differentialy hardened blade like practical katana XL by paul chen
but it wont look as nice as the practical katana with its real hamon .


Mick :Wink:

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## G. Light

I own several production katana Chen, Cheness, LL and one day on ebay i bid on a Masahiro Kill Bill Brides Katana and won it at a very low price, it arrived a few days later with all the usual Masahiro Trimmings Display box and cleaning kit with spare pegs, the katana was a real surprise, very nice sharpened blade with a etched hamon (shame), nice tight leather wrap and real rayskin, fit and finish was as good as my last legend blades, i use this as a display katana only after inspecting the tang and no cracks in the tsuka i think it would be ok for cutting light targets (bottles etc) but as a display katana its very nice, i did re-tie sageo and perhaps i may try to polish out the wire brush hamon one day but for authenticity i may leave it as the Brides sword from the film had a wire brushed hamon.

G. Light

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## Matt Lanteigne

Hey Alfredo,

Looking at the pictures really closely kind of gives away how cheap this sword is. If you buy it, will you really be happy with it? 

How much longer would it take you to save up a total of $200 or $300 to buy a better quality blade? I think it would be worth it, that way you'll be getting a sword you won't have to put any work into to fix up. Plus it's always better to get something  you really like than something just to put the sword fever on hold. 

Have you checked the classifieds out? Good deals pop up there all the time. 

Here's a Practical Elite...around $250 US new: http://casiberia.com/product_details.asp?id=SH6000KPC

Just some food for thought.  :Smilie:

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## Jay Requard

I agree with Jennifer about Masahiro being hit or miss. I personally was able to get one that was a great hit, with an *actual* hamon and very good bronze fittings, well done kissaki, a decent yokote, and surprise surprise, a quality Tsuka core. There was also only one or two flaws(I forget the name of what the flaws are). It is also a good cutter, since I let my former sensei use it for cutting practice, and he gave it a good review. 

Getting a good sword on ebay is kinda like gambling in the lottery- it is a one in a thousand chance. It is possible, but very very rare. There is a sea of of crap out there, and very few actual fish...

This is one is brown icky water(I will say it.)

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## Alfredo Ibarra

Humm  OK, i often use Ebay to get some other stuff, sincerely its quite a problem to find a good sword retailer here in Mexico, doy ou know of a international one who can Actually ship to MExico without the WAAAYYYY TOO EXPENSIVE import and shipping charges¡¡

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## MattRomaschin

just putting this out there,  

are you planning on doing cutting or do you just want the sword for kendo kata?

If its just going to be used for kata why not look at an iaito.

just my 2 cents, hope it helps

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## Alfredo Ibarra

Currently i have a couple of Boken, the thing is that yes, i HAVE to get an Iaito ASAP, im looking forward to get a shinken when i can finally use it ( 1 year i hope), by the way, any ideas on how to choose a god Iaito, such as a particular alloy, tsuka material or so??

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