# Communities > Modern-era Swords and Collecting Community > Modern Production Katanas >  Hanwei Bamboo Mat Katana

## M.K. Ridgeway

Hanwei Bamboo Mat Katana
*Marc Kaden Ridgeway
Atlanta GA
2 Nov 2010*





 Howdy folks . Back again with another quick and dirty look at a sword. This time it is the Hanwei Bamboo Mat Katana.
When I first saw the Bamboo Mat I figured I had to get my hands on it. I've owned so many katana ... and I do mean many,many,many... that I've come to be able to spot something special when it comes along. OF course sometimes I just want something new...

 At any rate , when I first saw the Mat,, I knew I was seeing something special, like when I saw the Ronin Dojo Pro models , or the Oni Forge Ryu... and when I saw the price i was SURE. So , my Lovely picked me one up for Daddy's Day, and I am long overdue for the review.

 The sword came well packed in a nice wooden box... very nice... but were not here to review a box, so, on with the sword.






*Specifications*

Nagasa    28 5/8 in
Handle     11 in with fittings
Motohaba 1.3 in
Sakihaba   1.0 in
Motokasane 7.5mm
Sakikasane  6mm
Sori  .8 inch
Weight 2lbs 11.8 oz
POB  6 in from the tsuba
Steel    HWS-2S differentially hardened














*Aesthetics; Fit & Finish*

 Sugata is shinogi -zukuri with chu-kissaki. Kissaki is geometric with a physical yokote. The hamon is a reasonable fascimlie of O-choji , and while enhanced , is not the old-school Hanwei Frosty-hamon.

 The 28.6 in blade is deep of sori , and burnished to a mirror sheen on the shinogi ji.

 The 11 in tsuka is panelled in nice large-node same, then wrapped with black cotton ito. The menuki are a golden sparrow motif.  Tsuba and fuchigashira all appear to be blackened steel. The tsuba is a cast representation of a woven bamboo mat, and has golden bamboo leaf highlights. The outer rim of the tsuba is a jointed bamboo stalk.

 The fuchi is also adorned with the jointed bamboo theme , in gold. The kashira is a cast woven mat , like the tsuba.

The blacked laquered saya is adorned with black sageo and sports buffalo horn koiguchi and kuragata.



 The yellow brass habaki seats a bit loosely in the mouth of the saya , but there is no discernable rattle. The sword itself is nice and tight and well put together. Construction is solid, and the finish is pleasing to the eye.

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## M.K. Ridgeway

*Handling Characteristics*

 Theres not a whole lot to say here that will impart the feeling... either youve handled a well-balanced , agile katana , or you haven't.  The bamboo mat is balanced at approximately 6 inches... pretty typical of no-hi katana. Combine then the sori, tsuka profile and curvature with the balance and the handling is the result... and the result is a good handling kat , in this case. Its light, yet also heavy. It is authoritative in the cut without being tip-heavy, and manuevers well without being a knitting needle.

 The tsuka isnt tapered , but is nicely shaped with a good feel in the hand. The tsuka-maki is tightly wrapped .

 The Bamboo Mat handles as a katana should... not so common with repros 7 or 8 years ago... but increasingly the case these days.










* Cutting * 

 Cutting makes me sad. I am not the cutter i used to be. 2 years of no training , alot of weight gained, and less and less time to cut all take their toll. Let this be a warning folks ... these are perishable skills . use them or lose them.

 At any rate, the Mat is an excellent cutter.  Ive shot a short video... but did a poor job with the camera so the bottle tops are cut off ...LOL... sorry.

 I started with empties .... and moved to wets. I'll update with another vid when I get some bamboo.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPbZKsShris

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## M.K. Ridgeway

*The Good, The Bad & The Ugly*

 There's a lot of good, a little bad and no ugly with the Bamboo Mat.  
 Aesthetically, the Bamboo Matt is a looker. The hamon is nice , the furnitue is attractive , and the kissaki is among the best shaped I have ever seen on a production katana. 
  Its a good handler , a good cutter and is well put together.
  The katana sits just a bit loose in the saya , and the tsuka-ho has no taper or waisting to it at all. As far as deflects or flaws , there are none on this sword. 










*Conclusion*

 The Bamboo Mat is one of the finest production katana I have laid my hands on. It is , I believe, the best Hanwei katana I have owned , and I've owned a few. 
  It is not exactly to my taste ... I dislike gold on fittings , and prefer kats a bit more subdued.. but on a package like this one , who cares?
  What the Bamboo Mat is , in my eyes, is a Production katana approaching the qualities of a custom like few have before.
  It is also a scary thing. "Why so?" you ask ...   Well The Mat has all the buzz words that exist in the industry today...   geometric yokote, wild hamon, nice furniture, super-steel.... and its selling for less than $400 . Ridiculous... 
 A few years ago such a sword would have commanded close to $1000. Why is this bad?  Well , its not sustainable. In this new sword renaissance we are enjoying , we are getting more for less than ever before. There's no profit in the market anymore... anyone notice Hanwei is liquidating their stock in everything?  Bad times in the sword market are ahead I'm afraid.
  At anyrate, The Hanwei Bamboo Mat represents the best value in a production kat on the market in my opinion... let's enjoy it while it lasts.

 Thanks for reading.

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## J. Mijares

Nice review. Thanks!  I considered getting one once.  The blade looks nice and beefy, but the tsuka is just a bit too long for my liking.

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## D. Opheim

Nice that the yokote is actually more than cosmetic, but what truly surprises me is the same' and the size of the nodes.   :EEK!: 

I'm curious to know if its actually full wrap, or just panels?

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## Joo-Hwan Lee

Aw, c'mon D.  Now you're just being greedy.  Full-wrap at this price point... with this size nodes...   :Big Grin: 

AWESOME review as always, MK.  If you were a woman and not armed to the teeth with more swords than a small army, I'd kiss you for your general awesomeness and attention to detail.

I wish I understood better the distinctions b/w the HWS-2 and -1.  I REALLY want one with bo-hi... but don't feel like spending the $$$ for the 25th anniversary Shinto (can't stand the gaudy silver fittings).  I guess it's a good thing that the Bamboo Mat is more affordable, but thanks for the reality check that times are not good for the sword market.

Why can't Hanwei understand that the customers can really live without their awkward attempt at fancified fittings... and that most of us just want decent blades with simple fittings and with tsuka that isn't axe-handle straight....  They're spending their money in all the wrong ways to stimulate sales.

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## John Coris

Thank you mr Ridgeway for yet another excellent review and a special comment on your skills as a photographer!

PS I think it is mentioned above that it has panels and not full wrap.

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## tom geusz

..from the Classified here not too long ago.I mean hell,the guy was selling it for $275. shipped.It's the first production blade I've bought in years and I was curious about Bugei's offerings,which are basically the same blades as CAS Iberia's,just in different fittings, and I must admit,I was pretty impressed with how far Hanwei has come.
Naturally, I chucked the fittings and mounts but found the nakago gently curved to follow through with the curvature of the rest of the blade.
The way they put the 'straight' tsuka on is to drill the second mekugi ana lower into the ji section of the tang.
I etched the blade to see if the hamon is real (it is) and am planning to do a re-shape of the kissaki to give it a 3" tip.There is more than enough hardended area in the kissaki as well as a beautiful boshi to accomplish this with ease.
Re-mounted with antique fittings (or good modern one's), and a slightly longer tsuka ,with a full same' wrap,I feel this is a great blade to use as a project piece.
If any one wants some new Bamboo Mat fittings,let me know.Otherwise they'll end up in the junk drawer with all the rest of the production fittings I've gathered over the years.
-tom

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## John Coris

I could use the Mat tsuba, Tom.

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## Csoma.C

> ..from the Classified here not too long ago.I mean hell,the guy was selling it for $275. shipped.It's the first production blade I've bought in years and I was curious about Bugei's offerings,which are basically the same blades as CAS Iberia's,just in different fittings, and I must admit,I was pretty impressed with how far Hanwei has come.
> Naturally, I chucked the fittings and mounts but found the nakago gently curved to follow through with the curvature of the rest of the blade.
> The way they put the 'straight' tsuka on is to drill the second mekugi ana lower into the ji section of the tang.
> I etched the blade to see if the hamon is real (it is) and am planning to do a re-shape of the kissaki to give it a 3" tip.There is more than enough hardended area in the kissaki as well as a beautiful boshi to accomplish this with ease.
> Re-mounted with antique fittings (or good modern one's), and a slightly longer tsuka ,with a full same' wrap,I feel this is a great blade to use as a project piece.
> If any one wants some new Bamboo Mat fittings,let me know.Otherwise they'll end up in the junk drawer with all the rest of the production fittings I've gathered over the years.
> -tom


How much for the fittings?

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## tom geusz

Well it seems like John spoke up for the tsuba first.But I'll give you the whole tsuka as is if you want Csoma.Why don't you guys pm me and we'll figure it out.
-tom

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## Miguel V

Any of you have photos of the blade dismounted? I have been curious to "look under the hood" at one of these. see the nakago length, if its been dressed, etc

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## tom geusz

The nakago follows the curvature of the blade. The way they fit on the straight tsuka is the second mekugi-ana is drilled much lower in the 'ji' section of the nakago rather than the first hole which is drilled properly through the meeting of shinogi and ji of the tang.Hope that makes sence.
It has the typical fake Mei as well as file marks imitating a Nihonto.Great bare blade for a remount,with a new curved tsuka...

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## Miguel V

That would be most excellent of you.  I been trying to do one last custom, and its between this and a huawei, but I been hearing that huawei has been getting bogged down. stuff like mails going unanswered, delivery times way overshot. makes me sad, as I went thru the trouble of doing the exact measurements for one. The bamboo is my other option. however it will require a little reworking to fully fit my image. I guess as the bamboo is workin the high tech angle, it has a thin edge? any meat to that bad boy at all?

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## tom geusz

Compared to what I normally collect and use,Large Nabukocho style blades with lots of niku,this would be considered a light blade for me.I'm also 6' 2" and weigh about 210 to 215 and am in pretty good shape (no beer gut!)
I will applaud this production blade for a number of reasons.Besides the fact that it is attractive(I've since lengthened the kissaki to almost 3"s) the steel is supposed to be tougher that Hanwei's own L6 blades.This statement was made by one of Hanwei's own spokes people.I have not started the new tsuka and such because I have clients work that must be completed first.
I do have fittings set aside for it in a Koi theme,and am looking forward to the job.
Also I should mention, is that I flexed the blade quite signifigantly without it taking any sort of set( Hell,I could always make a tanto out of the remains if she failed!)
I have a MAS L6 that I totally remounted.This blade 'feels' a lot like that one.And the former cuts tatami like butter.So I expect similar things from this one.The differance here is the totally non-traditional tang design of the MAS blade,while the Bamboo Mat sports a more traditional imitation of a Nihonto design and can actually be called a 'Nakago'.
The niku of blades is always a factor.Some of my larger Nabukocho blades don't cut nearly as well as some of my other custom blades.I don't really care.They were made to cut men in armor,not woven reeds.And that is why I have them(you know,in case you happen to come upon a pissed off armed and armored Samurai with your death in his eyes!..Grin!)
What I mean,is that for me these swords are weapons first,perhaps they are also beautiful the way a Great White Shark is beautiful.
The best cutter of tatami I have is actually a Hira-Zukuri katana made by Jesus Hernandez.With it's deep sori,and flat profile, it dances through cutting exersises and is graceful and beautiful as well,even one handed.You can see pics of this blade in his Gallery on his site.Soon you can see it mounted on my site.
So back to the Bamboo Mat.I've already mentioned to Marc that I agree with his review completely and as far as a 'bang for your buck' this 'new steel' is damn tough stuff with the benifit of attractive Hamon rather that the often plain ones found on L6 Blades.I guess this is the next level stuff,my friends.And coming from someone who has only collected custom stuff and totally given up on the production market for the last few years,this should be so noted.
-tom

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## Miguel V

[QUOTE=tom geusz;1133199]Compared to what I normally collect and use,Large Nabukocho style blades with lots of niku,this would be considered a light blade for me.


so no niku at all.

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## tom geusz

Very little and also not much taper in thickness down the length of the blade.
Supposedly you don't need it,if your doing regular cutting.
What do you plan to use this on? Or should I say 'who' if you want heavy Niku! (just kidding)
If you're a proficient swordsman this thing should work well against some harder targets like bamboo.You're gonna scratch the hell out of it against yellow bamboo,but thats what happens to all blades that you use eventually. That's why I'm a big fan of the highbrid polishing methods! Fix it yourself when they start to get really scuffed up.

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## D. Opheim

> You're gonna scratch the hell out of it against yellow bamboo,but thats what happens to all blades that you use eventually.


Very true, but a general discussion around the dojo would conclude that any cutting of yellow bamboo automatically equals "FAIL".   :Big Grin:    I've cut green bamboo (as it should be) and its tough, and equally rough on most any blade, particularly around the shinogi.  





> That's why I'm a big fan of the highbrid polishing methods! Fix it yourself when they start to get really scuffed up.


I completely agree.  I generally scoff at buyers of high polish katana, who then never used them for fear it would ruin the look (or value) of the blade.  

I can understand and respect not using antique blades, but even I have cut with some several hundred years old or older.   Its hard to top the originals, and the few I have seen where not high "mirror shine" polished.   :Smilie:

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## Gino Belleh

I just received my new Bamboo Mat Katana today.  So far, I like it a lot.  I'm still very new to Japanese swords, and only have 1 other katana right now (a customized Chen Bushido katana).  Here are some initial impressions.

The Bamboo Mat is very nice looking, and in my opinion, much better balanced than the Bushido, which seems blade heavy to me.

There is a flaw on the kurigata.  It looks like it was cut somehow, and a piece of the finish is missing, and looks kind of ugly.  But that's not a big deal to me at all.  The sword itself is very nicely finished.  The blade is nicely polished, and it has a very interesting hamon.  Fittings are good, and everything is tight.  Overall, I'm very happy with it, especially for the price.  If I ever get around to doing any cutting, this sword definitely inspires confidence.

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## Rick A.

It's the best blade I've ever got for so little money, I did change the mekugi to a better grade of bamboo, (knitting needles) very tough. I just love this one..

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## J Cooper

VERY nice! How's the Niku on this blade? (in comparison to other production swords)

I also saw you did a review of one of the Ronin "Dojo Pro" swords. between the two, which one do you prefer overall?

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## Miguel V

As it appears in an earlier post, there really isnt any niku to this piece. But I imagine the steel in question here should(?) offset that some. I was still hoping someone out here had one stripped down to see "under the hood", and post some photos. I been to other sites and no one has any up like that.

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## Dave Drawdy

Thanks, very nice review and comments, pics are very helpful. In fact based on this, I just bought one of these for our dojo. My own comments mostly agree with those above.
Sword arrived today, these are a few notes on it fresh from the box (a really nice wooden box, BTW). Have not cut with it yet, but this is destined to see lots of use as a dojo 'loaner' cutter.
The blade is nicely shaped, a bit heavy, but has some taper so it does not feel front heavy. Balance is reasonable, could be used for iai. Fittings are decent.  Fit of the fittings is surprisingly nice. Nothing loose, no rattles or shifts. Not too flashy, but with some character. Good fit of habaki in the saya. Wrap is very tight, no noticeable slippage. Edge is quite sharp, passed the 'paper test' right out of the box. Only down note for me is the tsuka shape, a bit straight, a bit thick and a tad long, but that is fairly minor against the overall quality and especially the quality for the price. CAS suggested retail is $799, but these are available for quite a bit less. They included instructions for adjusting the fit of the sword in the saya, along with some general maintenance tips and caveats. Lots of thought went into this one, nice presentation. Another nice note is the proprietary steel used by Hanwei, supposed to be resilient and hold an edge well. We'll see. Off to get some mats this weekend, and lots of cutting in our future.

Dave

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## john lee

I just received my bamboo mat katana. I haven't cut anything with it yet. The saya has some flaws on the coating. Other than that it looks good.

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## M.K. Ridgeway

> Thanks, very nice review and comments, pics are very helpful. In fact based on this, I just bought one of these for our dojo. My own comments mostly agree with those above.
> Sword arrived today, these are a few notes on it fresh from the box (a really nice wooden box, BTW). Have not cut with it yet, but this is destined to see lots of use as a dojo 'loaner' cutter.
> The blade is nicely shaped, a bit heavy, but has some taper so it does not feel front heavy. Balance is reasonable, could be used for iai. Fittings are decent.  Fit of the fittings is surprisingly nice. Nothing loose, no rattles or shifts. Not too flashy, but with some character. Good fit of habaki in the saya. Wrap is very tight, no noticeable slippage. Edge is quite sharp, passed the 'paper test' right out of the box. Only down note for me is the tsuka shape, a bit straight, a bit thick and a tad long, but that is fairly minor against the overall quality and especially the quality for the price. CAS suggested retail is $799, but these are available for quite a bit less. They included instructions for adjusting the fit of the sword in the saya, along with some general maintenance tips and caveats. Lots of thought went into this one, nice presentation. Another nice note is the proprietary steel used by Hanwei, supposed to be resilient and hold an edge well. We'll see. Off to get some mats this weekend, and lots of cutting in our future.
> 
> Dave


 i took this one down off the kake a couple of days ago... to sell it in lieu of other interests . I have to say I am still shocked that Hanwei is able to make this katana and sell it for a profit at the prices I am seeing ($360) .  I have to admit though, it's seen little use since the review.... 

  Drawdy Sensei   , I'd be really interested to know how your dojo loaner is doing.

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## Robert Bugh

Usually I keep my mouth shut, but I thought I'd drop a line to say I bought one (Bamboo Mat) based on this review and the posts following the review. In my opinion...fwiw...I thought there was some really good things said here. The last couple years Ive tried to thin out my production swords and get into higher level stuff. But now, I'll have another Chen blade the end of this week. This was a good thread. Just thought I'd mention it. Now, back to hiding under my rock.

Thanks,
Bob Bugh

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## Jeff Ellis

> It's the first production blade I've bought in years and I was curious about Bugei's offerings,which are basically the same blades as CAS Iberia's,just in different fittings, and I must admit,I was pretty impressed with how far Hanwei has come.


Tom, that's not true, not one bit. Bugei has specific blades that are made for them, and only for them.

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## Aaron Justice

> Tom, that's not true, not one bit. Bugei has specific blades that are made for them, and only for them.


I think he meant that as in the style and make of the blades themselves. When Bugei came out with the recent Lion Dog, suddenly Paul Chen pushed out the Paper crane which was more than similar. The Old Pine katana came out, and so did the Bamboo Mat and Lion Dog katanas using the new steel. Even the Bugei Shobu Zukuri and Wind and Thunder share similarities (I photoshopped a yokote line on the Shobu without altering the geometry and it looks like a WT blade). 

I think Tom (seeing how we spoke in person on this subject) didn't meant they simply swap the fittings around and call it a new blade, but that they all share a basic design premise.

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## Jeff Ellis

> I think he meant that as in the style and make of the blades themselves. When Bugei came out with the recent Lion Dog, suddenly Paul Chen pushed out the Paper crane which was more than similar. The Old Pine katana came out, and so did the Bamboo Mat and Lion Dog katanas using the new steel. Even the Bugei Shobu Zukuri and Wind and Thunder share similarities (I photoshopped a yokote line on the Shobu without altering the geometry and it looks like a WT blade). 
> 
> I think Tom (seeing how we spoke in person on this subject) didn't meant they simply swap the fittings around and call it a new blade, but that they all share a basic design premise.


I call that good business. Improving your product line to what the consumer wants.  :Smilie:

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## Jeff Ellis

> I think he meant that as in the style and make of the blades themselves. When Bugei came out with the recent Lion Dog, suddenly Paul Chen pushed out the Paper crane which was more than similar. The Old Pine katana came out, and so did the Bamboo Mat and Lion Dog katanas using the new steel. Even the Bugei Shobu Zukuri and Wind and Thunder share similarities (I photoshopped a yokote line on the Shobu without altering the geometry and it looks like a WT blade). 
> 
> I think Tom (seeing how we spoke in person on this subject) didn't meant they simply swap the fittings around and call it a new blade, but that they all share a basic design premise.


I call that good business. Improving your product line to what the consumer wants.  :Smilie: 

I believe there is an agreement that Hanwei will not sell the specific blades from the Bugei line.

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## M.K. Ridgeway

> Usually I keep my mouth shut, but I thought I'd drop a line to say I bought one (Bamboo Mat) based on this review and the posts following the review. In my opinion...fwiw...I thought there was some really good things said here. The last couple years Ive tried to thin out my production swords and get into higher level stuff. But now, I'll have another Chen blade the end of this week. This was a good thread. Just thought I'd mention it. Now, back to hiding under my rock.
> 
> Thanks,
> Bob Bugh


Well thanks for speaking up... its nice to know that reviews sometimes positively affect folks...

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## Robert Bugh

O.K. so the Bamboo came yesterday, for the price I really like it. The sori is deeper which is good for me. I bought it with the intent to cut the nagasa down an inch or two and shorten the tsuka an inch. I'm small in stature so it's important to me is why. But as it turned out the nagasa is just under 28"... about 1/16" short of it. So I may leave it alone...for now. Pure luck of the draw I got a short one. This one doesn't feel stiff to me, as so many production blades do. It settles well with me. That may sound crazy but whatever. The hamon is pretty flamboyant, I kinda chuckled becuase I'm pretty conservative in nature with appearances, swords included and I like a nice sugaha style. Anyway, for 300.00+ bucks it's worth it can't go wrong. Once again this was a good thread and worked out for me. Thanks again, and take care.

Bob bugh

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## M.K. Ridgeway

> O.K. so the Bamboo came yesterday, for the price I really like it. The sori is deeper which is good for me. I bought it with the intent to cut the nagasa down an inch or two and shorten the tsuka an inch. I'm small in stature so it's important to me is why. But as it turned out the nagasa is just under 28"... about 1/16" short of it. So I may leave it alone...for now. Pure luck of the draw I got a short one. This one doesn't feel stiff to me, as so many production blades do. It settles well with me. That may sound crazy but whatever. The hamon is pretty flamboyant, I kinda chuckled becuase I'm pretty conservative in nature with appearances, swords included and I like a nice sugaha style. Anyway, for 300.00+ bucks it's worth it can't go wrong. Once again this was a good thread and worked out for me. Thanks again, and take care.
> 
> Bob bugh


Thanks for sharing your impressions...  wow, serendipitous that you randomly got a shorter sword....

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## Robert Bugh

Mark,

Yeah, what's funny is I am crazy superstitious, and this is another occurence that entrenches me further in that. It's unfortunate for those around me (no pun intended). Becuase they have to listen to it. They're jealous...lol. Take care.

Bob Bugh

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## Jeff Ellis

> Well thanks for speaking up... its nice to know that reviews sometimes positively affect folks...


I've been considering one for a while and am going to buy one when fundage allows because of this review.

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## M.K. Ridgeway

Thanks Jeff  :Smilie:   I think you'll like it. With your skills you should be able to make it just the way you want it.

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