Hanwei Forge Practical Pro Katana
Feb 28, 2007 3:40:32 GMT
Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2007 3:40:32 GMT
Well, I have finally had a chance to get this review posted. It actually started New Year's Eve. My wife and I spent the day traveling home to Ohio from Wisconsin. We were making a visit to her father's family for the Christmas season. After being home for a few hours, we had get together with my father's family. We were pretty tired from the long day and hadn't made big plans for New Year's Eve. A night at home it was. I was watching some eBay auctions close December 31st because I figured there may be less bidding competition with celebrations going on everywhere. One of the items I was watching was this Practical Pro Katana(PPK). Turns out, I ended up winning the auction for $128 plus $30 shipping. At first, I thought I got shafted and wouldn't receive the sword. I finally got it about a month later. Did I need it? No. I just got it because it was a good deal and honestly, I'm addicted.
The Cas Iberia website states "the Practical Pro Katana (SH2162) has an extended tsuka and a thicker and longer blade." They aren't kidding, this sword is big. It feels massive as it is drawn from the saya. Looking at the Practical Pro in a photo by itself, it is hard to determine the size. It is best illustrated in a side-by-side photo. The only other sword I (currently ;D) have is the Cheness Kaze. I assume the Kaze can be considered to have the dimensions of a standard sized katana.
The two swords are aligned at the tsuba.
The tsuka on the PPK is about 4 inches longer than that of the Kaze and a bit thicker.
The blade length is about 1.5 inches longer with a shorter kissaki(point).
With this increased size, the PPK is of course heavier than the Kaze. My Kaze weighs in at 2.5 lbs while the PPK weighs 2.9 lbs. This extra weight is deceiving though. I think the majority of the weight is in the extended tsuka. This makes the PPK feel lighter because it is better balanced. I suppose another way to say this is that the Kaze feels blade heavy after handling the PPK. I have no formal sword training so I am unable to provide a "proper" review in regards to "proper" handling and technique.
The tsuka of the PPK is wrapped with a synthetic black leather ito. It looks nice but I don't care for the feel of it. The folds of the ito seem to protrude quite a bit and can be hard on the hand. I would think that the synthetic leather could get slippery if your hands become sweaty from an extended battle with evil foam pool noodles.
The koshirae(fittings) are antiqued black iron, simple, and look nice. I cannot tell what the menuki are or what they are made of. They feel kind of plastic like when I tap on them.
The blade of the PPK also has a greater sori (curvature) than the Kaze. The sori of the Kaze measures 0.5 inches. The PPK's greater sori of 0.7 inches would most likely assist in cutting.
The PPK is differentially tempered using a traditional claying method. The hamon is very prominent. It is a regular, wavy pattern. Notare style, perhaps? The hamon has a satin finish compared to the high polish of the rest of the blade. This contrasts the straight hamon of the Kaze that seems to have a mirror finish.
The blade of the Practical Pro feels sharp, knife blade kind of sharp. It almost feels as though there is a secondary bevel but I can't be certain. The Kaze cuts through a hand held piece of paper more smoothly though and it does not feel as sharp. Don't worry; they were gentle cuts, not swings. My fingers were safe. As discussed in posts on SBG Forum, sharpness of katana can be deceiving due to the different shapes of a blade bevels.
I also noticed that the blade's curve at the ha (edge) was not smooth. It has a "bump" in it as shown in the photo below. I would not consider this a flaw or lack of quality control. I think of it as reminder that these swords are hand made.
Upon disassembly, I became bit concerned about how easily the Practical Pro came apart. The mekugi nearly fell out with the lightest of taps. The tsuka and other fittings slid off easily as well. I had to pound the tsuba with a rubber mallet to get the Kaze apart.
There appears to be thin layers of wood in the tsuka of the Practical Pro. I imagine this is to tighten up fit of the tsuka on the nakago (tang). When assembled, the PPK feels solid with nothing loose. Maybe the ease of disassemble is not an issue.
The habaki (blade collar) has been fitted to the blade nicely.
The nakago is marked with HW. I assume this is for Hanwei Forge.
I haven't had the chance to cut with the PPK yet. You remember the photos in the review taken outside? There was a high of 5 degrees Fahrenheit that day. It has been cold, snowy, and icy here in Ohio. Luckily we didn't get hit as hard as some areas in the northeast. And that rock that the swords were sitting on? Here it is after about 36 hours of steady snow. That bump with the deer tracks in front of it is the same rock.
Over all, the Hanwei Forge Practical Pro katana is great if you are looking for a larger sword. Even though it is big, it feels well balanced and good in the hand. It will certainly look great as a display piece as well. The only change I would make is to remove the synthetic leather ito and replace it with cotton or silk.
I don't know that I will be keeping this sword. It is a bit big for my 5'9" frame. I will most likely be listing it on eBay in the near future. I am sure it will find a good home with someone looking for a larger katana.
References:
home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm
www.casiberia.com/casiberia/cas/product_details.asp?id=SH2162
The Cas Iberia website states "the Practical Pro Katana (SH2162) has an extended tsuka and a thicker and longer blade." They aren't kidding, this sword is big. It feels massive as it is drawn from the saya. Looking at the Practical Pro in a photo by itself, it is hard to determine the size. It is best illustrated in a side-by-side photo. The only other sword I (currently ;D) have is the Cheness Kaze. I assume the Kaze can be considered to have the dimensions of a standard sized katana.
The two swords are aligned at the tsuba.
The tsuka on the PPK is about 4 inches longer than that of the Kaze and a bit thicker.
The blade length is about 1.5 inches longer with a shorter kissaki(point).
With this increased size, the PPK is of course heavier than the Kaze. My Kaze weighs in at 2.5 lbs while the PPK weighs 2.9 lbs. This extra weight is deceiving though. I think the majority of the weight is in the extended tsuka. This makes the PPK feel lighter because it is better balanced. I suppose another way to say this is that the Kaze feels blade heavy after handling the PPK. I have no formal sword training so I am unable to provide a "proper" review in regards to "proper" handling and technique.
The tsuka of the PPK is wrapped with a synthetic black leather ito. It looks nice but I don't care for the feel of it. The folds of the ito seem to protrude quite a bit and can be hard on the hand. I would think that the synthetic leather could get slippery if your hands become sweaty from an extended battle with evil foam pool noodles.
The koshirae(fittings) are antiqued black iron, simple, and look nice. I cannot tell what the menuki are or what they are made of. They feel kind of plastic like when I tap on them.
The blade of the PPK also has a greater sori (curvature) than the Kaze. The sori of the Kaze measures 0.5 inches. The PPK's greater sori of 0.7 inches would most likely assist in cutting.
The PPK is differentially tempered using a traditional claying method. The hamon is very prominent. It is a regular, wavy pattern. Notare style, perhaps? The hamon has a satin finish compared to the high polish of the rest of the blade. This contrasts the straight hamon of the Kaze that seems to have a mirror finish.
The blade of the Practical Pro feels sharp, knife blade kind of sharp. It almost feels as though there is a secondary bevel but I can't be certain. The Kaze cuts through a hand held piece of paper more smoothly though and it does not feel as sharp. Don't worry; they were gentle cuts, not swings. My fingers were safe. As discussed in posts on SBG Forum, sharpness of katana can be deceiving due to the different shapes of a blade bevels.
I also noticed that the blade's curve at the ha (edge) was not smooth. It has a "bump" in it as shown in the photo below. I would not consider this a flaw or lack of quality control. I think of it as reminder that these swords are hand made.
Upon disassembly, I became bit concerned about how easily the Practical Pro came apart. The mekugi nearly fell out with the lightest of taps. The tsuka and other fittings slid off easily as well. I had to pound the tsuba with a rubber mallet to get the Kaze apart.
There appears to be thin layers of wood in the tsuka of the Practical Pro. I imagine this is to tighten up fit of the tsuka on the nakago (tang). When assembled, the PPK feels solid with nothing loose. Maybe the ease of disassemble is not an issue.
The habaki (blade collar) has been fitted to the blade nicely.
The nakago is marked with HW. I assume this is for Hanwei Forge.
I haven't had the chance to cut with the PPK yet. You remember the photos in the review taken outside? There was a high of 5 degrees Fahrenheit that day. It has been cold, snowy, and icy here in Ohio. Luckily we didn't get hit as hard as some areas in the northeast. And that rock that the swords were sitting on? Here it is after about 36 hours of steady snow. That bump with the deer tracks in front of it is the same rock.
Over all, the Hanwei Forge Practical Pro katana is great if you are looking for a larger sword. Even though it is big, it feels well balanced and good in the hand. It will certainly look great as a display piece as well. The only change I would make is to remove the synthetic leather ito and replace it with cotton or silk.
I don't know that I will be keeping this sword. It is a bit big for my 5'9" frame. I will most likely be listing it on eBay in the near future. I am sure it will find a good home with someone looking for a larger katana.
References:
home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm
www.casiberia.com/casiberia/cas/product_details.asp?id=SH2162