Musashi Zetsurin: In-depth Review with cutting!
Sept 19, 2007 16:51:04 GMT
Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2007 16:51:04 GMT
Musashi Zetsurin In-Depth Review By Corey Sullivan of Ontario, Canada. Price- $69.99
Hi everyone! Now I know that this sword has been in the Forums before, but as far as I know, no one has done a full review of it, and since everyone seems to like it, I think I should help out.
[bold]Reasons for Purchase[/bold] Musashi Swords has quite a good reputation on SBG, and when I saw the pics of this sword, along with testimony from other members, I decided I had to have one.The white Ito and Aikuchi style (no tsuba) was unique, and different from any other sword out there. I placed my order with Musashi in August of 2007. The Zetsurin retails for $70, but SBG offers a 10% discount on orders over $60 so I paid about $75 total with shipping to Canada. It took about 2 weeks to ship, which wasn't bad for where I am.
[bold]Initial Impressions[/bold] The box arrived at my door, and I immediately set about releasing the sword from it's cardboard prison. It came in a simple cardboard box with the Musashi Logo on it. Adequate for it's purpose.
The sword rested on two Styrofoam blocks inside, wrapped in the standard sword bag. I removed it and marveled. It was quite attractive, and very slim.
The sword was very responsive, compared to my shura which was a brute. The bo-hi created a wonderful Tachi-Kaze when I swung it. Heaven! ;D
Here's the stats:
Blade length: 28"
Tsuka Length: 10.5"
Overall: 40" w Saya 38.5 w/o
POB: 3.5 " roughly
Weight: 2 lbs's again roughly(no scale)
[bold]Fit & Finish[/bold]
Tsuka:
The wrap on the Tsuka was not snow white like it looks in the pictures, but it's still pretty nice. It's quite tight, and evenly spaced. The same is fake black plastic, and looks quite shiny. I don't care for it, but at a sword in this price range, I can't complain. Same goes for the gold plastic menuki. The Koshirae were quite nice, being of a painted zinc alloy. They were quite attractive, and added to the uniqueness of the sword.
The kozuka was a nice touch, even though it wasn't sharp. It does throw quite well though.
Saya: Standard black lacquered. Nothing special, but well done.
Blade:
The blade is made out of 1045 carbon steel and is polished to a nice luster. Not mirror, but close. It's a very nice blade. The harmon is wire brushed, but still looks good. You have to look very close to tell. The bo-hi is even and well done, and I love the way it sounds! Kissaki is very well done, better then either my shura or my Oni forge Kage, which is saying allot considering both cost more then twice as much.
Tang and Tsuka: I removed the tsuka from the tang, which required a padded wooden block to to the lack of tsuba. The friction fit to the tang was very good, but I managed to crack the tsuka when I removed it.
I used wood glue to fill it in, and clamped it overnight. It's fine now.
The tang was thinner then I expected, but it was free of rust, and of sufficient size to not bother me.
[bold]Handling:[/bold]
The blade handles wonderfully, much lighter then my Shura. The bo-hi creates that great sound, and the blade responds nicely.
[bold]Cutting![/bold]
The blade is quite sharp, and carves paper with ease. It is evenly sharpened along the whole length, which worries me a little, due to the lack of tsuba.
I took it outside to test it, and I swear I could see the water bottles quake in fear. I set up my one remaining milk jug, and my last beach mat. I need more cutting supplies!
Enjoy! Please don't laugh, my editing is not l33t, and neither is my technique.
Stupid embedded video wouldn't work.
It cut through water filled bottles with ease, and the milk jug stood no chance. On the last cut of the jug, I accidentally hit the log I was using as a stand, and gouged a small chunk out of the wood. The sword was unharmed, so I continued with a hanging bottle (missed that first stab ;D) and my last beach mat. The sword cut very cleanly in all instance, like a knife through butter.
In Conclusion: For the price I paid, this sword is golden. It handles like a dream, cuts great, and it looks good doing it. I was drawn to this sword by it's unique look, but it's an excellent cutter as well, rivaling many more expensive swords. It's fake same and menuki bring it down a little but it's acceptable in this price range. The only other concern I have is that the whit Ito becomes dirty rather quickly, a problem shared by other owners. My solution to this was to use Sneaker White, a product that whitens tennis shoes. It's cheap, and works quite well. So if your looking for a sword that looks good, and performs way above it's price mark, then this is the one for you.
Historical Accuracy: 0 (No historical precedent)
Fit and Finish: 4
Handling: 5
Structural Integrity: 4.5
Value for Money: 5
Overall: 4.5/5 – Excellent
Good for light to medium cutting.
Hi everyone! Now I know that this sword has been in the Forums before, but as far as I know, no one has done a full review of it, and since everyone seems to like it, I think I should help out.
[bold]Reasons for Purchase[/bold] Musashi Swords has quite a good reputation on SBG, and when I saw the pics of this sword, along with testimony from other members, I decided I had to have one.The white Ito and Aikuchi style (no tsuba) was unique, and different from any other sword out there. I placed my order with Musashi in August of 2007. The Zetsurin retails for $70, but SBG offers a 10% discount on orders over $60 so I paid about $75 total with shipping to Canada. It took about 2 weeks to ship, which wasn't bad for where I am.
[bold]Initial Impressions[/bold] The box arrived at my door, and I immediately set about releasing the sword from it's cardboard prison. It came in a simple cardboard box with the Musashi Logo on it. Adequate for it's purpose.
The sword rested on two Styrofoam blocks inside, wrapped in the standard sword bag. I removed it and marveled. It was quite attractive, and very slim.
The sword was very responsive, compared to my shura which was a brute. The bo-hi created a wonderful Tachi-Kaze when I swung it. Heaven! ;D
Here's the stats:
Blade length: 28"
Tsuka Length: 10.5"
Overall: 40" w Saya 38.5 w/o
POB: 3.5 " roughly
Weight: 2 lbs's again roughly(no scale)
[bold]Fit & Finish[/bold]
Tsuka:
The wrap on the Tsuka was not snow white like it looks in the pictures, but it's still pretty nice. It's quite tight, and evenly spaced. The same is fake black plastic, and looks quite shiny. I don't care for it, but at a sword in this price range, I can't complain. Same goes for the gold plastic menuki. The Koshirae were quite nice, being of a painted zinc alloy. They were quite attractive, and added to the uniqueness of the sword.
The kozuka was a nice touch, even though it wasn't sharp. It does throw quite well though.
Saya: Standard black lacquered. Nothing special, but well done.
Blade:
The blade is made out of 1045 carbon steel and is polished to a nice luster. Not mirror, but close. It's a very nice blade. The harmon is wire brushed, but still looks good. You have to look very close to tell. The bo-hi is even and well done, and I love the way it sounds! Kissaki is very well done, better then either my shura or my Oni forge Kage, which is saying allot considering both cost more then twice as much.
Tang and Tsuka: I removed the tsuka from the tang, which required a padded wooden block to to the lack of tsuba. The friction fit to the tang was very good, but I managed to crack the tsuka when I removed it.
I used wood glue to fill it in, and clamped it overnight. It's fine now.
The tang was thinner then I expected, but it was free of rust, and of sufficient size to not bother me.
[bold]Handling:[/bold]
The blade handles wonderfully, much lighter then my Shura. The bo-hi creates that great sound, and the blade responds nicely.
[bold]Cutting![/bold]
The blade is quite sharp, and carves paper with ease. It is evenly sharpened along the whole length, which worries me a little, due to the lack of tsuba.
I took it outside to test it, and I swear I could see the water bottles quake in fear. I set up my one remaining milk jug, and my last beach mat. I need more cutting supplies!
Enjoy! Please don't laugh, my editing is not l33t, and neither is my technique.
Stupid embedded video wouldn't work.
It cut through water filled bottles with ease, and the milk jug stood no chance. On the last cut of the jug, I accidentally hit the log I was using as a stand, and gouged a small chunk out of the wood. The sword was unharmed, so I continued with a hanging bottle (missed that first stab ;D) and my last beach mat. The sword cut very cleanly in all instance, like a knife through butter.
In Conclusion: For the price I paid, this sword is golden. It handles like a dream, cuts great, and it looks good doing it. I was drawn to this sword by it's unique look, but it's an excellent cutter as well, rivaling many more expensive swords. It's fake same and menuki bring it down a little but it's acceptable in this price range. The only other concern I have is that the whit Ito becomes dirty rather quickly, a problem shared by other owners. My solution to this was to use Sneaker White, a product that whitens tennis shoes. It's cheap, and works quite well. So if your looking for a sword that looks good, and performs way above it's price mark, then this is the one for you.
Historical Accuracy: 0 (No historical precedent)
Fit and Finish: 4
Handling: 5
Structural Integrity: 4.5
Value for Money: 5
Overall: 4.5/5 – Excellent
Good for light to medium cutting.