Ronin-Katanas willow leaf tsuba katana review
Dec 12, 2007 10:42:23 GMT
Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2007 10:42:23 GMT
Ronin-katanas - willow leaves tsuba katana (they didn't have a name for this sword), by Aldwin P. of Metro Manila, Philippines.
I bought this sword on eBay last month from the seller ronin-katanas for a total of $103.99. Sword costs $49.99 and shipping cost $54 (which was a rip-off) sent via USPS Priority Mail. International shipping was fast, in just 5 business days. I bought this sword mainly because I was looking a cheap, functional katana (and also because I was in a tight budget and I didn't know about Musashi Swords back then), and for the lovely tsuka ito. It's not the fuzzy type like on other reasonably priced functional katanas. The sword was packaged in a brown box, with crumpled newspaper on both ends. Inside is the main box of the sword. When I opened the box, it was covered in a transaparent plastic, protected and supported only by 5 styrofoam stands. Regardless, no damage whatsover on the outside.
Sword specs:
Steel type = 1045 TH
Blade edge = not sharp enough
Blade length = 28 inches
Tsuka = 11.5 inches made of wood
Grip = Real samekawa with silk ito (not fuzzy)
Saya = 29.5 inches, black glossy lacquer finish
Overall length = 41 inches
Habaki = Copper (1 piece construction)
Tsuba = Zinc Alloy 3 inches in diameter
Seppa = Brass
Other fittings (fuchi, kashira, menuki) = Zinc Alloy and plastic
Mekugi = 2 bamboo pegs
Weight = approx 1.4 kgs
The sword was very light, but I wasn't quite impressed with it in its saya. The sword was covered in thick white goo with a strong smelling scent. I think its some sort of grease but I'm not sure what it is... enough of the introductions, here are the pictures:
DESIGN, FIT & FINISH
Plain and simple, yet attractive design (for me). There was a flaw in the habaki (please see the last pics showing the habaki and tsuba). There was a large gap and something was inside. I thought it was the thick white goo that covered the blade. I think it's some sort of glue or epoxy or something. It was hard and I cannot remove it. -1 for this one. The fittings are all made of zinc alloy. The shitodome on the kurikata and kashira are made of plastic and are a bit loose. Another -1.
BLADE
No scratches on the blade. Mirror polish. Pattern of the hamon is notare and is wire brushed. Edge has a 2nd bevel which is not that sharp.
TSUKA
I love the tsuka. This is what attracted me to buy this sword. The ito was tighly wrapped with even diamonds. Tsuka core is wood with real samekawa.
TSUBA
Made of zinc alloy with patter of willow leaves. When the sword arrived, the tsuba was warped. And the cast was not clean as you can see from the pitcures. Another -1 here...
SAYA
Koiguchi is made of plastic, but it does hold the sword tightly with no rattles. Nice glossy finish.
Paper test
I thought this was the first test to do... so I tried it out and it failed. The edge was not sharp!
Cutting water bottles
The cut wasn't smooth. It was jagged and the target was thrown away.
Rolled soaked beach mat
When it failed the paper test and water bottle test, I wasn't expecting more from this sword. But I might as well perform this test... Rolled and soaked the beach mat overnight. The next day, I let it dripped for a while, then tied it to a home made cutting stand (our cat's scratching post, LOL). I was still hoping that this sword would redeem itself in this test despite of its performance in the previous tests... unfortunately it didn't. It only managed to cut half way through... such a disappointment. Though there wasn't any scratches on the blade after those tests. + 1 for that.
CONCLUSION
Sorry, no pictures for the test. I was so disappointed with its performance that I have to sell it. Sold it for a much higher price though. ;D Overall, this sword is only best for kata, and not for cutting. The handling is great, comfortable grip with the menuki at the opposite side. If you're looking for a sword for kata practice, I would recommend this sword. But for cutting, there are others out there with a much better price.
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 2.5/5 for the flaws and plastic
Handling: 4/5 good handling
Structural Integrity: 3/5 tough but not that sharp
Value for Money: 2.5/5 for the price I paid
OVERALL: 3/5
Even though I knew this sword would score low, I still decided to review it so others wouldn't make the same mistake I did. But thanks to this sword that I have sold at a higher price, I managed to get myself a Shura (bohi version) that will arrive in a week or so.
Thanks for reading!
I bought this sword on eBay last month from the seller ronin-katanas for a total of $103.99. Sword costs $49.99 and shipping cost $54 (which was a rip-off) sent via USPS Priority Mail. International shipping was fast, in just 5 business days. I bought this sword mainly because I was looking a cheap, functional katana (and also because I was in a tight budget and I didn't know about Musashi Swords back then), and for the lovely tsuka ito. It's not the fuzzy type like on other reasonably priced functional katanas. The sword was packaged in a brown box, with crumpled newspaper on both ends. Inside is the main box of the sword. When I opened the box, it was covered in a transaparent plastic, protected and supported only by 5 styrofoam stands. Regardless, no damage whatsover on the outside.
Sword specs:
Steel type = 1045 TH
Blade edge = not sharp enough
Blade length = 28 inches
Tsuka = 11.5 inches made of wood
Grip = Real samekawa with silk ito (not fuzzy)
Saya = 29.5 inches, black glossy lacquer finish
Overall length = 41 inches
Habaki = Copper (1 piece construction)
Tsuba = Zinc Alloy 3 inches in diameter
Seppa = Brass
Other fittings (fuchi, kashira, menuki) = Zinc Alloy and plastic
Mekugi = 2 bamboo pegs
Weight = approx 1.4 kgs
The sword was very light, but I wasn't quite impressed with it in its saya. The sword was covered in thick white goo with a strong smelling scent. I think its some sort of grease but I'm not sure what it is... enough of the introductions, here are the pictures:
DESIGN, FIT & FINISH
Plain and simple, yet attractive design (for me). There was a flaw in the habaki (please see the last pics showing the habaki and tsuba). There was a large gap and something was inside. I thought it was the thick white goo that covered the blade. I think it's some sort of glue or epoxy or something. It was hard and I cannot remove it. -1 for this one. The fittings are all made of zinc alloy. The shitodome on the kurikata and kashira are made of plastic and are a bit loose. Another -1.
BLADE
No scratches on the blade. Mirror polish. Pattern of the hamon is notare and is wire brushed. Edge has a 2nd bevel which is not that sharp.
TSUKA
I love the tsuka. This is what attracted me to buy this sword. The ito was tighly wrapped with even diamonds. Tsuka core is wood with real samekawa.
TSUBA
Made of zinc alloy with patter of willow leaves. When the sword arrived, the tsuba was warped. And the cast was not clean as you can see from the pitcures. Another -1 here...
SAYA
Koiguchi is made of plastic, but it does hold the sword tightly with no rattles. Nice glossy finish.
Paper test
I thought this was the first test to do... so I tried it out and it failed. The edge was not sharp!
Cutting water bottles
The cut wasn't smooth. It was jagged and the target was thrown away.
Rolled soaked beach mat
When it failed the paper test and water bottle test, I wasn't expecting more from this sword. But I might as well perform this test... Rolled and soaked the beach mat overnight. The next day, I let it dripped for a while, then tied it to a home made cutting stand (our cat's scratching post, LOL). I was still hoping that this sword would redeem itself in this test despite of its performance in the previous tests... unfortunately it didn't. It only managed to cut half way through... such a disappointment. Though there wasn't any scratches on the blade after those tests. + 1 for that.
CONCLUSION
Sorry, no pictures for the test. I was so disappointed with its performance that I have to sell it. Sold it for a much higher price though. ;D Overall, this sword is only best for kata, and not for cutting. The handling is great, comfortable grip with the menuki at the opposite side. If you're looking for a sword for kata practice, I would recommend this sword. But for cutting, there are others out there with a much better price.
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 2.5/5 for the flaws and plastic
Handling: 4/5 good handling
Structural Integrity: 3/5 tough but not that sharp
Value for Money: 2.5/5 for the price I paid
OVERALL: 3/5
Even though I knew this sword would score low, I still decided to review it so others wouldn't make the same mistake I did. But thanks to this sword that I have sold at a higher price, I managed to get myself a Shura (bohi version) that will arrive in a week or so.
Thanks for reading!