RitterSteel Braided Leather Samurai Swords
Apr 20, 2008 21:26:32 GMT
Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2008 21:26:32 GMT
Ritter Steel Braided Leather Katana Collection reviewed by Firehand10k
Great Katana $212.40 from Swords of Might
Katana $138.60 from Swords of Might
Wakizashi $99.99 from a mall store in Killeen, TX
Tanto $70.00 from Realm Collections (formerly Medieval Weapons Art)
Initial Impression: The braided leather wakizashi is the second functional sword I ever bought. It took over two years before I could get around to it but I had to get the rest of this collection. I didn’t know much about Japanese swords then other than the shape and this was the coolest thing I had found. The gleaming brass guard and pommel made it look pretty sturdy and the satin finish of the blade sure made it appear more functional than flashy. The brown braided leather wrap was very nice without looking gaudy and it gave me that much more of a feeling that this was a good “work” sword rather than display. As I got the rest of them the feeling that this was great stuff continued to grow. Needless to say I had all four of them before I even really started to learn about what truly makes a good Japanese sword.
STATISTICS:
Great Katana:
site: www.swordsofmight.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=178
Actual:
Blade length- 40” including habaki
Handle length- 13 1/4”
Overall length- 53 1/2”
Balance Point-6 ¾” from tsuba
Weight- 3 Lbs. 15 oz.
Katana:
site: www.swordsofmight.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=174
Actual:
Blade length- 27 5/8” including habaki
Handle length- 9 7/8”
Overall length- 37 5/8”
Balance Point- 4 1/8” from tsuba
Weight- 2 Lbs. 11 oz.
Wakizashi:
site: www.knightsedge.com/swords/japanese-samurai-swords-braided-leather.htm
Actual:
Blade length- 17”
Handle length- 6 5/8”
Overall length- 24 1/8”
Balance Point-1” from tsuba
Weight- 1 Lbs. 12 oz.
Tanto:
site: www.realmcollections.com/p138/samurai-tanto.html
Actual:
Blade length- 9 1/8”
Handle length- 5”
Overall length- 14 1/2”
Balance Point- at tsuba
Weight- 1 Lbs. 1 oz.
FIT and FINISH:
Blade- All of these blades have a dull satin finish with the tool marks from the grinding to shape clearly visible. The shape from the back to the edge is slightly concave with a secondary bevel to the edge. The tips curve in a smooth gradual arc to the point.
All of them came with a barely sharp factory edge and very solid secure fittings. The long blade of the great katana is just as tight in the fittings but has a slight wobble along its length when swung making it slightly hard to judge proper edge placement during a cut. The rest are more rigid. The katana is similar in weight to other katanas I have handled but because of the thick brass furniture has a closer point of balance making it feel too light in a cut by comparison.
Hand Guard- I think it’s really more of a hand guard than tsuba because it is just a plain polished brass disk, oval on the tanto and circular on the rest. The sizes of these are matched to the over-all sword with the tanto’s only 1 ¾ inches wide, the katana and wakizashi’s at 3 inches, and the great katana’s 4 inches.
Handle- Again nothing really Japanese looking to this as I know it. Its wood pressed between the guard with a thick brass spacer and the pommel with no quick way of dismounting.
Its wrapped with a piece of thin brown leather that is glued on then over-wrapped with a twisted strip of the same this is also glued in place with the end of it near the pommel and wrapped into a small flat piece of leather that is also glued.
It is a pleasantly simple look and actually offers a comfortable but somewhat hard (the glue makes the leather hard on this wrap) grip.
Saya- This is more of a scabbard, really. Like the swords that go in them they are not very Japanese as I understand. They curve along the shape of the blade to come to a rounded point at the end instead of a flat capped end.
They are covered in the same leather as the handles stitched along the bottom with a twisted wrap running from the throat to about one third of the way along it.
They all have a strap attached with a triangular ring to hang them from. The straps on the larger three form a upside down V with one end at the throat and the other at the end of the twisted wrap. The strap of the tanto is just a singe loop holding the ring at the throat of the scabbard. The straps are of a different leather than the wrapping and is smooth on one side and course on the other.
They seem to be for display purposes and aren’t conveniently usable for wearing the sword but they do make a good display when hung on the wall.
Cutting – When I first got these I couldn’t cut anything with them. I put a little time (about an hour and a half for the set) using the Masahiro sharpening kit
( www.swordsofmight.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=31 ) and while I wouldn’t call the sharp yet a little experimentation in technique has brought me to the point that I can make them cut more often than not. The Katana swings nicely but has a balance about an inch and a half shorter than others I have used so it felt super light in the cut and I found it disorienting at first. After I got used to it this was a very smooth cutter. The Great Katana cuts well further back from the tip than I am used to. It has a bit of wobble along the length of the extra long blade. With a good swing it is not too bad but if the swing is off the extra flex causes a pull that is hard to keep on target and once the swing is complete it makes it difficult to recover as well. When it comes to durability these seem quite excellent. They cut into the cedar log I was using for a stand with no signs of working loose. Prior to my learning about proper cutting targets and their preparation I attempted to use the Katana and the Great Katana (they were the only functional swords I had at the time) on a rolled beach mat. Doesn’t sound like such a bad idea? The mat was dry and suspended from a tree limb with the other end securely anchored to the ground. I nearly broke my wrist bringing the Great Katana to a dead stop on that target but neither sword sustained any damage or looseness after multiple attacks.
CONCLUSION- Even though I am fully aware of how un-Japanese the construction of these swords is now I still consider them excellent swords for the price. The tough construction and mild finish make them great beaters. In some ways they have helped me improve my cutting abilities by not having as good geometry as more traditional, easier to use Japanese swords. At only just over $200 even the Great Katana is a great value for someone who wants to experiment with a longer heavier blade. The plain brass tsuba and pommel and copper habaki are simple and don’t mark easily compared with the more ornate ones. The full leather wraps of the sayas also make them more resilient that the traditional gloss lacquered. While it isn’t right for any practice in traditional sword arts this sword set definitely looks good enough for collecting and display and it is tough enough to give a good time to the backyard hobbyist cutter.
Fit- Set 4/5
Finish- Set 3/5
Handling- Katana 5/5 Great Katana 3/5
Structural Integrity- Set 5/5
Value for the money- 4/5
Overall- 4/5
Great Katana $212.40 from Swords of Might
Katana $138.60 from Swords of Might
Wakizashi $99.99 from a mall store in Killeen, TX
Tanto $70.00 from Realm Collections (formerly Medieval Weapons Art)
Initial Impression: The braided leather wakizashi is the second functional sword I ever bought. It took over two years before I could get around to it but I had to get the rest of this collection. I didn’t know much about Japanese swords then other than the shape and this was the coolest thing I had found. The gleaming brass guard and pommel made it look pretty sturdy and the satin finish of the blade sure made it appear more functional than flashy. The brown braided leather wrap was very nice without looking gaudy and it gave me that much more of a feeling that this was a good “work” sword rather than display. As I got the rest of them the feeling that this was great stuff continued to grow. Needless to say I had all four of them before I even really started to learn about what truly makes a good Japanese sword.
STATISTICS:
Great Katana:
site: www.swordsofmight.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=178
Actual:
Blade length- 40” including habaki
Handle length- 13 1/4”
Overall length- 53 1/2”
Balance Point-6 ¾” from tsuba
Weight- 3 Lbs. 15 oz.
Katana:
site: www.swordsofmight.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=174
Actual:
Blade length- 27 5/8” including habaki
Handle length- 9 7/8”
Overall length- 37 5/8”
Balance Point- 4 1/8” from tsuba
Weight- 2 Lbs. 11 oz.
Wakizashi:
site: www.knightsedge.com/swords/japanese-samurai-swords-braided-leather.htm
Actual:
Blade length- 17”
Handle length- 6 5/8”
Overall length- 24 1/8”
Balance Point-1” from tsuba
Weight- 1 Lbs. 12 oz.
Tanto:
site: www.realmcollections.com/p138/samurai-tanto.html
Actual:
Blade length- 9 1/8”
Handle length- 5”
Overall length- 14 1/2”
Balance Point- at tsuba
Weight- 1 Lbs. 1 oz.
FIT and FINISH:
Blade- All of these blades have a dull satin finish with the tool marks from the grinding to shape clearly visible. The shape from the back to the edge is slightly concave with a secondary bevel to the edge. The tips curve in a smooth gradual arc to the point.
All of them came with a barely sharp factory edge and very solid secure fittings. The long blade of the great katana is just as tight in the fittings but has a slight wobble along its length when swung making it slightly hard to judge proper edge placement during a cut. The rest are more rigid. The katana is similar in weight to other katanas I have handled but because of the thick brass furniture has a closer point of balance making it feel too light in a cut by comparison.
Hand Guard- I think it’s really more of a hand guard than tsuba because it is just a plain polished brass disk, oval on the tanto and circular on the rest. The sizes of these are matched to the over-all sword with the tanto’s only 1 ¾ inches wide, the katana and wakizashi’s at 3 inches, and the great katana’s 4 inches.
Handle- Again nothing really Japanese looking to this as I know it. Its wood pressed between the guard with a thick brass spacer and the pommel with no quick way of dismounting.
Its wrapped with a piece of thin brown leather that is glued on then over-wrapped with a twisted strip of the same this is also glued in place with the end of it near the pommel and wrapped into a small flat piece of leather that is also glued.
It is a pleasantly simple look and actually offers a comfortable but somewhat hard (the glue makes the leather hard on this wrap) grip.
Saya- This is more of a scabbard, really. Like the swords that go in them they are not very Japanese as I understand. They curve along the shape of the blade to come to a rounded point at the end instead of a flat capped end.
They are covered in the same leather as the handles stitched along the bottom with a twisted wrap running from the throat to about one third of the way along it.
They all have a strap attached with a triangular ring to hang them from. The straps on the larger three form a upside down V with one end at the throat and the other at the end of the twisted wrap. The strap of the tanto is just a singe loop holding the ring at the throat of the scabbard. The straps are of a different leather than the wrapping and is smooth on one side and course on the other.
They seem to be for display purposes and aren’t conveniently usable for wearing the sword but they do make a good display when hung on the wall.
Cutting – When I first got these I couldn’t cut anything with them. I put a little time (about an hour and a half for the set) using the Masahiro sharpening kit
( www.swordsofmight.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=31 ) and while I wouldn’t call the sharp yet a little experimentation in technique has brought me to the point that I can make them cut more often than not. The Katana swings nicely but has a balance about an inch and a half shorter than others I have used so it felt super light in the cut and I found it disorienting at first. After I got used to it this was a very smooth cutter. The Great Katana cuts well further back from the tip than I am used to. It has a bit of wobble along the length of the extra long blade. With a good swing it is not too bad but if the swing is off the extra flex causes a pull that is hard to keep on target and once the swing is complete it makes it difficult to recover as well. When it comes to durability these seem quite excellent. They cut into the cedar log I was using for a stand with no signs of working loose. Prior to my learning about proper cutting targets and their preparation I attempted to use the Katana and the Great Katana (they were the only functional swords I had at the time) on a rolled beach mat. Doesn’t sound like such a bad idea? The mat was dry and suspended from a tree limb with the other end securely anchored to the ground. I nearly broke my wrist bringing the Great Katana to a dead stop on that target but neither sword sustained any damage or looseness after multiple attacks.
CONCLUSION- Even though I am fully aware of how un-Japanese the construction of these swords is now I still consider them excellent swords for the price. The tough construction and mild finish make them great beaters. In some ways they have helped me improve my cutting abilities by not having as good geometry as more traditional, easier to use Japanese swords. At only just over $200 even the Great Katana is a great value for someone who wants to experiment with a longer heavier blade. The plain brass tsuba and pommel and copper habaki are simple and don’t mark easily compared with the more ornate ones. The full leather wraps of the sayas also make them more resilient that the traditional gloss lacquered. While it isn’t right for any practice in traditional sword arts this sword set definitely looks good enough for collecting and display and it is tough enough to give a good time to the backyard hobbyist cutter.
Fit- Set 4/5
Finish- Set 3/5
Handling- Katana 5/5 Great Katana 3/5
Structural Integrity- Set 5/5
Value for the money- 4/5
Overall- 4/5