Kris Cutlery 29A katana. new model.
Aug 8, 2008 4:45:44 GMT
Post by slav on Aug 8, 2008 4:45:44 GMT
Kris Cutlery 29A katana.
reviewed by Slavia631.
While browsing Kris Cutlery's website about a week ago, I came across their newest standard katana offering, the 29A. I was very impressed by the looks of the sword, and was extremely intrigued by it's description, which seemed to indicate that the 29A is 8mm thick at the mune-machi! By that notion alone, I knew that I had to get one of these beasts.
Oddly enough, I found out just that day that I friend of mine from SFI had acquired a new 29A and 26A, and was intending to sell the 29A. Needless to say I jumped all over that and the sword was on my doorstep within a few days, neatly packed.
As soon as I unpacked it, I was blown away by the crisp lines and overall quality of the blade. KC claims that this is their best standard katana produced to date, and I couldn't agree more. The fittings and koshirae were also top-notch.
The sword handles and balances like a dream.
Statistics:
Blade: 29 inches; 5160 carbon steel
Hamon: straight 60 RC hardness
Handle: ten and three fourth inches
Nakago (tang): 8.5-9 inches
Tsuba: 3 inches diameter
Weight: 2.6 lbs. (without scabbard)
DESIGN, FIT, and FINISH
The Blade
The first thing I noticed about the blade is that the kasane is definitely not 8mm thick. It is 6mm thick, which is not the monster that I thought it was...but still very substantial (on-par with the Kaze or Tenchi). I contacted Cristina at KC about this, and she informed me that the 8mm figure indicated in the description refers to the size of the shinogi, not the kasane. Okay.
The blade is very very well shaped; with the most traditional geometry that I have seen in a KC. It tapers very nicely to a beautiful kamasu kissaki. I must say that the kissaki on the 29A is not the usual poorly-scratched-on version that we see on previous KC's. It is actually very elegant, and finished better than Cheness and similar brands.
The first thing I did after inspecting the sword was to etch out the real hamon! I was pleasantly surprised with a nice straight hamon varying from 1/4" to 1/2", just like the description said, with some interesting and different activity to-boot.
To me, the presence of a nice boshi is what makes or breaks a katana's aesthetics. The 29A delivers in this department, with a nicely rounded boshi and turnback:
The nagako of the blade is very elegant, and actually curves and tapers properly to follow the blade's sori. Kudos to KC for that!
Very nice blade!
Tsuka/Fittings
The tsuka on this thing is awesome.
It is actually curved, which is a rare thing to find in our price range. The fuchi and kashira are made of blackened iron, rahter than zinc alloy. The tsuba is also blackened iron, and is very appealing in it's simplicity.
The tsuka-maki is superbly tight, and is actually correct (alternating wrap direction on each "X"), which is almost never seen in our price range. The only unexpected thing about the tsuka is the lack of real same, in favor of some woven material (possibly fiberglass) lacquered black.
The tsuka is also really substantial and beefy, as you can see:
Very nice tsuka!
Saya
The 29A's saya is in KC's typical wood grain finish, but sports a nice horn? kurikata, iron koiguchi, and has an iron endcap too. Fit is decent.
CONCLUSION
I decided not to do any cutting at all with this sword, because I intend to sell it since it is not what I expected in terms of thickness (which is, after all, the reason that I bought it in the first place ).
The Kris Cutlery 29A is a superb sword. The blade is truly DH with an impressive hamon, and the fittings/tsuka are better than is seen on just about any other sword in the price range. With dimensions comparable to the Kaze--and considering KC's reputation for producing very hard and sharp blades--I would venture to say that the blade would be an excellent cutter.
Whether on the display stand, in the dojo, or in the backyard; the Kris Cutlery 29A katana should prove to be one of the best and most exciting katanas in the sub-$300 price range.
Rating
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 5/5
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 5/5
OVERALL: 4.8/5 Awesome!
reviewed by Slavia631.
While browsing Kris Cutlery's website about a week ago, I came across their newest standard katana offering, the 29A. I was very impressed by the looks of the sword, and was extremely intrigued by it's description, which seemed to indicate that the 29A is 8mm thick at the mune-machi! By that notion alone, I knew that I had to get one of these beasts.
Oddly enough, I found out just that day that I friend of mine from SFI had acquired a new 29A and 26A, and was intending to sell the 29A. Needless to say I jumped all over that and the sword was on my doorstep within a few days, neatly packed.
As soon as I unpacked it, I was blown away by the crisp lines and overall quality of the blade. KC claims that this is their best standard katana produced to date, and I couldn't agree more. The fittings and koshirae were also top-notch.
The sword handles and balances like a dream.
Statistics:
Blade: 29 inches; 5160 carbon steel
Hamon: straight 60 RC hardness
Handle: ten and three fourth inches
Nakago (tang): 8.5-9 inches
Tsuba: 3 inches diameter
Weight: 2.6 lbs. (without scabbard)
DESIGN, FIT, and FINISH
The Blade
The first thing I noticed about the blade is that the kasane is definitely not 8mm thick. It is 6mm thick, which is not the monster that I thought it was...but still very substantial (on-par with the Kaze or Tenchi). I contacted Cristina at KC about this, and she informed me that the 8mm figure indicated in the description refers to the size of the shinogi, not the kasane. Okay.
The blade is very very well shaped; with the most traditional geometry that I have seen in a KC. It tapers very nicely to a beautiful kamasu kissaki. I must say that the kissaki on the 29A is not the usual poorly-scratched-on version that we see on previous KC's. It is actually very elegant, and finished better than Cheness and similar brands.
The first thing I did after inspecting the sword was to etch out the real hamon! I was pleasantly surprised with a nice straight hamon varying from 1/4" to 1/2", just like the description said, with some interesting and different activity to-boot.
To me, the presence of a nice boshi is what makes or breaks a katana's aesthetics. The 29A delivers in this department, with a nicely rounded boshi and turnback:
The nagako of the blade is very elegant, and actually curves and tapers properly to follow the blade's sori. Kudos to KC for that!
Very nice blade!
Tsuka/Fittings
The tsuka on this thing is awesome.
It is actually curved, which is a rare thing to find in our price range. The fuchi and kashira are made of blackened iron, rahter than zinc alloy. The tsuba is also blackened iron, and is very appealing in it's simplicity.
The tsuka-maki is superbly tight, and is actually correct (alternating wrap direction on each "X"), which is almost never seen in our price range. The only unexpected thing about the tsuka is the lack of real same, in favor of some woven material (possibly fiberglass) lacquered black.
The tsuka is also really substantial and beefy, as you can see:
Very nice tsuka!
Saya
The 29A's saya is in KC's typical wood grain finish, but sports a nice horn? kurikata, iron koiguchi, and has an iron endcap too. Fit is decent.
CONCLUSION
I decided not to do any cutting at all with this sword, because I intend to sell it since it is not what I expected in terms of thickness (which is, after all, the reason that I bought it in the first place ).
The Kris Cutlery 29A is a superb sword. The blade is truly DH with an impressive hamon, and the fittings/tsuka are better than is seen on just about any other sword in the price range. With dimensions comparable to the Kaze--and considering KC's reputation for producing very hard and sharp blades--I would venture to say that the blade would be an excellent cutter.
Whether on the display stand, in the dojo, or in the backyard; the Kris Cutlery 29A katana should prove to be one of the best and most exciting katanas in the sub-$300 price range.
Rating
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 5/5
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 5/5
OVERALL: 4.8/5 Awesome!