comparison between two handmadesword 1095 katanas
Dec 4, 2008 20:44:18 GMT
Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2008 20:44:18 GMT
First of all, I know there’re a few opponents of handmadesword, here on the forum. I’m not trying to say if this is a good or a bad company. I’ll only try to give you an objective view on two Katanas I own of this company. First I’m gone take each sword apart and after this I’ll compare the two swords.
Comparison between two handmadesword katanas of 1095 steel.
Crane-Katana (Fully Hand Forged Clay Tempered Practical Crane Katana Sword #227)
First some background-history on cranes in Japanese Mythology. The cranes' beauty and their spectacular mating dances have made them highly symbolic birds in many cultures with records dating back to ancient times. Crane mythology is widely spread and can be found in areas such as the Aegean, South Arabia, China, Korea, Japan and in the Native American cultures of North America. A crane is considered auspicious in China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. It is one of the symbols of longevity and is often represented with other symbols of long life, such as pine, bamboo, and the tortoise. Vietnamese people consider crane and dragon to be symbols of their culture. In feudal Japan the crane was protected by the ruling classes and fed by the peasants. When the feudal system was abolished in the Meiji era of the 19th century, the protection of cranes was lost. With effort they have been brought back from the brink of extinction. Japan has named one of their satellites tsuru (crane, the bird). According to tradition, if one folds 1000 origami cranes one's wish for health will be granted. Since the death of Sadako Sasaki this applies to a wish for peace as well. Generally speaking, cranes are symbols of good luck! In both China and Japan, the crane has great importance. Its called the intermediary between earth and heaven, a messenger of the gods to humans and was said to carry souls to the Western Paradise at death. It represents long life, immortality, good fortune, happiness, and vigilance. In many cultures, the crane is held to be sacred. In addition to being called the messenger to the gods, it is also a weather prophet, as it will alight on the ground before a storm arrives. The crane symbolizes the spiritual ability to enter a higher state of consciousness. There also is a folk story in Japan. There was a hunter once upon a time, and he found a crane in a trap. He set it free, and it flew away. Some time afterwards a young woman came to stay with him, and they married. She used to weave wonderful fabrics, but she would never let him watch her. Because they were such excellent fabrics, and fetched such high prices when he took them to town, he decided to spy on her one night … and he found that his wife turned (back) into a crane to do her weaving! She was the trapped crane that he had freed. (It has similarities to ‘the elves and the shoemaker’, don’t you think?)Strings of origami cranes are strung up at shrines, and they were given to kamikaze pilots during WWII, because in legends cranes are said to have exceptionally long lives - 1,000 years to be precise!! If THAT sounds excessive, turtles live for 10,000 years!!!
On the site you’ll read they will send the katana in a deluxe silk box (and they do).
The package includes an assembled katana, a maintenance kit, a katana stand, black cotton katana bag and a katana certificate.
DESIGN, FIT and FINISH
The handmadesword crane Katana features a sharpened 1095 high carbon steel blade. The blade has been hand forged and tempered and features no bo-hi groove and distinct hamon. The Brass Crane tsuba depicts a silver crane and a turtle with gold plated accents. The wood grip is covered in genuine rayskin and has a black cord wrap.
Stats:
Weight : 1245 gr
Blade : 74 cm
Overall length : 105 cm
Point of balance : 11 cm after tsuba
The Blade
This blade has a beautiful mirror polish. It was very hard to take a clear picture because it had to be cloudy. Otherwise I got only a mass reflection. There’s no bo-hi and it’s a light curved blade. The blade came sharp. The distinct hamon is very difficult to take a picture of it, hereunder I gave it a try.
The kissaki is well defined and the hamon runs thru it, to the tip of the blade.
The tang has a signature and is numbered.
The Tsuka
The tsuka is wood wrapped with real rayskin and wrapped with a black cotton ito, also double pegged.
The ito isn’t the quality I would take for this price of katana. On contrary are they very generous on their rayskin.
The fuchi is a brass crane themed state of the art piece.
The menuki are dragon themed brass fittings (I think?).
The quality of the rayskin is not top of the bill but certainly not bad.
The Kashira
It’s a brass fitting and I think it must be a turtle or something like that.
The Tsuba
This is one of my most beautiful tsubas I own. Very nice detailed and with different color-accents.
The Saya
Black piano lacquered wood with black cotton Sageo.
The Crane katana fits very well in the saya.
The koiguchi (saya opening) is completely lacquered like the saya.
TESTING
Let’s eat some junk!!!
Video cutting plastic bottles
Nice clean cuts? Yes, I think so.
Video cutting a bottle on a wire.
In this video you can see the sharpness of the blade. The bottle almost doesn’t move and the water falls vertically to the ground.
Video cutting tatami mat
VERY nice clean cuts.
5 minutes of pleasure…
CONCLUSION
I’m not gona give a conclusion on this blade, only after the comparison.
THE VERDICT
Historical Accuracy: N/A
Fit and Finish: 5/5
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 5/5
Value for Money: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5
WHERE TO BUY
As we all know at handmadesword.com for 399.99$ + shipping. I know it’s over the 300 mark but I think still the worth to mention.
The second katana is a much cheaper one of this company but in the same steel-class.
Bamboo-Katana (Fully Hand Forged Clay Temper Practical Bamboo Samurai Katana Sword #344)
First some background-history on bamboo in Japanese Mythology. Bamboo's long life makes it a Chinese symbol of longevity, while in India it is a symbol of friendship. The rarity of its blossoming has led to the flowers' being regarded as a sign of impending famine. This may be due to rats feeding upon the profusion of flowers, then multiplying and destroying a large part of the local food supply. The most recent flowering began in May 2006. Bamboo is said to bloom in this manner only about every 50 years. In Japan, a bamboo forest sometimes surrounds a Shinto shrine as part of a sacred barrier against evil. Many Buddhist temples also have bamboo groves. Several Asian cultures, including that of the Andaman Islands, believe that humanity emerged from a bamboo stem. In the Philippine creation myth, legend tells that the first man and the first woman each emerged from split bamboo stems on an island created after the battle of the elemental forces (Sky and Ocean). In Malaysian legends a similar story includes a man who dreams of a beautiful woman while sleeping under a bamboo plant; he wakes up and breaks the bamboo stem, discovering the woman inside. The Japanese folktale "Tale of the Bamboo Cutter" (Taketori Monogatari) tells of a princess from the Moon emerging from a shining bamboo section. Hawaiian bamboo ('ohe) is a kinolau or body form of the Polynesian creator god Kane Milohai.
On the site you’ll read they will send the katana in a tube katana box.
The package includes an assembled katana, black cotton katana bag and a katana certificate.
DESIGN, FIT and FINISH
The handmadesword bamboo katana features a sharpened 1095 high carbon steel blade. The blade has been hand forged and tempered and features a bo-hi groove and distinct hamon. The wood grip is covered in genuine rayskin and has a black cord wrap.
Stats:
Weight : 1035 gr
Blade : 72 cm
Overall length : 100 cm
Point of balance : 13 cm after tsuba
The Blade
This blade hasn’t got such a beautiful mirror polish. It’s more a satin polish. There’s a bo-hi and it’s a light curved blade (but more than the other katana). The blade came sharp. The distinct hamon is more easy to take a picture of it.
The kissaki isn’t well defined but the hamon runs thru it, to the tip of the blade.
The tang has a signature and is numbered.
The Tsuka
The tsuka is wood wrapped with real rayskin and wrapped with a black cotton ito, also double pegged.
The ito is more the quality I would take for this price of katana.
The fuchi is a bamboo pattern themed iron piece.
The menuki are bamboo themed fittings.
The quality of the rayskin is certainly not top of the bill.
The Kashira
It’s a bamboo themed fitting.
The Tsuba
This is a very simple iron tsuba but also very nice detailed.
The Saya
Black piano lacquered wood with black cotton Sageo.
The bamboo katana fits very well in the saya. A bit too good in fact.
The koiguchi (saya opening) isn’t completely lacquered like the saya.
TESTING
Let’s see if it’s as good as the other katana.
Video cutting plastic bottles
Plastic bottles? No problem for this katana.
Video cutting a bottle on a wire.
Video cutting tatami mat
It looks like nice clean cuts, but if you saw the video, he would tell us something else.
5 minutes of pleasure…
THE VERDICT
Historical Accuracy: N/A
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Handling: 3/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 3/5
OVERALL: 3/5
WHERE TO BUY
As we all know at handmadesword.com for 189.99$ + shipping.
CONCLUSION
First question : are two blades of the same company and made of the same steeltype also the same quality? Definitely not!
They both clamed to be a distinct REAL hamon, now my question is which is the real one because they differ very much from each other.
The kissaki is also a great difference on these blades. The upper one is the crane katna and the lower one is the bamboo katana.
Both tangs are engraved with a different black smith's signature. So they are not a forge or something but more like an importer.
There also is a great difference in both tsukas. The crane katana is bigger in all proportions.
The tsuba-quality is also a great difference between both katanas (and not only in size!)
In short, all the fittings differ very much on these, same type, katanas.
So let’s summarize. Is there a difference between these two, same steel-type, katanas?
Yes, there is.
Are they cheap?
A katana of 400$ may have some quality, don’t? And for the bamboo katana I think you better take the musashi one, he’s cheaper and almost similar.
Do I have a good katana? Sorry folks but YES, my crane katana is one of my favorites.
I hope to have informed you well and if there are some questions….POST IT and I’ll reply as good as I can.
Comparison between two handmadesword katanas of 1095 steel.
Crane-Katana (Fully Hand Forged Clay Tempered Practical Crane Katana Sword #227)
First some background-history on cranes in Japanese Mythology. The cranes' beauty and their spectacular mating dances have made them highly symbolic birds in many cultures with records dating back to ancient times. Crane mythology is widely spread and can be found in areas such as the Aegean, South Arabia, China, Korea, Japan and in the Native American cultures of North America. A crane is considered auspicious in China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. It is one of the symbols of longevity and is often represented with other symbols of long life, such as pine, bamboo, and the tortoise. Vietnamese people consider crane and dragon to be symbols of their culture. In feudal Japan the crane was protected by the ruling classes and fed by the peasants. When the feudal system was abolished in the Meiji era of the 19th century, the protection of cranes was lost. With effort they have been brought back from the brink of extinction. Japan has named one of their satellites tsuru (crane, the bird). According to tradition, if one folds 1000 origami cranes one's wish for health will be granted. Since the death of Sadako Sasaki this applies to a wish for peace as well. Generally speaking, cranes are symbols of good luck! In both China and Japan, the crane has great importance. Its called the intermediary between earth and heaven, a messenger of the gods to humans and was said to carry souls to the Western Paradise at death. It represents long life, immortality, good fortune, happiness, and vigilance. In many cultures, the crane is held to be sacred. In addition to being called the messenger to the gods, it is also a weather prophet, as it will alight on the ground before a storm arrives. The crane symbolizes the spiritual ability to enter a higher state of consciousness. There also is a folk story in Japan. There was a hunter once upon a time, and he found a crane in a trap. He set it free, and it flew away. Some time afterwards a young woman came to stay with him, and they married. She used to weave wonderful fabrics, but she would never let him watch her. Because they were such excellent fabrics, and fetched such high prices when he took them to town, he decided to spy on her one night … and he found that his wife turned (back) into a crane to do her weaving! She was the trapped crane that he had freed. (It has similarities to ‘the elves and the shoemaker’, don’t you think?)Strings of origami cranes are strung up at shrines, and they were given to kamikaze pilots during WWII, because in legends cranes are said to have exceptionally long lives - 1,000 years to be precise!! If THAT sounds excessive, turtles live for 10,000 years!!!
Handmadesword Crane Katana
Review by Serge Winckelmans, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Review by Serge Winckelmans, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
On the site you’ll read they will send the katana in a deluxe silk box (and they do).
The package includes an assembled katana, a maintenance kit, a katana stand, black cotton katana bag and a katana certificate.
DESIGN, FIT and FINISH
The handmadesword crane Katana features a sharpened 1095 high carbon steel blade. The blade has been hand forged and tempered and features no bo-hi groove and distinct hamon. The Brass Crane tsuba depicts a silver crane and a turtle with gold plated accents. The wood grip is covered in genuine rayskin and has a black cord wrap.
Stats:
Weight : 1245 gr
Blade : 74 cm
Overall length : 105 cm
Point of balance : 11 cm after tsuba
The Blade
This blade has a beautiful mirror polish. It was very hard to take a clear picture because it had to be cloudy. Otherwise I got only a mass reflection. There’s no bo-hi and it’s a light curved blade. The blade came sharp. The distinct hamon is very difficult to take a picture of it, hereunder I gave it a try.
The kissaki is well defined and the hamon runs thru it, to the tip of the blade.
The tang has a signature and is numbered.
The Tsuka
The tsuka is wood wrapped with real rayskin and wrapped with a black cotton ito, also double pegged.
The ito isn’t the quality I would take for this price of katana. On contrary are they very generous on their rayskin.
The fuchi is a brass crane themed state of the art piece.
The menuki are dragon themed brass fittings (I think?).
The quality of the rayskin is not top of the bill but certainly not bad.
The Kashira
It’s a brass fitting and I think it must be a turtle or something like that.
The Tsuba
This is one of my most beautiful tsubas I own. Very nice detailed and with different color-accents.
The Saya
Black piano lacquered wood with black cotton Sageo.
The Crane katana fits very well in the saya.
The koiguchi (saya opening) is completely lacquered like the saya.
TESTING
Let’s eat some junk!!!
Video cutting plastic bottles
Nice clean cuts? Yes, I think so.
Video cutting a bottle on a wire.
In this video you can see the sharpness of the blade. The bottle almost doesn’t move and the water falls vertically to the ground.
Video cutting tatami mat
VERY nice clean cuts.
5 minutes of pleasure…
CONCLUSION
I’m not gona give a conclusion on this blade, only after the comparison.
THE VERDICT
Historical Accuracy: N/A
Fit and Finish: 5/5
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 5/5
Value for Money: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5
WHERE TO BUY
As we all know at handmadesword.com for 399.99$ + shipping. I know it’s over the 300 mark but I think still the worth to mention.
The second katana is a much cheaper one of this company but in the same steel-class.
Bamboo-Katana (Fully Hand Forged Clay Temper Practical Bamboo Samurai Katana Sword #344)
First some background-history on bamboo in Japanese Mythology. Bamboo's long life makes it a Chinese symbol of longevity, while in India it is a symbol of friendship. The rarity of its blossoming has led to the flowers' being regarded as a sign of impending famine. This may be due to rats feeding upon the profusion of flowers, then multiplying and destroying a large part of the local food supply. The most recent flowering began in May 2006. Bamboo is said to bloom in this manner only about every 50 years. In Japan, a bamboo forest sometimes surrounds a Shinto shrine as part of a sacred barrier against evil. Many Buddhist temples also have bamboo groves. Several Asian cultures, including that of the Andaman Islands, believe that humanity emerged from a bamboo stem. In the Philippine creation myth, legend tells that the first man and the first woman each emerged from split bamboo stems on an island created after the battle of the elemental forces (Sky and Ocean). In Malaysian legends a similar story includes a man who dreams of a beautiful woman while sleeping under a bamboo plant; he wakes up and breaks the bamboo stem, discovering the woman inside. The Japanese folktale "Tale of the Bamboo Cutter" (Taketori Monogatari) tells of a princess from the Moon emerging from a shining bamboo section. Hawaiian bamboo ('ohe) is a kinolau or body form of the Polynesian creator god Kane Milohai.
Handmadesword bamboo Katana
Review by Serge Winckelmans, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Review by Serge Winckelmans, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
On the site you’ll read they will send the katana in a tube katana box.
The package includes an assembled katana, black cotton katana bag and a katana certificate.
DESIGN, FIT and FINISH
The handmadesword bamboo katana features a sharpened 1095 high carbon steel blade. The blade has been hand forged and tempered and features a bo-hi groove and distinct hamon. The wood grip is covered in genuine rayskin and has a black cord wrap.
Stats:
Weight : 1035 gr
Blade : 72 cm
Overall length : 100 cm
Point of balance : 13 cm after tsuba
The Blade
This blade hasn’t got such a beautiful mirror polish. It’s more a satin polish. There’s a bo-hi and it’s a light curved blade (but more than the other katana). The blade came sharp. The distinct hamon is more easy to take a picture of it.
The kissaki isn’t well defined but the hamon runs thru it, to the tip of the blade.
The tang has a signature and is numbered.
The Tsuka
The tsuka is wood wrapped with real rayskin and wrapped with a black cotton ito, also double pegged.
The ito is more the quality I would take for this price of katana.
The fuchi is a bamboo pattern themed iron piece.
The menuki are bamboo themed fittings.
The quality of the rayskin is certainly not top of the bill.
The Kashira
It’s a bamboo themed fitting.
The Tsuba
This is a very simple iron tsuba but also very nice detailed.
The Saya
Black piano lacquered wood with black cotton Sageo.
The bamboo katana fits very well in the saya. A bit too good in fact.
The koiguchi (saya opening) isn’t completely lacquered like the saya.
TESTING
Let’s see if it’s as good as the other katana.
Video cutting plastic bottles
Plastic bottles? No problem for this katana.
Video cutting a bottle on a wire.
Video cutting tatami mat
It looks like nice clean cuts, but if you saw the video, he would tell us something else.
5 minutes of pleasure…
THE VERDICT
Historical Accuracy: N/A
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Handling: 3/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 3/5
OVERALL: 3/5
WHERE TO BUY
As we all know at handmadesword.com for 189.99$ + shipping.
CONCLUSION
First question : are two blades of the same company and made of the same steeltype also the same quality? Definitely not!
They both clamed to be a distinct REAL hamon, now my question is which is the real one because they differ very much from each other.
The kissaki is also a great difference on these blades. The upper one is the crane katna and the lower one is the bamboo katana.
Both tangs are engraved with a different black smith's signature. So they are not a forge or something but more like an importer.
There also is a great difference in both tsukas. The crane katana is bigger in all proportions.
The tsuba-quality is also a great difference between both katanas (and not only in size!)
In short, all the fittings differ very much on these, same type, katanas.
So let’s summarize. Is there a difference between these two, same steel-type, katanas?
Yes, there is.
Are they cheap?
A katana of 400$ may have some quality, don’t? And for the bamboo katana I think you better take the musashi one, he’s cheaper and almost similar.
Do I have a good katana? Sorry folks but YES, my crane katana is one of my favorites.
I hope to have informed you well and if there are some questions….POST IT and I’ll reply as good as I can.