SBG Custom Katana Review
Mar 20, 2009 14:54:34 GMT
Post by septofclansinclair on Mar 20, 2009 14:54:34 GMT
(Note: This is a new format of review template that I am still experimenting with – to submit a review, please use the established template as provided by Paul Southren.)
Introduction
When I first got into sword collecting, I had it in my mind that I wanted a “personal” katana. I really enjoyed the unique look of my AOV Custom Gen2 Templar, because it was unlike what anyone else had. My growing collection of katanas was making me happy, but they were all pretty standard. I enjoyed my Tenchi, but it seems like everyone and their dog has one in these parts... I still wanted a katana that would be unique to me. I wanted a sword that I could see in my mind’s eye, but that nobody seemed to make. I considered (briefly) trying to order a fully custom katana from a high end smith, but knew immediately that the price was way out of my bounds (they don’t call the industry I work in “non-profit” for nothing...)
Paul and I had chatted about new ventures for SBG before, but when he mentioned the custom katana project, I was pretty interested. Before the announcement hit the forum I had already seen what the options were, and had some minor input into the process myself (those of you who chose black same... you’re welcome!) The upside was that I managed to be first in line to place an order... the downside was that the process took twice as long for me since I knew about it longer!
Historical overview
Historical information about Katanas is pretty well established in the community... so I can’t add much more to that. I’ll just say that I chose a water themed katana, with blue ito/sageo, black same, black pebbled saya and the wave tsuba and fuchi/kashira. Water themes are pretty prevalent in Japanese culture, them being an island and all, and I thought it would be more than appropriate – especially since I am apparently a “Water-Type” personality, at least according to an online quiz I took, and if you can't trust online personality quizzes then who can you trust, really?
Initial Impressions
My first impression of this katana was when I slid it out of the box in the Post Office (we have some very understanding ladies working for our local outlet). I was very anxious that it would be the wrong one! I am paranoid at the best of times, though, and it turned out to be not a problem.
The katana slid out of the saya with no trouble at all. The blade was oiled and quite shiny, and a quick overview of the fittings revealed that all seemed to be tight at first glance. To test the edge I sliced the shipping order in half, much to the delight of the postal ladies, who were all a-twitter (though someone showing up to buy stamps just turned around and walked right out again – guess they didn’t need to send a letter that badly). I packed it up and took it with me, and took a quick picture immediately (which started the pictures thread...)
Statistics
Blade Length: 28" above the habiki
Tsuka Length: 10.5
Overall Length: 39.5"
Tsuba Width: 3"
POB: 5”
Weight: 2lbs 3oz, near as I can tell
Components
The Blade
As mentioned before, I ordered the bo-hi version of the SBG Custom. I prefer better handling over better cutting – mostly because I don’t intend to cut many people with it! The bo-hi was very even, and there were no hammer marks on the mune (which I had on one of my previous katanas). It was straight and looked good at first glance.
The hamon was not as prominent as I thought it would be... but I didn’t mind. Once I got it into the light and at the right angle it really popped – but in the middle of winter the outdoor light isn’t so hot most of the time (I received it 2 months ago, and it’s been a long, cold winter). Some decent sunlight this past couple of days has lent itself to these pictures.
As expected, the yokote is counter polished and cosmetic... this may or may not be a sticking point for you. I don’t know many manufacturers who have real yokote on their sub-$300 swords (except for Hanwei), so this is common enough. The counter-polish isn’t the worst I’ve seen, but it also isn’t the best... again, not a huge sticking point for me, but it might be for you. I certainly don’t know of any customizable katana manufacturers who have real yokote.
The blade is just wickedly sharp. I won’t trumpet all the T-10 “Supersteel” stuff here – that conversation has been done. But it definitely seems to be the sharpest sword I own. The hamon, while subtle, is very nice and extends all the way up into the kissaki. The finish on the blade is very nice as well – I would probably say that the blade is the best feature of this katana.
The Tsuba
I chose the brass “wave” design tsuba (P1) and I was pretty pleased with what arrived. Like one of Paul’s initial ones, it had been treated with a matte black paint before it came – but true to his word Paul had his QC guy polish it out to reveal the brass beneath. There is still some of the black on it, though, which actually improves the look for me. It would be an easy fix if it did not. The tsuba is firmly in place, no hint of movement.
The Fuchi/Kashira
I chose the pair that matched the tsuba I’d chosen (C1). I would have to say that these are my least favourite feature of the custom sword – I would have preferred brass fittings to match the tsuba instead of... zinc alloy? But it isn’t a huge sticking point for me. They are dark enough that they flow with the overall theme and certainly don’t detract from it, and I know that having actual brass ones would have pushed the price up, so I don’t mind them at all. For the future buyer: the weird green stain in the picture of all the fittings isn’t actually on the C1 fittings... just FYI.
The kashira was actually slightly loose – but not so loose that you noticed it when using the sword. I actually didn’t notice it was loose until I set out to try and wiggle it – it had a bit of up-and-down motion. I could probably pry it off if I really tried to... but after use it hasn’t moved at all, so I don’t think it’s going to be an issue. I’ll probably see if I can squeeze some silicon into the hole just to make it more secure, but it isn’t a bit concern for me at all.
The Tsuka
I was actually really pleased with how this turned out. I’ve got a couple katanas that have handles much too beefy for me, and the size on this one was perfect and tapered well.
The ito I picked was A6, the blue cotton. Black same underneath, as I mentioned before. The contrast works really well, exactly how I hoped it would look; though in some of the pictures the ito looks almost “electric” blue. In person, the blue is much deeper, not quite a royal blue but definitely not as garish as *some* of the photos I’ve taken. Also, I thought I should mention that the ito wrap does not alternate, as it is traditionally supposed to... for me, this bugs me not at all, but I know that some people care about it so I thought I’d mention it.
There was a tiny bit of wood visible above the black same, but only noticeable from certain angles... so it isn’t that big a deal. I think a bit of black paint with a very thin brush would cover it up nicely. I couldn’t even get a good picture of it, so it’s not included – it’s right under the fuchi.
The menuki are... water lilies? Not sure, maybe you can tell.
The Saya
I chose the pebbled black saya to go with the black same, and also because I thought having a blue saya with blue ito and sageo would be a bit overstated for the way I wanted it to look. This is my first saya that isn’t the usual lacquered black, and I have to say I prefer the pebbled look. It doesn’t get covered with fingerprints and isn’t too shiny – the sageo is the same colour as the ito, too, which adds some continuity throughout the whole sword.
Handling Characteristics
Based on Paul’s review, I had been expecting the Custom to feel a bit lighter. I was a bit surprised at how it felt in hand – it felt more tip-heavy than I was expecting, not necessarily in a bad way, though. It feels like it would cut very solidly through whatever I put in front of it (within reason), and it moves very smoothly. It isn’t the lightest katana I’ve held before, but it is also not the heaviest. I think I’d say that the handling is good, not quite what I was expecting but still more than acceptable.
One thing I did notice was that, even though it was still heavier than I had been expecting, it still was easy to move and swing. I don’t think that someone would be disappointed with it, it certainly doesn’t feel too heavy to use. Overall I’m quite happy with how it handles, even if it isn’t as “lightsaber-ish” as I had originally thought it would be.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
It’s still way too cold to do any cutting outside here... but Paul’s videos of these swords in action were pretty good. Also, like any DH sword I won’t be using it extensively before getting training to cut properly. I’ll do light cutting only against soft targets, because I don’t want to risk damaging it because of how bad my form is.
Conclusions
This is a really great katana. Even the things on it that didn’t turn out the way I was expecting – like the handling – were fine. It still handles great, looks great, and I have a feeling that when I get it out this spring when the weather warms up it’s going to cut great as well. Because I chose the way it looked, it has a much higher value to me than $330 – it’s great as a “personal katana” for someone like me who can’t afford a customized Sorrell or even a Rawblade. Even though there are some things that I’d like to see changed overall – like having the fuchi/kashira be brass, and having a real, geometric yokote – those things don’t matter all that much to me and are certainly MORE than acceptable at this price range... and when you factor in the customization, those minor issues don’t seem quite as important.
Pros
- ability to customize the fittings is great at this price point
- great looking & sharp blade
- well wrapped and sized tsuka
- Nice fittings overall - pebbled saya is a good thing!
- (specific to this design): the wave tsuba and fittings go well with the black and blue colour scheme – it turned out exactly how I wanted it to
Cons
- handles well, but not quite as light as I’d been hoping for
- slightly loose kashira
- would like to see brass fuchi/kashira instead of alloy, and real yokote if it didn’t drive the price up too much – but those are minor (at least for me)
The Bottom Line
I’d recommend this to anyone, the ability to order a semi-customized katana for $330 is fantastic.
Introduction
When I first got into sword collecting, I had it in my mind that I wanted a “personal” katana. I really enjoyed the unique look of my AOV Custom Gen2 Templar, because it was unlike what anyone else had. My growing collection of katanas was making me happy, but they were all pretty standard. I enjoyed my Tenchi, but it seems like everyone and their dog has one in these parts... I still wanted a katana that would be unique to me. I wanted a sword that I could see in my mind’s eye, but that nobody seemed to make. I considered (briefly) trying to order a fully custom katana from a high end smith, but knew immediately that the price was way out of my bounds (they don’t call the industry I work in “non-profit” for nothing...)
Paul and I had chatted about new ventures for SBG before, but when he mentioned the custom katana project, I was pretty interested. Before the announcement hit the forum I had already seen what the options were, and had some minor input into the process myself (those of you who chose black same... you’re welcome!) The upside was that I managed to be first in line to place an order... the downside was that the process took twice as long for me since I knew about it longer!
Historical overview
Historical information about Katanas is pretty well established in the community... so I can’t add much more to that. I’ll just say that I chose a water themed katana, with blue ito/sageo, black same, black pebbled saya and the wave tsuba and fuchi/kashira. Water themes are pretty prevalent in Japanese culture, them being an island and all, and I thought it would be more than appropriate – especially since I am apparently a “Water-Type” personality, at least according to an online quiz I took, and if you can't trust online personality quizzes then who can you trust, really?
Initial Impressions
My first impression of this katana was when I slid it out of the box in the Post Office (we have some very understanding ladies working for our local outlet). I was very anxious that it would be the wrong one! I am paranoid at the best of times, though, and it turned out to be not a problem.
The katana slid out of the saya with no trouble at all. The blade was oiled and quite shiny, and a quick overview of the fittings revealed that all seemed to be tight at first glance. To test the edge I sliced the shipping order in half, much to the delight of the postal ladies, who were all a-twitter (though someone showing up to buy stamps just turned around and walked right out again – guess they didn’t need to send a letter that badly). I packed it up and took it with me, and took a quick picture immediately (which started the pictures thread...)
Statistics
Blade Length: 28" above the habiki
Tsuka Length: 10.5
Overall Length: 39.5"
Tsuba Width: 3"
POB: 5”
Weight: 2lbs 3oz, near as I can tell
Components
The Blade
As mentioned before, I ordered the bo-hi version of the SBG Custom. I prefer better handling over better cutting – mostly because I don’t intend to cut many people with it! The bo-hi was very even, and there were no hammer marks on the mune (which I had on one of my previous katanas). It was straight and looked good at first glance.
The hamon was not as prominent as I thought it would be... but I didn’t mind. Once I got it into the light and at the right angle it really popped – but in the middle of winter the outdoor light isn’t so hot most of the time (I received it 2 months ago, and it’s been a long, cold winter). Some decent sunlight this past couple of days has lent itself to these pictures.
As expected, the yokote is counter polished and cosmetic... this may or may not be a sticking point for you. I don’t know many manufacturers who have real yokote on their sub-$300 swords (except for Hanwei), so this is common enough. The counter-polish isn’t the worst I’ve seen, but it also isn’t the best... again, not a huge sticking point for me, but it might be for you. I certainly don’t know of any customizable katana manufacturers who have real yokote.
The blade is just wickedly sharp. I won’t trumpet all the T-10 “Supersteel” stuff here – that conversation has been done. But it definitely seems to be the sharpest sword I own. The hamon, while subtle, is very nice and extends all the way up into the kissaki. The finish on the blade is very nice as well – I would probably say that the blade is the best feature of this katana.
The Tsuba
I chose the brass “wave” design tsuba (P1) and I was pretty pleased with what arrived. Like one of Paul’s initial ones, it had been treated with a matte black paint before it came – but true to his word Paul had his QC guy polish it out to reveal the brass beneath. There is still some of the black on it, though, which actually improves the look for me. It would be an easy fix if it did not. The tsuba is firmly in place, no hint of movement.
The Fuchi/Kashira
I chose the pair that matched the tsuba I’d chosen (C1). I would have to say that these are my least favourite feature of the custom sword – I would have preferred brass fittings to match the tsuba instead of... zinc alloy? But it isn’t a huge sticking point for me. They are dark enough that they flow with the overall theme and certainly don’t detract from it, and I know that having actual brass ones would have pushed the price up, so I don’t mind them at all. For the future buyer: the weird green stain in the picture of all the fittings isn’t actually on the C1 fittings... just FYI.
The kashira was actually slightly loose – but not so loose that you noticed it when using the sword. I actually didn’t notice it was loose until I set out to try and wiggle it – it had a bit of up-and-down motion. I could probably pry it off if I really tried to... but after use it hasn’t moved at all, so I don’t think it’s going to be an issue. I’ll probably see if I can squeeze some silicon into the hole just to make it more secure, but it isn’t a bit concern for me at all.
The Tsuka
I was actually really pleased with how this turned out. I’ve got a couple katanas that have handles much too beefy for me, and the size on this one was perfect and tapered well.
The ito I picked was A6, the blue cotton. Black same underneath, as I mentioned before. The contrast works really well, exactly how I hoped it would look; though in some of the pictures the ito looks almost “electric” blue. In person, the blue is much deeper, not quite a royal blue but definitely not as garish as *some* of the photos I’ve taken. Also, I thought I should mention that the ito wrap does not alternate, as it is traditionally supposed to... for me, this bugs me not at all, but I know that some people care about it so I thought I’d mention it.
There was a tiny bit of wood visible above the black same, but only noticeable from certain angles... so it isn’t that big a deal. I think a bit of black paint with a very thin brush would cover it up nicely. I couldn’t even get a good picture of it, so it’s not included – it’s right under the fuchi.
The menuki are... water lilies? Not sure, maybe you can tell.
The Saya
I chose the pebbled black saya to go with the black same, and also because I thought having a blue saya with blue ito and sageo would be a bit overstated for the way I wanted it to look. This is my first saya that isn’t the usual lacquered black, and I have to say I prefer the pebbled look. It doesn’t get covered with fingerprints and isn’t too shiny – the sageo is the same colour as the ito, too, which adds some continuity throughout the whole sword.
Handling Characteristics
Based on Paul’s review, I had been expecting the Custom to feel a bit lighter. I was a bit surprised at how it felt in hand – it felt more tip-heavy than I was expecting, not necessarily in a bad way, though. It feels like it would cut very solidly through whatever I put in front of it (within reason), and it moves very smoothly. It isn’t the lightest katana I’ve held before, but it is also not the heaviest. I think I’d say that the handling is good, not quite what I was expecting but still more than acceptable.
One thing I did notice was that, even though it was still heavier than I had been expecting, it still was easy to move and swing. I don’t think that someone would be disappointed with it, it certainly doesn’t feel too heavy to use. Overall I’m quite happy with how it handles, even if it isn’t as “lightsaber-ish” as I had originally thought it would be.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
It’s still way too cold to do any cutting outside here... but Paul’s videos of these swords in action were pretty good. Also, like any DH sword I won’t be using it extensively before getting training to cut properly. I’ll do light cutting only against soft targets, because I don’t want to risk damaging it because of how bad my form is.
Conclusions
This is a really great katana. Even the things on it that didn’t turn out the way I was expecting – like the handling – were fine. It still handles great, looks great, and I have a feeling that when I get it out this spring when the weather warms up it’s going to cut great as well. Because I chose the way it looked, it has a much higher value to me than $330 – it’s great as a “personal katana” for someone like me who can’t afford a customized Sorrell or even a Rawblade. Even though there are some things that I’d like to see changed overall – like having the fuchi/kashira be brass, and having a real, geometric yokote – those things don’t matter all that much to me and are certainly MORE than acceptable at this price range... and when you factor in the customization, those minor issues don’t seem quite as important.
Pros
- ability to customize the fittings is great at this price point
- great looking & sharp blade
- well wrapped and sized tsuka
- Nice fittings overall - pebbled saya is a good thing!
- (specific to this design): the wave tsuba and fittings go well with the black and blue colour scheme – it turned out exactly how I wanted it to
Cons
- handles well, but not quite as light as I’d been hoping for
- slightly loose kashira
- would like to see brass fuchi/kashira instead of alloy, and real yokote if it didn’t drive the price up too much – but those are minor (at least for me)
The Bottom Line
I’d recommend this to anyone, the ability to order a semi-customized katana for $330 is fantastic.