Dynasty Forge Tri-Steel Shobu Katana
Mar 21, 2009 22:46:08 GMT
Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2009 22:46:08 GMT
Dynasty Forge Tri-Steel Shobu Katana in Cherry Blossom Theme
Reviewed by: Michael Dreyer, Iowa City, Iowa
Reason for Purchase
It is a little strange how I ended up with this blade because I had absolutely no intention of purchasing this sword. I originally ordered a bushi class hybrid polish mokko vine themed katana from WSS. However, there was evidently some problems with the order and they were not able to fulfill my order, wiwingti contacted me and said they could either refund my money or they could send me this upgraded blade. I initially wanted the other sword because I was very fond of the aesthetics and when I heard this was just plain black I was not exactly thrilled. But after some thought I was getting 200$ worth of a better blade for a very good price, so I ended up choosing it. I must give a shout out to Wiwingti for his wonderful service and really worked and in contacting to me to find out exactly what decision I wanted to make, there is no doubt in my mind I will be purchasing from him again, you simply can't beat his customer service.
Initial Impression
The sword took about 3 weeks to arrive, dynasty forge takes about 2 weeks to ship their swords to anyone and I knew this so it wasn't a big deal to wait seeing as I was on spring break anyways When the sword arrived it was wrapped in a nice navy blue sword bag and nicely packed in the box.
Upon taking the sword out of the bag and saya, I was quite taken back at the quality of the blade... I have only been collecting and studying Japanese katana for about a year and I can honestly say this is the finest blade that I have held. I knew that I was getting and upgrade on the blade, but wow I was very impressed. The sword was a little heavier than the other swords I have, but I can attribute that to the fact that this blade has no hi as my other swords do.
Specs
Blade Length 28.5"
Tsuka Length 12.5"
Overall Length 41"
Hamon: Suguha (straight)
Design, Fit, and Finish
The Blade
The blade as I mentioned earlier is simply stunning, it is made out of 1095/1080/1060 tri steel and clay tempered with a straight hamon, it is a pretty subtle hamon but nonetheless very elegant. The sword has no hi and is designed to be a predominate cutter. The blade is also very unique in that it does not have yokote. The Shobu, meaning iris leaf is a reproduction of the sword made for Mongol invasion which features a diamond cross-section that flares at the Shinogi, the edge has a wider cutting angle, thus reinforcing the edge. Overall a fantastic blade, but I must admit that my photography skills are lacking in a big way and do not do this sword justice but I hope they can give you a fairly decent idea of what this sword is like.
Tsuka
The tsuka is wrapped in black silk ito and is wrapped nice and tight and is decorated with a pair of cherry blossom menuki. The grips feels good and solid in the hands and the ito is pretty nice.
Fittings
I am quite fond of the tsuba because of its simplicity and almost antique look that still maintains a fairly high quality. The rest of the fittings match and are pretty nice. Overall I would say the fittings are average, they are definitely not cheap by any means, but the quality is not superb, although they are all on tight and look good the really quality of this sword definitely lies in the blade.
Conclusion
For not being the original sword I intended to get and not sure exactly what to expect when I got it I really couldn't ask for too much more. The blade is simply amazing and very unique, everything is nice and tight and fits great. The sword as a whole just feels fantastic in my hands. Although I have not cut anything with it because I am deciding whether or not I want to sell it or not, I can still tell that this sword would be a monster cutter. All in all I paid $470 shipping included for a sword that retails for $700. I really couldn't ask for to much more especially from wiwingti he is a great sales person and runs a great company so I definitely have to give credited where credited is due, I would not have had this sword without him.
SBG Ratings
Historical Accuracy: 5/5 (this is a replica of the pre-mongol invasion sword and from what I can tell is accurate.. Correct me if I am wrong.)
Fit and Finish: 5/5
Handling: 5/5
Structual Integrity: N/A (I haven't cut anything yet but feels solid.)
Value for Money: 5/5 Well at least for my 470$
Overall: 5/5
Dynasty Forge as by far met and surpassed my expectations. If you have any doubt about buying one of their blades... Forget about it.
Thanks for taking the time to read this
-Mav