SBG Custom Katana REVIEW dragon themed
Apr 24, 2009 20:31:06 GMT
Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2009 20:31:06 GMT
SBG Custom Katana REVIEW dragon themed
Hello. Because I already had explained a dragon theme in an earlier review, so let’s talk a bit on the reason why we all want a custom piece in our collection. In the capital goods industry, customization has been the dominant paradigm, and its meaning is widely understood. Customization can offer a competitive advantage with increased customer value and better service. On the other hand, mass production can offer great cost advantages with standard products. Recently, mass customization has emerged as a way to combine the advantages of both customization and mass production. Different motivations exist for customization. Typically a product is customized to fulfill customers’ needs. A customer might need features that are considered as useless or even unattractive by other customers, or are simply not common standard features. Similarly, some customers require higher or lower performance. Furthermore, customization can be a choice for its own sake.
This katana is a T10 steel sword with differentially hardening (steel with between 0.95 and 1.05% carbon content). These swords are perfect suitable for multiple tatami targets or bamboo (I tested it on wood).
DESIGN, FIT and FINISH
Stats:
Blade length : 70 cm
Overall length : 97 cm
POB : 14 cm after tsuba
Weight : 1225 grams
The Blade
This is the best part of the katana. It’s very nice polished. Has a beautiful hamon and is extremly stong as you will see in my last movie clip. I can give you 30 pictures of this stunning blade (because I actually had taken as much as 50 photos of the blade) but I gona try to give you a little less than this amount. No bo-hi on this blade. The blade came sharp. Very beautiful Hamon (beautiful waved). Enjoy :
The kissaki is well defined and attractive, coming to a razor sharp point that would be useful for stabbing (you can see this in my first video). The hamon runs thru the kissaki.
The Tsuka
The tsuka is wood wrapped with real rayskin and wrapped with Japanese black cotton ito. The fuchi is a beautiful dragon. The tsuka is double pegged, as you can see in my next pictures.
On one side you clearly see the holes where the pegs were, but on the other side it wasn’t such an easy job to unpeg my katana (see next picture)
The tsuka was also very good fitted on the blade so I had to use a hammer and a screwdriver to pull off the tsuka. (a few tears in my eyes ;-) )
The fuchi is a solid brass fitting with a nice detailed dragon. You can see his head on one side and his body on the other side.
The menuki are real Japanese fittings. I don’t know what’s the theme of this menuki (I think it must be a dragon but I’m not sure).
The rayskin is very attractive.
The Kashira
Is of course a dragon, what would you expect?! No plastic fittings!
The Tsuba
This is a solid, brass; dragon themed tsuba. It fits very well on this katana (in fact a bit too tight. Again I had to use my hammer to pull it off the blade).
The Saya
Traditional shiny black lacquered gloss, no scratches, no defects. Not much else to add there, it looks really good.
The sageo is a simple black cord very tightly wrapped.
A nice touch is the golden colored shitidome, which gives the saya that dash of color and character.
The SBG katana fits very well in the saya. And as Paul already mentioned it is a little bit to tight but as we all know,I prefer to have a snug fit and not have the katana fall out if turned upside down. The koiguchi (saya opening) is not completely lacquered like the saya.
TESTING
Back again.... CHARGE!!!!!!!
I first tested the sword on plastic bottles (different kinds) filled with water
As you can see, NICE clean cuts (except the last one but I didn't expect that it could be cutted anyway!)
After this I cutted a tatami mat
My hunger wasn't stilled yet so I wanted to test it to some wood.
As you could see on the video, this small wooden branch also couldn’t still my hunger. I wanted more! so… see the next video.
No dents, only a few scratches. A little oil and they were allmost gone.
My 5 minutes of fun :
CONCLUSION
Is the SBG custom katana a decent cutter? Yes! The SBG katana seems to be a very well built and tight fitted, beautiful looking sword. Is this katana a wallhanger? No! sure not!(or maybe it is, because (for me) it’s so beautiful. Does this katana has a special place in my house? YES, it will get a place in my customs corner. I also have another custom katana from SBG. I will upload also pictures of this one and give a few stats (I will not review it because I already did it).
THE VERDICT
Historical Accuracy: N/A
Fit and Finish: 5/5
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 5/5
Value for Money: 5/5
OVERALL: 5/5 (buy it now!!!)
WHERE TO BUY
In the SBG sword shop. Nothing more nothing less.
Hello. Because I already had explained a dragon theme in an earlier review, so let’s talk a bit on the reason why we all want a custom piece in our collection. In the capital goods industry, customization has been the dominant paradigm, and its meaning is widely understood. Customization can offer a competitive advantage with increased customer value and better service. On the other hand, mass production can offer great cost advantages with standard products. Recently, mass customization has emerged as a way to combine the advantages of both customization and mass production. Different motivations exist for customization. Typically a product is customized to fulfill customers’ needs. A customer might need features that are considered as useless or even unattractive by other customers, or are simply not common standard features. Similarly, some customers require higher or lower performance. Furthermore, customization can be a choice for its own sake.
SBG Custom Katana (dragon themed)
Review by Serge Winckelmans, BELGIUM
Review by Serge Winckelmans, BELGIUM
This katana is a T10 steel sword with differentially hardening (steel with between 0.95 and 1.05% carbon content). These swords are perfect suitable for multiple tatami targets or bamboo (I tested it on wood).
DESIGN, FIT and FINISH
Stats:
Blade length : 70 cm
Overall length : 97 cm
POB : 14 cm after tsuba
Weight : 1225 grams
The Blade
This is the best part of the katana. It’s very nice polished. Has a beautiful hamon and is extremly stong as you will see in my last movie clip. I can give you 30 pictures of this stunning blade (because I actually had taken as much as 50 photos of the blade) but I gona try to give you a little less than this amount. No bo-hi on this blade. The blade came sharp. Very beautiful Hamon (beautiful waved). Enjoy :
The kissaki is well defined and attractive, coming to a razor sharp point that would be useful for stabbing (you can see this in my first video). The hamon runs thru the kissaki.
The Tsuka
The tsuka is wood wrapped with real rayskin and wrapped with Japanese black cotton ito. The fuchi is a beautiful dragon. The tsuka is double pegged, as you can see in my next pictures.
On one side you clearly see the holes where the pegs were, but on the other side it wasn’t such an easy job to unpeg my katana (see next picture)
The tsuka was also very good fitted on the blade so I had to use a hammer and a screwdriver to pull off the tsuka. (a few tears in my eyes ;-) )
The fuchi is a solid brass fitting with a nice detailed dragon. You can see his head on one side and his body on the other side.
The menuki are real Japanese fittings. I don’t know what’s the theme of this menuki (I think it must be a dragon but I’m not sure).
The rayskin is very attractive.
The Kashira
Is of course a dragon, what would you expect?! No plastic fittings!
The Tsuba
This is a solid, brass; dragon themed tsuba. It fits very well on this katana (in fact a bit too tight. Again I had to use my hammer to pull it off the blade).
The Saya
Traditional shiny black lacquered gloss, no scratches, no defects. Not much else to add there, it looks really good.
The sageo is a simple black cord very tightly wrapped.
A nice touch is the golden colored shitidome, which gives the saya that dash of color and character.
The SBG katana fits very well in the saya. And as Paul already mentioned it is a little bit to tight but as we all know,I prefer to have a snug fit and not have the katana fall out if turned upside down. The koiguchi (saya opening) is not completely lacquered like the saya.
TESTING
Back again.... CHARGE!!!!!!!
I first tested the sword on plastic bottles (different kinds) filled with water
As you can see, NICE clean cuts (except the last one but I didn't expect that it could be cutted anyway!)
After this I cutted a tatami mat
My hunger wasn't stilled yet so I wanted to test it to some wood.
As you could see on the video, this small wooden branch also couldn’t still my hunger. I wanted more! so… see the next video.
No dents, only a few scratches. A little oil and they were allmost gone.
My 5 minutes of fun :
CONCLUSION
Is the SBG custom katana a decent cutter? Yes! The SBG katana seems to be a very well built and tight fitted, beautiful looking sword. Is this katana a wallhanger? No! sure not!(or maybe it is, because (for me) it’s so beautiful. Does this katana has a special place in my house? YES, it will get a place in my customs corner. I also have another custom katana from SBG. I will upload also pictures of this one and give a few stats (I will not review it because I already did it).
THE VERDICT
Historical Accuracy: N/A
Fit and Finish: 5/5
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 5/5
Value for Money: 5/5
OVERALL: 5/5 (buy it now!!!)
WHERE TO BUY
In the SBG sword shop. Nothing more nothing less.