ecovolo
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"Ich bin ein Landsknecht."
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Post by ecovolo on Jun 4, 2009 22:30:55 GMT
i read somewhere is means united cutlery strong I'll admit I quickly perused the United Cutlery website; I haven't seen any mention of what the mei means. I'll need to do more research. i think its a vey nice artists rendering of a fantasy katana that is fully fuctional and has a lot of things going for it for the price as for the steel i also think that 1045 is fine for it thats what most musashi swords are made from great review great buy I have to agree: "functional fantasy katana" is an accurate description. --Edward
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2009 18:52:42 GMT
I just back from visiting my in-laws. Namiko says the figures on the blade (horimono) simply mean "United Cutlery" or at least a bad transliteration of that. Katakana is not normally used on blades, and it's not clear why they did.
On the tang, the mei reads "Zheng Li Xiang", which is probably the name of the smith; that's what I am assuming. These are signed in a Chinese style, not in the style you would expect on a traditional katana. In that case, the final character would be tsukuru, or "made by" and we don't see that here, AFAIK.
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ecovolo
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Review Points: 95
"Ich bin ein Landsknecht."
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Post by ecovolo on Jun 7, 2009 0:35:59 GMT
Cool. Thanks for the translations, Kortoso. I appreciate it . --Edward
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Avery
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"It's alright little brother... There are more!!!
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Post by Avery on Jun 7, 2009 2:16:41 GMT
Heres a picture of a tanto by Yoshimitsu, Edo period. It has the double so-hi. I think You were right about the mei on yours, looks ground with a dremel tool to me. Great review man, thank from me for taking the plunge.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2009 6:42:41 GMT
Hey guys, I also just bought this sword off trueswords.com It came in today and seemed incredible at first glance. However, as I picked it up and then tilted it sideways, I could feel what I think was the tang section of the sword shaking a bit inside the handle. I'm kinda disappointed over this, do you guys think it warrants sending the sword back for a replacement?
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ecovolo
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Review Points: 95
"Ich bin ein Landsknecht."
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Post by ecovolo on Jun 7, 2009 6:43:20 GMT
Heres a picture of a tanto by Yoshimitsu, Edo period. It has the double so-hi. So there *is* an historical precedent for this! Thank you for showing it to me. I think You were right about the mei on yours, looks ground with a dremel tool to me. Great review man, thank from me for taking the plunge. You're welcome . --Edward
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ecovolo
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Review Points: 95
"Ich bin ein Landsknecht."
Posts: 625
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Post by ecovolo on Jun 7, 2009 17:32:30 GMT
Hey guys, I also just bought this sword off trueswords.com It came in today and seemed incredible at first glance. However, as I picked it up and then tilted it sideways, I could feel what I think was the tang section of the sword shaking a bit inside the handle. I'm kinda disappointed over this, do you guys think it warrants sending the sword back for a replacement? If you think there is a problem, I'd say e-mail Trueswords first and see what can be done about replacing it. My experience with the Shikyo is that nothing rattled, felt loose, or shaky. In my opinion, it sounds like you got a bum blade. --Edward
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Avery
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Post by Avery on Jun 7, 2009 18:32:49 GMT
Heres a picture of a tanto by Yoshimitsu, Edo period. It has the double so-hi. So there *is* an historical precedent for this! Thank you for showing it to me. There are some more pics of katana as well, but I can't seem to find the site. When/if I do I'll post those for ya as well.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2009 0:42:15 GMT
Congrats, Ecovolo. The leather tsuka-maki, the so-hi and the blade's curvature all add up to a nice & unique sword! Did you forget to mention the price of this piece, or have I missed it amidst the many feedback?? Thanks for the detailed review with lots of close-ups pics of the piece. Sets me wanting to have it Good work!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2009 14:21:41 GMT
the hardness on the united black line is 58 hrc + or - 2 according to the pdf files i downloade when they first put them out on the unitedcutlery.com site. i have the ikazuchi model. two edged. i put a review on it on chinese swords since it it a hybrid of jian/ katana. cant find it now though. i forgot to bookmark that page. the reviews page was on hold at the time. paul may have moved it to there. i will be looking and post link when i find it. i havent got my handle removed yet. it is very tight, and i didnt want to tool mark the fittings. glad to see you got yours off so i can see the pix. was it difficult to reinstall? edit i found the page... /index.cgi?board=chineseswords&action=display&thread=4275&page=3 the pic of the "battle scars/ nick happened sparring a naginata. the closest i came to losing. i dont have any tatami mats. planning on ordering some this week tho. i will let you know how it does. i will be trying out my wifes musashi black bamboo, and my jin-shi production model jian as well. i hope you are enjoying your sword as well as i am mine. i agree that if a sword is montempered, that it looks better w/o a fake hamon. the musashi line was stated above to be 1045 carbon. i have heard that alot. the bamboo, however has certificate states 1060. i dont know if it is misprint, lie or actually 1060 carbon. i spend too much on my swords to afford a microscope to see. anyone know of another test to find out. also for anyone who is interested pm me w/ email address and i will send the pdf files on united black. oh i dont think the 58 hrc is listed on the dragonfly model.
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ecovolo
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Review Points: 95
"Ich bin ein Landsknecht."
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Post by ecovolo on Jun 9, 2009 16:50:06 GMT
i havent got my handle removed yet. it is very tight, and i didnt want to tool mark the fittings. glad to see you got yours off so i can see the pix. was it difficult to reinstall? It was. However, once we --or should I say more accurately, Kortoso -- got the tsuka back on the blade and the mekugi back in place, it is still firmly in place. I was pretty impressed with that. i dont have any tatami mats. planning on ordering some this week tho. i will let you know how it does. i will be trying out my wifes musashi black bamboo, and my jin-shi production model jian as well. Cool . Looking forward to those reviews. i hope you are enjoying your sword as well as i am mine. i agree that if a sword is montempered, that it looks better w/o a fake hamon. True; a fake hamon kind of cheapens a blade, be it handmade or a production model. However, in particular regard to the Shikyo, there is the fact that the katana doesn't really look traditionally Japanese . The absence of a fake hamon and a kissaki actually makes the look of the blade even *less* Japanese, but more aesthetically pleasing overall. --Edward
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admin
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Post by admin on Jun 18, 2009 12:39:10 GMT
Decent review there Edward, and good on you for taking a chance on this line - I was wondering when someone would! + 20 review points.
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ecovolo
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Review Points: 95
"Ich bin ein Landsknecht."
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Post by ecovolo on Jun 18, 2009 22:35:21 GMT
Decent review there Edward, and good on you for taking a chance on this line - I was wondering when someone would! + 20 review points. Thanks Paul . Last I PM'd SBG user Reisz, he was going to review the United Black 1060 Yoru. When that happens, hopefully it will give the SBG board more info about the United Cutlery Black line. --Edward
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2009 0:16:38 GMT
I've always wondered about the quality of the United Cutlery hand forged swords. Thanks for the review! Well done!
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ecovolo
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Review Points: 95
"Ich bin ein Landsknecht."
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Post by ecovolo on Jun 19, 2009 3:49:28 GMT
I've always wondered about the quality of the United Cutlery hand forged swords. Thanks for the review! Well done! Thank you . If United Cutlery keeps to the standards they used in making the 1045 Shikyo, I think they will be worth more serious consideration when shopping for a sub-$300 katana. --Edward
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2009 7:55:02 GMT
I'm pretty sure I've seen some of their swords in the BudK catalog for a reasonable price. I've been very hesitant about buying a sword from them... but now I might have to reconsider if I decide to add to my collection. Thanks again Ecovolo! +1 to you
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2009 15:15:07 GMT
Great review. And I totally dig those fittings, very unique and cool looking.
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ecovolo
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Review Points: 95
"Ich bin ein Landsknecht."
Posts: 625
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Post by ecovolo on Jun 19, 2009 17:53:43 GMT
Great review. And I totally dig those fittings, very unique and cool looking. Thanks . I dug the fittings too. However, because they're not traditional Japanese-themed fittings, I wonder what type of reception this weapon would get if used at a dojo. --Edward
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2009 19:37:44 GMT
I'm pretty sure I've seen some of their swords in the BudK catalog for a reasonable price. I've been very hesitant about buying a sword from them... but now I might have to reconsider if I decide to add to my collection. Thanks again Ecovolo! +1 to you please keep in mind that the UC swords that we are speaking of are only the UNITED BLACK line of United Cutlery. The yoru daragon, is also nice and comes in wakazashi. if i remember correctly, the one reviewed here is supposed to be death, ikazuchi is thunder, and yoru daragon is black dragon. there are a couple of others. i am thinking about the one with the dragonfly,l but i can't recall the product name.
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Post by kidcasanova on Jul 31, 2009 4:27:57 GMT
In August I am going to purchase the Ikazuchi from the UC Black line and see how it fares.
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