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Post by shadowhowler on Aug 8, 2009 7:07:45 GMT
Come on that can be done by you and a little commited time ......... the blade will kick ass and then some Its almost a matter of principle with me, at this point. I am VERY annoyed that not a single hanwei Non-Katana I have EVER bought or seen had a good edge on it, and I want them to FIX that. I sort of feel unwilling to give them more money till they do.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 8:02:56 GMT
Come on that can be done by you and a little commited time ......... the blade will kick ass and then some Its almost a matter of principle with me, at this point. I am VERY annoyed that not a single hanwei Non-Katana I have EVER bought or seen had a good edge on it, and I want them to FIX that. I sort of feel unwilling to give them more money till they do. Are you considering the Dark Sentinel a "katana" type? Because I swear it positively came with the the best edge--and blade geometry to match--that I have ever encountered. (No surprise from a Hank Reinhardt-designed piece!) I still haven't run into any target yet (shy of what would constitute gross abuse) that even slows this puppy down, let alone stops it.
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Post by shadowhowler on Aug 8, 2009 8:41:58 GMT
Are you considering the Dark Sentinel a "katana" type? Because I swear it positively came with the the best edge--and blade geometry to match--that I have ever encountered. (No surprise from a Hank Reinhardt-designed piece!) I still haven't run into any target yet (shy of what would constitute gross abuse) that even slows this puppy down, let alone stops it. I've never had the chance to handle one of those... but it does have a Katana-like shape to it, thats for sure... its such a weird looking sword, it just never interested me. I have handled a bunch of other hanwei non-katana, well over 10, and not a single one of them had a cut worthy edge. However, of the Hanwei Katana I have handled (around 10) ALL have had a good cutting edge. Many others have shared their experinces with the same problems... just about everyone here with a Hanwei sword that was NOT a katana had a lot of disapointment in the edge. I want them to address this.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 8:55:46 GMT
Good to know! (Though DS's are really inexpensive--try one some time ... ) I think I said elsewhere that I just may be some combination of lucky and intuitive--based on both my own feel and word of mouth--about "low" end production pieces, but it has to be true. I seem to be ending up with the great Windlasses (e.g. Horsehead falcata) Cold Steels (Shamshir) or Hanweis (Dark Sentinel) while missing the definite duds and bombs.
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Post by shadowhowler on Aug 8, 2009 11:51:47 GMT
I like the Cold Steel Shamshir... its basicly a Windlass scimitar re-dressed. I wish I had one... my wife tried to get me one awhile ago, but the blade point was a bit twisted, I had to return it... and was told that an exchange was pointless because the replacement would be as bad or worse. I refuse to belive that, since a lot of people like their Shamshir's... and based on how it felt, if I had a non-twisted one, I'd be pretty happy with it.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 15:57:21 GMT
Ouch. That seems the main way to characterize production makers: like batters who can pound out homeruns often enough to be taken seriously and stay in the lineup, but if they don't get a dinger give you nothin.' Some bad designs but some great ones. Some great designs but sometimes QC issues. Trying to distinguish between design flaws and execution flaws. Maybe my real hobby is not so much swords the mental challenge of navigating the waters. (It's funny though. Same thing happened to me--yup, another- anecdote-alert--in college. I drove a Renault Le Car. Yes, friends, go ahead and laugh. That model had about the worst ratings and track record you could find. But I lucked out and got one that held together and performed, well, like I guess it was supposed to had Renault had good QC. Loved it. It was like a Mini-Cooper long before they existed--not to mention cheaper. Sigh, some days I even miss my little bug-sized stick-shift!)
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 16:43:48 GMT
Swordnation has the GSOW and the Norman for $260... CURSES!!! Now I don't know if I would rather have the GSOW over the VA LS, or the Norman over the 303S. I have heard that the tinker line does have better blades than the VA signature line, besides the sharpness. Is this true? I am really reconsidering my original choice of the VA 304S and 303S.
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SlayerofDarkness
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Post by SlayerofDarkness on Aug 8, 2009 17:10:00 GMT
Hey Lemal. The DS's QC must be really spotty, because the one I own came as dull as a butter knife, seriously! I'm going to have to send it to Tom, I guess, because none of my files even START to bite. Then again, I haven't tried my beltsander on it yet, so that might work... -Slayer
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 17:30:36 GMT
Wow, Slayer, seriously?? I really must have dumb luck! Who did you buy yours through? (I went KOA.)
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SlayerofDarkness
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Post by SlayerofDarkness on Aug 8, 2009 17:36:19 GMT
Wow, Slayer, seriously?? I really must have dumb luck! Who did you buy yours through? (I went KOA.)[/quote Your luck IS seriously good. I went with KoA as well. We'll just call you 'Lemal the Lucky' from now on, eh? ;D I like how you remounted it, though. Not my style of sword, by any means, but you certainly did a good job. +1, whenever I recharge. P.S. Sorry to everyone else for hijacking the thread. My bad! ;D -Slayer
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Post by hotspur on Aug 8, 2009 17:40:47 GMT
It was like a Mini-Cooper long before they existed--not to mention cheaper
Not so. The Mini Cooper debut was 1961.
Many might feel the Yugo was the true lemon of the American market.
Not to forget, the Le Car was the inspiration for the R-5, which just about any auto enthusiast take a shine to.
I almost leased a Le Car from the dealer when they came out. I was playing mechanic for a living at the time. The rep quoted me $3 a day.
Cheers
Hotspur; we now return to our regularly scheduled side bar
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 17:56:28 GMT
It was like a Mini-Cooper long before they existed--not to mention cheaperNot to forget, the Le Car was the inspiration for the R-5, which just about any auto enthusiast take a shine to. Hotspur; we now return to our regularly scheduled side bar Really? Tres cool. (Didn't know that the Cooper went back that far either.) So my impression wasn't off--the Le Car's fault wasn't in its design. Nice! (Except now I miss it even more ...) And Slayer, take heart! I'm sure you've already noticed the sweet blade geometry on the DS--when you do get it nicely sharpened I venture you'll feel very, very good about making the purchase! (Not that it's easy to go bad at that price. Though that does open up an interesting tangent--why are some of the best production makers' designs the most affordable, while many or even most of their higher priced models are the disappointments?? Doesn't seem to make sense.)
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 22:12:10 GMT
I wouldn´t say a dull edge is a QC issue...more of a design issue.
Anyways, SN does have a sharpening service so if the edge isn´t on par, you can try it out. Once again, I have no idea how good that service is.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 22:47:51 GMT
"Potatoe/Potatoh" I guess. I wouldn't quibble with anyone about what constitutes "design" vs. "QC," I just don't want anyone confusing it on the DS to be a problem with its fundamental blade geometry, which on this piece is startlingly good.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2009 0:14:51 GMT
I noticed that the GSOW looks almost exactly identical to Angus Trim's XIIIa Warsword. Even the stats are similar.
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Post by shadowhowler on Aug 9, 2009 0:46:34 GMT
I noticed that the GSOW looks almost exactly identical to Angus Trim's XIIIa Warsword. Even the stats are similar. That dosn't surprise me... they are both ment to be large Warswords... and Gus and Tinker are friends who have worked together, there is likely to be a lot of similarity in some of their designs from time to time. I just want some big ol Warsword goodness... Mmmmm. ;D
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2009 0:50:07 GMT
Hey Lemal. The DS's QC must be really spotty, because the one I own came as dull as a butter knife, seriously! I'm going to have to send it to Tom, I guess, because none of my files even START to bite. Then again, I haven't tried my beltsander on it yet, so that might work... -Slayer Lucky, or ... something. Maybe I just seem lucky though? Slayer, out of curiosity how did you determine the DS came w/ a bad edge? Did you go by paper-cutting or actually get it out and try it on some bottles? The reason I ask is that some ways of figuring and edge can be deceptive. For example my Atrim 1506 came with a great paper-cutting edge but is finicky--it likes to frequently bat bottles. My DS on the other hand doesn't seem to have as sharp an edge, it's more just blade geometry, but just a few minutes ago I tried it on a group of 6 1.5L soda bottles at once and it sailed through. (Though to complicate matters further, that's not a slam on the Atrim. It's one of my absolute favorites too! It's just one of those that'll slice three-quarters to completely through a haunch of deer for me on every try, but frequently bat a bottle. I've always been perfectly happy with its performance against real meat and bone though, and its handling is near perfect, so together that covers all that really matters for a sword. I just save my milk jugs and Pringles cans and the like for her.) Anyway, back to my point (or is it "edge?" ) did you actually try it out on any soda bottles? I'm sure getting it sharpened couldn't hurt, but if you didn't give her a test run maybe she's already better than she seems? Just checking!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2009 1:16:26 GMT
So you could label the GSOW as a budget version of AT's Warsword. I think that I will probably still get the 304S instead of the warsword, but I also think that I might get the Norman instead of the 303S. Nobody answered my question about the quality of the blades.
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SlayerofDarkness
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Post by SlayerofDarkness on Aug 9, 2009 1:37:35 GMT
Well.... my DS can't cut MILK JUGS. It litterally bats milk jugs. Not only that, I litterally CANNOT cut anything with it. Not even cardboard. I'm sure it's a decent sword for the money once sharpened (I mean, have you seen Bill Goodwin's cutting vids using the DS?), but I'm sure not feeling the love, lol. It's still really fun to dry handle, though. It's so light and has such a long hilt that the blade feels like it's not even there. The Dark Sentinel is the closest thing to a lightsaber I think I'll ever hold, at least in terms of handling. But the edge... maybe as close to a PLASTIC lightsaber as I'll ever hold. lol. -Slayer
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SlayerofDarkness
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Post by SlayerofDarkness on Aug 9, 2009 1:41:01 GMT
So you could label the GSOW as a budget version of AT's Warsword. I think that I will probably still get the 304S instead of the warsword, but I also think that I might get the Norman instead of the 303S. Nobody answered my question about the quality of the blades. I think that that's just because not many people have experience with both. I've heard that the Tinkers hold an edge better, but other than that I strongly prefer the VA stuff, based on aesthetics and (from the stats) handling as well. Personally I think you're being smart to get the VA 304S (which is considered to be the better one of the VA practicals) and then the norman, so that you can try out tinker's line. A smart choice, I do believe. ;D -Slayer
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