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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2007 8:08:36 GMT
gday guys, my first post here. I have been interested in buying a real katana for a few years now, and as I am working full time, I now find that i have the means to do so. I have been looking around at every website i could find, and have really liked the reviews/looks/price etc of the paul chen range of swords. The only problem with that is that here in Oz, everything seems majorly more expensive, and if you want to get things shipped from the US, you can only choose airfreight which would cost something like US$150. so i have been looking around at aussie sites like globalgear, and the swords i was looking at are around $1000 AU. so, after searching ebay, i came across this seller. stores.ebay.com.au/Heart-Of-Swords-at-Soul-Of-Bushidothe product looks genuine, and he seems to know what he is talking about. so I was wondering if you guys could give your opinions. I was looking at one of the clearance blades first, and then getting one of the folded cold steel blades. Thanks for your time, and great forum!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2007 8:48:28 GMT
Firstly, don't be fooled into thinking because it says 'japanese' that it was made in Japan, and or by a Japanese sword smith. They look just like maybe Chinese produced katana. Maybe even Thaitsuki blades. In order to preserve Japans tradition, and also by other external factors such as the iron sand used to make them, Nihonto(blades made WITHIN Japan) are heavily licensed and monitored. It also drives the price up, but lets face it you are buying a part of a history with a blade that takes up to three people and a month to forge, shape and finish properly. I am of the Australian persuasion myself, and so is Paul. Starter of this here forum. If you were to go through the SBG store, Paul is highly sympathetic with the needs of Aussies with the katana-bug ! sbg-sword-store.sword-buyers-guide.com/ There is loads of choice , I have bought the odd one, but always want more ! ;D They do ship from the US but his postage is very, very reasonable ! Then again, if I could spend all my money on a katana at the moment, I'd buy one of these www.martialartswords.com/product_info.php?products_id=39&osCsid=37973d98b0bee63a4d1a55a9c97c524dNot bad really for $1400, considering if it ever chips, breaks or sustains damage they'll replace it free ! Not many katanas come with that guarantee .
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2007 12:54:22 GMT
mate, dont do it. Theres all sorts of things that make alarm bells ring to me. Japanese cold steel? no such thing,painted shirasaya? defeats the purpose of a shirasaya, saya made of hardwood?should be of honoki wood which is actually quite soft. The fittings look cheap and nasty too, some of the tsuba's there are copies of Paul Chen ones, but done badly. In one of the pic of a sword with a bohi you can see a rough surface. Dont do it mate, I can bet you it isnt made in Japan, Japanese smiths are limited in how many swords they can make per month, you wont get one for that sort of money. If you want to spend that sort of money look at the folded Paul Chens,Last Legends or Dynasty Forge, they all have dealers in Aus so if you have a prob you dont have to deal with someone on the other side of the world.hope thats of some help
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2007 13:36:14 GMT
hehe, I thought it would be too good to be true. Unfortunately I don't know quite enough yet to pick the fakes from the reals, so much appreciated there. yep, have definately been looking at those three, it's just that prices in australia tend to skyrocket from what I have seen. Having said that though, I don't mind paying for quality. So, looks like more research from me
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Post by sol on Apr 13, 2007 16:04:54 GMT
mate, dont do it. Theres all sorts of things that make alarm bells ring to me. Japanese cold steel? no such thing,painted shirasaya? defeats the purpose of a shirasaya, saya made of hardwood?should be of honoki wood which is actually quite soft. The fittings look cheap and nasty too, some of the tsuba's there are copies of Paul Chen ones, but done badly. In one of the pic of a sword with a bohi you can see a rough surface. Dont do it mate, I can bet you it isnt made in Japan, Japanese smiths are limited in how many swords they can make per month, you wont get one for that sort of money. If you want to spend that sort of money look at the folded Paul Chens,Last Legends or Dynasty Forge, they all have dealers in Aus so if you have a prob you dont have to deal with someone on the other side of the world.hope thats of some help Thats good advice. I went and looked at the swords. there are a lot of contradicting statements. Such as, differentially hardened with clay yet the HRC is 25 - 30. Thats very soft. The sword would bend if you tried to cut with it which would be difficult as in one part they state it cuts well if you want to sharpen it. The ito is also done terribly, very uneven. Don't buy form that seller, you pay a lot and get junk (they look like wall hangers to me). Sol
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2007 22:16:31 GMT
Back in the days of Sideys forums a member bought a sword of that seller, he quickly returned it....
Unfortunately i cant remember the specifics of why...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2007 0:20:58 GMT
The thing I can't stand about ebay is that there is nothing to stop professional sellers from bidding up the price themselves if they think it is too low.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2007 0:44:16 GMT
Daniel, just remember that if you buy one fromthe US you will be adding 10% gst,plus the exchange rate, then usually a fee from customs/freight company for clearance as it is valued at over $1000 Aus(they include the freight value as well) . I havent dealt with the new managment of Cutting Edge (Dynasty and Last Legend dealer) but the former owners prices were very keen compared to US prices.Leon at Global Gear(Chen Dealer) has regular 20% off sales, I recently picked up a Paul Chen Yari for under $500, so the bargins are out there.I havent had any personal experience with the Chenness folded blades but I do have one of their mono steel blades and for the price they are very impressive.Paul here at SBG does great deals on Cheness. Remeber if you dont like a swords fittings and wrap,or saya colour there are lots of sword "pimpers" out there that can do a make over on it.
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Marc Ridgeway
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"The best cost less when you buy it the first time." - Papabear
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Post by Marc Ridgeway on Apr 14, 2007 1:24:08 GMT
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Marc Ridgeway
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"The best cost less when you buy it the first time." - Papabear
Posts: 3,122
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Post by Marc Ridgeway on Apr 14, 2007 1:39:54 GMT
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Post by sol on Apr 14, 2007 1:41:55 GMT
The thing I can't stand about ebay is that there is nothing to stop professional sellers from bidding up the price themselves if they think it is too low. Thats known as shill bidding. If anyone suspects that is happening on an auction you should notify eBay. They will investigate the auction and can suspend the seller from doing business on eBay. It is also a crime so eBay can report it to have the seller prosecuted. An individual can also report it to the authorities. The best protection against that sort of thing is to decide what you're willing to pay for the item and don't go above that amount, in other words don't get caught up in a bidding contest. Danielc118 did the smart thing by asking for help to determine if the swords he was looking at were any good. Other things a person can do to protect themselves: Check the feedback ratings. If there is some negative feedback read the transaction description to get an idea of the problems encountered with the seller. Check the feedback score and the length of time the seller has been a member of eBay. Low scores and recent membership should be a warning that this person hasn't proven themselves yet. Check to see if the seller has changed eBay identities before and ask why if they have. Check to see if the seller is a member of Square Trade or similar organization. Buyers can report bad transactions to these organizations and the seller will loose there good standing. Ask for help. If you need help about an item or seller there are many places you can turn for help. SBG forum is one of many. Pay only using methods that allow recourse if the transaction goes bad. Paypal (you should read the Paypal Buyer Protection Policy thoroughly so you understand exactly what they cover), etc. Pay particular attention to feedback ratings, when they drop to low Paypal no longer covers you. The item page always states the level of coverage provided by Paypal. Never send cash or do money transfers. If the seller doesn't accept safe forms of payment don't do business with them. Contact the seller and ask questions about the item or their polices. Always contact sellers through eBay and only allow them to contact you through eBay, don't give the seller your email address (when contacting a seller through eBay there is a box you can check to hide your email address from the seller). That way if the seller misrepresents the transaction and later denies it you have proof as to what was said. Make sure you know the sellers return and shipping policies. If they aren't acceptable don't buy from the seller. Many sellers wont replace or reimburse you if an item is damaged during shipping if they offered shipping insurance and you decline it. If something seems to good to be true it probably is. Let the buyer beware. Sol
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2007 6:14:33 GMT
wow someone got a steal on that James Raw blade! he does some very nice stuff. I remember the guy on the old Autonomous forums that Mike mentioned who bought a sword from Heart of Swords, the seller claimed his uncle was a licensed japanese smith who lived in New Zealand but spoke no english and this guy was acting as his agent.I seem to remember that the buyer gave extremly detailed specs for the sword and was told none of it was a problem, but when it arrived it was obviously a production sword with a poor rewrap and no where near the specs he had requested,last I heard he was trying to get a refund,then the forums went down and I never heard the outcome. Oh yea, the 2nd last time I got a sword in from the US it was marked as $700US value which tipped it over the taxfree threshold I think I paid about $100aus in GST,$60 customs fee and had to fill out quite a bit of paperwork and the sword sat at customs for a week, they charge a storage fee if your slow to get back to them too!.The time after that I got the sender to mark the value as $400 and paid no fees or gst and it came straight to my door
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2007 12:10:18 GMT
Regarding what Ronin said, the seller, to their credit, did cough up a refund pretty quickly....
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