Kris Cutlery scratch and dent katana26
Aug 31, 2009 6:09:41 GMT
Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2009 6:09:41 GMT
Hey everybody, your friend Hank here again to give a quick review of my most recent aquisition, a Kris Cutlery "scratch and dent" katana. Its not really a scratch and dent sword, but an older model that has been in storage...
A quick backstory- I had been prowling everyones scratch and dent/sale/classifides etc. for some time( I have an addiction, which should be respected) and came across a 29 in katana in the scratch and dent section of Kris Cutlery. The blade had some rust spotting and minor blemishes and was selling for $75. Seeing as my wife was vacationing with her mother in another state for a couple weeks, I saw the time was ripe, and placed an order for the sword online. Sadly, the next day I recieved this e-mail..."Dear Mr. Hank,
We regret that someone purchased the Katana 29 4414 right before you did." Perhaps not so sadly this same e-mail went on to say " I have another Katana that is similar. It is in better condition than 4414; it has no rust stains and has a good temper line. It has a 26 inch blade; 4414 has a 29 inch blade. The sword originally sold for $230. I am offering it to you for the same price as 4414, that is $75. Please let me know if you are interested and I will send it to you." After a few inquiries and prompt responses from their excellent customer service, I had a new sword. Hooray!
Historical overview
The katana is a traditionally japanese sword, however the Kris Cutlery is a more modern production version of the Japanese sword and as such has some major differences in the form and aesthetics. Most notably in the ito wrap and blade shape and more subtly in the steel type and forging process. While I cant say for certain what forging processes are used, the modern 5160 carbon steel is certainly very different from the Japanese tamagahene folded steel blades of the past. I must say as an early production sword (made as early as 1999 perhaps, check this link for a side by side review in and old sword forum issue www.swordforum.com/fall99/lineup-5.html) it is certainly solid, functional and in person a quite attractive sword.
Comparison between the more recent Musashi Bamboo DH production Katana (top and left)
Initial Impressions
The sword arrived in a plain cardboard box and was sheltered by a ridiculous amount of bubble wrap. No chance of damage, difficult to even retrieve. My first impression upon picking up the box was "Oh no, they sent me the wrong item, this box was impossibly light to hold a katana." But I was much mistaken, having only the Musashi to judge from, this sword felt like a feather. A very pointy sharp feather.
Statistics
I dont really have any accurate way to measure most of this, so here are some estimates...
Blade/Nagasa Length:26 in
Handle/Tsuka Length: 11 in
Overall Length: 37 in
Guard/Tsuba Width: 4 in
POB (Point of Balance): 6 in from tsuba
COP (Center of Percussion): about 14 to 16 in from tsuba
Weight: maybe 1.75 lbs or so...
Components
The Blade/Nagasa:
Some minor blemishes in what I believe would be called a satin polish.
Is very thin, about a quarter inch wide and does not taper, in fact at the kissaki it suddenly fattens before coming to a point.
Kissaki is somewhat different from what one normally sees on katana. Has more of a spine and almost an o-kissaki length. Looks like it could peirce a... I dont know, lots of things.
Straight hamon down entire blade, very subtle and compliments the grain nicely.
The edge is fairly sharp, does not slice paper but handles bottles and jugs easily enough. (Sorry, couldnt really get a shot of the hamon, and camera was dying...)
The Handle/Tsuka:
Perhaps my least favorite aspect of the sword as a whole is the spiral wrap, permanently attached and all around plain tsuka. The ito is less shoelacey and more nylon running pant drawstringy. The only saving grace is the buffalo horn kashira at the end which does look nice, but I fear may crack on impact. To be fair after some rigorous cutting and dry handling the wrap has simply not moved at all and is comfortable enough to hold and grip.
The Guard/Tsuba:
It is a bronze classic Musashi double ring tsuba which I thought would be ugly with the rest of the sword, but now that the shine has been worn away does seem to fit it.
The Scabbard/Saya:
Ok the saya is a natural wood saya, and I must say is very nice looking. I plan on burning something onto it in the future once Im confident I wont Eff it up.
Handling Characteristics:
I really only have my Musashi to base my opinions from, but to me it handles like a light saber. It is a very light and fast sword, can be turned quickly, is a breeze to change direction and stops on a dime.
Test Cutting:
Cut everything I put in front of it ( including a peice of one of my remaining outdoor coffee tables accidently) here is a short video of my lack of skill with this particular blade
Conclusions:
Overall I am very pleased with the sword for the price. In many ways I feel it is superior to my newer (production age) Musashi but is certainly not as traditional, or traditional looking at least. Kris Cutlery definately gets a thumbs up for customer service and a killer scratch and dent/sale section.
Pros:
Very light yet durable and effective blade
Cons:
Permanently glued tang with untraditional tsuka
The Bottom Line
If you can manage to get a hold of one of these blades at the general price range I got it for, it is a very good sword indeed, however as they went out of production some time ago, this may be difficult. I would however like to handle one of their newer lines of katana, to see how they have improved upon it as I am sure they have.
A quick backstory- I had been prowling everyones scratch and dent/sale/classifides etc. for some time( I have an addiction, which should be respected) and came across a 29 in katana in the scratch and dent section of Kris Cutlery. The blade had some rust spotting and minor blemishes and was selling for $75. Seeing as my wife was vacationing with her mother in another state for a couple weeks, I saw the time was ripe, and placed an order for the sword online. Sadly, the next day I recieved this e-mail..."Dear Mr. Hank,
We regret that someone purchased the Katana 29 4414 right before you did." Perhaps not so sadly this same e-mail went on to say " I have another Katana that is similar. It is in better condition than 4414; it has no rust stains and has a good temper line. It has a 26 inch blade; 4414 has a 29 inch blade. The sword originally sold for $230. I am offering it to you for the same price as 4414, that is $75. Please let me know if you are interested and I will send it to you." After a few inquiries and prompt responses from their excellent customer service, I had a new sword. Hooray!
Historical overview
The katana is a traditionally japanese sword, however the Kris Cutlery is a more modern production version of the Japanese sword and as such has some major differences in the form and aesthetics. Most notably in the ito wrap and blade shape and more subtly in the steel type and forging process. While I cant say for certain what forging processes are used, the modern 5160 carbon steel is certainly very different from the Japanese tamagahene folded steel blades of the past. I must say as an early production sword (made as early as 1999 perhaps, check this link for a side by side review in and old sword forum issue www.swordforum.com/fall99/lineup-5.html) it is certainly solid, functional and in person a quite attractive sword.
Comparison between the more recent Musashi Bamboo DH production Katana (top and left)
Initial Impressions
The sword arrived in a plain cardboard box and was sheltered by a ridiculous amount of bubble wrap. No chance of damage, difficult to even retrieve. My first impression upon picking up the box was "Oh no, they sent me the wrong item, this box was impossibly light to hold a katana." But I was much mistaken, having only the Musashi to judge from, this sword felt like a feather. A very pointy sharp feather.
Statistics
I dont really have any accurate way to measure most of this, so here are some estimates...
Blade/Nagasa Length:26 in
Handle/Tsuka Length: 11 in
Overall Length: 37 in
Guard/Tsuba Width: 4 in
POB (Point of Balance): 6 in from tsuba
COP (Center of Percussion): about 14 to 16 in from tsuba
Weight: maybe 1.75 lbs or so...
Components
The Blade/Nagasa:
Some minor blemishes in what I believe would be called a satin polish.
Is very thin, about a quarter inch wide and does not taper, in fact at the kissaki it suddenly fattens before coming to a point.
Kissaki is somewhat different from what one normally sees on katana. Has more of a spine and almost an o-kissaki length. Looks like it could peirce a... I dont know, lots of things.
Straight hamon down entire blade, very subtle and compliments the grain nicely.
The edge is fairly sharp, does not slice paper but handles bottles and jugs easily enough. (Sorry, couldnt really get a shot of the hamon, and camera was dying...)
The Handle/Tsuka:
Perhaps my least favorite aspect of the sword as a whole is the spiral wrap, permanently attached and all around plain tsuka. The ito is less shoelacey and more nylon running pant drawstringy. The only saving grace is the buffalo horn kashira at the end which does look nice, but I fear may crack on impact. To be fair after some rigorous cutting and dry handling the wrap has simply not moved at all and is comfortable enough to hold and grip.
The Guard/Tsuba:
It is a bronze classic Musashi double ring tsuba which I thought would be ugly with the rest of the sword, but now that the shine has been worn away does seem to fit it.
The Scabbard/Saya:
Ok the saya is a natural wood saya, and I must say is very nice looking. I plan on burning something onto it in the future once Im confident I wont Eff it up.
Handling Characteristics:
I really only have my Musashi to base my opinions from, but to me it handles like a light saber. It is a very light and fast sword, can be turned quickly, is a breeze to change direction and stops on a dime.
Test Cutting:
Cut everything I put in front of it ( including a peice of one of my remaining outdoor coffee tables accidently) here is a short video of my lack of skill with this particular blade
Conclusions:
Overall I am very pleased with the sword for the price. In many ways I feel it is superior to my newer (production age) Musashi but is certainly not as traditional, or traditional looking at least. Kris Cutlery definately gets a thumbs up for customer service and a killer scratch and dent/sale section.
Pros:
Very light yet durable and effective blade
Cons:
Permanently glued tang with untraditional tsuka
The Bottom Line
If you can manage to get a hold of one of these blades at the general price range I got it for, it is a very good sword indeed, however as they went out of production some time ago, this may be difficult. I would however like to handle one of their newer lines of katana, to see how they have improved upon it as I am sure they have.