Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2009 12:55:16 GMT
Hello I'm new here. At first sorry for my bad english I'm from germany and well, that's the probleme I have - my country. I'm not totally new to swords (I already own a practical plus from hanwei since 4 month), anyhow I'm a newbie and I need your help. After 4 month and many times of cutting with my practical plus I had decided to buy me another, more autentical sword, this time from Musashi. I like the fitting of the plus, but I hate the design and the blade isn't that what I call "razor sharp". The first 3-4 inch of the blade are very blunt... Oh and the packaging was ugly as hell - like the one of a toy sword for. That's the reason I've decided to buy my second sword from another forge and after a research I decided to test "Musashi". www.trueswords.com/musashi-1095-high-carbon-steel-samurai-warrior-sword-p-4646.html(I hope it's ok to post links to other sword shops) I've found this sword after hours of searching in the internet and I knew "That's it!": the price, the design, the included stuff and at least the real hamon. Everything is perfect and that what I want. But the problem is, they do not ship international... In germany swords are overpriced and the sortiment is very small - musashis are sadly not to gain *sigh*. So I'm searching for a online-shop which ships international (to europe) at best for under 100$ and has this sword in his sortiment (If anyone has an alternative, I would be appreciate!). www.musashiswords.com/shop/product.php?productid=90&cat=20&page=1I found this sword at musashiswords.com and It looks exactly the same to me, only the the lower pictures confuse me, the hamon looks fake. What's the difference between that sword and the one that true swords is selling? I hope you can help me, because I'm becoming desperate. There are so many nice swords out there, but the most shops don't ship to damn europe. greetz, Kintaro
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2009 13:09:56 GMT
Hey, I'm from Germany too. I don't own this sword but I know a couple dealers that ship to europe. Cheness does (that's where I got my beloved tenchi, you should think about that one if you want a no nonsense cutting sword) as well as Wiwingti, medieval collectibles, Scorpion bows and knives (If you want a custom sword for a very reasonable price, they don't make katanas though). I'm sure there are more dealers but these are all I can think of now. Me, I'd try wiwingti... he has the best prices and offers a lot of swords, mostly katanas.
|
|
|
Post by sparky on Oct 25, 2009 13:11:49 GMT
I am pretty sure both of the swords you listed are the same, just different sellers. Also they are both DH which means the hamon should be "real". I have been wrong before, but don't worry someone with more experience than me will come along and steer you straight. As far as shipping I don't know anything about shipping to Europe but you may want to also look at these sites. Both are members of SBG and have good reputations. www.swordnation.com/musashi.phpwiwingtiswordsupply.com/I hope this helps and welcome to SBG kintaro Rob
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2009 14:55:05 GMT
I am pretty sure both of the swords you listed are the same, just different sellers. Also they are both DH which means the hamon should be "real". I have been wrong before, but don't worry someone with more experience than me will come along and steer you straight. As far as shipping I don't know anything about shipping to Europe but you may want to also look at these sites. Both are members of SBG and have good reputations. www.swordnation.com/musashi.phpwiwingtiswordsupply.com/I hope this helps and welcome to SBG kintaro Rob Thanks. It would be just too perfect, If these two are the same, because musashi swords also sells a white/lilac sword bag I'm intrested in. I was just a bit confused about the different pics. Anyway, I've writed musashiswords an email some days ago, I hope they will answer it within the next few days. About wiwingti, I've heard many things about him - best prices, good support and so on. But sadly he didn't sell that sword I want, he has just the sub 100$ Musashis. Thanks for your help. I really hope they are the same. xD Hey, I'm from Germany too. I don't own this sword but I know a couple dealers that ship to europe. Cheness does (that's where I got my beloved tenchi, you should think about that one if you want a no nonsense cutting sword) as well as Wiwingti, medieval collectibles, Scorpion bows and knives (If you want a custom sword for a very reasonable price, they don't make katanas though). I'm sure there are more dealers but these are all I can think of now. Me, I'd try wiwingti... he has the best prices and offers a lot of swords, mostly katanas. Hey chenessfan nice to see another german . Well, as I said I want test the Musashis I've heard they are razor sharp and that's what I want. I've read the Kaze is the best 300 cutter you can get in that category, but I don't like that sword. The only Cheness I like is the Oniyuri but it's out of stock in time and also made of heavy spring steel.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2009 16:05:24 GMT
Well, the musashis are as sharp as pretty much every good katana, so I wouldn't choose a sword based on sharpness, edge geometry is much more important. Hanwei, Cheness they are all as sharp as the musashi. Also, what's HEAVY spring steel? The 9260 steel cheness uses for their cutting line is just as heavy as 1045 steel or any other steel. For the weight it's important if the blade as a fuller (bo-hi) and how thick the blade is. Btw, they don't ship the Oniyuri to Europe anyways.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2009 16:47:53 GMT
The first 3-4 inches of a katana are supposed to be blunt... you'll never do any cutting with taht section of the blade. Also not feeling razor sharp does not mean it isn't... a katana with any amount of niku or appleseed shape isn't going to feel as sharp as it actually is. Also I don't think Musashi is offering much that is comparable to hanwei offerings... I think some of their best offerings compare only to the practical series, not even the practical plus.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2009 17:16:06 GMT
The first 3-4 inches of a katana are supposed to be blunt... you'll never do any cutting with taht section of the blade. Also not feeling razor sharp does not mean it isn't... a katana with any amount of niku or appleseed shape isn't going to feel as sharp as it actually is. Also I don't think Musashi is offering much that is comparable to hanwei offerings... I think some of their best offerings compare only to the practical series, not even the practical plus. I want the sword 80% for decoration and maybe 20% for temeshigiri or cutting demonstration. So the design is very important for me at all. The practical plus didn't have a bo-hi, the tsuba is ok, but lame the hamon is fake and the tsuka is fake leather, but the worst thing is the saya. I like the sword for cutting but that's all it's not an eyecatcher and that's what my second sword should be. Also a nice swor box and a cleaning kit is included in the scope of delivery by the Musashi sword I've linked in the intro post. Is Musashi such a crap, or why do you guys want me to buy another hanwei or a cheness? I've read some sword reviews and heard nothing bad about Musashi, only Masahiro and theire Ryumon-line is frowned upon for their changeable quality. I've payed 300 € (450$) in germany for my practical plus, and that was even one of the best deals I've found. Some stores sell it for at least 400 € (600$). So 265 to 289 Dollars for that sword from Musashi with sword box and stuff sounds like a good deal to me, compared to the german prices, and that sword is exactly what I was searching for. Have you any alternative from hanwei or cheness to it? I'm not totally disaffected .
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2009 17:20:33 GMT
Oh i'm not saying musashi is crap by any means... just I think the PPK in many respects is better than what you're going to find from Musashi. And the hamon is not fake... its heavily acid enhanced but its a real hamon. The only blades currently made by hanwei that aren't DH are teh raptor series. Also i didn't realize a bo-hi was a necessity.
Musashi isn't a terrible brand by any means just in the budget you were looking at there is numerous better options. Also IMHO a sword coming with a sword box is almost a bad sign in some way because you have to remember teh cost of that box is factored into the cost of the sword...
Just ot maybe help us better with suggesting stuff (assuming you're heart isn't completely set on that sword) what are some particulars you're looking for, i agree the suede leather on the PPK sucks...
what was wrong with the saya was it the finish? most katana have the glossy one.
As suggested I'd shop around wiwingti or maybe check out Kris Cutlery or DF. Maybe the Practial Katana Special... I personally like my fittings a lil more utilitarian but I'm sensing you like a lil more flair. Maybe check out something from Sinosword or Zhi sword for a semi custom. Or maybe even jwhotsteelforge on ebay.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2009 18:04:12 GMT
Musashi isn't a terrible brand by any means just in the budget you were looking at there is numerous better options. Also IMHO a sword coming with a sword box is almost a bad sign in some way because you have to remember teh cost of that box is factored into the cost of the sword... I thought a simple wooden sword box is standrad... Well, my hanwei came in a terrible looking cardboard box and styrofoam. I'm not absolute focused on a sword box, but I think it's nice to have one, because you can't buy one in germany. Cleaning Kit isn't also a "must-see", but one with a wooden box cost in germany around 20-40 € + forwarding costs. You see, all these semprini is damn expensive here. Just ot maybe help us better with suggesting stuff (assuming you're heart isn't completely set on that sword) what are some particulars you're looking for, i agree the suede leather on the PPK sucks... No, my heart isn't completely set on this one, but it was the fisrt one everything impressed me. The design, the scope of supply and the price. Some "must haves" are: Bo-hi, interesting tsuba (at best something like that one I've linked), black high gloss saya and high sharpness. I also like the sword more decent and I hate adornment at the saya and stuff. Oh and a real hamon would be nice, same goes for a sword box. what was wrong with the saya was it the finish? most katana have the glossy one. The Saya was semprini, not only the design (well that was my bad, I didn't notice before buying, that it's not high gloss). Well, the sword rattles in the saya bit, but that was also not the problem. The main problem was, after I put the sword back in it a splinter breaks out and the sword didn't hold any longer in it, so I had to repair it - I was so pissed of that saya in many ways. As suggested I'd shop around wiwingti or maybe check out Kris Cutlery or DF. Maybe the Practial Katana Special... I personally like my fittings a lil more utilitarian but I'm sensing you like a lil more flair. Maybe check out something from Sinosword or Zhi sword for a semi custom. Or maybe even jwhotsteelforge on ebay. I've checked out wiwingtis whole stite some days ago xD, I don't know kris cutlery but I will check it out also. What's DF? Dynasty Forge? I don't want to buy anything on ebay, I hate it. It seems like you have many expernience with swords, right? Can you answer my question at the intro post... What's the difference between these two swords, are they the same? And waht's with the hamon - fake or real? Looks like a fake sanbon-sugi or gunome hamon to me. Thanks for your help. Very friendly forum.
|
|
|
Post by sicheah on Oct 25, 2009 18:18:17 GMT
Hi Kintaro, welcome to the forum
I think the sword at trueswords and the one at Musashiswords are the same (both are 1095 DH) have roughly the same price range and same tsuba.
Yes DF=Dynasty Forge. They are great alternative to Hanwei and their katana and have a more traditional look. Of course their musha series are not traditional and have no hamon. Sometimes wiwingti have great deals on DF products.
The hamon on the musashiswords that you posted seems real. You could tell if it is real or fake if you can polish the hamon out with high grit sandpaper. Hanwei Hamon are real but they are enhanced using acid-etch...not very natural to some.
About the box that Musashi came with, they are not exactly high quality wooden box. Personally I prefer not having the box than with it. I rather have a nice sword bag but that's my choice of course. Furthermore lots of high end katana comes in simple box with Styrofoam...to cut cost if I am not mistaken.
|
|
|
Post by wiwingti on Oct 25, 2009 18:53:28 GMT
there are some other brands that have beautifull boxes, PM sent
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2009 19:12:32 GMT
There's a musashi bamboo in the classifieds for 85$. Even though kristie prefers not to ship to Europe I'd ask her if she could make an arrangement.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2009 20:45:26 GMT
Sicheah beat me to a lot of what i'm gonna say...
The box thing... they tend to be lower quality boxes at least i think so... I prefer to just put a sword on my stand anyways which there are tons of nice looking stands for some pretty reasonable prices.
I'd say those are probably the same swords. As far as I know trueswords doesn't have their own exlusive lines, and they sell musashi swords so It's likely the same one. Any differences in the pictures might just be that the sword on one sight is a different generation of the same sword.
As for the hamon looks similar to the ones on their 800 series which are real, the reason it looks diff from your PPK (also real) is just a matter of which was polished and or enhanced which of several different ways.
The ebay vendors i suggested are only available via ebay for the record.
Saya rattle is also soemthign that unfortunately is pretty common even in some mid range swords. Not that there aren't mid range and entry level swords without saya rattle but point being it's probably somethign you should get used to, you mgiht get lucky and have little to no rattle but in all likely hood it'll be there.
Most swords have the high gloss saya you're looking for so that shoudln't be a problem to find. AS for the splinter aspect of your PPK saya sounds more like a QC issue to me... it happens.
I can understand wanting a more stylish tsuba... best part is... thast the easiest part of a sword to change... there are plenty of places to buy some decent looking tsuba swordsofmight.com has a bunch from musashi, Ryumon, and Hanwei (Hanwei being much nicer than the former ones mentioned) Then there are all the ebay vendors selling diff tsuba... I'm even selling some in the classfieids so nice thing is that if you find a sword but don't liek the tsuba you can find another one suitable, probably without spending too much extra cash on it. Then you can even turn around and sell the stock one win win!
I don't know if any of the Kris Cutlery (KC) have bohi at the moment... and they are rather plain jane in terms of fittings but worth looking into.
DF is Dynasty Forge, Sorry I forget not everyone knows all the abbreviations. I'm having trouble of thinking of swords with bohi off the top of my head as I shop for ones without bohi haha. But you can check out the XL lite series of hanwei swords both the practical and practical plus have a XL Light configuration and you could swap out the tsuba on them.
Zhi Sword and Sinosword could put somethign together to your liking, though the verdict on Sinosword still seems to be in question.
ON a side note thanks for the vote of confidence on my sword knowledge haha DOn't think of myself as being overly knowledgeable compared to others.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2009 9:47:51 GMT
Me personally I'd get the kaze if I really wanted a DH blade plus a nice tsuba from swordsofmight.com. The kaze is a very good cutter and with the nice tsuba it'd an eye catcher too.
|
|
|
Post by shadowhowler on Oct 26, 2009 10:29:24 GMT
I tend to lean towards Musashi swords only in the under $100 dollar price range. In that range, they tend to be the best option... once you get into high price ranges... Dynasty Forge, Hanwei, Kris Cutlery, Kensei, and some others start to be a better deal in my opinion. As for Wiwingti... just because he does not list a sword does not mean he can't get it for you, and he will ship internationaly. Ask him about whatever sword you are interested in and see what he says.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2009 20:05:37 GMT
I tend to lean towards Musashi swords only in the under $100 dollar price range. In that range, they tend to be the best option... once you get into high price ranges... Dynasty Forge, Hanwei, Kris Cutlery, Kensei, and some others start to be a better deal in my opinion. As for Wiwingti... just because he does not list a sword does not mean he can't get it for you, and he will ship internationaly. Ask him about whatever sword you are interested in and see what he says. Shipping to germany costs 75$ via UPS, If I buy a sword under 100$ the tax, duty and shipping costs would beat the price of the product itself. That sounds a bit disproportionately to me. And I'm a bit skeptical with sub 100$ swords. I'm tending between Musashi's common Fujin, SanMai 4000 layers Fujin and the Musashis "Dynasty Sowrd". As fofr the last one I Don't like the grain of damascus steel, looks oriental to me and that kills the flair imo. But that's only my personally fault xD. Wiwingti will beat every price from the manufracture itself, so I think every sword I buy is a good deal. Oh, and he will ship it razor sharp to me, for some extra moneys. I will buy one of the Fujins and will make a review, how I like it compared to the practical plus from hanwei. At least, I make it real, with a wiwingti deal. ! Oh one question: What's the main reason why so many people favor the "Kaze" so much. The steel?
|
|
|
Post by shadowhowler on Oct 26, 2009 20:15:43 GMT
Oh one question: What's the main reason why so many people favor the "Kaze" so much. The steel? Actually... I don't favor the Kaze myself. Some people are fans of Cheness swords (Such as your felow german 'Chenessfan', who loves them so much he used them in his handle) and others are not. If you post a thread about Cheness in the japaness sword forum your going to get some strong opinions for and against... I suspect most of them will be against tho. Those who do favor the Kaze or Cheness swords tend to do so because they belive the swords are more durable then othher swords. The truth of that is hotly debated around here.
|
|