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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2010 16:25:00 GMT
After some thought and time to chill.I decided to be fair and give this shinogi sent as a replacement a try.Ok not bad.Good cutter on bottles have not tried any other targets,just a few bottles.It cut them very well.Nice balance,Very light weight sword.The handmade blade is a little wavy.The ito is very tight,nonalternating over a horrible bright white rubber same.My opinion here,but the ugliest tsuba i have ever seen.And the biggest thing it still isnt an unokubi.But I have to be fair,its a decent cutter.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Apr 29, 2010 17:00:05 GMT
that itomaki you showed us looked terribly uneven I find it interesting that it is tight. usually ito like that is loose. that's a good thing anyway. all the Kensei swords I have seen have had very tight itomaki. my UBCx ito is so tight I have bruised my thumb trying (and failing) to shift it.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2010 17:09:22 GMT
Yeah Tom me to.But its very tight.The diamonds look worse in the pics for some reason,I was able to mostly straighten them,my thumbs and fingers are pretty caloused so no bruising,but it was tough.The ito on the WSS unokubi,other than not alternating is the best I have seen anywhere.Nice even diamods and super tight.They dont budge.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Apr 29, 2010 17:29:48 GMT
oh trust me, my hands are tough and caloused too. I am an engineer and a sailor, in the winter you could use my knuckles as sand paper. really rough low grit sand paper. the point is Kensei's itomaki is always very tight. My UBCx is the tightest I've seen by them though. their higher end stuff uses hishigami I'm pretty sure which helps to keep the diamonds nice and even. their normal run stuff like the dragonfly etc seem to be really high quality. maybe a little heavy sometimes but good quality for sure. I don't know really anything about their lower end stuff. maybe some day I'll get the pleasure of sharpening one for somebody or do a review or something but no plans for it right now.
now that I think about it I have seen exactly one of their budget priced swords. Shadowhowler brought one with him last year when he came to my mini moyoushi cutting party. I don't remember what the model was but it was one from when they were Oni Forge and it had great itomaki, good fittings, handled nicely, and cut unbelievably well. it was one of the reasons I made sure I got in on the UBCx deal when it happened.
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Post by shadowhowler on Apr 29, 2010 18:11:28 GMT
Tom: That was an Oni Forge Imperial... its basically the TH version of the Oni Forge Bushido. The Imperial, Bushido, Shiro and other Oni Forge swords (Before they became Kensei) all used a high quality cotton and the wraps were VERY tight and functional, the best non silk wrap I had ever used.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2010 18:19:58 GMT
I believe it was Robby Doom who said they have one of the best tsukamakishis he has ever seen.I call that high praise!If this is one of their student series katana I dont think I can fairly rate it since I havent held any of their other stuff.But it looks exactly like the one for sale in the classifieds.Same evrything I think.Come to think of it the student series unokubi is the same as the wss unokubi.Now Im really confused why I got a shinogi to replace an unokubi.Still havent gotten an answer for that.Oh well
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Apr 29, 2010 18:23:10 GMT
hmmm maybe they just didn't have any of the student unokubi available right then and they didn't want to make you wait for the next shipment.
this whole situation is strange and doesn't sound like standard Kensei practice to me.
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Post by shadowhowler on Apr 29, 2010 18:34:07 GMT
I'm kinda bummed out for Marc... He is a stand up kinda guy and so of course he wanted to make it right... so he sent you a sword to replace it. However, doing stuff like that is costing him money, and he has been selling off some of his personal collection to cover that recently. Marc is made of pure awesome and win... but he is not a rich man... and methinks he pays for kindness too much sometimes.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2010 18:41:09 GMT
Well the shobu is coming and my son is happy with Marcs solution,and Marc is letting him keep the unokubi so it will become an iaito.He cant have the unokubi cutter he wanted,but at least he can practice with it.And I truly cant say enough about Marc.He is "A#1".As long as my kid is happy I am not as upset.The whole thing still nags at me a bit.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Apr 29, 2010 18:44:11 GMT
I worry about that too. I'm sure there are other vendors hoping he will wreck himself financially, he certainly made some waves when he first started up. there was even some publicly posted nastiness. it's sad that all of our vendors can't play nice with each other but in this economy I'm sure sword sellers are struggling to make things work. you do something to threaten the ability of a man to provide for his family and there is going to be backlash. no way around it. Marc is no dummy though and I'm sure he'll make things work or at least make sure not to wreck himself.
I pledge to continue to do my part in supporting our sword makers (this is easy as I am an addict and need my sword fix regularly).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2010 18:44:20 GMT
I'm kinda bummed out for Marc... He is a stand up kinda guy and so of course he wanted to make it right... so he sent you a sword to replace it. However, doing stuff like that is costing him money, and he has been selling off some of his personal collection to cover that recently. Marc is made of pure awesome and win... but he is not a rich man... and methinks he pays for kindness too much sometimes. I agree.I am bummed for Marc to.But guys please,I did not ask for a free replacement.
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Post by shadowhowler on Apr 29, 2010 18:49:59 GMT
I agree.I am bummed for Marc to.But guys please,I did not ask for a free replacement. No, of course not... but Marc is just that sort of guy... he will go to lengths to make things right. At this point, tho you are disapointed about the WSS sword, you will have the damaged WSS sword to do what you want with, the replacement from Loren which, while not the same is still a functional sword, and the Raptor from Marc, which is worth more then the WSS sword was in the first place. All in all, I'd say you made out fairly well. I would be pleased in your shoes.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2010 19:30:17 GMT
I agree.I am bummed for Marc to.But guys please,I did not ask for a free replacement. No, of course not... but Marc is just that sort of guy... he will go to lengths to make things right. At this point, tho you are disapointed about the WSS sword, you will have the damaged WSS sword to do what you want with, the replacement from Loren which, while not the same is still a functional sword, and the Raptor from Marc, which is worth more then the WSS sword was in the first place. All in all, I'd say you made out fairly well. I would be pleased in your shoes. Well shadow you are correct except that,not me.This is for my kid,so he is making out ok.He is getting the Raptor he had chose before he saw the WSS unokubi so its not all bad,but still not what he ultimately chose,but this is beating the same old horse again.I keep getting the same thing,not trying to be an ass but,let me word it like this. If you go to a GM dealership and buy an Escalade,take it home and realize there is a major problem with it,that cant be fixed and the dealer says no problem,we will replace it for you.Are they going to give you a suburban as a replacement for your Caddy?And if so would you be happy?See what Im getting at?Not comparing the uno to a Caddy or that other thing to a suburban,just saying. ;)This was my issue from the beginning.Being sent a Suburban to replace an Escalade. Its not about coming out to the good.It is and was always about what was ordered and making my son happy. Again the only person I can thank for making this right is Marc.
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Post by shadowhowler on Apr 29, 2010 19:43:06 GMT
If you go to a GM dealership and buy an Escalade,take it home and realize there is a major problem with it,that cant be fixed and the dealer says no problem,we will replace it for you.Are they going to give you a suburban as a replacement for your Caddy?And if so would you be happy?See what Im getting at? No... but if they let me keep the broken Caddy for parts, gave me a new Suburban AND a new Cobalt to replace the broken Caddy, I would be pretty happy with the end result.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2010 20:29:49 GMT
If you go to a GM dealership and buy an Escalade,take it home and realize there is a major problem with it,that cant be fixed and the dealer says no problem,we will replace it for you.Are they going to give you a suburban as a replacement for your Caddy?And if so would you be happy?See what Im getting at? No... but if they let me keep the broken Caddy for parts, gave me a new Suburban AND a new Cobalt to replace the broken Caddy, I would be pretty happy with the end result. Ok,I dont know what else to say man.I know you dont "mean" anything by your comments shadow. :)And yes as someone who bought a sword Im very pleased.But its not about me man.My son is about to turn eighteen and graduate High School.You didnt see his eyes when he first saw that WSS Unokubi.And you didnt have to see his face when it bent.This was to be something special for a special occasion as I have said.I dont want anything,well, a why would be nice.But thats all man. So yes as someone who paid x amount and got this ok Im ok with that.As a father trying to do something special for his kid,well, Im just glad I buy from Marc.
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2010 19:55:39 GMT
Yesterday there was a question asked of me on this thread and now it is gone.It was a good question that I feel should be answered so heres the answer.Yes I sent an email to the weblink that was provided by Kensei, I think this was the day after my post first went up,I still have not recieved a reply.
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2010 0:04:01 GMT
I guess this is turning more into a testimonial for Marc and Wiwingti.The Raptor arrived yesterday,with a very loose seppa.These things happen.My sons birthday is may13 and I would have to return this one and wait for Hanwei to recieve and check it before thay send a new one.This would take about two weeks.Marc is cuting that crap out,buying one for my son and when this one is returned he will be credited. This guy is the tops.Unbelievable customer service.I wish I could shake his hand and just say thank you in person. If you have never dealt with Marc and Wiwingti,do so the very next chance you get,you will not be sorry.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on May 5, 2010 2:55:36 GMT
a loose seppa? that's all? seriously? or is there something else wrong? this IS a production sword please remember and there are ways to fix things like loose seppa. I don't think I would return a sword over a loose seppa if that's all there is to it. man you have been treated so well by Marc this almost sounds like taking advantage. I'm not judging, I don't know the whole situation but please try and consider Marc in this too.
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2010 3:28:02 GMT
I have to agree with Tom, a loose seppa is something that can be repaired without much effort, for less money and time than it will take to send this sword back to Wiwingti. QC and fittings issues are sad, but I think it is nearly impossible to completely avoid them unless you pay far more than 300 bucks for a sword.
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2010 11:04:13 GMT
Yeah I don't want you to feel like we are all jumping on you here but a loose seppa is quite common. If the seppa is rattling around like a bell then there is a problem. The gap may mean the habaki could become unseated. So it can be a problem it just depends on the extent of the looseness.
Its not fun to have to fix things when they are new but some things are to be expected with production swords. If your son has any intention of cutting with the sword then you need to be able to deal with little problems like these. They will arise through time and its very useful to be able to remedy them.
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