Superior Swords custom katana
Oct 12, 2010 8:49:41 GMT
Post by serge021974 on Oct 12, 2010 8:49:41 GMT
Superior Swords custom katana
Review by Serge Winckelmans (Belgium)
Introduction
Some time ago I saw some questions about this company. The NZD was very cheap for European customers so I tried it out. I ordered a customs katana with the following options :
Classic Blade
Live Edge
Display Box
LionDog Fuchi & Kashira
Chrome Habaki
Dark Green Sageo Color
Dark Green Tsuka Ito Color
Brass Catfish Menuki
Black Cotton Katana Sword Bag
Traditional Menuki Placment
Dark Green Saya
Bound Sageo Ends
Brass Seppa
Display Cho Mu Sageo Knot
No Katana Stand
Liondog Tsuba
Katate-Maki v2.1 Tsuka Ito Style
This is the result :
This costed me 249 NZD or 124 Euro.
Historical overview
Liondogs: translation : Shîsâ is a traditional Ryukyuan decoration, often found in pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog. Many people put a pair of Shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from various evils. When found in pairs, the shisa on the left traditionally has a closed mouth, and the one on the right an open mouth.
The open mouth to ward off evil spirits, and the closed mouth to keep good spirits in. Originally pairs like these were called "shisa and guardian dogs": the right with its mouth opened is the guardian, the left with its mouth closed is the shisa. Some people believe that one is male and the other is female, and provide various justifications for which is which; for example, "the female has her mouth shut as she should" or "the male has his mouth shut to hold in all the family's good fortune". (Compare this to the distinction between male and female guardian lions in Chinese culture.) The shisa, like the koma-inu (lion dogs), is a variation of the guardian lions ("fu dogs") from China
Initial Impressions
Opening the well packed package was a pleasure. Everything was in good condition. My first impression was : “Aah, fake hamon”.
The company was very helpful and also very quick. 12 Days after I ordered my custom katana, I already received my tracking info. 10 days after it arrived in Belgium I got my katana in my possession. So within a month I got a custom katana!!
Statistics
Blade/Nagasa Length: 71 cm
Handle/Tsuka Length: 28 cm
Overall Length: 100 cm
Guard/Tsuba Width: 9 cm
POB (Point of Balance): 12 cm after tsuba
Weight: 1165 Gr.
Components
The Blade/Nagasa
Nice polish but a fake hamon. Sharpness is acceptable. The tests were done without any failure.
The second hole (for the meguki) was a bit to far at the end (in my opinion).
Everything was glued. I could disassemble all the components of the katana except the habaki. Further on more on the habaki!
Kissaki is also fake but well defined.
The hamon is also fake (as mentioned before…)
The Handle/Tsuka
Tsuka has a good wrap (everything tight). Only a shame that the menuki is glued on the wrap!!
The rayskin has a good quality, as you can see on the next pictures.
The Guard/Tsuba
For me… beautiful tsuba. Decent quality. Brass.
Habaki
The habaki is glued on the blade. I asked a chrome habaki and I must say : “I like it!!”
BUT : the alignment could a bit better. See the next pictures.
The Scabbard/Saya
As I asked. Deep green with a green sageo.
Handling Characteristics
The katanas initial impression is : it’s a heavy katana, I’d better took the bo-hi version. But after a bit dry handling it felt better and better and in the tests it felt really good!
Test Cutting
Cutting some plastic bottles
Cutting a tatami-mat
My 5 minutes of pleasure :
Conclusions
This is a decent katana for a reasonable price. If you would ask me to buy again from this vendor I would say no. The reason for this is the fake hamon and the glued parts. The company on itself does a good job. They deliver what is shown on their website. They deliver fast and well packed. Nothing on them.
Pros
Custom katana for a good price and very fast delivery
A lot of options to customize your katana
Well fit together
Cons
Fake hamon
Glued parts
Misalignment of the habaki
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this to anyone who would like an inexpensive katana with a lot of customization options. The blade is sharp and overall it’s well fit together.
Review by Serge Winckelmans (Belgium)
Introduction
Some time ago I saw some questions about this company. The NZD was very cheap for European customers so I tried it out. I ordered a customs katana with the following options :
Classic Blade
Live Edge
Display Box
LionDog Fuchi & Kashira
Chrome Habaki
Dark Green Sageo Color
Dark Green Tsuka Ito Color
Brass Catfish Menuki
Black Cotton Katana Sword Bag
Traditional Menuki Placment
Dark Green Saya
Bound Sageo Ends
Brass Seppa
Display Cho Mu Sageo Knot
No Katana Stand
Liondog Tsuba
Katate-Maki v2.1 Tsuka Ito Style
This is the result :
This costed me 249 NZD or 124 Euro.
Historical overview
Liondogs: translation : Shîsâ is a traditional Ryukyuan decoration, often found in pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog. Many people put a pair of Shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from various evils. When found in pairs, the shisa on the left traditionally has a closed mouth, and the one on the right an open mouth.
The open mouth to ward off evil spirits, and the closed mouth to keep good spirits in. Originally pairs like these were called "shisa and guardian dogs": the right with its mouth opened is the guardian, the left with its mouth closed is the shisa. Some people believe that one is male and the other is female, and provide various justifications for which is which; for example, "the female has her mouth shut as she should" or "the male has his mouth shut to hold in all the family's good fortune". (Compare this to the distinction between male and female guardian lions in Chinese culture.) The shisa, like the koma-inu (lion dogs), is a variation of the guardian lions ("fu dogs") from China
Initial Impressions
Opening the well packed package was a pleasure. Everything was in good condition. My first impression was : “Aah, fake hamon”.
The company was very helpful and also very quick. 12 Days after I ordered my custom katana, I already received my tracking info. 10 days after it arrived in Belgium I got my katana in my possession. So within a month I got a custom katana!!
Statistics
Blade/Nagasa Length: 71 cm
Handle/Tsuka Length: 28 cm
Overall Length: 100 cm
Guard/Tsuba Width: 9 cm
POB (Point of Balance): 12 cm after tsuba
Weight: 1165 Gr.
Components
The Blade/Nagasa
Nice polish but a fake hamon. Sharpness is acceptable. The tests were done without any failure.
The second hole (for the meguki) was a bit to far at the end (in my opinion).
Everything was glued. I could disassemble all the components of the katana except the habaki. Further on more on the habaki!
Kissaki is also fake but well defined.
The hamon is also fake (as mentioned before…)
The Handle/Tsuka
Tsuka has a good wrap (everything tight). Only a shame that the menuki is glued on the wrap!!
The rayskin has a good quality, as you can see on the next pictures.
The Guard/Tsuba
For me… beautiful tsuba. Decent quality. Brass.
Habaki
The habaki is glued on the blade. I asked a chrome habaki and I must say : “I like it!!”
BUT : the alignment could a bit better. See the next pictures.
The Scabbard/Saya
As I asked. Deep green with a green sageo.
Handling Characteristics
The katanas initial impression is : it’s a heavy katana, I’d better took the bo-hi version. But after a bit dry handling it felt better and better and in the tests it felt really good!
Test Cutting
Cutting some plastic bottles
Cutting a tatami-mat
My 5 minutes of pleasure :
Conclusions
This is a decent katana for a reasonable price. If you would ask me to buy again from this vendor I would say no. The reason for this is the fake hamon and the glued parts. The company on itself does a good job. They deliver what is shown on their website. They deliver fast and well packed. Nothing on them.
Pros
Custom katana for a good price and very fast delivery
A lot of options to customize your katana
Well fit together
Cons
Fake hamon
Glued parts
Misalignment of the habaki
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this to anyone who would like an inexpensive katana with a lot of customization options. The blade is sharp and overall it’s well fit together.