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Post by Lobster Hunter on Nov 7, 2010 11:25:42 GMT
Just out of curiosity, (and for the benefit of vendor & manufacturer QC) with regard to typical flaws that plague production swords, at what point would you consider a newly arrived sword unacceptable? Where do you draw the line between keeping the thing and returning it? Here's a sampling of where I would (regarding katanas anyway):
Keep (with the intention of either accepting the flaw or fixing it myself):
loose tsuba, seppa
too loose or too tight saya
very minor scratches or blemish on blade
blade edge slightly off center of habaki
shim in tsuka
minor cosmetic flaws
Send back:
bent blade
severe scratches or blemish on blade
nakago movement in tsuka
ito knot becoming undone with minimal handling
cracked tsuka core
very bad habaki/blade alignment
generally anything that will negatively affect safety or function of the sword
On a side note,
I've recently shipped a scratch & dent SBG Kuromono to be professionally remounted and the fact that the blade edge/habaki alignment is off center is nagging me. I don't think it would affect my ability to judge edge alignment when I'm swinging it. Or... will it? I'm curious to see what you folks think of this.
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SanMarc
Senior Forumite
Posts: 3,193
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Post by SanMarc on Nov 7, 2010 18:56:06 GMT
Well the only thing is the Habaki centers the blade in the saya, so with some minor rework, it can be fixed, if the blade itself is fine, then I would keep it and fix the habaki......SanMarc.
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Post by Lobster Hunter on Nov 8, 2010 10:19:52 GMT
SanMarc,
I agree. The blade is definitely worth keeping. Once I get the sword back, I'll see if I can improve the alignment a bit.
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Post by ineffableone on Nov 9, 2010 0:18:20 GMT
great info to share +2 karma from me for putting up this info
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Post by ineffableone on Nov 9, 2010 0:21:17 GMT
I would also mention that what is fixable for some is better left to send back for others. Some people like to work on their blades and have the tools and knowledge to do so. Others really wouldn't know where to start and might make things worse if they tried. Be sure to honestly admit if your in group 2 and just send the sword back. There is no shame in wanting a decent sword for the money you payed.
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Post by LittleJP on Nov 9, 2010 0:36:04 GMT
I haven't had much yet.
For now, if the sword feels "dead" in the hand, well, I try to get rid of it.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2010 0:45:53 GMT
I'm curious to know the answer to this as well.
Honestly, I'm suprised that this thread isn't a half dozen pages long by now.
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Post by Lobster Hunter on Nov 9, 2010 0:51:50 GMT
Holy crap! I didn't even realize you COULD give someone 2 karma in one shot. Thanks, ineffableone!
Yeah, it's such a bummer to wait anxiously for the new "precious" only to be disappointed when things are out of whack. I wonder if vendors and manufacturers have a checklist of flaws to look out for in order of significance. Or maybe they have a point system like let's say for example... a particular model is allowed 5 points of demerits to pass QC:
Sword #1
slightly loose ito wrap = 2 points
loose saya fit = 1 point
slight blemish on blade = 1 point
TOTAL: 4 points
PASS
Sword #2
blemish on saya = 1 point
loose kashira = 2 points
loose tsuba = 2 points
blade is possessed by an evil spirit that will cause its master to use it to slay cute puppies = 2 points
TOTAL: 7 points
FAIL
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2010 2:10:21 GMT
AWESOME! LMAO!!
But seriously, I think it would be great if someone could work out a points system like that, we all get blades with a point off here or there, but it would be nice to know when at what point the small things add up to enough to send a sword back.
I mean, with a HuGE flaw, it's easy to know, but with little things, how much adds up to too much?
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TomK
Member
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Post by TomK on Nov 9, 2010 19:26:59 GMT
I don't think a point system is a very good idea. it promotes an absolute aproach to a very subjective thing. the amount of points for any given flaw will change with the person. for instance a wobbly tsuba doesn't bother me at all because I'm real good at simming those up with bits of copper but a blemish on the saya is not something I can fix with any confidence, and I would think that for most people possession by an evil sprirt would rank at least 5 or 7 points all by itself unless of course you are one of those types of goth infatuated people who love that sort of thing in which case evil spirrit possession would rank in at a very hot -10. so about the closest I would come to a points system is to have each individual make their own set of values with a common fail score of something like 10 and each flaw or perk be given a numeric value from 1 to 10 for flaws and -1 to -10 for perks.
for me:
split or cracked wood work in hande or scabbard/saya = 10
twists, bends, warps in blade = 10
uneven geometry (with the exception of the few styles that call for it) = 3 to 10 depending on how bad it is
loose ito = 5 - 9 depending on severity
scratches on blade finish = 0 - 2 maybe as much as 7 if it is a gouge more than a scratch.
so yeah my values are going to be different than other people's who will be different than yours. the old review system used a numerical point system and it failed pretty much epically to indicate the quality of a sword which lead us to change it.
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Post by LittleJP on Nov 9, 2010 22:41:24 GMT
Basically, a deal breaker is somethign that I couldn't easily fix myself.
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