Oniforge Bujin "Shinobi-Katana"
Aug 5, 2007 19:42:38 GMT
Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2007 19:42:38 GMT
This is my review of the Oniforge Bujin Katana.
My name is Daniel Öberg and i live in Stockholm, Sweden.
The reason why i bought this sword is, after seeing Pauls review of the Bujinkan Oniyuri Katana I became very interested in buying the Oniyuri.
Though i quickly found out that he couldn't ship it to sweden, due to length restrictions.
Slightly over a week ago I heard from forum member Mark Mowrey that he was selling a few katanas which he'd bought from Oniforge.
The one that really caught my eye was the Bujin Katana. Which is like the Oniyuri exept that it is made from 1060 steel instead of 9260 steel.
I bought it from Mark for $135 + shipping ($40), which is an absolute steal, considering that Oniforge sell these for $199.
The katana arrived in a "ordinary" shipping box.
There was some minor shipping damage on the box.
Though inside, the sword was well protected by pool noodles around the sword box. (yes, packing material and cutting targets all-in-one! ;D )
It came with a very attractive display box.
And the sword was in carrying bag when i opened the display box. Mark had really made sure the sword wouldn't get damaged during shipping.
And without the bag:
Anyway, now onto the sword itself:
Basic statistics:
Blade length: 21.5" measuring from the "notch" in the habaki.
Tsuka length: 14"
Overall: 36.5"
POB (point of balance): 2" from tsuba.
Weight: 2,11lbs (with saya), 2,2lbs (without saya)
DESIGN, FIT & FINISH
The Tsuka and Tsuba
The first thing i noticed was how good the Tsuka-ito Was. The brown ito on top of the black samé looks really good and the ito ito is tightly wrapped with no movement.
The Kashira is nicer than most i've seen (though i've not seen that many, so it doesn't really say much ).
I can't really make out what the menuki is, but it looks like some rope or snake motif, not gorgeous, but not ugly either.
I had doubts about the tsuba when i had only seen picures of it, though it wasn't as bad as i'd thought. I've started to like it more and more, and its quite comfortable too, it does not hurt my thumb after long cutting sessions (i've heard some tsubas can be painful for the thumb).
And a picture of the menuki:
The Saya
The saya is ordinary, black, just like most other in the sub $300 category.
The saego looks good, nothing special, but it's good.
The Blade
Now on to the most importan part
When i got the sword, it was all covered in "shipping goo".
I wiped the goo off and was nearly stunned by this beautiful blade.
The blade is really nice and has a near mirror finish.
The hamon looks acid-etched but is still very attractive.
One bad thing i did notice was a few spots on the middle of the blade.
I don't consider this as a "flaw" per say.
The Tang
The tang looks alright, i found a small signature/inscription on the tang, dunno what it means though (if anything other than the forge/smith who made it).
I'm telling you, this sword is solid, it was pure hell trying to remove the tsuka from the tang.
First the mekugi was was very firm, and quite difficult to remove. Then the tsuka sat so firmly on the tang, i really had to pound on the tsuba to get it unstuck.
I could probably use this sword without the mekugi inserted, and the blade still wouldn't fall out. (But i would definatley not recomend it. Kids, don't get any ideas now! ;D )
I noticed that the tsuka has a small crack in the wood, but i don't think this will be a problem.
When i'd checked everything was in order, i put it back together, now to the fun part!
TESTING
Now before i started cutting, i gave it a few swings, just to get a feel of the sword.
This little bugger is lightning fast, with a blance point just 2" from the tsuba, getting this thing moving (or stopping it for that matter) is no problem at all.
Cutting
Cutting with the Bujin is childsplay, even in my VERY unskilled hands this sword has cut whatever i've put infront of it.
Even though it has a blade the size of a wakizashi i've been able to cut triple beachmats, and several 2litre bottles lined up in a row, with little resistance.
The razor sharp edge and the lightning fast blade makes short work of pretty much everything.
The shipping box it came in, didn't last long:
The following video is composed of cutting sessions from different days and locations.
Please excuse my bad form .
Sorry for the improvised cutting stand.
My cats had to sacrifice their scratching board.
CONCLUSION & RATINGS
This sword is kinda historically accurate, since it is a "true" ninja sword. Not a Hollywood ninja sword (the straight bladed ones).
But that only what i've read/heard, i'm not really educated on the subject.
The fittings are good and tight, nothing overly pretty, but good enough.
So nothing negative about the fittings, exept maybe that small crack in the tsuka.
Concerning handling and structural integrity, i really can't give a "valid" answer since i don't own more than a fe swords and have very little experience.
But it handles very good, a farily light sword with POB 2" from the tsuka (what did you expect ).
And since i haven't tested it beyond beachmats, waterbottles cardboard boxes and shipping tubes,
i really can't say much about structurat integrity, more than it can take regular tameshigiri without any problems whatsoever.
This is a very good sword, and for the money i spent, i'm more than satisfied.
Even if i would've bought this sword for $199 instead of $135 i'd still be satisfied.
This is a very good sword, if one likes the "long tsuka, short blade" style.
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 3/5
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5
I hope you've all enjoyed reading this review!
Let me know what you think!
/Skalman
My name is Daniel Öberg and i live in Stockholm, Sweden.
The reason why i bought this sword is, after seeing Pauls review of the Bujinkan Oniyuri Katana I became very interested in buying the Oniyuri.
Though i quickly found out that he couldn't ship it to sweden, due to length restrictions.
Slightly over a week ago I heard from forum member Mark Mowrey that he was selling a few katanas which he'd bought from Oniforge.
The one that really caught my eye was the Bujin Katana. Which is like the Oniyuri exept that it is made from 1060 steel instead of 9260 steel.
I bought it from Mark for $135 + shipping ($40), which is an absolute steal, considering that Oniforge sell these for $199.
The katana arrived in a "ordinary" shipping box.
There was some minor shipping damage on the box.
Though inside, the sword was well protected by pool noodles around the sword box. (yes, packing material and cutting targets all-in-one! ;D )
It came with a very attractive display box.
And the sword was in carrying bag when i opened the display box. Mark had really made sure the sword wouldn't get damaged during shipping.
And without the bag:
Anyway, now onto the sword itself:
Basic statistics:
Blade length: 21.5" measuring from the "notch" in the habaki.
Tsuka length: 14"
Overall: 36.5"
POB (point of balance): 2" from tsuba.
Weight: 2,11lbs (with saya), 2,2lbs (without saya)
DESIGN, FIT & FINISH
The Tsuka and Tsuba
The first thing i noticed was how good the Tsuka-ito Was. The brown ito on top of the black samé looks really good and the ito ito is tightly wrapped with no movement.
The Kashira is nicer than most i've seen (though i've not seen that many, so it doesn't really say much ).
I can't really make out what the menuki is, but it looks like some rope or snake motif, not gorgeous, but not ugly either.
I had doubts about the tsuba when i had only seen picures of it, though it wasn't as bad as i'd thought. I've started to like it more and more, and its quite comfortable too, it does not hurt my thumb after long cutting sessions (i've heard some tsubas can be painful for the thumb).
And a picture of the menuki:
The Saya
The saya is ordinary, black, just like most other in the sub $300 category.
The saego looks good, nothing special, but it's good.
The Blade
Now on to the most importan part
When i got the sword, it was all covered in "shipping goo".
I wiped the goo off and was nearly stunned by this beautiful blade.
The blade is really nice and has a near mirror finish.
The hamon looks acid-etched but is still very attractive.
One bad thing i did notice was a few spots on the middle of the blade.
I don't consider this as a "flaw" per say.
The Tang
The tang looks alright, i found a small signature/inscription on the tang, dunno what it means though (if anything other than the forge/smith who made it).
I'm telling you, this sword is solid, it was pure hell trying to remove the tsuka from the tang.
First the mekugi was was very firm, and quite difficult to remove. Then the tsuka sat so firmly on the tang, i really had to pound on the tsuba to get it unstuck.
I could probably use this sword without the mekugi inserted, and the blade still wouldn't fall out. (But i would definatley not recomend it. Kids, don't get any ideas now! ;D )
I noticed that the tsuka has a small crack in the wood, but i don't think this will be a problem.
When i'd checked everything was in order, i put it back together, now to the fun part!
TESTING
Now before i started cutting, i gave it a few swings, just to get a feel of the sword.
This little bugger is lightning fast, with a blance point just 2" from the tsuba, getting this thing moving (or stopping it for that matter) is no problem at all.
Cutting
Cutting with the Bujin is childsplay, even in my VERY unskilled hands this sword has cut whatever i've put infront of it.
Even though it has a blade the size of a wakizashi i've been able to cut triple beachmats, and several 2litre bottles lined up in a row, with little resistance.
The razor sharp edge and the lightning fast blade makes short work of pretty much everything.
The shipping box it came in, didn't last long:
The following video is composed of cutting sessions from different days and locations.
Please excuse my bad form .
Sorry for the improvised cutting stand.
My cats had to sacrifice their scratching board.
CONCLUSION & RATINGS
This sword is kinda historically accurate, since it is a "true" ninja sword. Not a Hollywood ninja sword (the straight bladed ones).
But that only what i've read/heard, i'm not really educated on the subject.
The fittings are good and tight, nothing overly pretty, but good enough.
So nothing negative about the fittings, exept maybe that small crack in the tsuka.
Concerning handling and structural integrity, i really can't give a "valid" answer since i don't own more than a fe swords and have very little experience.
But it handles very good, a farily light sword with POB 2" from the tsuka (what did you expect ).
And since i haven't tested it beyond beachmats, waterbottles cardboard boxes and shipping tubes,
i really can't say much about structurat integrity, more than it can take regular tameshigiri without any problems whatsoever.
This is a very good sword, and for the money i spent, i'm more than satisfied.
Even if i would've bought this sword for $199 instead of $135 i'd still be satisfied.
This is a very good sword, if one likes the "long tsuka, short blade" style.
Historical Accuracy: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 3/5
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5
I hope you've all enjoyed reading this review!
Let me know what you think!
/Skalman