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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2011 15:34:41 GMT
I have just had my Kaze katana arrive, and i am a little underwhelmed. I expected plain fittings, but was happy to have that as it all about the blade baby. (i can allways use it as an excuse to customise later). There are two things that bug me the most about my purchase 1) Missaligned tsuka (maybe its a tradeoff for not being cracked?) making the tsuka not in line with the edge of the sword 2) The blade is not as sharp as i would have thought. The cardboard delivery box easy diagonal cut, was less then impressive. A4 paper Tore more than cut, im a sad panda i dont feel like wasting tatami on this at the moment Anyone else had similar issues? I am eyeballing some of my ito's for fittings 'transplant', but that blade is not as i expected. I dont expect a Nihinto mythical god cutting blade, just a honest sharp edge for tameshigiri. So the point of the post is, any ideas on how to fix up mainly the sharpness of the balde?
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Post by Hiroshi on Mar 7, 2011 5:42:10 GMT
I got a tenchi the year before last and was really disappointed with it.
here is the video I made describing the flaws.
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Post by William Swiger on Mar 7, 2011 10:18:07 GMT
I have a Tenchi bought a few years ago. Still have it but just not a big fan. Would be one of first to sell if I slim down my large collection.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2011 12:54:01 GMT
Hiroshi,
Im with you with the saya poor workmanship, mine is the same WAY too roomy. And i am sure that the glossy black 'outer shell' of the saya is a plastic sleeve, thats why its so light.
As i said in my original post i was happy to have those fit and finish issues as long as the blade was the goods.. mine was not. How did your tenchi cut?
Is it the fact that i am spoilt having used/owned Hanweii,tozando,aoi-budo brand shinken, as to why i feel so critical? (tozando was magic) i dont think so, i just wanted my $300 bones worth of something good out of the box, not a project to get it up to what it should be.
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Greg
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Post by Greg on Mar 7, 2011 17:33:08 GMT
I don't think you were expecting to much at all. I have a Munetoshi Beater series katana that I won in a contest a while back. The tsuba had some play in it, the holes in the tang hadn't been cleaned up, the ito was loose, the butt cap had overhang, and was loose... but even with all these fitting flaws, the blade was still paper cutting sharp with a proper lenticular edge, that was polished with just as much care as the rest of the blade. And the Munetoshi Beater series katana is around $80 right now over at sword-n-armory. So if an $80 blade comes with a good edge, then I would fully expect yours to do the same. As far as sharpening goes, our fellow forumite Tom Kinder explains it here: www.sword-buyers-guide.com/sharpen-a-sword.htmlThe only change he's made to his method is that with hand sharpening, is he now clamps the blade to the table and works with the sandpaper in hand... less risk of cutting oneself.
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Post by chrisperoni on Mar 7, 2011 17:49:33 GMT
You are not out of line. My Masahiro blades have tight fittings (well, one is starting to get loose from the fuchi down) and very sharp appleseed edges (or lenticular if you want to be all fancy like like greg )- very sharp! This is after several years of owning/handling them and of course cutting with them when the mood strikes me. They are arguably worth $50-$100 dollars each (not me making up these prices, I've been told by those who used to sell them) and even though they are far from spectacular the blades themselves have been a very good deal overall, the tsukas are lined up right too. Frankly I would be pissed if I had spent $300 and had the issues you've ended up with. It's not like you're not asking for gold leaf on the tsuba, or a 12 stage traditional polish, or custom made tsuka...
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Greg
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Post by Greg on Mar 7, 2011 17:54:51 GMT
Heck, part of the appeal of the katana is usually ANY katana you get, it has been sharpened and polished.
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Post by Student of Sword on Mar 7, 2011 20:21:18 GMT
If you have owned higher end katana, why buy a Cheness?
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Post by Elheru Aran on Mar 7, 2011 21:26:48 GMT
Maybe it's what he can afford, and wanted, right now? Not everybody is willing to save up money, or make enough money, for what they like. Take me for an example; if I wanted a VA Signature, $400ish through the SBG store, I'd have to save up for about 4-5 months! I'd rather save a couple of months and buy a Hanwei/Tinker, and fit it out myself. A $200 sword in the hand is worth a $2000 one on a website/in a store sometimes.
That said, I do think that there is a certain expectation regarding katana in the market, not without foundation though. I totally understand why Zenboy might be frustrated with his. Perhaps the manufacturers, seeing that we're okay with Euro blades that frequently come with similar issues (unsharp edge, lousy scabbard), are loosening their quality control with katana as they figure we don't care about one, why care about the other? If that's the case we need to make our opinion known... Zenboy, have you contacted Cheness in regard to this, or plan to? Just curious.
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Post by chrisperoni on Mar 7, 2011 21:36:40 GMT
Maybe he wanted a cheaper sword to feel more comforable using it as an every day cutter. For exmple I know if I spent $1000 on a sword I'd be more inclined to only dry handle it and less inclined to use it all the time to cut with but others might feel entirely different. Everyone has a different comfort level with regards to what they can afford and what they want to do with their stuff.
I think manufacturers all have different points of concern in their products- some focus on function first even breaking down specific functional aspects such as blade sharpness, others first are concerned with more aesthetic (hate trying to spell that word!) aspects first. But when someone gets a swords that is not expected to be aesthetically overwhelming they hope the functional aspect is at least up to snuff.
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Post by Student of Sword on Mar 7, 2011 23:05:59 GMT
I understand the desire to have a less-expensive katana that one is not afraid of cutting. But compare to the katana he mentioned he has owned, a Cheness is a really big step down. It is no wonder he is disappointed. Maybe the step down should be a little smaller, somewhere in the middle between the a Tozando and a Cheness.
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Greg
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Post by Greg on Mar 7, 2011 23:16:02 GMT
I don't believe that eastern and western blades are made at the same factory. I could be wrong, but that was part of the reason that Hanwei had good edges on their katanas and lousy edges on the euros.
But yes, I agree with Elheru in that you should contact Cheness and voice your disapproval. Heck, they might even say "Oh, we are terribly sorry, let us pay for the shipping back to us and we'll get you a proper one shipped back out to you."
Alternately, depending on which distributor you purchased it from, you could just send it back for a better one. I know that Kult of Athena would have no problems doing this for you, and they'd be darned sure that the replacement was the best they had in stock.
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George
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Post by George on Mar 8, 2011 6:11:32 GMT
To put it in perspective, my Musashi bamboo Kat cost $79 is razor sharp (paper slicing not ripping), nearly one of the best fitted saya's ive seen yet (on <$200 blades) and everything is snug fitting. I would be SUPER pissed if id paid $300 and didnt get atleast twice better build than my Musashi. One of the Global Gear G-1000 fire blade Katanas i got was nearly as blunt as my Iaido blade and it cost me $330... I sold it to a local collector who wanted a display sword but i sure wasnt happy!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2011 12:43:12 GMT
Wow, Let the flood-gate of feedback begin! Thanks for all your input guys, i pretty much feel the same about about what you have all said, so i do feel validated. Just to cover a few things brought up a) I have never owned a japanese Shinken, but had the privilege to use 2 in the past Thank again Sensei b) I own at the moment, the Kaze and a shinto elite c) the Kaze was meant to be my beater, i only use the shinto for tatami d) I have since ordered a Ronnin dojo katana to be my back yard cutter e) I have NOT let chessness know about my feelings, Yes call me stupid. But i tend to vote with my feet (not buy again) f) I think we all agree, a sword by all accounts should be sold sharp g) I am in the stages of saving for my final blade $$$$$$$$$$$ ouch Thanks again guys, TomK's sharpen tips are the bomb. Im trying to get the hardware shipped down to me here in Australia, our hardware stores dont seem to have fine enough belts or leather honing belts. When i get it i will sharpen the Kaze to an inch of its life, I may even dremmel it to make shine like no back yard beater should lol.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2011 12:45:51 GMT
So true, maybe getting spoiled by using a japanese shinken was bad kama
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2011 12:47:20 GMT
Ouch i feel your pain, if thats the Titanium infused blade you mean, i was close to getting it instead lol.
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George
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Post by George on Mar 9, 2011 6:12:37 GMT
Yep thats the one, same as reviewed here. I actually got two and the comparisons were chalk and cheese. So this bring me to the fact an amount of 'luck' must go into whether you get a good blade or not depending on who you buy from.
The second one was sharper but still in no comparison to my Musashi. Would never cut through paper and could run your finger along it with out even worrying. Luckly two collectors brought them and they dont care about the sharpness for wall hangers. Still they charge $590 for them you would expect them to be super sharp, especially being titanium.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2011 5:54:54 GMT
Just got a hold of my belt sander & belts, and gave the Kaze the honning of a lifetime. now it is sharp. Thanks TomK for your guide
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Post by Insane on Mar 17, 2011 10:34:46 GMT
The Tom k way of sharpening worked great for me also. My Blades are razor sharp and stay that for a good while.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2011 10:38:19 GMT
good to know, was not sure if i was trading edge holding, for my new razor edge. It is SO much sharper now.
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