Ryan Sword Review part 3 of 3 "sharp wakizashi"
Mar 30, 2011 16:44:04 GMT
Post by Kitsune on Mar 30, 2011 16:44:04 GMT
First off I would like to apologise for the lateness of this post,
First problem was waiting for shipping on my comparison sword (Arround christmass and just after a Bomb Scare in the shipping industry) THEN so much real life stuff got in they way of getting my final draft done it was nuts. FINALLY when I actually had time I completed my final edit tried to post it and the website had gone down, or glitched or whatever and it wouldnt post, so I am trying again.......
Here goes nothin......
Introduction
In my first and second parts of this review set I explained to you. I have many swords but was wanting something of a workhorse for cutting with. I wanted something Cheap and low end that could stand in for my expensive swords, and only use them for demonstrations ect. For this I hade done quite a bit of research on what I wanted.
Steel Types were inportant to me, I wanted the metal to be forgiving yet tough... There are good sites out there on these factors and the best one is here...
www.sword-manufacturers-guide.co ... teels.html
After reading that I noted a Few things.
5160 Spring Steel, T10 Tool Steel, and L6 Bainite all required VERY SPECIFIC procedures to be followed. If this was not done then it could sacrifice blade durability (Most likely minimaly so, but possibly with catastrophic results.) To have these prcesses done right often causes the price to increace dramatically)
Damascus and Folded Steel may look nice, but it 'could' contain "hidden flaws" wich would also be unacceptable. Its worth noting that this is also the case when you have more than one steel type sandwiching inside your blade. While its more traditional, my environment in Northern Canada, has temperature fluctuations which may expand and contract the two different metals at different rates. This expansion could cause any flaws to expand or even the blade parts to separate.
9260 Spring Steel appeared to be the best option for the sword resiliancy that I wanted. I had been looking at Cheness for years. www.chenessinc.com/9260.htm Unfortunatly this would have ment that the costs would be right back up within the same price range as the swords I wanted to avoid using, thus making this no longer a viable option for me.
1095 Carbon Steel was within my price range, but the hardning process might sacrifice the Resiliancy of the blade (just like Tool Steel)
1045 Carbon Steel sacraficed the strength of the blade to the point I barely concidered it safe.
This ment that the Swords I wanted, needed to be Low in Cost and have been made from arround 1050-1070 Carbon Steel
I have told you all of this for two reasons.....
1) you might not have known all that (Which is unlikely being a sword forum and all)
2) You understand WHAT EXACTLY I was looking for in a blade.......
Now in Part one of my Reviews, I was told I should have purchassed from a different person. I got a few Messages and even a post recomending the same person. More often than not as a Better, Cheaper Shipping, or Higher Quality Product kind of referance. I definatly apruciated this post in Part 1 of 3
Given so many people felt this person was better, I thaught I'd take a look and cover that a little better in the next section..... I'm going to talk about the MANUFACTURING HISTORY of MY swords in the next section.
Historical overview
This is to answer a simple question of why tckruan88 (By popular acclaim) is better than Ryan_Swords. We will look at Three aspects.....
1) Product (Must be comperable and as I wanted a 1060 Blade we will compare those)
2) Price (Its going to have to be similar sword designs)
3) Shipping (Its going to have to weigh in roughly the same)
A quick search in
Ryans Ebay Auctions at......
shop.ebay.ca/ryan-swords/m.html
And Tcruan88 Ebay Auctions at......
shop.ebay.ca/tckruan88/m.html
Yeilded these two similarly classed swords
Search Line: Butterfly Tsuba Sharpened Blue Handforged Katana Sword
Price: 46.88 USD
Sub Heading: Butterfly Tsuba Sharpened Blue JP Handforged Katana Sword
Overall Length: 103 cm / 40.6 inch
Blade Length: 73 cm / 28.7 inch
Handle Length: 27 cm / 10.6 inch
Blade Material: AISI 1060 Carbon Steel
Saya Material: High quality wooden saya
Handle Material: Genuine ray skin + Hard wood
Condition: New item
SHIPPING
To Australia 35 USD, 5-10 Days By EMS + Insurance 3 USD
To USA & Canada 40 USD, 7-12 Days By EMS + Insurance 3 USD
To Western Europe 45 USD, 5-12 Days By EMS + Insurance 3 USD
Weight After Packing: 2KG
Search Line: 40.6"HandMade Japanese Sword Butterfly Tsuba RazorSharp
Price: 39.88 USD
Sub Heading: 40.6"HandMade Japanese Sword Butterfly Tsuba RazorSharp
Description
Orighin:Japan
Overall Lenght:40.6inch/103cm
Blade Lenght:28.7inch/73cm
Handle Lenght:10.6inch/27cm
Blade Material: 1060 High-Carbon Steel/Razor Sharp
Saya Material:Red Lacquered Hardwood Saya
Handle Material:Genuine Ray Skin/Hardwood
Blade:Sharpedned
Condition:Brand New Sword
Shipping
Destination Shipping Provider Insurance Delivery Period
Australia China Post EMS USD 46 USD 3.00 5-12 days
USA*Canada China Post EMS USD 55 USD 3.00 7-15 days
Westem Europe China Post EMS USD 63 USD 3.00 7-20 days
Weight After Packing:2.0KG
Now I'm not sure what you saw, but I know what I saw. Not only were these swords "Similar", they are fundimentaly Identical.
They are both 1060 Steel, Have Identical Stats, Claim they import from Japan, and show the same fittings (Anywhere else these fittings are called "Dragonfly" so why did they BOTH call them "Butterfly"?) and they even use the same shipping company.
So where do they differ?
Color: Ryans is Blue, Tcruan88 is Red
Price: Ryans is 46.88, Tcruan88 is 39.88
Shipping Price: Ryans is 43, Tcruan88 is 58
Shipping Time: Ryan Up to 12 Days, Tcruan88 up to 15 Days
Ryans Total Cost = 89.88 (Arriving within 12 Days)
Tcruan88 Total Cost = 97.88 (Arriving within 15 Days)
Bottom Line Tcruan88 is a full 8$ more expensive with a shipping buffer of an additional 3 Days
I hold to you that these two sellers are using the same suppliers, and the Dragonfly/Butterfly thing was because they both read that in the catalogue from the manufacturer of the Tsuba. (When I was asking Ryan about the Tsuba Designs he honestly couldnt tell me much about them, Likewise with Tcruan88 when I asked a similar Tsuba question.)
One cannot reasonably say that when comparing these two products that either is providing a BETTER or WORSE Product than the other.
Full Disclosure
I honestly have found myself battling up hill in explaining that these products are fairly decent, and why I chose to buy from Ryan Swords. I hate Here say and groundless accusations.
Again though honestly My 240$ investment does give me reason to have a little bias. That is what My friends opinions added to mine is all about.
For those of you who feel I have a hate on for Tcruan88 your incorrect. Infact I like His product too (I'm just pointing out they have the same products coming in) And if you read the next post on this thread. I will explain some of the other information I found out. However None of that was pertinent to these Specific swords reviews, and I chose not to include it at this time.
Initial Impressions
The Ryan193 was VERY tight fitting in its saya when I unsheathed it. And it appeared straight to the eye as well. A quick tap on the Tsuka yielded no loose fitting sounds. It handled nicely given my limited experience with wakazashi compared to most. When I resheithed it, it slid easily and snugly into place compared to my very Tight Oni Swords.
After closer inspection and handling, it seemed wickedly fast and well balanced even to my meager ability. With it having absolutely no hamon line it is defiantly through hardened.
"I felt it was ridiculously easy to handle, it moves naturally from the wrist. Rather than being blade heavy and moving from my fingers. If that makes sense"
-Evan
Evan did disclose to me that he had only handled one Wakizashi before, it was a Hanwei peice and so poorly ballanced that he was put off the short sword for years. (literally ignoring them for about 8 years) Untill he handled this one. Which he has been quite intrested in getting one himself.
After a good thorough going over we measured it up against the advertised numbers vrs actual numbers
Statistics
Blade/Nagasa Length: 20.5" (Actual length 20.75")
Handle/Tsuka Length: 9.8" (Actual Length 8")
Overall Length: 33.1" (Actual Length 29.25")
Guard/Tsuba Width: 3 1/8" W X 3" H
POB (Point of Balance): 3.5" from Tsuba
COP (Center of Percussion):
Weight: 111.7 oz (786g)
Components
The Blade/Nagasa
The blade is AISI 1060 Carbon Steel sharpened with a Bohi.
Again the Blade actually measured in about a quarter inch longer than advertised.
The Handle/Tsuka
Its worth noting that the Tsuka measured in nearly two inches shorter than advertised!
Is of 2 Pin Construction
Though an obvious Hardwood (though the seller doesn't state what kind)
The "Genuine Ray Skin" Could be real, but its of a far lesser quality than the Oni Forge Swords. The Bamboo Pins stand out in contrast with the Black Same, no attempt was made to disguise it.
And finally the wrapping could be tighter (I can Deliberately roll it with my fingers, but its not so loose to be a to be a problem. In fact it is more comfortable to grip than my Oni Swords)
The Dragon Manuki fit snugly and do not shift (In spite of the Wrap)
The Guard/Tsuba
The Tsuba was chosen to be a nice Cherry Blossom, over all a nice design but you can see the Casting lines in the Tsuba.
The Pommel/Fuchi-Kashira
Is of a simple flat black and undecorated design. The fittings at the edge of the Tsuba also are the same unassuming design. This swords fittings are tight with absolutely NO play in them at all. (these fittings did Like all the Other swords I received, loosen off over time. However it requires my thumb to push on the fitting to move it, it does NOT happen by accident)
The Scabbard/Saya
Definitely a Hard wood and matches up with the sword well.
The wrapping is nice but because it was not wrapped in plastic it has a couple burrs on it where the wrap has been pulled a little.
Sadly the ONLY Color the Wakizashi Saya come in is Black
(Forcing away from the preferred Ryan337 Style Saya)
Handling Characteristics
With my limited comparison to Oni Forge and Paul Chen Katana. I have NEVER HANDLED A WAKIZASHI BEFORE but this is Crazy fast! without question my favorite weapon in my collection at this time. It is very easy to hear the Bohi affect the air on a good cut, and was exceptionally easy to handle. (Bear in mind I have only actually been using my Katana for the past month, prior to this is was Viking Blades and Axes) I may be 5'9" and 240lbs but I don't have a lot of upper body strength, and have been using a 30lb bow all summer so its exercising different muscles. It feels light as a feather to me, I barely notice it.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
Please note with the excessive numbers of pictures in my other two posts over these swords..... They both cut the same in the cutting process clean strikes (only my poor handling skills showing) for pictures or better description see the Katana Posting
If your sword has a sharp edge/point and you can do so safely, do some cutting with your new sword. Take videos with possible, and discuss how well your sword did and how the handling may have helped/hindered its performance. Some common targets include:
Plastic Bottles (No problems)
Plastic 1-gallon Jugs (Didnt pose any issues at all)
Tatami Mats (Didnt even realise I was cutting anything)
Cardboard
Be sure to keep all safety precautions and observe the laws of your area.
Conclusions
This sword is worth the money you spend on it, I would likely have paid more than 150$ + Shipping for a like or same item and I find it very comparable to my other swords in its quality.
Pros
- Easiest Customers Service I have EVER HAD Bar None
- Inexpensive at 47$ + 43$ Shipping = 90$ (To the US and Canada)
- Customizable with various fittings and options for colors
- Ridiculously easy to handle
- Comparable to the Other name brands of Double the cost
Cons
- Sellers Reputation varied dramatically depending on who you talk to.
- Parts are obviously low end (Cast Lines on Tsuba, Ray skin)
- Saya only comes in black
- Measurement discrepancies between web site and Actual Sword can be off by a full 2 Inches!
The Bottom Line
You get what you pay for in this sword (And then some) While its not defect free, it is defiantly safe, and worth the money you paid. Ultimately your not getting ripped off. I have in fact ordered a second one for myself already, because I plan on wearing this thing out completely and will eventually need a replacement part somewhere along the line..
First problem was waiting for shipping on my comparison sword (Arround christmass and just after a Bomb Scare in the shipping industry) THEN so much real life stuff got in they way of getting my final draft done it was nuts. FINALLY when I actually had time I completed my final edit tried to post it and the website had gone down, or glitched or whatever and it wouldnt post, so I am trying again.......
Here goes nothin......
Introduction
In my first and second parts of this review set I explained to you. I have many swords but was wanting something of a workhorse for cutting with. I wanted something Cheap and low end that could stand in for my expensive swords, and only use them for demonstrations ect. For this I hade done quite a bit of research on what I wanted.
Steel Types were inportant to me, I wanted the metal to be forgiving yet tough... There are good sites out there on these factors and the best one is here...
www.sword-manufacturers-guide.co ... teels.html
After reading that I noted a Few things.
5160 Spring Steel, T10 Tool Steel, and L6 Bainite all required VERY SPECIFIC procedures to be followed. If this was not done then it could sacrifice blade durability (Most likely minimaly so, but possibly with catastrophic results.) To have these prcesses done right often causes the price to increace dramatically)
Damascus and Folded Steel may look nice, but it 'could' contain "hidden flaws" wich would also be unacceptable. Its worth noting that this is also the case when you have more than one steel type sandwiching inside your blade. While its more traditional, my environment in Northern Canada, has temperature fluctuations which may expand and contract the two different metals at different rates. This expansion could cause any flaws to expand or even the blade parts to separate.
9260 Spring Steel appeared to be the best option for the sword resiliancy that I wanted. I had been looking at Cheness for years. www.chenessinc.com/9260.htm Unfortunatly this would have ment that the costs would be right back up within the same price range as the swords I wanted to avoid using, thus making this no longer a viable option for me.
1095 Carbon Steel was within my price range, but the hardning process might sacrifice the Resiliancy of the blade (just like Tool Steel)
1045 Carbon Steel sacraficed the strength of the blade to the point I barely concidered it safe.
This ment that the Swords I wanted, needed to be Low in Cost and have been made from arround 1050-1070 Carbon Steel
I have told you all of this for two reasons.....
1) you might not have known all that (Which is unlikely being a sword forum and all)
2) You understand WHAT EXACTLY I was looking for in a blade.......
Now in Part one of my Reviews, I was told I should have purchassed from a different person. I got a few Messages and even a post recomending the same person. More often than not as a Better, Cheaper Shipping, or Higher Quality Product kind of referance. I definatly apruciated this post in Part 1 of 3
bloodwraith wrote
Ftah: If you are looking to buy more good cheap swords you might want to check out "tckruan88" on ebay, there was quite a bit of talk about his products on the old forum. There are some really good ebay sellers, who do good cheap swords, the only problem is that it is the the proverbial "looking for a needle in a needle stack." I don't recall which member it was but one of the members on the old board went through and bought a bunch of different katana from a bunch of different ebay sellers and the katana he received were fantastic. I think there are better choices than ryansword though.
Ftah: If you are looking to buy more good cheap swords you might want to check out "tckruan88" on ebay, there was quite a bit of talk about his products on the old forum. There are some really good ebay sellers, who do good cheap swords, the only problem is that it is the the proverbial "looking for a needle in a needle stack." I don't recall which member it was but one of the members on the old board went through and bought a bunch of different katana from a bunch of different ebay sellers and the katana he received were fantastic. I think there are better choices than ryansword though.
Given so many people felt this person was better, I thaught I'd take a look and cover that a little better in the next section..... I'm going to talk about the MANUFACTURING HISTORY of MY swords in the next section.
Historical overview
This is to answer a simple question of why tckruan88 (By popular acclaim) is better than Ryan_Swords. We will look at Three aspects.....
1) Product (Must be comperable and as I wanted a 1060 Blade we will compare those)
2) Price (Its going to have to be similar sword designs)
3) Shipping (Its going to have to weigh in roughly the same)
A quick search in
Ryans Ebay Auctions at......
shop.ebay.ca/ryan-swords/m.html
And Tcruan88 Ebay Auctions at......
shop.ebay.ca/tckruan88/m.html
Yeilded these two similarly classed swords
Search Line: Butterfly Tsuba Sharpened Blue Handforged Katana Sword
Price: 46.88 USD
Sub Heading: Butterfly Tsuba Sharpened Blue JP Handforged Katana Sword
Overall Length: 103 cm / 40.6 inch
Blade Length: 73 cm / 28.7 inch
Handle Length: 27 cm / 10.6 inch
Blade Material: AISI 1060 Carbon Steel
Saya Material: High quality wooden saya
Handle Material: Genuine ray skin + Hard wood
Condition: New item
SHIPPING
To Australia 35 USD, 5-10 Days By EMS + Insurance 3 USD
To USA & Canada 40 USD, 7-12 Days By EMS + Insurance 3 USD
To Western Europe 45 USD, 5-12 Days By EMS + Insurance 3 USD
Weight After Packing: 2KG
Search Line: 40.6"HandMade Japanese Sword Butterfly Tsuba RazorSharp
Price: 39.88 USD
Sub Heading: 40.6"HandMade Japanese Sword Butterfly Tsuba RazorSharp
Description
Orighin:Japan
Overall Lenght:40.6inch/103cm
Blade Lenght:28.7inch/73cm
Handle Lenght:10.6inch/27cm
Blade Material: 1060 High-Carbon Steel/Razor Sharp
Saya Material:Red Lacquered Hardwood Saya
Handle Material:Genuine Ray Skin/Hardwood
Blade:Sharpedned
Condition:Brand New Sword
Shipping
Destination Shipping Provider Insurance Delivery Period
Australia China Post EMS USD 46 USD 3.00 5-12 days
USA*Canada China Post EMS USD 55 USD 3.00 7-15 days
Westem Europe China Post EMS USD 63 USD 3.00 7-20 days
Weight After Packing:2.0KG
Now I'm not sure what you saw, but I know what I saw. Not only were these swords "Similar", they are fundimentaly Identical.
They are both 1060 Steel, Have Identical Stats, Claim they import from Japan, and show the same fittings (Anywhere else these fittings are called "Dragonfly" so why did they BOTH call them "Butterfly"?) and they even use the same shipping company.
So where do they differ?
Color: Ryans is Blue, Tcruan88 is Red
Price: Ryans is 46.88, Tcruan88 is 39.88
Shipping Price: Ryans is 43, Tcruan88 is 58
Shipping Time: Ryan Up to 12 Days, Tcruan88 up to 15 Days
Ryans Total Cost = 89.88 (Arriving within 12 Days)
Tcruan88 Total Cost = 97.88 (Arriving within 15 Days)
Bottom Line Tcruan88 is a full 8$ more expensive with a shipping buffer of an additional 3 Days
I hold to you that these two sellers are using the same suppliers, and the Dragonfly/Butterfly thing was because they both read that in the catalogue from the manufacturer of the Tsuba. (When I was asking Ryan about the Tsuba Designs he honestly couldnt tell me much about them, Likewise with Tcruan88 when I asked a similar Tsuba question.)
One cannot reasonably say that when comparing these two products that either is providing a BETTER or WORSE Product than the other.
Full Disclosure
I honestly have found myself battling up hill in explaining that these products are fairly decent, and why I chose to buy from Ryan Swords. I hate Here say and groundless accusations.
Again though honestly My 240$ investment does give me reason to have a little bias. That is what My friends opinions added to mine is all about.
For those of you who feel I have a hate on for Tcruan88 your incorrect. Infact I like His product too (I'm just pointing out they have the same products coming in) And if you read the next post on this thread. I will explain some of the other information I found out. However None of that was pertinent to these Specific swords reviews, and I chose not to include it at this time.
Initial Impressions
The Ryan193 was VERY tight fitting in its saya when I unsheathed it. And it appeared straight to the eye as well. A quick tap on the Tsuka yielded no loose fitting sounds. It handled nicely given my limited experience with wakazashi compared to most. When I resheithed it, it slid easily and snugly into place compared to my very Tight Oni Swords.
After closer inspection and handling, it seemed wickedly fast and well balanced even to my meager ability. With it having absolutely no hamon line it is defiantly through hardened.
"I felt it was ridiculously easy to handle, it moves naturally from the wrist. Rather than being blade heavy and moving from my fingers. If that makes sense"
-Evan
Evan did disclose to me that he had only handled one Wakizashi before, it was a Hanwei peice and so poorly ballanced that he was put off the short sword for years. (literally ignoring them for about 8 years) Untill he handled this one. Which he has been quite intrested in getting one himself.
After a good thorough going over we measured it up against the advertised numbers vrs actual numbers
Statistics
Blade/Nagasa Length: 20.5" (Actual length 20.75")
Handle/Tsuka Length: 9.8" (Actual Length 8")
Overall Length: 33.1" (Actual Length 29.25")
Guard/Tsuba Width: 3 1/8" W X 3" H
POB (Point of Balance): 3.5" from Tsuba
COP (Center of Percussion):
Weight: 111.7 oz (786g)
Components
The Blade/Nagasa
The blade is AISI 1060 Carbon Steel sharpened with a Bohi.
Again the Blade actually measured in about a quarter inch longer than advertised.
The Handle/Tsuka
Its worth noting that the Tsuka measured in nearly two inches shorter than advertised!
Is of 2 Pin Construction
Though an obvious Hardwood (though the seller doesn't state what kind)
The "Genuine Ray Skin" Could be real, but its of a far lesser quality than the Oni Forge Swords. The Bamboo Pins stand out in contrast with the Black Same, no attempt was made to disguise it.
And finally the wrapping could be tighter (I can Deliberately roll it with my fingers, but its not so loose to be a to be a problem. In fact it is more comfortable to grip than my Oni Swords)
The Dragon Manuki fit snugly and do not shift (In spite of the Wrap)
The Guard/Tsuba
The Tsuba was chosen to be a nice Cherry Blossom, over all a nice design but you can see the Casting lines in the Tsuba.
The Pommel/Fuchi-Kashira
Is of a simple flat black and undecorated design. The fittings at the edge of the Tsuba also are the same unassuming design. This swords fittings are tight with absolutely NO play in them at all. (these fittings did Like all the Other swords I received, loosen off over time. However it requires my thumb to push on the fitting to move it, it does NOT happen by accident)
The Scabbard/Saya
Definitely a Hard wood and matches up with the sword well.
The wrapping is nice but because it was not wrapped in plastic it has a couple burrs on it where the wrap has been pulled a little.
Sadly the ONLY Color the Wakizashi Saya come in is Black
(Forcing away from the preferred Ryan337 Style Saya)
Handling Characteristics
With my limited comparison to Oni Forge and Paul Chen Katana. I have NEVER HANDLED A WAKIZASHI BEFORE but this is Crazy fast! without question my favorite weapon in my collection at this time. It is very easy to hear the Bohi affect the air on a good cut, and was exceptionally easy to handle. (Bear in mind I have only actually been using my Katana for the past month, prior to this is was Viking Blades and Axes) I may be 5'9" and 240lbs but I don't have a lot of upper body strength, and have been using a 30lb bow all summer so its exercising different muscles. It feels light as a feather to me, I barely notice it.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
Please note with the excessive numbers of pictures in my other two posts over these swords..... They both cut the same in the cutting process clean strikes (only my poor handling skills showing) for pictures or better description see the Katana Posting
If your sword has a sharp edge/point and you can do so safely, do some cutting with your new sword. Take videos with possible, and discuss how well your sword did and how the handling may have helped/hindered its performance. Some common targets include:
Plastic Bottles (No problems)
Plastic 1-gallon Jugs (Didnt pose any issues at all)
Tatami Mats (Didnt even realise I was cutting anything)
Cardboard
Be sure to keep all safety precautions and observe the laws of your area.
Conclusions
This sword is worth the money you spend on it, I would likely have paid more than 150$ + Shipping for a like or same item and I find it very comparable to my other swords in its quality.
Pros
- Easiest Customers Service I have EVER HAD Bar None
- Inexpensive at 47$ + 43$ Shipping = 90$ (To the US and Canada)
- Customizable with various fittings and options for colors
- Ridiculously easy to handle
- Comparable to the Other name brands of Double the cost
Cons
- Sellers Reputation varied dramatically depending on who you talk to.
- Parts are obviously low end (Cast Lines on Tsuba, Ray skin)
- Saya only comes in black
- Measurement discrepancies between web site and Actual Sword can be off by a full 2 Inches!
The Bottom Line
You get what you pay for in this sword (And then some) While its not defect free, it is defiantly safe, and worth the money you paid. Ultimately your not getting ripped off. I have in fact ordered a second one for myself already, because I plan on wearing this thing out completely and will eventually need a replacement part somewhere along the line..