Cheness 9260 DH Kaze
Apr 18, 2011 22:16:16 GMT
Post by Adrian Jordan on Apr 18, 2011 22:16:16 GMT
Hello again. This time up I'm reviewing my Cheness 9260 DH Kaze katana. I got this in mid January of this year, 2011. I ordered it right here from the SBG Sword Store for $269.99, plus an international transaction fee of about $8 or $9. After pretty extensive cutting as my first katana(read: very bad cutting.) it has a few scuffs, but no bends or chips. As a matter of fact, I was very worried when I first tried cutting. I couldn't cut a 2lt. soda bottle, it just flew away. Naturally, I felt it was the swords fault, and I emailed Paul asking why my supposedly "scary sharp" Kaze couldn't handle a trifling soda bottle. He was patient with me and gave me some good advise as well as pointing me toward some very informative sites and videos. Long story short, I'm a better cutter(somewhat) and this sword stood up to the daunting task of my ineptitude with grace and aplomb.
OK, now on to the review.
Here is a picture of the rare North American Cheness Kaze in its resting state.
Here are some pictures of its fittings, good and bad.
Here is the tsuka core and the mouth of the saya.
Here are some pictures of the blade.
Here are the overall measurements from the Cheness site.
Name "Kaze" (Wind)
Blade Differentially Hardened 9260 Silicon Alloy Carbon Spring Steel.
Overall Length (+ Saya) 42.5"
Treatment Full Hand Forged, Clay Hardened, Water Quenched, Hand Polished
Finish Tameshigiri Polish
Blade Dimension 28" Length, 0.3" Width, 1.25" Height
Sori (Curvature) 0.7"
Weight 2 lbs 9 oz
Tsuba/Fuchi/Kashira Blackened Cast Steel Tsuba with Antiqued Brass Fuchi/Kashira
Balance Point 5" above tsuba (with fuller), 6" above tsuba (without fuller)
Tsuka/Ho 11" Wood
Tsuka Ito Black Cotton
Mekugi 2 X Wood (Double Pinned)
Same Real Ray Skin Panel Wrap
Saya 30.5" Black Glossy Lacquered Medium Hardwood
Overall:
This is a sword with an awesome blade and mediocre fittings. I could stand for the price to be dropped somewhat in light of the very shoddy fuchi and kashira, which as you can see in the pictures has terrible casting impressions and while it is billed as being metal it feels like plastic. I'm not asserting that they are, but they sure feel that way. The ito is cotton, not as bad as, say, a cheap Musashi, but not great, just middle-of-the-road. The samegawa is small but fairly uniform, not nearly as poor as that on my Ronin Dojo Budget. The seppa are a little sturdier that the ones found on my Munetoshi T10 Take, but still seem fairly cheap. There is a very slight gap between the habiki and blade. The fit of the blade in the saya is nice and snug, but not overly tight. The saya itself is nicely done. The sageo is very thick and plush. The real reason anybody gets this sword is, of course, the blade. It came with a few minor tool marks on the spine, but that was not enough to ruin my mood. The blade is beautiful. The hamon, which I have again failed to really capture well, is lively and easily seen. The blade is sharp, though not as wickedly sharp as advertised. Still, very sharp. And boy, is it thick. Even though my Ronin is billed as a "thick, heavy-duty, brutal Dotanuki cutter," it is not as thick or as wide as the Kaze's blade.
The balance is not super-amazing, somewhat blade heavy, though it is good for what it is, a cutter. Even considering the less-than-inspiring fittings, I would purchase this sword again, with full foreknowledge of all its faults.
OK, now on to the review.
Here is a picture of the rare North American Cheness Kaze in its resting state.
Here are some pictures of its fittings, good and bad.
Here is the tsuka core and the mouth of the saya.
Here are some pictures of the blade.
Here are the overall measurements from the Cheness site.
Name "Kaze" (Wind)
Blade Differentially Hardened 9260 Silicon Alloy Carbon Spring Steel.
Overall Length (+ Saya) 42.5"
Treatment Full Hand Forged, Clay Hardened, Water Quenched, Hand Polished
Finish Tameshigiri Polish
Blade Dimension 28" Length, 0.3" Width, 1.25" Height
Sori (Curvature) 0.7"
Weight 2 lbs 9 oz
Tsuba/Fuchi/Kashira Blackened Cast Steel Tsuba with Antiqued Brass Fuchi/Kashira
Balance Point 5" above tsuba (with fuller), 6" above tsuba (without fuller)
Tsuka/Ho 11" Wood
Tsuka Ito Black Cotton
Mekugi 2 X Wood (Double Pinned)
Same Real Ray Skin Panel Wrap
Saya 30.5" Black Glossy Lacquered Medium Hardwood
Overall:
This is a sword with an awesome blade and mediocre fittings. I could stand for the price to be dropped somewhat in light of the very shoddy fuchi and kashira, which as you can see in the pictures has terrible casting impressions and while it is billed as being metal it feels like plastic. I'm not asserting that they are, but they sure feel that way. The ito is cotton, not as bad as, say, a cheap Musashi, but not great, just middle-of-the-road. The samegawa is small but fairly uniform, not nearly as poor as that on my Ronin Dojo Budget. The seppa are a little sturdier that the ones found on my Munetoshi T10 Take, but still seem fairly cheap. There is a very slight gap between the habiki and blade. The fit of the blade in the saya is nice and snug, but not overly tight. The saya itself is nicely done. The sageo is very thick and plush. The real reason anybody gets this sword is, of course, the blade. It came with a few minor tool marks on the spine, but that was not enough to ruin my mood. The blade is beautiful. The hamon, which I have again failed to really capture well, is lively and easily seen. The blade is sharp, though not as wickedly sharp as advertised. Still, very sharp. And boy, is it thick. Even though my Ronin is billed as a "thick, heavy-duty, brutal Dotanuki cutter," it is not as thick or as wide as the Kaze's blade.
The balance is not super-amazing, somewhat blade heavy, though it is good for what it is, a cutter. Even considering the less-than-inspiring fittings, I would purchase this sword again, with full foreknowledge of all its faults.