Kris Cutlery 26III Katana. Update, Very Picture Heavy.
Aug 6, 2011 18:46:15 GMT
Post by Adrian Jordan on Aug 6, 2011 18:46:15 GMT
Hello. I meant to have this up sooner but somehow Suddenlink Cable's phone and internet services went out all day yesterday for my entire county. The only positive that came out is that I was able to redo some of the pictures I'm posting here, and as poor as they are they were much worse.
Anyhow, this is the Kris Cutlery 26III Katana purchased, naturally, from Kris Cutlery. Several months ago I was looking at the Kris site for the thousandth time and noticed a feature that had escaped me before; they had layaway. Suddenly, those awesome Katanas were obtainable! I made my first payment in June and finished now, in August. During the payment period I had several questions and even switched over from the 29III I originally had on the plan to the 26III I got, as I thought the 26III's were out until October. Cecil and Christina were happy to answer my questions and fulfill my requests. Base price is $265, but after tax(I live in CA, so I get to pay the 8.25% sales tax, yeaaa!) and S/H it came to a bit over $300.
FULL DISCLOSURE:
I'm a stud...and I have no affiliation to Kris Cutlery or any of its employees.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW:
The blade is done in a Shinogi Zukuri style, the exact origins of which are not known to me. The blade itself is modeled after a sword from, I believe, the 14th century, according to Cecil.
OK, this is the sword, the 26III with blue ito wrap.
The wrap itself is tight, though it is apparent that hishigami was not used. This, however, does not detract from it, and I am also surprisingly fond of their unorthodox samegawa substitute.
The fittings are not ornate, but have a somewhat stately air to them. They are much nicer looking than what the photos imply. For some odd reason my camera made them look fairly dull and lifeless. They are not, and have a pleasant sheen and color in actuality.
The habaki is not a custom fit, for sure, but is well done. The odd profile of the blade is to blame for a couple small gaps.
Here is the mouth of the tsuka and the saya.
And a few pics of the saya itself.
I had to hollow out the mouth of the kurigata a bit, as it was very narrow and I couldn't fit the sageo through. I had to remove it to do so and so I will not be able to post a picture with the sageo properly tied until the glue is dried. There is a light rattle in the saya, and the fit is a tad less snug than I'd prefer, though it doesn't fall out when held tip up. Also, there is a small gap between the horn band at the koiguchi and the wood of the saya. It is not really visible in pictures, but is there. Lastly, I thought I'd like the plain wood a bit more, and while it is very nicely done I believe that I will try to paint it at some point.
Now, onto the blade! It was a surprise unsheathing it. The geometry is completely different than what I am used to. It seemed smaller and lighter, with more taper than the monster Kaze or the Ronin Dojo Budget I currently own. As I am a small person, the new feel and shape has rapidly grown on me. I can handle it much better than either of the others and it feels much more lively in the hand. It is fairly sharp. Naturally it doesn't feel quite as sharp as my Ronin or my Munetoshi Take due to the greater niku, but feels pleasantly sharp nonetheless.
Here are the stats from the Kris website.
Blade: 26 inches; 5160 carbon steel
Hamon:straight 60 RC hardness
Handle: 10 3/4 inches
Nakago (tang): 8.5-9 inches
Tsuba: 3in. diameter
Weight: 2.6 lbs. (without scabbard)
Here are a some pictures of the blade.
The polish is somewhat rough, as to be expected. I can feel no dips in the blade though, which is a surprise. The hamon is beyond faint, and is undetectable to me from any angle in any light. This is unfortunate, but not a tragedy. It is a nice blade nonetheless. The yokote is indeed geometric, and nicely done. I was expecting it to be much rougher, but is smooth and even.
Here is a picture of the nakago. It is not signed, or the rust is too thick to see a signature.
The blade sits a bit off-center in the tsuka. I'm not sure why they do, but I've seen it in other Kris reviews.
OVERALL FEELINGS:
I really, really like this katana. As stated, I was a bit thrown off at the geometry initially. I now have done some dry handling and I love it. It feels much more alive in my hands. It is stated to be 2.6lb out of the saya. My Kaze is 2.9lb and the Ronin is supposedly also 2.6lb, and both feel much more blade heavy and unwieldy. I do wish the hamon was at least a little bit visible, though. The small saya rattle and the small gap at the koiguchi are also too bad, but as I said, they are small. Since the numeric grading has been had away with, I'll give this sword an A-. It has a few small problems, but nothing that is too bad. Lastly, and I'm not sure why, but Photobucket has not been posting my photos as I edit them, only as they were taken, so sorry about the poor quality. I hope you've enjoyed this review. Feel free to ask anything, or if you want a picture or comment on something I've overlooked.
Anyhow, this is the Kris Cutlery 26III Katana purchased, naturally, from Kris Cutlery. Several months ago I was looking at the Kris site for the thousandth time and noticed a feature that had escaped me before; they had layaway. Suddenly, those awesome Katanas were obtainable! I made my first payment in June and finished now, in August. During the payment period I had several questions and even switched over from the 29III I originally had on the plan to the 26III I got, as I thought the 26III's were out until October. Cecil and Christina were happy to answer my questions and fulfill my requests. Base price is $265, but after tax(I live in CA, so I get to pay the 8.25% sales tax, yeaaa!) and S/H it came to a bit over $300.
FULL DISCLOSURE:
I'm a stud...and I have no affiliation to Kris Cutlery or any of its employees.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW:
The blade is done in a Shinogi Zukuri style, the exact origins of which are not known to me. The blade itself is modeled after a sword from, I believe, the 14th century, according to Cecil.
OK, this is the sword, the 26III with blue ito wrap.
The wrap itself is tight, though it is apparent that hishigami was not used. This, however, does not detract from it, and I am also surprisingly fond of their unorthodox samegawa substitute.
The fittings are not ornate, but have a somewhat stately air to them. They are much nicer looking than what the photos imply. For some odd reason my camera made them look fairly dull and lifeless. They are not, and have a pleasant sheen and color in actuality.
The habaki is not a custom fit, for sure, but is well done. The odd profile of the blade is to blame for a couple small gaps.
Here is the mouth of the tsuka and the saya.
And a few pics of the saya itself.
I had to hollow out the mouth of the kurigata a bit, as it was very narrow and I couldn't fit the sageo through. I had to remove it to do so and so I will not be able to post a picture with the sageo properly tied until the glue is dried. There is a light rattle in the saya, and the fit is a tad less snug than I'd prefer, though it doesn't fall out when held tip up. Also, there is a small gap between the horn band at the koiguchi and the wood of the saya. It is not really visible in pictures, but is there. Lastly, I thought I'd like the plain wood a bit more, and while it is very nicely done I believe that I will try to paint it at some point.
Now, onto the blade! It was a surprise unsheathing it. The geometry is completely different than what I am used to. It seemed smaller and lighter, with more taper than the monster Kaze or the Ronin Dojo Budget I currently own. As I am a small person, the new feel and shape has rapidly grown on me. I can handle it much better than either of the others and it feels much more lively in the hand. It is fairly sharp. Naturally it doesn't feel quite as sharp as my Ronin or my Munetoshi Take due to the greater niku, but feels pleasantly sharp nonetheless.
Here are the stats from the Kris website.
Blade: 26 inches; 5160 carbon steel
Hamon:straight 60 RC hardness
Handle: 10 3/4 inches
Nakago (tang): 8.5-9 inches
Tsuba: 3in. diameter
Weight: 2.6 lbs. (without scabbard)
Here are a some pictures of the blade.
The polish is somewhat rough, as to be expected. I can feel no dips in the blade though, which is a surprise. The hamon is beyond faint, and is undetectable to me from any angle in any light. This is unfortunate, but not a tragedy. It is a nice blade nonetheless. The yokote is indeed geometric, and nicely done. I was expecting it to be much rougher, but is smooth and even.
Here is a picture of the nakago. It is not signed, or the rust is too thick to see a signature.
The blade sits a bit off-center in the tsuka. I'm not sure why they do, but I've seen it in other Kris reviews.
OVERALL FEELINGS:
I really, really like this katana. As stated, I was a bit thrown off at the geometry initially. I now have done some dry handling and I love it. It feels much more alive in my hands. It is stated to be 2.6lb out of the saya. My Kaze is 2.9lb and the Ronin is supposedly also 2.6lb, and both feel much more blade heavy and unwieldy. I do wish the hamon was at least a little bit visible, though. The small saya rattle and the small gap at the koiguchi are also too bad, but as I said, they are small. Since the numeric grading has been had away with, I'll give this sword an A-. It has a few small problems, but nothing that is too bad. Lastly, and I'm not sure why, but Photobucket has not been posting my photos as I edit them, only as they were taken, so sorry about the poor quality. I hope you've enjoyed this review. Feel free to ask anything, or if you want a picture or comment on something I've overlooked.