£50 katana, worth it or not?

I wouldn't buy it. Here are the reasons why:

1. Poorly done blade shape - the kissaki (point) is poorly shaped and the rest of the blade is suspect.

2. Poorly done fake hamon

3. I can clearly see a secondary edge bevel on the blade. Not good in the case of a katana.

4. You can't tell if the ito is tight from a photo. You could get the sword and have ito so loose you can move it just by gently pushing on it.

5. Fake same. Even in the $80 USD Musashi katana the same is real.

You'd be better off purchasing a Musashi Shirakawa (1060 steel blade, DH w/ real hamon) less money - granted after paying shipping you're probably looking at the same amount as you're looking now but hey you get a better sword.

Its been done before and is possible. See if Kult of Athena or some other vendor will do it.

From what I can tell it's entry level but should be acceptable. The fittings on it match my Masahiro's, and at this price I bet that's where it's from. If this is the supplier then I can tell you a lot about them- maybe ask the seller where the sword is from. as this will help us a lot.

Of note:

- the hamon is wirebrushed on if that matters to you- it's not real, but cosmetic.

- they are honest in describing it as 1045 and I like that about this seller, that they are not trying to razzledazzle with a bunch of made up stuff and catchphrases

- even though that is generally considered the lowest acceptable carbon content for a functional sword, it is acceptable and I have several 1045 swords that have served me well for years. May people will tell you 1045 is not enough but forget that! If it's heat treated well it's perfectly fine

- the wrap (ito) will almost certainly come loose a bit, and is almost certainly glued in place to appear tight right now

- the handle (tsuka) may well come cracked as this is kind of common on many production katanas (but mine are all ok:) )

- you are getting what you pay for-- this is not some incredible magical sword- it's a cheap and funcitonal 'beater' so be sure to inspect it before using it to make sure it has no critical flaws.

- the fittings are likely zinc alloy (cheapo) but the guard (tsuba) may well be copper or iron- it's really hard to tell with pics

- this is not a traditional blade shape- people will tell you it looks 'off' and the point isn't right, and so on- but for the price you can't expect too much so just try to make yourself happy.

- for $50 Canadian this would be an alright sword, certianly very affordable. With brit punds I think this would be about $100 or a bit more even- at that price it still might be as cheap as you are going to find something in your country especially given the strict import rules.

- there are better swords available for roughly the same price but again I think the hard part for you is getting these into your country without tons of extra cost and hassle.


Overall I say go for it so long as this isn't breaking your bank. It's very much an entry level blade but if you know what you're doing with it, how to care for it, inspect it, and what to expect from it, I bet you'll be happy.

edit/add- guys, recognize this- he's not getting a $200 sword or even a $100 one. He's thinking about a very inexpensive sword that he can actually get- in the U.K. it's way harder to buy then for us. Are there better chioces? Without a doubt! Could the money for this be put towards a better sword? For sure! Is this a definite no-go? I don't think so, not for a 1st sword either- hell I did a lot worse for my 1st 4 slo's (sword like objects).

Just my 2 cents.

With these low cost katanas you are going to have people split on each side of fence. I readily admit I am biased as I have been lucky enough to score 3 swords like this with no major problems. In fact I was blissfully and ignorantly happy as ever for years with mine before I found out just how much I'd been lied to about the quality of mine. Thing is, you aren't being lied to- the seller is simple and straightforward, and you have found SBG to help you (I was not lucky enough to know SBG back then).

Honestly I can see both sides of the arguement have merrit. On the one hand there is something to be said for starting small you can learn just what you like and want before dropping a bunch of coin. Also, knowing the sword is cheaper may make it easier on you to just use it without worrying about ruining it. When I spend a lot of money on something I am much more careful with it. Maybe this sword becomes your everyday one, the test subject, the one you don't care about wrecking...

On the other hand you may be happier in the long run if you save your money and get a better sword once you can find it(but who can stand the wait and hassle when there is one so close to being in your hands!). Quality is huge matter with swords and once you 'level up' you will really begin to see the flaws in the lower costing stuff.

My real concern is if you spend the money and get a real lemon then it'll be a waste. A deal is only worth it if you get what you wanted. a $50 p.o.s. is still just a p.o.s. and not worth it just becuase it's on sale. Again, I may be the exception in that I got lucky with my swords. Only you will know for sure if you made the right call.

For this particular sword i.m.h.o. it all comes down to quality control, which is big problem when going for low cost- maybe the seller can take it apart for you to inspect before shipping? Probably not at this price but you never know.

Hell then, see what happens! I know I was in love with my first real sword when I got it! There was so much to enjoy about it I didn't see anything really wrong with it . Over time your tastes will likely become mre particular but for now this will be quite pleasing for you I bet! And if it sucks then at least you didn't spend hundreds of dollars to find that out (like me- damnit!)

Bleach has a good point about the cold steel being more known and reliable, if that is a style you like.

I almost forgot - make sure the katana is heat treated, has a full tang and at least one mekugi peg. I sort of assumed it would meet these minimums but the site doesn't actually specify. If it does not have these attributes don't even bother.

hi,i ship swords and knives from the states quite often,i've never had one single problem,kult of athena is well up on the uk laws regaring the import of swords,and 90% of the (FUNCTIONAL) katanas on kult of athena are perfectly legal to import into the uk, shipping is $50 max regardless of what sword it is (my gsow was $50 and thats a big blade) if you're worried about importing,go to blades uk no worries about importing from them,be warned though that even with import tax and shipping,its generally still better ie cheaper to import from the us
edit,i would be wary of that site,have a look at these from blades uk
www.blades-uk.com/view_items.php?cat_id=118

they have the hanwei katanas aswell,
www.blades-uk.com/view_items.php?cat_id=73

if you can save that little bit extra it will be well worth it,hope this helps

I still say wait for the dark sentinel proposed in the older thread. but from what i can see there doesnt seem too much wrong with the £50 katana, if it is indeed as chrisperoni says, and is from masahiro. then it should be fine as a bottle cutter that looks cool on the wall as well.

advice i would give is to have a word with the managers of the site, especially ask if the blade is hardened, full tang and if the handle is pegged, some expensive wallhangers ( think trueswords type stuff ) can be made of carbon steel and still be rat tanged and unhardened. bad news.

if it seems kosher, buy it, the refund protocal seems good, at best youll get a functional beater, at worst you can get a lemon that you warn the rest of us off, then trade it back and keep saving for the sentinel.

at least at this price you could test it to destruction and still get a replacment before 2012, (apocalypse worthy was a criteria if i remember),and then you've still got your machete. i put my CS latin 24" into a granite boulder a while back ( by accident!) one polish and sharpen later its still fine.

like people have said, if you just want a bottle/ occasional mat cutter, it will do. if you want traditional katana blade geometry, it will cost a little more. you cant go too wrong really.

one thing i didn't notice, the site makes you pay for non faulty returns, make sure you factor this in.