Review of G-921 Yiki Katana Test cut pictures up now
Oct 18, 2011 8:27:14 GMT
Post by Vestri on Oct 18, 2011 8:27:14 GMT
Global Gear G921 Yuki Katana
Introduction
Well, I got this sword from the Global Gear EBAY website. After seeing that I only had less than $300 Australian dollars to spend on two swords, this seemed like a great buy instead of getting it from GG themselves. Long story short, I won the auction, thinking I wouldn’t win it and it arrived 3 days later.
Im not a big fan of “another sword” I usually like something different. So something that was Brown, with a shiny looking Saya, and a chocolate looking Tsuba with a natural looking Hamon just seemed appealing.
Historical overview
The name Yuki is a Japanese Girl’s name, meaning Blessing or Snow. In the terms of context, the Tsuba shows a leafless tree that’s covered in snow, so Im assuming it means Snow. What is also interesting is the colour of the Katana possibly is trying to imitate a tree branch in the snow. There is no other Historical overview that I know of about this Katana other than it is a GG branded Katana.
Full Disclosure
Just so everyone knows, this is the First sword that I ever owned, as it was the first one to arrive, but Its the 3rd Sword I have purchased (still waiting for the ones I bought to make it to me... Almost 2 weeks now.)
I got this sword via Global Gear’s ebay site for $200 + $25 Shipping. Im not a fan of GG as their online prices are taking advantage of being the only big company that sells swords in Australia, but seeing the ebay prices, I was happy with what I got. I also have a United Cutlery Black Series Shikyo coming. Basically, my only bias is how much sword can I get for a small budget, and for the Yuki, I seem to be relatively happy.
Initial Impressions
Delivery was fast, from Melbourne VIC to Queanbeyan in NSW near Canberra, it was 3 days and I picked it up at the couriers. It was a very well cared for cardboard box, albeit a bit dirty. After opening, I was thinking of all the reviews of how GG changed from a high quality Wood box to a low quality Wood box. I didn’t mind much, but I was a bit disappointed that the lid just sits on top, you can literally lift it off with your pinkie finger with little to no effort at all.
But enough about the box, the sword was in a beautiful silk padded bag, the cleaning kit was new and still in its wrapping, and the certificate was a nice touch. I think the size is perfect once I place it in my display cabinet. The stand that came with it was simple enough, with felt lining.
When taking the sword out of the bag, the Katana fell out of the saya. I thought that was extremely dangerous as I was only holding onto the bag and the Tsuka. If I was JUST holding onto the saya, and it fell on the floor, I might have lost some toes. I was NOT happy about that.
After I took the sword out, I tested how it fitted into the saya, and it was bloody loose. I may need to ask GG about that. If I held the saya with the Katana in, and pointed the handle towards the ground, it WILL fall out. This is the only thing I am the most concerned about.
Anyway, after looking at the blade, it has a very fine layer of oil and a tiny bit of dust. After cleaning it, the Hamon looked beautiful and went all the way to the tip.
All the fittings are VERY sturdy and Im a little afraid of pulling it apart, but I will post pics of the tang. Soon. The Ito was tight and the Saya imo was the best looking, as it has a brown, smooth lacquered finish, BUT looked like it was covered in tiny amounts of glitter, and the whole thing shines and at a distance, the saya looks like it is coated in glass.
Statistics
Details are on the GG website but I did my own measurements and they are very close to what GG claim.
Blade Length: 29”
Handle/Tsuka Length: 11”
Overall Length: 40” and ¼
Tsuba Width: 2” and ½ across. 2” and ¾ tall.
POB (Point of Balance): about 5 and a half inches from the Tsuba
COP (Center of Percussion): no idea – can anyone describe this to me and I’ll post the stat.
Weight: about 4 kilos. I don’t have any scales here. LOL
The Blade
The Hamon is real and parts of it raises halfway up the blade. The blade is sharp out of the box but I have yet to test if it’s a useable blade.
The Bo-Hi is deep and stops about 1 inch from the tip of the blade, and its a very smooth progression from Bo-Hi to the top, so it has a very elegant design for something very inexpensive.
The Hamon just makes me forget about all the issues, and it goes all the way to the tip and that is really pleasing.
Only thing I didn’t like was there was a black fingerprint like mark at the tip of the blade, on the right side. I wiped off most of it but looks like a discolouration, not a bad thing just seemed odd.
Please excuse the oily blade with specks of dust on it, I just took it out of the saya.
The Tsuka
The Tsuka is very tight, strong and there are no wobbles. I will disassemble it soon. The mekugi are prominent and placed at a angle, so it will be a pain to remove or replace. The menuki under the ito is a cloud design, looks like blackened copper or brass. As I am right handed, the menuki sit at my fingers, making the placement very “un-traditional” since I read that the menuki should sit in your palm.
The Ito sits on top of real Ray skin which seems like a full wrap too. It is a caramel brown cotton that is also used on the saya. It is tightly wrapped and also in an alternating pattern. The End cap holds the whole thing together and has a nice bamboo design on it that matches the bamboo design on the fitting just below the Tsuba.
The Tsuba
The Tsuba is small but very tough and thick. It is also a darker caramel/chocolate brown with gold and silver coloured designs. On the handle side of the Tsuba, it looks like the brances of a leafless tree in winter, with half of it silver, suggesting snow, OR the reflection of the sun in a rippling pool of water.
The design on the blade side is a Crane in flight over a pile of sliced bamboo.
The Fuchi-Kashira
There is a Bamboo motif in the fittings as suggested above. They are placed as if bamboo is wrapped around the handle, or being used to hold the ito in place. Very inventive design.
The Saya
I mentioned that the Saya was brown, with real horn fittings. Im am upset that the saya cant hold onto the Katana well enough and I JUST found that the blade moves about 1centimetre up and down inside the Saya (at the tip) which is not very re-assuring.
But the fact that it has a smooth lacquer and is covered in a light shiny powder, makes it look like a thin layer of glass was used to surround the Saya. Also the Sageo seems to be fraying at the ends, and Im not sure if that’s part of the design.
Handling Characteristics
All the designs aside, the blade handles well. It feels very light and all the weight seems to be located near where the yokote should be - which in my opinion where it should be. The Bo-Hi makes a very small swish sound and the blade can maintain its momentum for a second swing and reposition above my head. (I still don’t have much of a form)
With the smallish sized Tsuba and a thin feeling Tsuka, the blade feels light and nimble, and feels like there is no resistance when swinging.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
After batting away 5 bottles, I was able to sucessfully get through 3 bottles sucessively. The one in the RIGHT is a 2 Litre Bottle, and the other ones on the left are 1.25 Litre bottles.
As you can see with the 2 Litre bottle, the cut was very jagged. It entered near the neck of the bottle and exited half way through the bottle. The cut was so bad, the left side of the bottle shows evidence of the top half tearing away from the bottom.
With the bottle from the middle, my form got much better, but it was still very jagged. It may have been my cut or maybe moving to a smaller bottle (like the ones I see most people using to cut with on this site) may have improved the cut. But as you can see, it was still a very poor cut.
The third slice made it across evenly and I was happy with it, but I know it wasnt as great as I had hoped. Either way, I know Im getting better at this the more I try. But it still feels very difficult to make a sucessfull swing.
Conclusions
Overall, I am really happy with the blade. Minus the poorly fitted Saya, it is a beautiful piece of art, and a very different looking blade than most. A lot of effort went into the making of this blade despite its price. It is a traditional looking blade with modern influences and its an eye catching blade.
Pros
- The Tsuka is tight, thinner than normal for a really tight grip and strong.
- Attention to detail in the blade and fittings. VERY tight fittings. OMG THAT HAMON
- It does cut well, just can’t prove it yet.
Cons
- Saya was dangerously loose, but Im sure it was only my order as I got it via ebay. Will let you know what GG says about it.
- Blade jiggles a little in the Saya if I choose to move the handle
- The cotton sageo on the Saya is frayed in the ends, not sure if that’s design or not.
The Bottom Line
I will only recommend it to someone who doesn’t like the suede covered Chikara blade GG is selling for the same price.
But the blade, if there is anything worth paying for, it is the care that was taken into making the hamon and the lightness of the blade.
I just cannot recommend this sword for anyone who doesn’t like a saya that contains teeny tiny particles of Shiny things in the finish. It does make sense with the whole water/snow/winter theme but if you want a “swords are for stabbing things” sword, the design of this is probably going to put you off.
Introduction
Well, I got this sword from the Global Gear EBAY website. After seeing that I only had less than $300 Australian dollars to spend on two swords, this seemed like a great buy instead of getting it from GG themselves. Long story short, I won the auction, thinking I wouldn’t win it and it arrived 3 days later.
Im not a big fan of “another sword” I usually like something different. So something that was Brown, with a shiny looking Saya, and a chocolate looking Tsuba with a natural looking Hamon just seemed appealing.
Historical overview
The name Yuki is a Japanese Girl’s name, meaning Blessing or Snow. In the terms of context, the Tsuba shows a leafless tree that’s covered in snow, so Im assuming it means Snow. What is also interesting is the colour of the Katana possibly is trying to imitate a tree branch in the snow. There is no other Historical overview that I know of about this Katana other than it is a GG branded Katana.
Full Disclosure
Just so everyone knows, this is the First sword that I ever owned, as it was the first one to arrive, but Its the 3rd Sword I have purchased (still waiting for the ones I bought to make it to me... Almost 2 weeks now.)
I got this sword via Global Gear’s ebay site for $200 + $25 Shipping. Im not a fan of GG as their online prices are taking advantage of being the only big company that sells swords in Australia, but seeing the ebay prices, I was happy with what I got. I also have a United Cutlery Black Series Shikyo coming. Basically, my only bias is how much sword can I get for a small budget, and for the Yuki, I seem to be relatively happy.
Initial Impressions
Delivery was fast, from Melbourne VIC to Queanbeyan in NSW near Canberra, it was 3 days and I picked it up at the couriers. It was a very well cared for cardboard box, albeit a bit dirty. After opening, I was thinking of all the reviews of how GG changed from a high quality Wood box to a low quality Wood box. I didn’t mind much, but I was a bit disappointed that the lid just sits on top, you can literally lift it off with your pinkie finger with little to no effort at all.
But enough about the box, the sword was in a beautiful silk padded bag, the cleaning kit was new and still in its wrapping, and the certificate was a nice touch. I think the size is perfect once I place it in my display cabinet. The stand that came with it was simple enough, with felt lining.
When taking the sword out of the bag, the Katana fell out of the saya. I thought that was extremely dangerous as I was only holding onto the bag and the Tsuka. If I was JUST holding onto the saya, and it fell on the floor, I might have lost some toes. I was NOT happy about that.
After I took the sword out, I tested how it fitted into the saya, and it was bloody loose. I may need to ask GG about that. If I held the saya with the Katana in, and pointed the handle towards the ground, it WILL fall out. This is the only thing I am the most concerned about.
Anyway, after looking at the blade, it has a very fine layer of oil and a tiny bit of dust. After cleaning it, the Hamon looked beautiful and went all the way to the tip.
All the fittings are VERY sturdy and Im a little afraid of pulling it apart, but I will post pics of the tang. Soon. The Ito was tight and the Saya imo was the best looking, as it has a brown, smooth lacquered finish, BUT looked like it was covered in tiny amounts of glitter, and the whole thing shines and at a distance, the saya looks like it is coated in glass.
Statistics
Details are on the GG website but I did my own measurements and they are very close to what GG claim.
Blade Length: 29”
Handle/Tsuka Length: 11”
Overall Length: 40” and ¼
Tsuba Width: 2” and ½ across. 2” and ¾ tall.
POB (Point of Balance): about 5 and a half inches from the Tsuba
COP (Center of Percussion): no idea – can anyone describe this to me and I’ll post the stat.
Weight: about 4 kilos. I don’t have any scales here. LOL
The Blade
The Hamon is real and parts of it raises halfway up the blade. The blade is sharp out of the box but I have yet to test if it’s a useable blade.
The Bo-Hi is deep and stops about 1 inch from the tip of the blade, and its a very smooth progression from Bo-Hi to the top, so it has a very elegant design for something very inexpensive.
The Hamon just makes me forget about all the issues, and it goes all the way to the tip and that is really pleasing.
Only thing I didn’t like was there was a black fingerprint like mark at the tip of the blade, on the right side. I wiped off most of it but looks like a discolouration, not a bad thing just seemed odd.
Please excuse the oily blade with specks of dust on it, I just took it out of the saya.
The Tsuka
The Tsuka is very tight, strong and there are no wobbles. I will disassemble it soon. The mekugi are prominent and placed at a angle, so it will be a pain to remove or replace. The menuki under the ito is a cloud design, looks like blackened copper or brass. As I am right handed, the menuki sit at my fingers, making the placement very “un-traditional” since I read that the menuki should sit in your palm.
The Ito sits on top of real Ray skin which seems like a full wrap too. It is a caramel brown cotton that is also used on the saya. It is tightly wrapped and also in an alternating pattern. The End cap holds the whole thing together and has a nice bamboo design on it that matches the bamboo design on the fitting just below the Tsuba.
The Tsuba
The Tsuba is small but very tough and thick. It is also a darker caramel/chocolate brown with gold and silver coloured designs. On the handle side of the Tsuba, it looks like the brances of a leafless tree in winter, with half of it silver, suggesting snow, OR the reflection of the sun in a rippling pool of water.
The design on the blade side is a Crane in flight over a pile of sliced bamboo.
The Fuchi-Kashira
There is a Bamboo motif in the fittings as suggested above. They are placed as if bamboo is wrapped around the handle, or being used to hold the ito in place. Very inventive design.
The Saya
I mentioned that the Saya was brown, with real horn fittings. Im am upset that the saya cant hold onto the Katana well enough and I JUST found that the blade moves about 1centimetre up and down inside the Saya (at the tip) which is not very re-assuring.
But the fact that it has a smooth lacquer and is covered in a light shiny powder, makes it look like a thin layer of glass was used to surround the Saya. Also the Sageo seems to be fraying at the ends, and Im not sure if that’s part of the design.
Handling Characteristics
All the designs aside, the blade handles well. It feels very light and all the weight seems to be located near where the yokote should be - which in my opinion where it should be. The Bo-Hi makes a very small swish sound and the blade can maintain its momentum for a second swing and reposition above my head. (I still don’t have much of a form)
With the smallish sized Tsuba and a thin feeling Tsuka, the blade feels light and nimble, and feels like there is no resistance when swinging.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
After batting away 5 bottles, I was able to sucessfully get through 3 bottles sucessively. The one in the RIGHT is a 2 Litre Bottle, and the other ones on the left are 1.25 Litre bottles.
As you can see with the 2 Litre bottle, the cut was very jagged. It entered near the neck of the bottle and exited half way through the bottle. The cut was so bad, the left side of the bottle shows evidence of the top half tearing away from the bottom.
With the bottle from the middle, my form got much better, but it was still very jagged. It may have been my cut or maybe moving to a smaller bottle (like the ones I see most people using to cut with on this site) may have improved the cut. But as you can see, it was still a very poor cut.
The third slice made it across evenly and I was happy with it, but I know it wasnt as great as I had hoped. Either way, I know Im getting better at this the more I try. But it still feels very difficult to make a sucessfull swing.
Conclusions
Overall, I am really happy with the blade. Minus the poorly fitted Saya, it is a beautiful piece of art, and a very different looking blade than most. A lot of effort went into the making of this blade despite its price. It is a traditional looking blade with modern influences and its an eye catching blade.
Pros
- The Tsuka is tight, thinner than normal for a really tight grip and strong.
- Attention to detail in the blade and fittings. VERY tight fittings. OMG THAT HAMON
- It does cut well, just can’t prove it yet.
Cons
- Saya was dangerously loose, but Im sure it was only my order as I got it via ebay. Will let you know what GG says about it.
- Blade jiggles a little in the Saya if I choose to move the handle
- The cotton sageo on the Saya is frayed in the ends, not sure if that’s design or not.
The Bottom Line
I will only recommend it to someone who doesn’t like the suede covered Chikara blade GG is selling for the same price.
But the blade, if there is anything worth paying for, it is the care that was taken into making the hamon and the lightness of the blade.
I just cannot recommend this sword for anyone who doesn’t like a saya that contains teeny tiny particles of Shiny things in the finish. It does make sense with the whole water/snow/winter theme but if you want a “swords are for stabbing things” sword, the design of this is probably going to put you off.