Tried and True Armory elite Katana (Leaves and Bugs)
Oct 23, 2011 20:57:34 GMT
Post by FHideg on Oct 23, 2011 20:57:34 GMT
Hi, This is a review of a Katana Purchased from TomK in the vendor section of this website.
A little personal history: I have always loved swords in any shape form or fashion since I was a little tike (now 42). I have not collected any swords for the past 15 years. Back when I was collecting (pre internet days) the only swords available were through magazines, etc. So I ended up with 10 different wallhangers in the quest for an actual quality sword (mostly katana's). After 15 year absence, thanks to my kids breaking one of my wall hangers( follow this link for the story ) www.therpf.com/f9/dark-magic-bites-dust-124574/ I decided to turn to the internet and resume my quest. SBG, WOW was I amazed. Real swords, no more stainless steel blades, no more plastic katana tsuka's, no more cast tsuba's.
Tried and True Armory elite series premuim laminated prototype katana
This is a prototype katana that t&ta received from a forge to sell as a regular line of katana's. I think they received 4, two budget and 2 premium. This katana had a cracked tsuka and was glued with two ton epoxy. Thus making the tsuka unremovable without destroying the tsuka. This was disclosed before purchase, and I was fully aware of this when purchasing. Here are two links with plenty of pics of Tom's post.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6553
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5281
Specs: BLADE
Steel: 1095
Weight: 2lbs 8oz
Nagasa: 27.25
Blade width: 1 1/8 @ machi, 7/8 @ kissaki
P.O.B.: 5.5
Edge sharpness: decent
Yokote: Geometric
Boshi: Yakizume (no turn back)
Hamon: yes, real clay tempered
Lamination: yes, Shiuzume (third steel) side & back med, middle soft, edge hard
TSUKA:
Theme: Preying Mantis, Bug, Leaves (leaves and bugs)
Length: 10.5
Ito: Non alternating
Ito material: ?
Same: panel rayskin
Fucci: Mantis, Copper?
Kashira: Mantis, Copper?
Menuki: little oriental dude, dudes, Copper?
Tsuba: Preying Mantis brass looking, Bug silver looking, leaves bronze looking
Habaki: remains me of the style that Ronin Katana uses
SAYA:
Koi-Guchi(mouth) Buffalo Horn?
Kurigata (cord retainer) Buffalo Horn?
Kojiri (tip) Buffalo Horn?
Sageo (cord) material ?
Color: white and black
The katana arrived double boxed, very nice. It was in a cardboard box with styrofoam inserts. Much better than the Marto's I ordered in the past. They were always shipped in a round tube. By the time it would reach me, the tube would be coming apart. The Katana was wrapped in a silk sword bag, very nice. I savored the moment like a kid in a candy store than opened the silk bag and removed the Katana. It was better than expected, Awesome!! Finally something special and magical. It screamed at me to pick it up and unleash the blade from it's saya slumber. As I pulled the blade from the saya it was tight, but not too tight. The blade was covered in white lithium grease(used for storage and shipping). I removed the grease, rubbed the blade down with rem oil and bam! Alive it came.
The blade:The blade is DH 1095 laminated in shihuzume (3rd steel) method. Which is, side and back:med, middle:soft, edge:hard. It has a real geometric zokote. The blade looks awesome in the light. You can see and feel the lamination. The hamon is awesome and very visible, and best of all it's not touching the edge. The blade is sharp, but not razor.
The tsuka: When T&T received the katana from the forge, it arrived with a cracked tsuka. So Tom used 2 ton epoxy to fix it. He stated it was now as good as new or actually better than new. The only drawback is not being able to remove it without tearing up the tsuka. I would love to be able to view the tang. But no go unless I'm prepared to get a new tsuka made. I love the length and the way it feels in my hands. It does not have an alternating ito. I'm not sure what type of material is used (cotton, silk, synthetic) but it feels and looks great. The same looks to be real rayskin. It does have a little discoloration, maybe from the epoxy. It is a panel and not a full wrap. I would love to have a full wrap. If I get a new tsuka made, it will have to have a full wrap, and silk ito.
The tsuba: At first viewing the katana from the posted pic, I hated the mantis, leaves and bug theme. I thought it looked bulky and would be akward to handle. But loved the blade and saya. I was going to strip it down and use the blade to have a highlander katana made. But once I pulled it from the katana bag I was hooked. It is not bulky at all.The details that went into this are fantastic. the different colors,the figures, and it is actually really nice. I thought the mantis would be too large, but not the case. Tom described it as sexy, I think it's really unique. It seems to be made of bronze or brass.
The fucci: It has a preying mantis on it which ties into the tsuba theme. The only thing is the mantis and grass cast onto the fucci is irratating to my hand during prolonged cutting. It has a little sharpness that causes a little irratation. If the tsuka was removable this would be an easy fix. As I could reverse it and put the smooth side forward and the graphics in the back. The material its made out of appears to be copper or zinc.
The Kashira: It has a preying mantis and grass on it similar to the fucci. Really nice looking. It is made out of the same material as the fucci and ties in perfectly with the theme of the katana. No compliants.
The Menuki: The menuki are really nice. They feel great on my hands. They are oversized and stick out from the tsuka. They don't really follow the theme of leaves and bugs. But the details are great. Don't really know who they are or can't really tell what one is doing, but they feel fantastic while cutting and gripping the katana. The material is the same as the rest.
The habaki: The best way I can explain it is it looks almost exactly like the ones Ronin Katana uses and their blades. I typically don't care for any type of design on the habaki. But after recieving the katana, I do like this style. It's mounted correctly, and it aligns into the saya perfectly. It appears to be made out of brass.
The saya: What I like best about this saya is that it's not the standard plain black saya. It's white and black. The finish is really nice. The kurigata(cord retainer) does seem to be a little lower than what I've seen before. But what do I know. I'm just comparing it to wall hanger saya's that I have. That may be were it's supposed to be. Or this may just be a makers preferance. It's really light and has more bulk than the aluminum wall hanger saya's that I have. All the geometry seems to be perfect. The blade fits really nice. It isn't too loose and not too tight. Wow, it so much better than the metal marto wallhanger saya's. Are the koi-guchi(mouth), kurigata (cord retainer), and kojiri (tip) real hand cut buffalo horn? I hope so, but don't know how to tell without scraping the finish off. The sageo(cord) is black and white tying into the colors of the saya quite nicely. I don't have enough experience to determine the material(cotton, silk, synthetic). But it's really nice. It wasn't tied when I recieved it. A quick scan of sbg and I learn how to tie it like all the other wallhangers. I know the samurai didn't tie it like this, only the people who wore it for looks. But the wallhanger method keeps it out of the way better.
Handling: Having nothing to compare it to makes it hard to describe the handling. It feels really solid. I bought a sword cleaning kit( oil, cloth, powder ball) about 15 yrs ago to use on the wallhangers. As I tap the powderball on the blade of a wallhanger, the blade closest to the handle feels really solid. As I get toward the edge tapping the powder ball, it has a little vibration and less solid feel to it. With the leaves and bug katana, using the ball, the blade feels solid, no vibration anywhere along the blade. Totally solid. A full extinsion of ones arm. The balance is nice. But it is a heavy, full meaty blade. Swing it forward, the blade pulls you through each motion. But with total control. I don't think this would be considered a light blade.
Cutting: First time cutting anything with a katana. I cut two liter coke bottles filled with water. I cut milk jugs. no matts (don't have any) Preformed well.
Final thoughts: Love this katana, despite the cracked and glued tsuka (which I knew about upon purchase and shouldn't reflect bad upon T&TA in anyway shape, form or fashion).I have handled and oiled the blade every day since receiving it. Can't seem to put it down. I'll be watching tv with it in my lap, it replaced the lap dog. I was going to get a Ronin dojo pro, especially so I would have something to compare it to (their stuff really looks good), but the #12 is sold out. I guess I'll have to wait til next summer to get this one. Their elite's with laminated blades look awesome, but are out of my price range. This leaves and bugs elite katana reminds me alot of ronin's elites, without the high price.I hope T&TA starts carrying more of these Katana's. I would love to get another of these laminated elites from them. I would like to get a new tsuka made for it eventually, with same fitting, silk ito and full rayskin (possibly black?). The details on this blade, lamination, hamon are beatiful, and awesome! I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Tried and True Elite Katana to anyone. Good job guys, hope to see more.
one other note: I didn't add any new pics because the katana is same as Tom's pictures. And his are better than any I could take. But I'll add some later, it's been doing nothing but raining here in KY for the last couple of days.
Pros:
blade lamination
Hamon
excellent fittings
saya
Cons:
cracked un-removable tsuka
non alternating ito
Hope you all liked this review, it's my first and hopefully not last. Let me know what you think.
Thanks
Frank
A little personal history: I have always loved swords in any shape form or fashion since I was a little tike (now 42). I have not collected any swords for the past 15 years. Back when I was collecting (pre internet days) the only swords available were through magazines, etc. So I ended up with 10 different wallhangers in the quest for an actual quality sword (mostly katana's). After 15 year absence, thanks to my kids breaking one of my wall hangers( follow this link for the story ) www.therpf.com/f9/dark-magic-bites-dust-124574/ I decided to turn to the internet and resume my quest. SBG, WOW was I amazed. Real swords, no more stainless steel blades, no more plastic katana tsuka's, no more cast tsuba's.
Tried and True Armory elite series premuim laminated prototype katana
This is a prototype katana that t&ta received from a forge to sell as a regular line of katana's. I think they received 4, two budget and 2 premium. This katana had a cracked tsuka and was glued with two ton epoxy. Thus making the tsuka unremovable without destroying the tsuka. This was disclosed before purchase, and I was fully aware of this when purchasing. Here are two links with plenty of pics of Tom's post.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6553
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5281
Specs: BLADE
Steel: 1095
Weight: 2lbs 8oz
Nagasa: 27.25
Blade width: 1 1/8 @ machi, 7/8 @ kissaki
P.O.B.: 5.5
Edge sharpness: decent
Yokote: Geometric
Boshi: Yakizume (no turn back)
Hamon: yes, real clay tempered
Lamination: yes, Shiuzume (third steel) side & back med, middle soft, edge hard
TSUKA:
Theme: Preying Mantis, Bug, Leaves (leaves and bugs)
Length: 10.5
Ito: Non alternating
Ito material: ?
Same: panel rayskin
Fucci: Mantis, Copper?
Kashira: Mantis, Copper?
Menuki: little oriental dude, dudes, Copper?
Tsuba: Preying Mantis brass looking, Bug silver looking, leaves bronze looking
Habaki: remains me of the style that Ronin Katana uses
SAYA:
Koi-Guchi(mouth) Buffalo Horn?
Kurigata (cord retainer) Buffalo Horn?
Kojiri (tip) Buffalo Horn?
Sageo (cord) material ?
Color: white and black
The katana arrived double boxed, very nice. It was in a cardboard box with styrofoam inserts. Much better than the Marto's I ordered in the past. They were always shipped in a round tube. By the time it would reach me, the tube would be coming apart. The Katana was wrapped in a silk sword bag, very nice. I savored the moment like a kid in a candy store than opened the silk bag and removed the Katana. It was better than expected, Awesome!! Finally something special and magical. It screamed at me to pick it up and unleash the blade from it's saya slumber. As I pulled the blade from the saya it was tight, but not too tight. The blade was covered in white lithium grease(used for storage and shipping). I removed the grease, rubbed the blade down with rem oil and bam! Alive it came.
The blade:The blade is DH 1095 laminated in shihuzume (3rd steel) method. Which is, side and back:med, middle:soft, edge:hard. It has a real geometric zokote. The blade looks awesome in the light. You can see and feel the lamination. The hamon is awesome and very visible, and best of all it's not touching the edge. The blade is sharp, but not razor.
The tsuka: When T&T received the katana from the forge, it arrived with a cracked tsuka. So Tom used 2 ton epoxy to fix it. He stated it was now as good as new or actually better than new. The only drawback is not being able to remove it without tearing up the tsuka. I would love to be able to view the tang. But no go unless I'm prepared to get a new tsuka made. I love the length and the way it feels in my hands. It does not have an alternating ito. I'm not sure what type of material is used (cotton, silk, synthetic) but it feels and looks great. The same looks to be real rayskin. It does have a little discoloration, maybe from the epoxy. It is a panel and not a full wrap. I would love to have a full wrap. If I get a new tsuka made, it will have to have a full wrap, and silk ito.
The tsuba: At first viewing the katana from the posted pic, I hated the mantis, leaves and bug theme. I thought it looked bulky and would be akward to handle. But loved the blade and saya. I was going to strip it down and use the blade to have a highlander katana made. But once I pulled it from the katana bag I was hooked. It is not bulky at all.The details that went into this are fantastic. the different colors,the figures, and it is actually really nice. I thought the mantis would be too large, but not the case. Tom described it as sexy, I think it's really unique. It seems to be made of bronze or brass.
The fucci: It has a preying mantis on it which ties into the tsuba theme. The only thing is the mantis and grass cast onto the fucci is irratating to my hand during prolonged cutting. It has a little sharpness that causes a little irratation. If the tsuka was removable this would be an easy fix. As I could reverse it and put the smooth side forward and the graphics in the back. The material its made out of appears to be copper or zinc.
The Kashira: It has a preying mantis and grass on it similar to the fucci. Really nice looking. It is made out of the same material as the fucci and ties in perfectly with the theme of the katana. No compliants.
The Menuki: The menuki are really nice. They feel great on my hands. They are oversized and stick out from the tsuka. They don't really follow the theme of leaves and bugs. But the details are great. Don't really know who they are or can't really tell what one is doing, but they feel fantastic while cutting and gripping the katana. The material is the same as the rest.
The habaki: The best way I can explain it is it looks almost exactly like the ones Ronin Katana uses and their blades. I typically don't care for any type of design on the habaki. But after recieving the katana, I do like this style. It's mounted correctly, and it aligns into the saya perfectly. It appears to be made out of brass.
The saya: What I like best about this saya is that it's not the standard plain black saya. It's white and black. The finish is really nice. The kurigata(cord retainer) does seem to be a little lower than what I've seen before. But what do I know. I'm just comparing it to wall hanger saya's that I have. That may be were it's supposed to be. Or this may just be a makers preferance. It's really light and has more bulk than the aluminum wall hanger saya's that I have. All the geometry seems to be perfect. The blade fits really nice. It isn't too loose and not too tight. Wow, it so much better than the metal marto wallhanger saya's. Are the koi-guchi(mouth), kurigata (cord retainer), and kojiri (tip) real hand cut buffalo horn? I hope so, but don't know how to tell without scraping the finish off. The sageo(cord) is black and white tying into the colors of the saya quite nicely. I don't have enough experience to determine the material(cotton, silk, synthetic). But it's really nice. It wasn't tied when I recieved it. A quick scan of sbg and I learn how to tie it like all the other wallhangers. I know the samurai didn't tie it like this, only the people who wore it for looks. But the wallhanger method keeps it out of the way better.
Handling: Having nothing to compare it to makes it hard to describe the handling. It feels really solid. I bought a sword cleaning kit( oil, cloth, powder ball) about 15 yrs ago to use on the wallhangers. As I tap the powderball on the blade of a wallhanger, the blade closest to the handle feels really solid. As I get toward the edge tapping the powder ball, it has a little vibration and less solid feel to it. With the leaves and bug katana, using the ball, the blade feels solid, no vibration anywhere along the blade. Totally solid. A full extinsion of ones arm. The balance is nice. But it is a heavy, full meaty blade. Swing it forward, the blade pulls you through each motion. But with total control. I don't think this would be considered a light blade.
Cutting: First time cutting anything with a katana. I cut two liter coke bottles filled with water. I cut milk jugs. no matts (don't have any) Preformed well.
Final thoughts: Love this katana, despite the cracked and glued tsuka (which I knew about upon purchase and shouldn't reflect bad upon T&TA in anyway shape, form or fashion).I have handled and oiled the blade every day since receiving it. Can't seem to put it down. I'll be watching tv with it in my lap, it replaced the lap dog. I was going to get a Ronin dojo pro, especially so I would have something to compare it to (their stuff really looks good), but the #12 is sold out. I guess I'll have to wait til next summer to get this one. Their elite's with laminated blades look awesome, but are out of my price range. This leaves and bugs elite katana reminds me alot of ronin's elites, without the high price.I hope T&TA starts carrying more of these Katana's. I would love to get another of these laminated elites from them. I would like to get a new tsuka made for it eventually, with same fitting, silk ito and full rayskin (possibly black?). The details on this blade, lamination, hamon are beatiful, and awesome! I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Tried and True Elite Katana to anyone. Good job guys, hope to see more.
one other note: I didn't add any new pics because the katana is same as Tom's pictures. And his are better than any I could take. But I'll add some later, it's been doing nothing but raining here in KY for the last couple of days.
Pros:
blade lamination
Hamon
excellent fittings
saya
Cons:
cracked un-removable tsuka
non alternating ito
Hope you all liked this review, it's my first and hopefully not last. Let me know what you think.
Thanks
Frank