Musashi Folded Elite Samurai Warrior Katana
Jan 15, 2012 23:09:17 GMT
Post by sceraxn on Jan 15, 2012 23:09:17 GMT
Introduction
Ive been looking for a decent low cost cutter without a bo-hi for a while now, and this katana goes above and beyond what I thought id be getting for this price. It was a bit of an unexpected journey to get it, and I had to go through a few different katana to find the right one, but in the end it was all worth it. This katana quickly became one of my favorites, and is definitely my favorite out of all the Musashi swords ive owned. Its made from folded 1040 and 1060 steel and features a nice clay tempered hamon like most Musashi offerings, except it’s a little more aggressive than the typical symmetrical wavy hamon on their $80 1060 line.
Historical overview
This is rather difficult for this katana because it mixes styles from varying periods and families of Japanese swordsmiths. The jihada is beautiful. Its mostly gassan-hada(aka: asayugi-hada) with some mokume-hada mixed in at certain points, especially at the kissaki. The aggressive midare hamon is striking when viewed from certain angles, but it doesn’t jump out at you as much as it does on some blades simply because its not as highly polished so that the jihada can shine through. The chu kissaki with its geometric yokote is one of the most surprising parts of this katana. At first I just thought it was a good counter polish job, but after closer inspection it is indeed geometric. Although it is a mix of styles, its amazing how well it pulls them off while staying true to their respective era.
Full Disclosure
Ill admit that ive always been a bit of a Musashi fan. In my honest opinion its really hard to beat their 1060 differentially hardened line of blades when it comes to performance for your money. However, im a fan of many different companies so I wouldn’t call myself biased. I go into each review with an open mind and will definitely report everything I find, no matter how good or bad. In this case I had a few bad experiences with Musashi. I originally ordered a Flowering Bamboo katana, but the polish on the blade was horrible, it didn’t have a kissaki, the tsuka was broken in 4 places, and the tsuba was extremely loose. So after talking to the guys at Trueswords I decided to upgrade to the more expensive Folded Elite line. Unfortunately, the first one I received also had quite a few faults so I considered getting my money back and giving up, but after I did more research and talked with the guys at Trueswords again I decided to give it another go, and im glad I did because this one is flawless. Im no longer biased towards Musashi, but im now even more biased towards Trueswords. Their customer service is absolutely amazing and I wont hesitate to keep buying through them.
Initial Impressions
WOW! That basically sums up my initial impressions. This katana was so much more than I was expecting. It arrived in your standard lined wooden box and included the CoA, a cleaning kit, and a higher quality sword bag than you’ll get with some of their cheaper offerings. This is a very attractive sword.
Statistics
Overall Length: 39.25 "
Nagasa Length: 27.5 "
Blade Material: 1040 and 1060 Carbon Steel
Tsuka Length: 10.75 "
Niku: Medium
Blade Thickness @ Habaki: 0.305 "
Sori: 0.697 "
Blade Thickness @ Kissaki: 0.199 "
Kissaki Length: 1.386 "
Blade Width @ Habaki: 1.233"
Blade Construction: Forge Folded
Blade Width @ Kissaki: 0.875 "
Hamon: Midare
Weight W/O Saya: 2.8 lbs
Balance Point: 4.5 "
Hardness: 58 RC @ ha, 42 RC @ mune
Components
The Handle/Tsuka
The tsuka on this sword is very attractive. The Ito is a high luster tan chemical fiber that really looks and feels more like silk than any other cheap chem fiber ive felt. Its alternately wrapped over real samegawa, but they’re panels and not a full wrap(which is to be expected at this price range). Its very comfortable to hold and use.
*Edit 1/20/2012
Ive got probably 100 cuts on this blade now, varying from your standard water bottles to tatami to newspaper, and even double layered tatami and good bit of wet bamboo. There are no signs of cracks on the tsuka and the ito is still extremely tight and shows absolutely no signs of wear.
The Guard/Tsuba
The brass tsuba is attractive and features what appears to be a swordsmith pulling the tongue out of an oni’s mouth. Ive never seen anything like it before and im sure it has some significance, but its not one that im aware of. I wasn’t sure how id like a square tsuba, but im quite fond of it to be honest.
*Edit 1/16/2012
The tsuba loosened up a little bit after some test cuts. It doesnt rattle around, but you can move it with your hands. There arent any cracks in the tsuka so i assume this was caused by everything settling after getting used. Ill keep you updated if it worsens.
*Edit 1/20/2012
The more i use this sword the more i dislike the square tsuba. I love the design on it, but it just looks sort of awkward. However, im not going to change it out unless i can find a round one thats just as heavy. I put a smaller round one on it just to see how id like it and it seemed to throw the balance off some. Its definitely not a big enough deal to make me not want it, but its something to keep in mind for those of you who are looking into it. As far as it loosening goes, it hasnt gotten any worse. It doesnt move on its own, but i can wiggle it slightly with some force.
The Pommel/Fuchi-Kashira
The fucchi, menuki, and kashira all follow the same theme as the tsuba, and theyre all made of brass as well. The details are actually very nice on each component.
The Scabbard/Saya
The saya turned out to be a deep reddish mahogany with subtle flaking and not the drab brown with glittery accents like the pictures suggested. Its beautiful to look at, and with a bullhorn koiguchi makes it feel extremely solid. The sageo is thick and of a much higher quality than even the more expensive Musashi offerings ive owned in the past.
Handling Characteristics
Ive yet to do any test cutting with this katana, but I don’t have any reason to believe that it wont live up to my expectations. It’s probably a bit on the heavy side for some people, but ive always been a fan of heavier blades(which is why I didn’t want a bo-hi) so I love it. This katana has probably the best balanced of any that ive owned so far, and that balance really makes it feel a lot lighter than it actually is when its wielded correctly. Despite its size its relatively light and nimble.
*Edit 1/16/2012
Just did some test cutting with it and im extremely impressed overall. It went through plastic bottles like a hot knife through butter, so i stepped it up to some rolled tatami and it performed equally as well on that. Then i went on to some 3" wet bamboo and the sword never even flinched. I was a little disappointed at first because it was cutting the bottles decently, but they werent clean cuts and most of the time it would knock the bottle 5 feet away. So i had to take a step back and refocus myself. It turns out that i just had to get used to the extra weight of the blade. Because its slightly on the heavier side i realized that i needed to put more focus on technique and less on power. With lighter blades i still focus on technique, but they usually require a little more force to get the same cuts. Since this blade require you to focus more on technique i think it would be great for a beginner.
I didnt get any pics of the destruction because its like 40 degrees outside and it was starting to rain, but im planning on doing more cutting when the weather is nicer and ill try to get some pics and maybe a video then.
*Edit 1/20/2012
I did some more cutting and im really liking this blade. Now that ive gotten used to its weight im doing fairly difficult cuts with ease. Also, ive noticed that after ive used this sword my technique is much more crisp when i move to lighter and faster katana. I was practicing with my buddies ko katana earlier today and i noticed that ive become much more fluid and crisp, and i honestly think its because this heavier katana has forced me to put more concentration on technique.
Conclusions
"Absolutely amazing" is the only conclusion ive come to :lol:
Pros:
Folded blade
Clay tempered hamon
Very solid for its price range
Real geometric kissaki
Beautiful enough to put on display and practical enough to use as a cutter
Effortless cutter, but might be difficult to get used to if your technique isnt up to par. Great for helping you perfect the technique though.
Cons:
Its slightly heavy(though that’s a plus to some of us)
Saya is almost too tight, but im sure it will loosen up with some use *edit*: saya has loosened up with use
*Edit 1/16/2012 I took it apart to clean it after the tameshigiri and when i reassembled it i noticed that the tsuba was slightly loose. It doesnt rattle around when youre swinging it, but you can move it with your hands. I checked and the tsuka isnt broken so im guessing this just happened from things settling with the impact of the test cuts. Its happened before, and some times it was a sign of bad things to come while other times it never made any real impact. Ill keep this thread updated if it becomes a problem.
Another thing i noticed is that the habaki doesnt sit tight against the nakago and water got down in it. Im going to try and work with it to see if i can tighten it up, but i dont wont to do too much because then the saya might not fit. Ill keep you guys updated on that as well.
The Bottom Line
I would definitely recommend this sword. In fact, I don’t think I could find an argument for suggesting anything else in the $200 price range. Its so much more than anything youd expect to find at this price, and I honestly think it would still sell well at $300. From my limited experience(~8 years) with Japanese swords I can confidently say that ive never seen its equal for less than $400.
btw- I know ive repeated the phrase "for its price" and "in this price range" a lot in this review, and i did that for a reason. I wanted to drive home the fact that i wasnt comparing this to swords of a higher price. When i mentioned the $400 sword above i was talking about the folded blade only and not the sword overall. While the furniture on this katana is great for the price range, it definitely isnt on the same level of most $400 swords.
Update 2/27/2012: This katana quickly became my go to cutter even though i planned on keeping it on the stand most of the time. I just love the way this thing performs. Its weight makes cutting seem effortless, and very little shock is transfered back to your hands which makes it easy to cut for hours on end. All of the fittings are still nice and tight, and the ito hasnt shown any signs of loosening. On two seperate occasions ive accidentally hit the dowel on my stand when cutting and the blade hasnt taken a set or chipped, and to my surprise the tsuka is still nice and solid. Ive also found a way to keep the tsuba from loosening like i said it was doing before. For some reason all i have to do it put the bottom mekugi first and the tsuba doesnt move. If i put the top one in first it stays slightly loose to where you can move it with your hand. Its not a critical defect, but its definitely one of those things that you come to expect from production katana in this price range. They always have their odd tendencies lol
Update 6/25/2012: I havent had as much time to do any cuts lately, but i managed to get it out to take care of some plastic bottles and tatami that have been giving me dirty looks lately. This thing is still extremely tight with no rattles, and its still extremely sharp despite the amount of cuts ive performed with it. I love this katana more and more each time i use it.
Heres a few extra pics comparing it to the Musashi Flowering Bamboo without bo-hi(middle), and Musashi’s standard $80 1060 blade(bottom). Just excuse the tsuka on the bottom one. Im still waiting on some decent same before I can finish it up. This is really just to show the difference in the quality of the blades, and you can see the aggressive hamon compared to Musashis other offerings, and how nice the kissaki is on the Folded Elite(top). Thanks for reading and I hope this review is helpful.
Ive been looking for a decent low cost cutter without a bo-hi for a while now, and this katana goes above and beyond what I thought id be getting for this price. It was a bit of an unexpected journey to get it, and I had to go through a few different katana to find the right one, but in the end it was all worth it. This katana quickly became one of my favorites, and is definitely my favorite out of all the Musashi swords ive owned. Its made from folded 1040 and 1060 steel and features a nice clay tempered hamon like most Musashi offerings, except it’s a little more aggressive than the typical symmetrical wavy hamon on their $80 1060 line.
Historical overview
This is rather difficult for this katana because it mixes styles from varying periods and families of Japanese swordsmiths. The jihada is beautiful. Its mostly gassan-hada(aka: asayugi-hada) with some mokume-hada mixed in at certain points, especially at the kissaki. The aggressive midare hamon is striking when viewed from certain angles, but it doesn’t jump out at you as much as it does on some blades simply because its not as highly polished so that the jihada can shine through. The chu kissaki with its geometric yokote is one of the most surprising parts of this katana. At first I just thought it was a good counter polish job, but after closer inspection it is indeed geometric. Although it is a mix of styles, its amazing how well it pulls them off while staying true to their respective era.
Full Disclosure
Ill admit that ive always been a bit of a Musashi fan. In my honest opinion its really hard to beat their 1060 differentially hardened line of blades when it comes to performance for your money. However, im a fan of many different companies so I wouldn’t call myself biased. I go into each review with an open mind and will definitely report everything I find, no matter how good or bad. In this case I had a few bad experiences with Musashi. I originally ordered a Flowering Bamboo katana, but the polish on the blade was horrible, it didn’t have a kissaki, the tsuka was broken in 4 places, and the tsuba was extremely loose. So after talking to the guys at Trueswords I decided to upgrade to the more expensive Folded Elite line. Unfortunately, the first one I received also had quite a few faults so I considered getting my money back and giving up, but after I did more research and talked with the guys at Trueswords again I decided to give it another go, and im glad I did because this one is flawless. Im no longer biased towards Musashi, but im now even more biased towards Trueswords. Their customer service is absolutely amazing and I wont hesitate to keep buying through them.
Initial Impressions
WOW! That basically sums up my initial impressions. This katana was so much more than I was expecting. It arrived in your standard lined wooden box and included the CoA, a cleaning kit, and a higher quality sword bag than you’ll get with some of their cheaper offerings. This is a very attractive sword.
Statistics
Overall Length: 39.25 "
Nagasa Length: 27.5 "
Blade Material: 1040 and 1060 Carbon Steel
Tsuka Length: 10.75 "
Niku: Medium
Blade Thickness @ Habaki: 0.305 "
Sori: 0.697 "
Blade Thickness @ Kissaki: 0.199 "
Kissaki Length: 1.386 "
Blade Width @ Habaki: 1.233"
Blade Construction: Forge Folded
Blade Width @ Kissaki: 0.875 "
Hamon: Midare
Weight W/O Saya: 2.8 lbs
Balance Point: 4.5 "
Hardness: 58 RC @ ha, 42 RC @ mune
Components
The Handle/Tsuka
The tsuka on this sword is very attractive. The Ito is a high luster tan chemical fiber that really looks and feels more like silk than any other cheap chem fiber ive felt. Its alternately wrapped over real samegawa, but they’re panels and not a full wrap(which is to be expected at this price range). Its very comfortable to hold and use.
*Edit 1/20/2012
Ive got probably 100 cuts on this blade now, varying from your standard water bottles to tatami to newspaper, and even double layered tatami and good bit of wet bamboo. There are no signs of cracks on the tsuka and the ito is still extremely tight and shows absolutely no signs of wear.
The Guard/Tsuba
The brass tsuba is attractive and features what appears to be a swordsmith pulling the tongue out of an oni’s mouth. Ive never seen anything like it before and im sure it has some significance, but its not one that im aware of. I wasn’t sure how id like a square tsuba, but im quite fond of it to be honest.
*Edit 1/16/2012
The tsuba loosened up a little bit after some test cuts. It doesnt rattle around, but you can move it with your hands. There arent any cracks in the tsuka so i assume this was caused by everything settling after getting used. Ill keep you updated if it worsens.
*Edit 1/20/2012
The more i use this sword the more i dislike the square tsuba. I love the design on it, but it just looks sort of awkward. However, im not going to change it out unless i can find a round one thats just as heavy. I put a smaller round one on it just to see how id like it and it seemed to throw the balance off some. Its definitely not a big enough deal to make me not want it, but its something to keep in mind for those of you who are looking into it. As far as it loosening goes, it hasnt gotten any worse. It doesnt move on its own, but i can wiggle it slightly with some force.
The Pommel/Fuchi-Kashira
The fucchi, menuki, and kashira all follow the same theme as the tsuba, and theyre all made of brass as well. The details are actually very nice on each component.
The Scabbard/Saya
The saya turned out to be a deep reddish mahogany with subtle flaking and not the drab brown with glittery accents like the pictures suggested. Its beautiful to look at, and with a bullhorn koiguchi makes it feel extremely solid. The sageo is thick and of a much higher quality than even the more expensive Musashi offerings ive owned in the past.
Handling Characteristics
Ive yet to do any test cutting with this katana, but I don’t have any reason to believe that it wont live up to my expectations. It’s probably a bit on the heavy side for some people, but ive always been a fan of heavier blades(which is why I didn’t want a bo-hi) so I love it. This katana has probably the best balanced of any that ive owned so far, and that balance really makes it feel a lot lighter than it actually is when its wielded correctly. Despite its size its relatively light and nimble.
*Edit 1/16/2012
Just did some test cutting with it and im extremely impressed overall. It went through plastic bottles like a hot knife through butter, so i stepped it up to some rolled tatami and it performed equally as well on that. Then i went on to some 3" wet bamboo and the sword never even flinched. I was a little disappointed at first because it was cutting the bottles decently, but they werent clean cuts and most of the time it would knock the bottle 5 feet away. So i had to take a step back and refocus myself. It turns out that i just had to get used to the extra weight of the blade. Because its slightly on the heavier side i realized that i needed to put more focus on technique and less on power. With lighter blades i still focus on technique, but they usually require a little more force to get the same cuts. Since this blade require you to focus more on technique i think it would be great for a beginner.
I didnt get any pics of the destruction because its like 40 degrees outside and it was starting to rain, but im planning on doing more cutting when the weather is nicer and ill try to get some pics and maybe a video then.
*Edit 1/20/2012
I did some more cutting and im really liking this blade. Now that ive gotten used to its weight im doing fairly difficult cuts with ease. Also, ive noticed that after ive used this sword my technique is much more crisp when i move to lighter and faster katana. I was practicing with my buddies ko katana earlier today and i noticed that ive become much more fluid and crisp, and i honestly think its because this heavier katana has forced me to put more concentration on technique.
Conclusions
"Absolutely amazing" is the only conclusion ive come to :lol:
Pros:
Folded blade
Clay tempered hamon
Very solid for its price range
Real geometric kissaki
Beautiful enough to put on display and practical enough to use as a cutter
Effortless cutter, but might be difficult to get used to if your technique isnt up to par. Great for helping you perfect the technique though.
Cons:
Its slightly heavy(though that’s a plus to some of us)
Saya is almost too tight, but im sure it will loosen up with some use *edit*: saya has loosened up with use
*Edit 1/16/2012 I took it apart to clean it after the tameshigiri and when i reassembled it i noticed that the tsuba was slightly loose. It doesnt rattle around when youre swinging it, but you can move it with your hands. I checked and the tsuka isnt broken so im guessing this just happened from things settling with the impact of the test cuts. Its happened before, and some times it was a sign of bad things to come while other times it never made any real impact. Ill keep this thread updated if it becomes a problem.
Another thing i noticed is that the habaki doesnt sit tight against the nakago and water got down in it. Im going to try and work with it to see if i can tighten it up, but i dont wont to do too much because then the saya might not fit. Ill keep you guys updated on that as well.
The Bottom Line
I would definitely recommend this sword. In fact, I don’t think I could find an argument for suggesting anything else in the $200 price range. Its so much more than anything youd expect to find at this price, and I honestly think it would still sell well at $300. From my limited experience(~8 years) with Japanese swords I can confidently say that ive never seen its equal for less than $400.
btw- I know ive repeated the phrase "for its price" and "in this price range" a lot in this review, and i did that for a reason. I wanted to drive home the fact that i wasnt comparing this to swords of a higher price. When i mentioned the $400 sword above i was talking about the folded blade only and not the sword overall. While the furniture on this katana is great for the price range, it definitely isnt on the same level of most $400 swords.
Update 2/27/2012: This katana quickly became my go to cutter even though i planned on keeping it on the stand most of the time. I just love the way this thing performs. Its weight makes cutting seem effortless, and very little shock is transfered back to your hands which makes it easy to cut for hours on end. All of the fittings are still nice and tight, and the ito hasnt shown any signs of loosening. On two seperate occasions ive accidentally hit the dowel on my stand when cutting and the blade hasnt taken a set or chipped, and to my surprise the tsuka is still nice and solid. Ive also found a way to keep the tsuba from loosening like i said it was doing before. For some reason all i have to do it put the bottom mekugi first and the tsuba doesnt move. If i put the top one in first it stays slightly loose to where you can move it with your hand. Its not a critical defect, but its definitely one of those things that you come to expect from production katana in this price range. They always have their odd tendencies lol
Update 6/25/2012: I havent had as much time to do any cuts lately, but i managed to get it out to take care of some plastic bottles and tatami that have been giving me dirty looks lately. This thing is still extremely tight with no rattles, and its still extremely sharp despite the amount of cuts ive performed with it. I love this katana more and more each time i use it.
Heres a few extra pics comparing it to the Musashi Flowering Bamboo without bo-hi(middle), and Musashi’s standard $80 1060 blade(bottom). Just excuse the tsuka on the bottom one. Im still waiting on some decent same before I can finish it up. This is really just to show the difference in the quality of the blades, and you can see the aggressive hamon compared to Musashis other offerings, and how nice the kissaki is on the Folded Elite(top). Thanks for reading and I hope this review is helpful.