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Post by frankthebunny on Feb 4, 2012 23:11:38 GMT
great review Marc. I have been wanting a Ronin for so long now and will get my hands on a Dojo Pro one of these days. as many have stated already, the fittings on the Elite are less impressive than on their lower price models and almost seem to be of artsfeng quality :roll: . maybe another example of "all the money was spent on the blade" even though I appreciate all that went into the blade I would still opt for a couple of Dojo Pro's instead of one of these. personally I would still buy a standard Pro model or would even be willing to spend $400-$450 on a Dojo Pro line with a Hamon I wouldn't drop this kind of cash on this particular sword especially after seeing what the 1060's are capable of but then again I wouldn't purchase a Bugei either. give me a KC or a Ronin Pro or just jump right to a Barrett/Bolf/Raw/Sorrells. to me, there shouldn't be a production Katana market between $600 and $2,500. all just my opinion of course
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Marc Kaden Ridgeway
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Post by Marc Kaden Ridgeway on Feb 4, 2012 23:36:35 GMT
See , that WAS my opinion . I was wrong. You may not be... but I was. I have a Raw sitting right here. I love it. It don't hold a candle to this Elite... yet costs so much more.
Now a Barrett ... well , what $3500 in sunobe? another $2500 mounted and polished? I'd love to have one.... but I think I'll stick with this . As soon as I have the budget youre going to pretty it up for me anyway , if you agree . Maybe holding it will change your mind. It did mine.
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Post by frankthebunny on Feb 5, 2012 0:08:26 GMT
yes, this is all an opinion based on looking and reading but not handling and I do know how this can change things drastically. honestly, I would love to get my hands on any Ronin sword at this point. I'm guessing the main reason I have not had the opportunity to work on one yet is because they don't really seem to need any additional work done. hey Ronin, would it kill you to put on an axe handle now and then???
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Feb 5, 2012 1:31:36 GMT
all i can say is...if he has any more rejects to send one my way! his reject > any sword ive ever had
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Marc Kaden Ridgeway
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Awful lot of leaving and joining going on here for me .... And gosh I can't recall doing a bit of i
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Post by Marc Kaden Ridgeway on Feb 5, 2012 14:42:16 GMT
Corrected a mistake in the review... I meant chu-kissaki, but typed ko-kissaki TWICE . :? Mea culpa
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George
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Post by George on Feb 6, 2012 3:02:27 GMT
Damn it!! I was looking at purchasing one too... Ah well, cant say i blame you Would be a waste!
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Post by I Frammenti Di Fede on Feb 6, 2012 7:17:05 GMT
I don't see why they don't use the steel or iron sukashi fittings that are on some of the pros instead of this artsfeng trash.
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Post by Vue on Feb 6, 2012 11:15:14 GMT
IMO Fittings types are a always a pain to deal with, if Ronin's largest market is people whom prefer those gaudy fittings 'newbies' then it only makes good business sense for Ronin to use them but for me personally simple iron/ steel is always the preferred choice, if I was the vendor I would just give a complete set of plain iron fittings with each of the elite swords and really for most of people changing fittings is not really an issue........*one stone two birds* sort of just my 2 cents.
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jhart06
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Slowly coming back from the depths...
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Post by jhart06 on Feb 6, 2012 15:08:29 GMT
Please don't generalize and speak for the entire populace of collectors. Your opinions are your opinions, but they are *not* everyone else's.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2012 20:14:20 GMT
Great review! I own 3 Ronin swords, I will be adding the Elite one of these days .
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Feb 6, 2012 21:02:06 GMT
From what I understand, while these fittings are gaudy, they are not cheapy deepy ones. They are higher quality copper and made from first generation molds, not cheap copper alloy and third or fourth generation molds. That being said, I agree that it would be nice if they tossed in a set of those sweet blackened iron ones from their other models.
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Post by somewhat on Feb 6, 2012 21:38:04 GMT
I'll add my voice to the chorus of great review. Honestly, the only reason I'm not considering one now is that they're too long for my liking and with not enough sori-- everything else is awesome.
Now, as for the fittings question, it seems like Ronin Katana has listened and if you look at their site it says the next shipment is coming in with steel/iron fittings and better copper ones, as well as bare blades.
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Post by Vue on Feb 7, 2012 3:09:17 GMT
My apology if you were offended jhart, you are right it's just my own opinion - *post edited*
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Post by I Frammenti Di Fede on Feb 7, 2012 7:24:51 GMT
You can't be sure they are indeed copper, some guy from china tells you the fittings are made out of copper and its either poor quality or some other kind of mix of metals. Aaron Justice mentioned on SFI that fittings cast out of copper like this would have to be "soft as butter" and would otherwise be awful in this application.
It's just you have a master smith who has mastered the most difficult lamination pattern then you put on semprini that you find on 50 dollar china katanas? Seems like an insult imo.... :lol:
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Feb 7, 2012 8:30:13 GMT
You make a very good point, and thank you for pointing out the SFI page. I haven't been there in quite a while, and it was an informative experience in some ways. Especially Aaron Justice's thoughts on copper and brass as suitable fittings. I guess what I should have said is that the fittings are purported as being good copper, from a first generation mold. I didn't mean to state my belief as a fact. However, Ronin Katana is an A+++ vendor who wouldn't want to sell sub-standard items. Based on the recommendation of Mark, and the integrity of Chris and Ronin Katana, I have no troubles with believing their claims. If the reports that Chris is going to swap out for more subdued iron fittings, I am going to save up and get one. It may take a long time, the world may actually end before I have the savings, but dang. I really like these swords. Especially this one. www.roninkatana.com/ronin-elite-2011-green-mizuchi-katana.html
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Post by Bigwill on Feb 7, 2012 16:17:24 GMT
Ha!!! :lol:
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Post by shoboshi on Feb 8, 2012 0:18:40 GMT
Excellent review, Marc.
It was nice to get a better look at all the various parts. Yours is a respected voice, so this review certainly carries some weight.
I have to admit that I dismissed them out of hand too, based only on the horrible fittings.
How would you say this one compares to the dojo pro in the handling department?
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Post by mrvei on Feb 15, 2012 21:55:21 GMT
very nice review good job
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George
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Post by George on Feb 16, 2012 3:13:30 GMT
Actually its meant to end in a few months Thanks to the reviews, just ordered a Dojo Pro Dashio set... Once the Elites get going ill pick on up too Hard not to want one after the praise.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Mar 16, 2013 20:39:01 GMT
Quick question: how much niku does the blade have? BTW, thanks for the info/review since I'm in the process of selecting either a Ronin Dojo Pro, Ronin Elite, or a Project X shinken and would like to know if the Elite has any "meat" to the blade in case my cutting techniques are sloppy.
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