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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2012 17:52:46 GMT
I just purchased my first samurai sword or first sword of any kind really. It is an O-Katana and when I first looked at it I thought it looked good. The problem is when I sight down either flat side of the blade I see lots of low spots like hammer marks or grinder marks. I paid 300 dollars for this blade and I was wondering of this is considered normal or a quality issue.
thanks
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Post by ineffableone on Mar 21, 2012 18:05:09 GMT
Of course pictures are worth 1000 words, so hard to say without seeing.
Some of this might be just distortions and tricks of light. A normal blade will have some remnants of the forging process, higher price less you will see. $300 is about the point where you get into decently made blades and they should not have too much left over hammer marks.
My $300 blade has some distortions from very small amounts of unevenness, but it is very minimal and not really low spots in my opinion. Sort of like smooth water still has little distortions.
However if there really is a bunch of low spots, and inconsistencies in the blade you might consider returning it. As I said it is hard to know what you are really meaning by low spots with out seeing the blade.
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Post by Lukas MG (chenessfan) on Mar 21, 2012 21:41:05 GMT
SOME inconsistencies and low spots are absolutely unavoidable. I've seen them on swords from all price ranges, even an Albion Museum Line Brescia Spadona had them. You just can't get the blade bevels completely, perfectly flat without an insane amount of work most people just don't want to pay for. Maybe that 20k nihonto with 6000$ polish seems perfectly even to the eye but even that one isn't truly flat. What really matters is how much perfection you want. I personally want crisp, clean lines and bevels as flat as can possibly be expected from a hand-made piece, that is to say pretty damn flat but some slight ripples are ok. Like many people I think they give the sword a hand-made look and add character. There's certainly a line they shouldn't cross though. In fact, all H/T, VA and other low end swords I've seen were too sloppily done to really appeal to me, as were the A&A swords I have seen. Interestingly, katana tend to be a lot better made in that regard. All my Cheness blades are pretty darn flat, moreso that the Albions in fact, as is the Ronin that I have. Even the low end musashis are usually way better that euro blades of comparable price. No idea why, really. :?:
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Post by chopper on Mar 21, 2012 21:45:09 GMT
I think it's pretty normal. I noticed those marks on one I mine last night when I looked down the flat portion of the blade like you did. Im sure it's a result of the forging process.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2012 18:10:11 GMT
Thank you, that eases my mind. I tend to get carried away when I get INTO something. I had no sword three weeks ago and now I have 4 and just orderd 2 more, don't tell my wife, This is the first time that I have ever posted to any board. I now have a Cheness O-Katana and SGC Ko-Katana and the Hanwei Tactical Kantana and Wakizashi (Ko-Katana) and just orderd two Hua Wei Ninja Katanas. I really like 9260 and 5160 but thinking about T10.
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Post by ineffableone on Mar 22, 2012 19:04:39 GMT
T10 is a very good steel, and worth it to get. Especially if you already have 9260 and 5160 which are both spring steels. Check out SBG's steel type info www.sword-manufacturers-guide.com/sword-steels.htmlAs you get more swords you will have the chance to compare steel types, blade geometry, tsuka styles, and so much more. You will find your personal likes and dislikes. You can always sell your swords on the classifieds here that you find aren't your favorites so you don't end up with a giant collection of swords you don't use. Doing this you might loose a little money on reselling, but gain experience with different blades and get some of your money back to then buy more swords. Of course you can also watch the classifieds and buy used swords too.
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Post by lamebmx on Mar 22, 2012 20:10:25 GMT
T10 and 9260 are some sweet materials, kind of opposite ends of the spectrum though. And yes when it comes to swords $300 is very cheap, expect some waviness, SLIGHTLY misaligned geometries and imperfections.
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