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Post by ineffableone on Mar 26, 2012 0:34:36 GMT
Very cool thanks for putting the time in and making this a great tool for people to get an idea of what to look for. Sending some karma your way as soon as my karma giving ability recharges.
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Post by ineffableone on Mar 26, 2012 1:02:07 GMT
I would suggest a mod sticky this, it deserves to stay at the top of the beginner forum.
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Post by Jussi Ekholm on Mar 26, 2012 1:32:46 GMT
That was pretty good video mate. Some of your comments about makers were similar what I probably would have said. That comment about yellow Deepeeka logo was a killer, it got me laughing hard.
I have seen that many young collectors tend to use a lot of Youtube (they love videos) and it's good that there are guides in there too.
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Post by chrisperoni on Mar 26, 2012 3:00:13 GMT
Excellent idea! I applaud your effort Skallagrim. However, and please know I do not mean to disparage you with my criticism, I would caution that there are some issues I have with this video and as such I don't agree it should be stickied. To state that a tang must run the full length from guard to pommel is not exactly true. For example katana can often have a 3/4 tang. In the diagram the grip is labelled as "hilt/grip" , but the definition of a hilt should include all parts from cross, grip, pommel. It can be meant to mean just the grip but if you're breaking down each part it can be confusing to label the grip as both things. Hex nut assembly is historical (albeit more recent than peening), not as common as peening, but historical and authentic. Has Kult of Athena given you permission for use of their site? You give some very personal opinon and honestly the association with KOA and some of the negative stuff you say... well, if it was my store I wouldn't want you using my website for this video. I know you say good stuff about them too though. You know how they say it takes 10 good comments to equal one bad- If I was quickly viewing your video I'd take away from it that KOA sells poor swords- it's too bad but that's kind of what happens with people. Some of your negative comments are second hand - that's not good reporting. Anyway-- these are my opinions, and of course the video is yours Again, please let me reitierate I do not intend any ill will, I'm just wishing to speak my piece. Respectfully, Chris.
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George
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Post by George on Mar 26, 2012 9:53:37 GMT
Actually most Nihonto had a single Mekugi Ana and were only 3/4 or even HALF. This 'full tang for saftey' BS is a new thing that makes people believe what they are buying is even stronger and tougher. Than blades that were perfected for war 500 years ago? Hmmm. Keith Larman had a great article about this ill try and find it...
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George
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Post by George on Mar 26, 2012 10:48:53 GMT
I can't find the damn article I thought the same but then read some very interesting facts about pivot points, weight and tsuka strength... It made sense but damned it i can remember why haha
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Post by Jussi Ekholm on Mar 26, 2012 13:12:53 GMT
Well I skipped those comments about katana but due to way the tsuka is constructed true "full tang" is hardly ever made. As for authentic nakago lengths you can take a quick look around online nihonto stores to get an idea.
A good tsuka maker will make you a good tsuka regardless of the nakago length. He will understand what to make and why. There will be problems if one tries to make 14 inch tsuka for 6 inch nakago, therefore it's not wise to make one. Like Average Joe said, Keith Larman and other knowledgeable people have made many great posts into tsuka vs. nakago dicussions.
Many production sword makers tend to think that longer nakago=better tsuka, which is not correct. If they would focus more on other aspects of tsuka they would be better than just with long nakago. The main problem is the quality of tsuka in production swords, not the nakago length.
Can't say anything about western swords as they really aren't my piece of cake... But as I saw you took off your review, if you intend to tweak it maybe you should erase japanese swords from it and focus on european swords as you said yourself that you don't know much about katana.
Chrisperoni brought up a good point about showing Kult of Athena in your review (maybe you should use makers own webpages when commenting on specific maker). Shooting few emails to Kult of Athena would be a nice gesture too, as the people in there seem to be very nice. I'm sure they would be ok for a review like this one, especially if you'd let them see it for themselves first. That 10 good comments = 1 bad comment is actually quite true ratio, at least in marketing classes it has been said to be somewhat similar. But in overall in my mind even this first one showed Kult of Athena in good light (place that sells anything from wallhangers to high-end production), if you will be using their site in future review you could also add how good their international shipping is.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Mar 26, 2012 13:47:08 GMT
Nice video nonetheless. When I was putting together the guide for katanas, I had to revise and rewrite several sections, despite being fascinated by them. It was like being back in school! First draft, revision, final draft. It's a bit humbling to think you have a good handle on something and then find out you've omitted specifics or made errors. It is still an ongoing project, as there are things that need to be added and sections that need to be strengthened. Great first effort, and I'm sure your next will be even better.
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Post by WEWolf on Mar 26, 2012 15:14:15 GMT
I would like to applaud the mature way you've accepted the good and the bad about your video. Can't wait to see the revised version.
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Post by wolf_shade on Mar 27, 2012 13:11:38 GMT
Excellent video, have some karma. For some reason I'd always read "peen" and seen (in my mind's eye) a split tang being hammered in opposite directions, sort of like a combination of a cotter pin (I think...) and the way axe/hammer heads are secured. I've seen pictures of them before, but for some reason seeing it in the video finally made it click.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Mar 27, 2012 21:52:02 GMT
Excellent video overall, and in depth. However, as others have, I have a few key quibbles.
I like how you give a good nod to Windlass, and agree that their better offerings should never be overlooked. I also like how you eventually come to the Valiant zombie slayer and show the more-than-acceptable reliability of pinned slab hilt construction.
That's, however, where I feel your blanket condemnation of Cold Steel is waaaay off base. If you had stuck to telling people to be wary of their screwed-on pommel Euros, I'd have no issue with that. (Though their blades are still exceptional, and I'd not hesitate to buy one specifically to rehilt.)
Their pinned-slab hilted swords though, e.g. Shamshir, Grosse Messer, are in no way inferior, and quite the opposite. In fact, though I sound like a broken record whenever I say it, there is NO sword in my great many years of owning and handling I would prefer to take into a battle than the CS Shamshir. And yes, that includes any Albion, like the Sovereign, that I've had. CS swords deserve at least as much of a "take it on a case by case basis" as Hanwei and Windlass.
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Post by Jussi Ekholm on Mar 27, 2012 22:58:22 GMT
Watched the new video and it's better.
These are just opinions and everyone has their own.
I currently own that Hanwei War Sword, and I'm trying to get rid of it as I was disappointed of it. Well it's of ok quality and 127$ won't be that big investment but I wish I hadn't bought it. Sword is fairly well built but my main disappointment was the blade that has really bad secondary-bevel. I may not know much about euro swords but I know what I like and this is not among them. I've also very briefly had Hanwei Mercenary but I was lucky to get rid of that fast. I personally would stay away from the "cheap old" Hanwei medieval models which I believe include War Sword, Mercenary, River Witham, old Hand and a Half, etc. In other words I believe this lineup runs from somewhere around SH2365-237X. This is just my opinion and I believe that Hanwei has really good models too.
The Cold Steel wasn't mentioned in this new video but I too have gotten bit biased of them sometimes. When I first saw their katana as a kid maybe 7-8 years ago, I thought they were great swords. However getting older and wiser has gotten me a bit more aware, I still think that some CS products are really good products but not all of them. I wan't my collection to have one shamsir, and as antique shamsir is not on top of my buying/wishlist (money needed vs. how much I want one) I decided to go with CS Shamshir. I would say that their shamsir is good buy and fairly good sword if you get it at good price. I got it for around 240€ shipped and after taxes, for that price this is a good buy, one finnish swordshop sells this for 370€, for that much money it wouldn't be a good buy...
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Mar 28, 2012 4:54:48 GMT
Sorry, was going off your previous video, which I had just watched on YouTube a couple days before.
As far as anyone can verify, yup, Shamshir blade is made by Windlass. But then the CS blades aren't the issue, they're excellent (and only a couple actually overbuilt). The issue is the security of the hilting. If it weren't for the very pesky problem of the screw-on pommels coming undone, even their Viking, hand-and-a-half, Norman, Italian longsword, etc. are all tough and cut like lasers.
Don't know what reviews you're seeing hacking on the Grosse Messer. Even on MyArmoury the main complaint is the "overbuilt" one. (Which for the record I think is overblown.) There is only one notable QC complaint that keeps recirculating from almost a decade ago with a broken blade. Meanwhile I and quite a few other people have expressed a liking of theirs, including on this forum over the past couple years, as well as CS's later period sabres.
Who knows, maybe after testing some out you'll still retain your bias. But it's a good idea to do that testing don't you think?
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Post by WEWolf on Mar 28, 2012 16:59:11 GMT
Excellent video, good information for newbies, well presented. Have a karma.
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Mar 29, 2012 13:10:47 GMT
great video man
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