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Post by Lobster Hunter on Mar 29, 2012 19:40:19 GMT
If you're considering a through hardened Ronin Dojo Pro, you might want to grab one of these scratch & dent specials before they all sell out. Man, these deals are irritatingly good. I already own way too many katanas, you see. www.roninkatana.com/ronin-katana-scratch-and-dent.html
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Post by Student of Sword on Mar 29, 2012 20:16:53 GMT
The one I bought has some minor scratch on the saya. That's it. For $150, it is a screaming deal.
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Post by Lobster Hunter on Mar 29, 2012 20:30:53 GMT
Yup. Like I said... irritatingly good deal. It's agitating my brain. Bah.
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Post by chrisperoni on Mar 29, 2012 22:09:45 GMT
I'm late to the party but I've caught up on all the reading ( I never post in a thread without reading every past post- takes some time sometimes lol). I have 3 swords sold by handmadesword, I've spent countless hours researching them and the best info I can find is outdated (years old, then just recycyled) but consistent- and you already know it. They rebrand swords made by amny forges; not make their own. I actually think this might have changed and now they may have an exclusive forge doing their work but that's just speculation. Either way the problem is they are overpriced with their higher costing blades- as the price goes up the quality does not rise in an equal manner. My swords were all bought on ebay years ago for really good deals especially considering the market then, and still I did not really get my money's worth as there were better deals to be had. My mistake? I didn't research. You have done yourself a great service in finding SBG this early on in your sword buying career. I agree you have made the right call in spreading that money out over a couple of 300ish dollar swords to learn with. Best of all is once you are ready to move up you'll be able to sell those if you like for close their original value-- I don't believe anyone would have bought that hms sword for near what you paid, since classifieds section sword buyers tend to have been around the industry longer. Ronin. That's your first katana. Unless its a Kris Cutlery. Or a Hanwei. Or did you already buy a ? No? Too busy playing with your Munetoshi are you?
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Post by stickem on Apr 1, 2012 4:21:13 GMT
Hi all! So after weighing everyone's input, and taking a realistic evaluation about what I expect from the sword and what I expect to do with it, here's the deal: 1. Contacted Handmade Swords about returning the $825 katana bought previously. They OKed the return. The box with the sword in it came FedEx today but I'm not even going to open it. Just send it back the way it came so there is no hassle. 2.Bought this Hanwei Raptor from Kult of Athena for $200. Scratch and dent: apparently the scabbard has a crack at the mouth but sword is in new condition. If you believe the list price is $400, then this is half price. Here's the write up: So obviously it is designed for me to screw up the cuts - which is likely - and keep on stickin' 'em. Here's the website for that one: www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=SH24143. Bought this Ronin Dojo Pro from the manufacturer for $150. Scratch and dent: unspecified chips and/or cracks. Listed at $275, so this is almost half off as well. Here's the review for that one: www.sword-buyers-guide.com/Dojo-Pro.htmlSo basically I went scratch'n'dent and spent $350. For less than half of what I paid for the Handmade Sword, I got two beaters noted for their cutting power and durability, so I could beat the hell out of them 'till I figure out what I'm doing. The other $475 (+$25 out of pocket) went to Bugei as a deposit on the next round of Peace Swords. Head's up, the Bugei folks say it will be 6-9 months before a new batch of these is in from the factory. Here's the website for that one: bugei.com/peace-sword-1511-prd1.htmThanks to everyone for all the practical advice. You guys are really willing and able to help. What is it in Japanese... "Domo arigato?" Basically it seemed like the right thing to do to just humble myself and get 2 beaters that apparently don't mind abuse at the hands of a novice... and still have something to look forward to :shock: like spending $1600 on a sword... hope I don't get divorced before we even get married... and I'll remember to stick'em with the pointy end :roll:
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Post by chrisperoni on Apr 1, 2012 4:28:46 GMT
gawddamn man! Nicely done. I wish I had been so wise in my first buys. I think you just scored a hattrick with that lineup- or at least two goal and an assist.
Well done.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Apr 1, 2012 4:30:45 GMT
Awesome news. You've picked up some really sweet deals. Both the Raptor and Dojo Pro are ideal blades for beginners, and both are made with quality and longevity in mind. For the cracked saya, you may want to get ahold of someone at Nihonzashi. They offer saya repair from professionals at a great price, though I'm not sure if they are taking commissions at the moment. Be sure to check back in when you've got them in hand, we'd love to hear about them. Have fun!
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Post by Lobster Hunter on Apr 1, 2012 4:37:46 GMT
Wow, I concur with chrisperoni & a.jordan. Those are two VERY solid acquisitions. Be sure to take them apart to make sure the tsuka core & nakago are healthy before any serious cutting venture. Congrats & enjoy!
Another good thing about those two is that since they're known to be of good quality, they'll have pretty good resale value if you ever decide to sell one.
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Post by lamebmx on Apr 1, 2012 12:45:05 GMT
There are quite a few on the forum here with really good looking work. or at $150 bucks, it wont be a big loss to tackle yourself and learn. It is good to hear your dealings with handmadesword are going good so far!
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Post by stickem on Apr 1, 2012 12:47:47 GMT
Here's a head's up to everyone on Handmade Swords' return policy... they claim not to do any refunds, only credit you for a replacement from their company. While I haven't run into much static so far in returning the Handmade Sword, I did make sure to buy it through Amazon.com, knowing they protect purchasers to some extent from getting ripped of since you can file a dispute if you can't resolve things with the seller. While I had to be a little firm with them, Handmade agreed to refund my $825, perhaps in light of the fact I tried to cancel the order through Amazon before the shipment even arrived. So my advice to anyone getting a Handmade Sword is to go through Amazon. At least for the models I looked at, the price of all of the Handmades were the same on their own website, on Amazon, and on eBay. www.handmadesword.com/terms.html
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Post by Kumdoalan on Apr 1, 2012 13:28:50 GMT
I was afraid of the "Return for credit" idea being in the future of this topic....
If that turns out to be the rule here, then I would suggest that getting the best "Handmade sword" would be in order?......
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Post by lamebmx on Apr 1, 2012 13:45:11 GMT
Looks like the OP got his funds back with a little bit of being firm & having gone through amazon.
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Post by Kumdoalan on Apr 1, 2012 13:51:16 GMT
Thank GAUD!
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Post by stickem on Apr 1, 2012 14:20:16 GMT
Right. The Handmade Sword folks authorized a return for a refund through the message service on Amazon, so there is plenty of documentation if a dispute arises in the future.
Since I haven't actually sent the sword back yet (just arrived yesterday), obviously they haven't refunded the $825 yet... but I don't anticipate their being a problem. Let us pray...
When I say I had to "be firm" with them, I mean Handmade wouldn't cancel/not ship/refund the order the first time I contacted them through Amazon message; however, the second time I contacted them and told them I was going to return the item unopened regardless, they were compliant about the refund.
So the bottom line is I didn't exactly have to send Paulie and Silvio over there to break their kneecaps and make them an offer they can't refuse to get them to agree, but I have a feeling if they are able to wiggle out of returns, they will definitely do so...
By the way, what is an "OP?"
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Post by Kumdoalan on Apr 1, 2012 14:37:10 GMT
#1 OP = Optimus Prime or, #2 OP = original post, poster
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Post by stickem on Apr 6, 2012 14:07:59 GMT
So here's an update: 1. First sword arrived and then returned by FedEx to Handmade Swords. No major problems in returning the blade. So far, now worries. 2. Hanwei Raptor arrived from Kult of Athena. There is a real cut/split at the mouth of the scabbard on the non-sharp side of the blade. It goes all the way through the saya, however, and I'm thinking I can use a little wood glue and sandpaper just to make sure it doesn't get worse, and it will be fine, if imperfect. Any ideas on how you all have fixed such things in the past, and helpful tips on getting the mouth of the saya right, please let me know. As long as it is functional and not dangerous to draw the sword, I'll be The wrapping on the saya (saego?) sort of unraveled and fell off as soon as I took it out of the box. Anyone who has a good idea how to rewrap it, please let me know also. I can lace up some boots, and this probably isn't much more difficult a thing to do than boots are, given the saego on this particular sword looks very much like fat shoestrings. For getting the sword at the ridiculously low price of $200, I can do a little work. No worries. 2. Dojo Pro arrived from Ronin. I had only about 2 minutes to look over the sword when it arrived because am waiting to tell the significant other about the purchases till the time is right. Discretion is the better part of valor, and all that. The time will be right this weekend, so again no worries. A 2 min inspection of the Ronin didn't show any startling problems in blade. The saya, however, has a small crack in it about 1/3 of the way down. It sort of cracks in three directions, rather like the letter Y. It doesn't appear from what I can see to be the kind of thing that will get a whole lot worse, and I may just leave it as is. This crack doesn't seem to represent a functional problem in using the sword, the way the one on the Raptor saya crack definitely is. 4. I spoke with Keith Larman (designer of the Peace Sword) by email. Nice guy. He says he can do a modification to the color of the sword's ito for me when they are in to Bugei from the forge. No worries. Not sure if I want to spend the extra $ yet to change the color of the ito from brown, but have 6-9 months to make a decision. I understand from Keith the brown ito with a black saya is pretty standard issue from the time period the sword represents. However, for some reason I'm not fond of the brown/black combination... it's kind of like wearing brown shoes with black pants... just seems a little off. Nitpicky I know, and not sure if I have the hundreds of dollars silk ito in another color costs to change it... we'll see. All in all, I couldn't be happier with how things turned out. Definitely would not call the two scratch'n'dent swords "beaters." Once I start whacking at the bamboo in the yard with these two new blades, I'll let you guys know how they do, and maybe get some pics or video of the blades in action to post. Thanks again to everyone who put their 2 cents in and helped me find two swords for half the price of one. You all are the best! Couldn't be happier with the course I chose based on y'all's advice.
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Post by Lobster Hunter on Apr 6, 2012 20:24:04 GMT
Here's a good site on tying sageo presentation knot. www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/sageotying.htmlA split saya opening is not good. Wood glue can fix it to a degree but the most permanent solution would be to replace the koiguchi. Here's one solution. sayashi.com/articles/koiguchi.htmNihonzashi has a repair service but email them first to see if they'll do it. www.nihonzashi.com/sword_repair.aspxAnother option is to replace the saya with a 28" Cheness saya. You'll have to file down the mouth a bit but it'll probably fit. The Cheness sayas are on the roomy side and the blade specs of the Raptor shinogi zukuri and Cheness Tenchi/kaze are very similar. And the price is very reasonable, especially considering how much a custom saya will run you. www.chenessinc.com/parts.htmGood luck on informing the better half. A gift (bribe) works pretty good. Something for me... and a little something for you.
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Post by stickem on Apr 7, 2012 13:50:12 GMT
Hey LH... that is very good info. Thanks for the solid. I can do the sageo tying part, especially the simple/functional one. Not so sure about making or repairing a koiguchi myself part... I have some carpentry skills and tools... and here's one that shows how to make it out of copper: sayashi.com/project%20pages/koiguchi.htmbut I have no metal working skills to speak of. So it appears the question is whether to send it off for repair or buy a new saya altogether... I will ponder this over the weekend and make a decision on what to do next. I only took the blade out of the saya once on the Hanwei Raptor, and could visibly see the crack in the saya get bigger with just one time drawing it... so definitely have to do something before using the sword for anything. As far as the woman goes, she's good now. I could mow the grass with a katana in each hand and she'd not complain at the moment... I know this is a sword site that sticks to sword discussions, but this ring is made of mokume gane, the same folding process that is/was used to make the metal adornments of samurai swords back in the day... so figured no one would object. I gave it to her yesterday... Attachments:
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Post by lamebmx on Apr 7, 2012 14:27:06 GMT
roflmao!!!!!!!!!!
If your not comfy with the works involved, you would probably get better results and more help posting up a lot of pics in the sword repair section.
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Post by Lobster Hunter on Apr 7, 2012 20:03:45 GMT
If you decide to fix the koiguchi, you might get some good how to advice if you post a question on the repair section, as lamebmx suggested. Here's a page that discusses some options. ejmas.com/tin/tinart_fowler_0602.htmNice ring! I got my wife a mokume gane ring a while back made by this excellent chap. www.etsy.com/shop/jyakiyoshi
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