Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2012 4:00:17 GMT
Hi all! Great informative, freindly approachable forum! I am an admin/mod on a car club forum and I appreciate all the hard work and dedication you folks are putting into this. Well done! I have recently been doing nothing but work, go to the dojo, eat, sleep and research Katanas. My eyes and brain hurt. I wake up thinking about bo-hi and hada and tsuba, I watch video on folding and clay tempering, I am just starting to burn out, so I need some help choosing. My budget it $200-$275. I really want a folded, clay hardened(DH) Katana. I would like one with silk, but I will take quality cotton. I will not take fake leather. I want real same as well. Fit must be good, but obviously I am not buying a $1000 piece so I understand that I can't have it perfect. I have looked at all the Paul Chen and Cheness stuff, but I cannot afford(or they don't make) thier folded and clayed blades. I don't want a thru hardened piece(tho I will get a more modern blade at a later date) so many of the reccommended blades are out. I also have decided I would like a bo-hi sword as I value speed and quickness and balance over raw brute strength. I am a Shotokan Karate practitioner with a very traditional dojo. I will be using the sword for display, but I will also cut some pool noodles, mats, water bottles, possibly bamboo. I will learn some weapons kata and some traditional katana forms and techniques. I have narrowed it down to the ; Ryumon Folded Dragon(or its sister, the Okinawa Practical), because of thier folded and clayed blades, decent fittings and good reviews. One of the Musashi(Chris Zhou) blades that meet my criteria. But those are only availiable in colours/fittings I don't like. There is a light blue one, a white one and a brown one. The brown one is fine, but it has a square tsuba. Not my thing. And the lighter colours are just gonna get dirty. next is this. I know these guys are not on the list of usual suspects but thier stuff really does look good. Tho I cannot find any bo-hi blades on thier site... www.ryansword.com/high-quality-j ... p-387.html as well, I was steered to this manufacturer and was fairly impressed by thier stuff as well. Never heard of them but they look great and if the specs can be believed they may be great too. And they let you pick your style including real silk!! www.ebay.ca/itm/Folded-Steel-Cla ... 519e1fd887 Sorry for the loooooong post!! and thanx in advance for any and all help!
|
|
kaiyo
Member
Posts: 1,201
|
Post by kaiyo on Apr 17, 2012 5:23:40 GMT
Hi, welcome to the forum ! my personal opinion on your mentioned options: The hamon of the Ryumon swords is pretty much fake (wire-brushed), even though they claim to be DH ! Musashi is decent quality but thats it Ryansword simply has a bad reputation, the cheaper swords (50$ range) might be ok, everything else is just overpriced, same for DG Spirit better options are Huawei www.ebay.com/sch/huawei-sword/m.htmlor Sinosword www.sinosword.com/also you can try www.kriscutlery.com/they maybe doesn't look fancy but they are great for cutting
|
|
|
Post by Adrian Jordan on Apr 17, 2012 5:30:30 GMT
Hello, welcome to SBG. Looking at your needs, I'd venture to qualify a few swords, though the base prices are a bit higher than the ones shown. Firstly, a Cheness Kaze is within reach if you want either of the swords listed. Though both are cheaper than the Kaze, they also have very high shipping rates. The dgspirit katana comes out to about $295 after shipping, which is only $5 less than the Kaze, which is $299 with free shipping. I have a Kaze, and it's a good, solid sword. It does come with some flaws, though. The polish in the kissaki is often kind of messy on Cheness pieces, and uneven polish on the spine is often sited. The ito is cotton, and of medium quality, and the wrap does not alternate correctly. The seppa, which are the spacers between the habaki and the tsuba are cheap and not very attractive. The saya is solid but plain, and the sageo is very thick, which some dislike. That all being said, the hamon is gorgeous and the blade is very tough. you can order from either SBG Store or Cheness. You may get a $8 or $9 international transaction fee through SBG. The next sword I'd advise you look at is the Munetoshi Akitsushima. It has a very attractive choji-style hamon, and the blade is made to be light and fast. It is not as tough as the Kaze, but it should handle a lot better. It has a bo-hi as well. Downsides that I could see are that the ito is chemical fiber(not terrible, but not great,) and the folds do not alternate in the pictures I saw. The yokote is said to be geometric, which is a plus. It is made of T10 steel, which is fairly tough. It comes in either red or blue colored ito, I believe. I've not owned this sword, though I've owned two other Munetoshi swords and I've enjoyed both. The company that sells them, Swordnarmory, is great to deal with. If there is anything amiss with the sword, they will pay to have it replaced. This sword sells for $290 with free shipping. Lastly, the ebay seller myworld.ebay.com/huawei-sword may have something that will catch your eye. They have limited customization options for most of their katana, and they offer a lot of extras for a very cheap price. The shipping on each sword is about $40, so make sure to factor that in to the price when you look at them.
|
|
|
Post by Carrie ♥ on Apr 17, 2012 7:19:26 GMT
The Kaze, like Adrian said, is a solid sword overall. The kissake is poorly done, though! It's also very front heavy so it is not easy to swing around if you ever wanted to. The rest of the sword is very basic, but altogether it is a solid, middle-of-the-road katana. It's just the weight and the kissake that are big turnoffs!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2012 14:42:47 GMT
Caldazar - welcome aboard!
I'll second what Kaiyo said. good advice there. Ebay vendors can be a crap shoot or even a toilet flush. Huawei can produce something decent as can a FEW others.
If you're Stateside, why not buy from one of the sponsors here? KOA offers Cheness products, both True Swords and Sword and Amory have a pile of options.They have great service. Other side of the planet vendors have some other-worldly response times....nuff said. :shock:
KC has some tough cutters as does Cheness or Ronin Katana.
Another options is to get a beater Musashi right away to have something in hand now and then scrounge up a few more bucks to get that DH folded blade you deserve. Your budget's low end is limiting your purchase options. Folded, real hamon DH blade with decent koshirae is closer to $300 than not. And $500 gets you a NICE custom ordered katana. Scrounge around, sell something, sell a bunch of somethings. Take a second job.....whatever it takes. Just don't buy a cheapo blade that you'll not enjoy.
good luck. Steve
|
|
|
Post by Insane on Apr 17, 2012 14:51:41 GMT
Welcome Caldazar.
There are several good options in your price range. I was impressed by the value for money with munetoshi, and you can't go wrong with Hanwei. All the stuff i've handled from Hanwei is well made.
|
|
|
Post by johnwalter on Apr 17, 2012 17:22:18 GMT
Someone correct me if Im wrong but I believe the Chenness ff is nonfunctional.Or listed as such. There is a KC ff here in the classifieds for sale by sciman I believe.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2012 0:34:25 GMT
thanx for all the great stuff!! I will say, I want folded and clay tempered, and hugely prefer a bo-hi blade that is very sharp and has good geometry. Later on I will get a non folded tool steel no-hi blade but for now, I want folded I am in Canada, so most of the free shipping is not. And I should have said before, I did this post because of most of the reviews I could find were either old or really old. With the state of each foundry changing very rapidly, a review from 2006 is not much good. Or am I wrong?
|
|
|
Post by Adrian Jordan on Apr 18, 2012 1:54:50 GMT
Yeah, shipping to Canada can be brutal. One company that has great marks and has had good shipping deals to there is Kult of Athena. You're right about the forges changing. Some have gotten better and diversified, some are worse.
To be honest, I can't really vouch for some of the originally mentioned companies. Both Ryumon and Ryansword have had there fair share of spotty reviews. Ryumon is a re-brander, that is they simply buy their swords from a mass-vendor and sell it as their own. Sometimes the item received is fairly good, sometimes it's terrible. Ryansword is somewhat overpriced. Their stuff is usually functional, though not worth the price.
I don't know anything about dgspirit, so I can't help you there.
Musashi generally makes a pretty good value product. I'd look at their folded Elite line of swords, as I've seen some promising recent reviews. I think you'd be best served going this route. You can get them through True Swords or Swordnarmory.
|
|
|
Post by johnwalter on Apr 18, 2012 2:45:50 GMT
I have one of the Musashi folded blades.Not bad at all.Got it from trueswords in a $50 grab bag with a Musashi 1045 th blade
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2012 5:11:40 GMT
that Huawei sword stuff looks very nice!! A bit on the higher end of my price point for a folded DH sword but maybe I can find a couple extra bucks...
I was just reading a review of thier stuff over at SFI(that site seems a bit snobby?) and there was lots of terminology that I don't understand.
Can one or some of you fine folks fill a new guy in?
Seems like different kinds of blade types or shapes or sizes I would guess from context.
If these Huwei guys can make anything you like I want to get it right first time out.
oh and yes, Adrian, I have looked at the Folded Elite series, but they only seem to come in light blue, white(both will get dirty way way too soon) and one other one but it comes with a square tsuba.
|
|
|
Post by Adrian Jordan on Apr 18, 2012 6:08:03 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Kumdoalan on Apr 18, 2012 10:13:41 GMT
I did the very same search for my first blade about a month ago... I asked a lot of questions of the people here...I looked at a lot of swords. I ended up with a T-10, folded custom for $299 www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dl ... TQ:US:1123 Very happy with it... as for Ryan Swords?....a lot of current SBG members will be very quick to speak of the "bad reputation"...however you also can check via google search this SBG website and forum and you can find a LOT of members here also swear that ryan swords are the best in their collection. I myself am thinking very closely at getting a laminated Ryan sword, and I have contacted them on ebay and have received 4 answers to my questions very fast.... I have yet to find someone who owns the sword im looking at, so Im still looking for more solid information from a first-hand perspective. If you have any questions for me, please feel free to send me a message
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2012 1:01:17 GMT
well, that huawei stuff is starting to look better and better.
I went to sinosword and for what I want its gonna be $345.
the exact sword Kumdoalan posted from huawei is the very one I am looking at. I might get white or red same instead of black, but that is perfect other than that. again, a couple bucks more than I was trying to spend, but I might have to make it happen.
|
|
|
Post by Adrian Jordan on Apr 19, 2012 1:09:35 GMT
If you can, I'd say to go ahead and save up the extra ducats. Huawei is not perfect, but they are usually a better value than what you'd get with the others. I can't wait to see what you decide upon.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2012 5:33:49 GMT
Ok, so being that Huawei will customize it fully, let me in on a few ideas.
You know I want forged, folded clay tempered, solid furniture. You know I want bo-hi
I will add that I want a nice geometric chu-kissaki.
are there any other things I should do/request?
ie, the curvature, handle length, etc etc?
as in actual impactful things to the sword, not just colour choice.
for that I think I will go with dark tsuba, brass fittings, white(or red) same and black wrapping. I think I want a lightly stained wooden saya, one that shows the grain of the wood, not a super thick laquer solid colour.
PS, I am 5'10" and about 165-168. I am fairly strong for my size and have quick movements and am fairly light on my feet.
Thanx again.
|
|
|
Post by Kumdoalan on Apr 19, 2012 10:24:21 GMT
Yes.....there is the shipping issue to deal with. I got my Huawei katana sent to me with free shipping. This was just an accident as it happened to be one that was offered for sale with free shipping, However I have learned that Huawei has a spot on their website where they give you a code to get free shipping.
I found this code stuff by accident, but it IS WORTH the time to search for and find...
as for the things that come on the sword?...I just went with the normal things you get to pick from and found that very well done .
I think (and Im not sure about this) that if you get a "folded" blade that this may make the hamon a bit harder to see. I have a cheaper 1060 sword that has a stunning hamon line so clear you can see it from across the street, and a folded T10with a less stunning hamon that fades in and out as you look for it. The folded T10 has a more complected hamon than the 1060, but it's not easy to see from a few feet away.
The more I deal on-line with Ryan Swords the more I think I may get my next sword from them. I have sent email questions to them over the last week about their laminated sword and have gotten back answers within a few hours each time.
Thats a good thing, and hard to fault. Im not sure of the add-ons for the sword i want from them yet, and so Im doing more research at this time to check on the quality compared to the Huawei.
The truth is, the T10 Huawei sword I got just seems more "real" to me than all the other swords I have ever held. It feels "Solid"....like this is what a sword should feel like in our hands.
I got guard that has the tigers on it, and its very thick and very well done for the workmanship.
The handle wrap is cloth, I have felt a silk wrap only one time in my life, and to tell the truth I was a bit let down by silk. I thought it would feel way better than the normal cloth wraps i have on my swords, and it was not all that different at all. I wanted to order a silk wrap on my Ryan sword just to be able to compare it to my cloth wrapped handles to see for sure if silk is all that much better or not?
As for a color of your Saya? I went with a dark red, I wanted my sword to stand out from a distance. Some people want to blend-in with the others and so get the black as everyone and their dog gets a black Saya. If there is a chance, I would suggest the ray skin addition to the saya as it will be in the area that you handle and it might help keep you from needing to always clean fingerprints off the Saya...The ray skin on a saya also might help protect the thing from scratches with a belt you may use to hold it at your side.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2012 23:56:44 GMT
cool, thanx!
I am more interested in things like curvature, balance point, handle lenght, blade length etc.
Anyone have ideas on this for me?
The other thing is, now I have been emailing back and forth with Sinosword, and with a few things changed I have them down to just over $250!
So, Huawei or Sino?
Experiences, plusses/minuses for each?
|
|
Sam H
Member
Posts: 1,099
|
Post by Sam H on Apr 21, 2012 0:18:41 GMT
I'd like to ask why you want a folded blade.
The reason I ask is nowadays folding a blade is nothing more than cosmetic in function. The whole point of folding steel back in feudal Japan was to get a more homogeneous quality in the steel regarding impurities and such. If it were not necessary they would not have folded it. Something of the same sort was done in Europe too by some smiths and it was also done by the middle eastern countries as well - and all for the same reason, to homogenize the steel's qualities to make a more uniform piece of steel that could be forged into a sword.
In the modern world today most steel we can buy is of uniform purity and properties from batch to batch. That being the case folding a blade serves no real purpose anymore aside from aesthetics. Many people seem to think that folding a blade makes it better, stronger, sharper etc. In reality - nope.
Having said that if you gave up on the whole idea of getting a sword with a blade made of forge folded steel you could get a much better sword for your money regardless of who you go with.
|
|
|
Post by Adrian Jordan on Apr 21, 2012 0:28:45 GMT
From what I've read, the experience with both forges is very similar. If you order something that is pre-made, or with minor changes to and existing piece you will likely get what you asked for fairly quick. When you start diving into full-custom, that is when the chance for things to go wrong really crop up. They will change things that they cannot do or do not have, and often they will not notify you. This isn't always the case, but it happens enough to be a potential worry point.
As for things like blade shape/length, you need to simply look at some swords and decide what you want. Sori(curvature) is standard these days at about 1/2 to 1in. At 5'10" I'd say that a blade between 27 and 30in would be best. I say that referring to a loose guide on blade length vs. body size. For a quicker blade, ask for the balance point to be closer to the tsuba, about 4 to 5in out should suffice. for a blade-heavy katana(for heavier cutting,) ask for it to be 5 and 1/2 to 6 and 1/2in out. Handle length will affect the balance as well. I like a handle about 11in long, as I find it to be a good balance of leverage without becoming obstructive. There are many types of hamon, but you may want to refer to the individual vendors as to what they can do. Most will do Gunome and variations of it, and many are very attractive.
|
|