Review: Cheness SGC Yamakami Katana (Updated 05 August 2012)
Jul 4, 2012 14:54:20 GMT
Post by Kuya on Jul 4, 2012 14:54:20 GMT
After doing more cutting, comparing with other reviews, and window shopping around the sword market, I will have to lower my over-all rating of the Cheness SGC Katana. I'm finding that this sword is more and more a specialized niche sword. The bang-for-the-buck isn't really there anymore at Cheness's current price of $299, as there are many swords that will serve well for most people (those of us who aren't cutting double and triple mats, or chopping wood and cutting into steel barrels every day), and give you more for your money. Outside of its amazing ability to cut through "heavy" targets, it just isn't up to par for the price of admission.
Introduction
This is my second "real" sword. You know, the kind that are decent and high enough quality to cut things with. I bought it, because after I bought my first real sword, I ended up not wanting to ruin it... so I went shopping for a "beater." Kinda like how if most normal people had a high-end sports car (like a Ferrari), but still used a not quite so exotic car for their general day-to-day needs. SBG gave this sword great reviews, and it has a reputation for good cutting and toughness. I didn't want to get a Hanwei, since they felt like the giant mega corporation that just churns out decent stuff with no "soul" (like Toyota). So I went with Cheness, a smaller company with just as good a reputation for build quality, but more innovation.
This isn't going to be a picture laden review, because there are many many many pictures out there of Cheness SGC Katanas. Mine is nothing special in that regard. It pretty much looks like the others pictured and the one on the Cheness site.
Historical overview
According to Cheness's information. The sword was based off a custom model specifically made for some expert cutting authority. It uses a strong and innovative (back when it first came out) steel with a more modern through-hardening forging process, as opposed to the more outdated folding and differential-hardening of the old days. Yeah yeah, classic stuff has its own market and type of people who buy them. Like cars... old classically made Jaguars and Morgans are worth a lot, beautifully designed, and... classic, but there nowhere near as reliable and easily maintained as your modern day car.
Full Disclosure
I'm a rookie when it comes to the sword scene. This review may not agree with the majority of veteran sword enthusiasts.
Initial Impressions
Cheness shipped me the sword rather quickly. It arrived before my first purchased real sword arrived, despite the other one having a two-day head start! It came with a display box that looks nice. However, it feels of rather cheap quality. That's OK, though. It passes the "rule of ten" where if it looks good from ten meters away moving at ten kilometers per hour, it's good enough. When I took it out of the sword bag it was in (A box and a bag! That made me happy.), and unsheathed it, I held it aloft and said, "By the power of Gray Skull, I have the power!"
There was no resulting acquisition of magical power, strength, or fabulous secrets. So I held it in my hands and looked it over. It was clean and shiny, and I had that feeling of awe some get when holding something of higher quality than they're used to. The sword felt heavy, though. After a couple of swings, I wondered why while I was doing my research on it, there was no mention of it feeling like "swinging a crowbar." I handled and swung a Cold Steel Warrior Katana before, and this felt very similar to my memory of it. Then again, I didn't feel that the Cold Steel sword was "tip heavy" during my experience with it. I figure that it's just my lack of experience with a wide range of Katanas. Regardless of me not knowing what a "well-balanced" blade feels like, this sword felt like it had the same balance and swing weight as the "crowbar katana."
Statistics
Copy/pasting from Cheness's site.
Name: Yamakami Katana (Mountain Guardian)
Blade: Through Hardened 9260 Silicon Alloy Carbon Spring Steel.
Overall Length (+ Saya): 42"
Treatment: Full Hand Forged, Through Hardened, Oil Quenched, Hand Polished
Finish: Tameshigiri Polish
Blade Dimension: 28" Length, 0.25" Width, 1.50" Height
Sori (Curvature): 0.7"
Weight: 2 lbs 15 oz (no saya), 3 lbs 14 oz (with saya), 9 lb shipping weight.
Tsuba/Fuchi/Kashira: Blackened Steel "Mount Fuji" Tsuba
Balance Point: 6" above tsuba
Tsuka/Ho: 11" Wood
Tsuka Ito: Brown Cotton
Mekugi: 2 X Wood (Double Pinned)
Same: Real Ray Skin Panel Wrap
Saya: 30.5" Black Glossy Lacquered Medium Hardwood
I would like to point out that the "Mekugi" part is wrong... they're not both wood. One of them is metal.
The Blade/Nagasa
The blade has a thinner spine and width than most katanas, but is much taller. You can see from the specifications listed above that it's not your normally shaped katana blade. The finish out of the box was very even and clean, but it wasn't super shiny like a mirror polished display sword. You can make out silhouettes and major colors of the objects in the blade's reflection.
The tip/kissaki of the Cheness SGC blade line is infamous for being cheap and ugly looking; it is. I said in the introduction that there were tons of pictures of the Cheness SGC on the Cheness Site and here on the SBG site. What those pictures fail to capture, though, is how much the low quality polishing work on the tip/kissaki sticks out like a sore, broken, smashed, and bloodied thumb. If I had pro-grade flash boxes and lighting, and a clean studio, I would take proper pictures of it where it isn't hidden by glare and complimentary lighting/angles.
The fake hamon on my sword is blatant. It's not fooling anyone. It's mostly straight along the blade, except a few occasional "hills" that look too perfect and similar in size/spacing. Looks like a stencil was used for them.
The Handle/Tsuka
The brown cotton wrapping isn't as dark and rich looking as the other badly lit pictures on the forum reviews suggest either. The handle is comfortable in my hands, though. My hands are average sized for a 5'10" male with a medium bone structure according to my Endocrinologist. The top collar and bottom cap are plain black fittings, which go well with the rest of the "no-frills" package. The handle ornaments (menuki) look like something scaled with a demon face. They're some kind of darkened metal.
The Guard/Tsuba
The same rather plain black metal hand guard that comes on all Cheness SGC Yamakami Katanas. It's black, mostly round with indents at the "corners" of the circle, has two blob shaped holes on either side of the blade, and a Mt. Fuji cut-out. That made it sound complicated, but it's really rather simple, and matches the "theme" of a blade made to do work, and not just sit and look pretty.
The Scabbard/Saya
It's a basic black lacquered wooden saya. It feels substantial and fits really well on the sword. There are no rattles when I shake the sword while sheathed. Nothing really special here, other than that it's "taller" since the blade has more height than a normal Katana.
Handling Characteristics
As I said before, I don't see how the basic Cold Steel Warrior Katana got the reputation of "swinging like a crowbar," while this sword hasn't. That being said, to me, neither of the swords felt anything like swinging a crowbar or a baseball bat. I like the balance of this sword, it feels that I'm holding and using an actual weapon or tool, and not some twirling baton or plastic toy Halloween sword.
Test Cutting
So far, I've cut "pool noodles" and assorted plastic containers. My first few cuts against the pool noodles I failed miserably due to bad technique. I wasn't slicing properly. After watching a few tutorial videos and reading up on how to properly wield the sword, I've cut through them with ease.
My cuts through your basic 20 oz. or 1-liter drink bottles are easy, and so are going through gallon milk jugs and water containers. I still feel that either I'm doing it wrong (most likely) or that the blade isn't sharp enough. the cuts through the bottles aren't completely smooth the whole way through. My attempts at cutting through fast food chain plastic "cruiser cups" (the ones that are usually used for larges and above) just aren't happening. I can see that I cut through some of it, but then the cup just breaks apart and I don't go all the way through.
Cheness says on their site that they don't "over-sharpen" their blades since it makes the weaker and easier to bend/chip. I believe they mention that "paper cutting" sharp is "too sharp" for a sword. My guess is that the combination of my abysmal rookie cutting technique and the lack of "paper sharpness" is what's preventing me from getting through my enormous stockpile of fast food plastic cups.
Big note, though. I don't have a stand, so I've been setting the plastic containers on top of a garbage bin. Here in Northern California, the county/city assigns us these heavy plastic garbage bins that they pick up every week. I never got the whole metal cylinder ones you see when they take out the trash on TV and Movies... is it really still like that in some places? Anyway, I was trying for a second cut on a gallon water jug and I guess I cut too low, and did this:
I'm guessing the tip is what cut it, as I had the jug placed over the part where it says "NORCAL BLAH BLAH BLAH." I was afraid at first (the plastic material they use for these trash bins are really tough and thick), but there was no damage to the blade.
I also cut a few low branches of some fruit tree in the yard, since they were getting in the way of my vertical cuts when I pulled the sword back over my head. They came off easily and went into the soon to be injured trash bin.
The sword now has some scratches on it, though. Some are deep enough that I can feel them as I wipe down the blade with an oiling cloth. I was kinda oping that the metal would have been hard enough to resist scratching. I guess the "scratch hardness" of 9260 Steel isn't enough to resist plastic and wood.
Conclusions
The sword is strong and fun, and I see it being rather capable of being a workhorse beater. A bit heavier feeling than expected, but that's not a bad thing. However, some may not favor the type of balance it has. The styling is simple and clean, but the fake hamon really ruins the aesthetics. If anything, they could have etched it to be straight and simple, like the rest of the sword's style.
The biggest disappoingment with the sword is how badly the handle fittings are. While the ito wrap is tight and refuses to budge (a good thing), the tsuba guard, fuchi collar, and kashira cap are all loose fitting and rather annoying to hear and feel them move while cutting. With other companies offering just as potent blades and better fit and finish for about the same price, there might not be a reason to get a Cheness sword anymore. This isn't a strike on the "furniture" being plain, but how they fit and hold together.
I'm happy with Cheness as a company, however. While I'm late to the party, they came out with something different and purpose driven when they made this sword. I know the display box isn't anything special, but they included one where I'm seeing that other manufacturers aren't anymore. Just wish that they discontinued the SGC Yamakami instead of the SGC Tsukikage line instead. Black handle wrapping matches the black hand guard and saya better than brown handle wrapping, and bunnies are cuter and more pleasant than some far away mountain.
Pros
+ Cuts well against medium and heavy targets.
+ Unique blade design.
+ Simple aesthetics theme that aren't loud and obnoxious.
+ Feels like more than a toy.
+ Has a proven track record.
Cons
- Doesn't live up to the hype.
- Useless and unnecessary fake hamon.
- Cheap looking tip/kissaki.
- Bad fit and finish.
- Doesn't live up to the hype.
The Bottom Line
Would I recommend this sword? To the general sword crowd and new sword enthusiast, no. The Cheness SGC Katana as the name says (SPECIALIZED Goza Cutter), is a sword for the cutting enthusiast. This sword has a unique feel, style, and soul to it. Most people will be happy with their soulless Lexus ES (Hanwei Swords), made by a big company with a good reputation for making decent products. Those people tend to hate the purposeful harder sporty ride and high-strung performance of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (Cheness SGC Katana). I would only recommend this sword for those who are interested in the purpose it was made for, heavy goza cutting.
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars.
Keep in mind that this is an OVERALL rating for the general public. While it excels in performance and durability, it fails in aesthetics and fit and finish. You can get a much better over-all sword for the same amount (or even less) money.
Updated Information
16 July 2012
Test cut some targets heavier than my standard plastic drink bottles and pool noodles. I purchased several copies of the Sunday New York Times, unfolded them and the advertisements, and rolled each copy with its respective advertising bundles into even vertical rolls. After soaking them for half an hour, they were put on the cutting stand and swung at. The Cheness SGC Katana easily sliced right through the thick wet rolls of newsprint. It was a very satisfying performance.
Some beach mats were also sourced and rolled up (70" X 35" rolled along the 70" side to be 35" tall rolls). These were soaked for eight hours before being put to the sword. These were cut through much easier than the "Sunday Times." The cuts were clean with no signs of fraying. No double cuts were successful, as my beginner technique/ability (primary reason) and the more difficult effort to change direction with the blade made it impossible to do with the allotted number of mats available.
Having the desire for more cutting... I tried using unsoaked beach mats as well. In this aspect, the Cheness SGC Katana did not perform as well as it did with the soaked targets. About half the cuts made were failed or botched attempts. I'm finding that with "lighter" targets, I'm having a harder time getting clean cuts with this sword, but it sines bright and brighter the heavier the targets get.
20 July 2012
I did some test cutting on double and triple roll beach mats!
With the double rolls, there were no failed cuts, but the force and drag of the cuts started causing the mats to pull the stand along and make it fall over as I got closer to the bottom of the mats. On the tripple roll, the stand fell over with the mat every cut, and I failed getting all the way through on 2/5 cuts.
I'm sad, because I just can't get the angles right to sail through. I guess I'm just not good enough to properly take advantage of this sword's shape and specialized format.
05 August 2012
I hit the ground with the tip today after while cutting up some Sunday newspapers. The sword was doing really well, until I swung too hard and my poor technique made it so I couldn't recover so the tip went into the ground. I've hit the ground and even the concrete in the driveway on bad cuts before with no damage other than some scratches... but I guess my luck ran out. Of all the places for there to be a small rock in an empty dirt area, it had to be where I made contact with the ground. Considering how hard I swung and all, the damage wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I would have thought that it would have chipped or cracked or broken or something since that area of hte blade is so thin, but it's just badly bent. Still though, I hurt her pretty bad. I'm a terrible person.
Introduction
This is my second "real" sword. You know, the kind that are decent and high enough quality to cut things with. I bought it, because after I bought my first real sword, I ended up not wanting to ruin it... so I went shopping for a "beater." Kinda like how if most normal people had a high-end sports car (like a Ferrari), but still used a not quite so exotic car for their general day-to-day needs. SBG gave this sword great reviews, and it has a reputation for good cutting and toughness. I didn't want to get a Hanwei, since they felt like the giant mega corporation that just churns out decent stuff with no "soul" (like Toyota). So I went with Cheness, a smaller company with just as good a reputation for build quality, but more innovation.
This isn't going to be a picture laden review, because there are many many many pictures out there of Cheness SGC Katanas. Mine is nothing special in that regard. It pretty much looks like the others pictured and the one on the Cheness site.
Historical overview
According to Cheness's information. The sword was based off a custom model specifically made for some expert cutting authority. It uses a strong and innovative (back when it first came out) steel with a more modern through-hardening forging process, as opposed to the more outdated folding and differential-hardening of the old days. Yeah yeah, classic stuff has its own market and type of people who buy them. Like cars... old classically made Jaguars and Morgans are worth a lot, beautifully designed, and... classic, but there nowhere near as reliable and easily maintained as your modern day car.
Full Disclosure
I'm a rookie when it comes to the sword scene. This review may not agree with the majority of veteran sword enthusiasts.
Initial Impressions
Cheness shipped me the sword rather quickly. It arrived before my first purchased real sword arrived, despite the other one having a two-day head start! It came with a display box that looks nice. However, it feels of rather cheap quality. That's OK, though. It passes the "rule of ten" where if it looks good from ten meters away moving at ten kilometers per hour, it's good enough. When I took it out of the sword bag it was in (A box and a bag! That made me happy.), and unsheathed it, I held it aloft and said, "By the power of Gray Skull, I have the power!"
There was no resulting acquisition of magical power, strength, or fabulous secrets. So I held it in my hands and looked it over. It was clean and shiny, and I had that feeling of awe some get when holding something of higher quality than they're used to. The sword felt heavy, though. After a couple of swings, I wondered why while I was doing my research on it, there was no mention of it feeling like "swinging a crowbar." I handled and swung a Cold Steel Warrior Katana before, and this felt very similar to my memory of it. Then again, I didn't feel that the Cold Steel sword was "tip heavy" during my experience with it. I figure that it's just my lack of experience with a wide range of Katanas. Regardless of me not knowing what a "well-balanced" blade feels like, this sword felt like it had the same balance and swing weight as the "crowbar katana."
Statistics
Copy/pasting from Cheness's site.
Name: Yamakami Katana (Mountain Guardian)
Blade: Through Hardened 9260 Silicon Alloy Carbon Spring Steel.
Overall Length (+ Saya): 42"
Treatment: Full Hand Forged, Through Hardened, Oil Quenched, Hand Polished
Finish: Tameshigiri Polish
Blade Dimension: 28" Length, 0.25" Width, 1.50" Height
Sori (Curvature): 0.7"
Weight: 2 lbs 15 oz (no saya), 3 lbs 14 oz (with saya), 9 lb shipping weight.
Tsuba/Fuchi/Kashira: Blackened Steel "Mount Fuji" Tsuba
Balance Point: 6" above tsuba
Tsuka/Ho: 11" Wood
Tsuka Ito: Brown Cotton
Mekugi: 2 X Wood (Double Pinned)
Same: Real Ray Skin Panel Wrap
Saya: 30.5" Black Glossy Lacquered Medium Hardwood
I would like to point out that the "Mekugi" part is wrong... they're not both wood. One of them is metal.
The Blade/Nagasa
The blade has a thinner spine and width than most katanas, but is much taller. You can see from the specifications listed above that it's not your normally shaped katana blade. The finish out of the box was very even and clean, but it wasn't super shiny like a mirror polished display sword. You can make out silhouettes and major colors of the objects in the blade's reflection.
The tip/kissaki of the Cheness SGC blade line is infamous for being cheap and ugly looking; it is. I said in the introduction that there were tons of pictures of the Cheness SGC on the Cheness Site and here on the SBG site. What those pictures fail to capture, though, is how much the low quality polishing work on the tip/kissaki sticks out like a sore, broken, smashed, and bloodied thumb. If I had pro-grade flash boxes and lighting, and a clean studio, I would take proper pictures of it where it isn't hidden by glare and complimentary lighting/angles.
The fake hamon on my sword is blatant. It's not fooling anyone. It's mostly straight along the blade, except a few occasional "hills" that look too perfect and similar in size/spacing. Looks like a stencil was used for them.
The Handle/Tsuka
The brown cotton wrapping isn't as dark and rich looking as the other badly lit pictures on the forum reviews suggest either. The handle is comfortable in my hands, though. My hands are average sized for a 5'10" male with a medium bone structure according to my Endocrinologist. The top collar and bottom cap are plain black fittings, which go well with the rest of the "no-frills" package. The handle ornaments (menuki) look like something scaled with a demon face. They're some kind of darkened metal.
The Guard/Tsuba
The same rather plain black metal hand guard that comes on all Cheness SGC Yamakami Katanas. It's black, mostly round with indents at the "corners" of the circle, has two blob shaped holes on either side of the blade, and a Mt. Fuji cut-out. That made it sound complicated, but it's really rather simple, and matches the "theme" of a blade made to do work, and not just sit and look pretty.
Me in the Sword Repair Board of the Forums wrote
"I don't know if this is a normal thing, but the hand guard isn't completely tight. It doesn't move up and down the blade. It doesn't move if I try to move it left and right in orientation to the blade's "sharp side" and "spine". It doesn't move if I try to move it forward and back in orientation to the blade's "sharp side" and spine. However, if I "twist" it, it has a little bit of play.
"I don't know if this is a normal thing, but the hand guard isn't completely tight. It doesn't move up and down the blade. It doesn't move if I try to move it left and right in orientation to the blade's "sharp side" and "spine". It doesn't move if I try to move it forward and back in orientation to the blade's "sharp side" and spine. However, if I "twist" it, it has a little bit of play.
The Scabbard/Saya
It's a basic black lacquered wooden saya. It feels substantial and fits really well on the sword. There are no rattles when I shake the sword while sheathed. Nothing really special here, other than that it's "taller" since the blade has more height than a normal Katana.
Handling Characteristics
As I said before, I don't see how the basic Cold Steel Warrior Katana got the reputation of "swinging like a crowbar," while this sword hasn't. That being said, to me, neither of the swords felt anything like swinging a crowbar or a baseball bat. I like the balance of this sword, it feels that I'm holding and using an actual weapon or tool, and not some twirling baton or plastic toy Halloween sword.
Test Cutting
So far, I've cut "pool noodles" and assorted plastic containers. My first few cuts against the pool noodles I failed miserably due to bad technique. I wasn't slicing properly. After watching a few tutorial videos and reading up on how to properly wield the sword, I've cut through them with ease.
My cuts through your basic 20 oz. or 1-liter drink bottles are easy, and so are going through gallon milk jugs and water containers. I still feel that either I'm doing it wrong (most likely) or that the blade isn't sharp enough. the cuts through the bottles aren't completely smooth the whole way through. My attempts at cutting through fast food chain plastic "cruiser cups" (the ones that are usually used for larges and above) just aren't happening. I can see that I cut through some of it, but then the cup just breaks apart and I don't go all the way through.
Cheness says on their site that they don't "over-sharpen" their blades since it makes the weaker and easier to bend/chip. I believe they mention that "paper cutting" sharp is "too sharp" for a sword. My guess is that the combination of my abysmal rookie cutting technique and the lack of "paper sharpness" is what's preventing me from getting through my enormous stockpile of fast food plastic cups.
Big note, though. I don't have a stand, so I've been setting the plastic containers on top of a garbage bin. Here in Northern California, the county/city assigns us these heavy plastic garbage bins that they pick up every week. I never got the whole metal cylinder ones you see when they take out the trash on TV and Movies... is it really still like that in some places? Anyway, I was trying for a second cut on a gallon water jug and I guess I cut too low, and did this:
I'm guessing the tip is what cut it, as I had the jug placed over the part where it says "NORCAL BLAH BLAH BLAH." I was afraid at first (the plastic material they use for these trash bins are really tough and thick), but there was no damage to the blade.
I also cut a few low branches of some fruit tree in the yard, since they were getting in the way of my vertical cuts when I pulled the sword back over my head. They came off easily and went into the soon to be injured trash bin.
The sword now has some scratches on it, though. Some are deep enough that I can feel them as I wipe down the blade with an oiling cloth. I was kinda oping that the metal would have been hard enough to resist scratching. I guess the "scratch hardness" of 9260 Steel isn't enough to resist plastic and wood.
Conclusions
The sword is strong and fun, and I see it being rather capable of being a workhorse beater. A bit heavier feeling than expected, but that's not a bad thing. However, some may not favor the type of balance it has. The styling is simple and clean, but the fake hamon really ruins the aesthetics. If anything, they could have etched it to be straight and simple, like the rest of the sword's style.
The biggest disappoingment with the sword is how badly the handle fittings are. While the ito wrap is tight and refuses to budge (a good thing), the tsuba guard, fuchi collar, and kashira cap are all loose fitting and rather annoying to hear and feel them move while cutting. With other companies offering just as potent blades and better fit and finish for about the same price, there might not be a reason to get a Cheness sword anymore. This isn't a strike on the "furniture" being plain, but how they fit and hold together.
I'm happy with Cheness as a company, however. While I'm late to the party, they came out with something different and purpose driven when they made this sword. I know the display box isn't anything special, but they included one where I'm seeing that other manufacturers aren't anymore. Just wish that they discontinued the SGC Yamakami instead of the SGC Tsukikage line instead. Black handle wrapping matches the black hand guard and saya better than brown handle wrapping, and bunnies are cuter and more pleasant than some far away mountain.
Pros
+ Cuts well against medium and heavy targets.
+ Unique blade design.
+ Simple aesthetics theme that aren't loud and obnoxious.
+ Feels like more than a toy.
+ Has a proven track record.
Cons
- Doesn't live up to the hype.
- Useless and unnecessary fake hamon.
- Cheap looking tip/kissaki.
- Bad fit and finish.
- Doesn't live up to the hype.
The Bottom Line
Would I recommend this sword? To the general sword crowd and new sword enthusiast, no. The Cheness SGC Katana as the name says (SPECIALIZED Goza Cutter), is a sword for the cutting enthusiast. This sword has a unique feel, style, and soul to it. Most people will be happy with their soulless Lexus ES (Hanwei Swords), made by a big company with a good reputation for making decent products. Those people tend to hate the purposeful harder sporty ride and high-strung performance of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (Cheness SGC Katana). I would only recommend this sword for those who are interested in the purpose it was made for, heavy goza cutting.
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars.
Keep in mind that this is an OVERALL rating for the general public. While it excels in performance and durability, it fails in aesthetics and fit and finish. You can get a much better over-all sword for the same amount (or even less) money.
Updated Information
16 July 2012
Test cut some targets heavier than my standard plastic drink bottles and pool noodles. I purchased several copies of the Sunday New York Times, unfolded them and the advertisements, and rolled each copy with its respective advertising bundles into even vertical rolls. After soaking them for half an hour, they were put on the cutting stand and swung at. The Cheness SGC Katana easily sliced right through the thick wet rolls of newsprint. It was a very satisfying performance.
Some beach mats were also sourced and rolled up (70" X 35" rolled along the 70" side to be 35" tall rolls). These were soaked for eight hours before being put to the sword. These were cut through much easier than the "Sunday Times." The cuts were clean with no signs of fraying. No double cuts were successful, as my beginner technique/ability (primary reason) and the more difficult effort to change direction with the blade made it impossible to do with the allotted number of mats available.
Having the desire for more cutting... I tried using unsoaked beach mats as well. In this aspect, the Cheness SGC Katana did not perform as well as it did with the soaked targets. About half the cuts made were failed or botched attempts. I'm finding that with "lighter" targets, I'm having a harder time getting clean cuts with this sword, but it sines bright and brighter the heavier the targets get.
20 July 2012
I did some test cutting on double and triple roll beach mats!
With the double rolls, there were no failed cuts, but the force and drag of the cuts started causing the mats to pull the stand along and make it fall over as I got closer to the bottom of the mats. On the tripple roll, the stand fell over with the mat every cut, and I failed getting all the way through on 2/5 cuts.
I'm sad, because I just can't get the angles right to sail through. I guess I'm just not good enough to properly take advantage of this sword's shape and specialized format.
05 August 2012
I hit the ground with the tip today after while cutting up some Sunday newspapers. The sword was doing really well, until I swung too hard and my poor technique made it so I couldn't recover so the tip went into the ground. I've hit the ground and even the concrete in the driveway on bad cuts before with no damage other than some scratches... but I guess my luck ran out. Of all the places for there to be a small rock in an empty dirt area, it had to be where I made contact with the ground. Considering how hard I swung and all, the damage wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I would have thought that it would have chipped or cracked or broken or something since that area of hte blade is so thin, but it's just badly bent. Still though, I hurt her pretty bad. I'm a terrible person.