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Post by Rob Dorsey on Jul 7, 2012 18:21:55 GMT
Post removed by OP
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Post by chrisperoni on Jul 7, 2012 18:57:42 GMT
I'm seeing the usual stuff on his ebay page: stores.ebay.ca/swordmaker688?_rdc=1nothing super awesome or out ofthe ordinary. I do see cheap ito not alternating, and poor bohi termination. I do see a shirasaya with buffalo horn mekugi! being sold as battle ready- very unsafe! I do see some nice hamon I do see gyaku kobuse - uncommon method in production swords - cool. but almost $700 and still cheap non alternating ito ... looks like this is might ryansword by another name... either way they have some good stuff and some not good stuff. I think if you like the swords you got and don't feel you paid too much then power to ya! I'd love to see pics of yours
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kaiyo
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Post by kaiyo on Jul 7, 2012 19:03:38 GMT
...trash...
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Post by Rob Dorsey on Jul 7, 2012 19:53:06 GMT
Well I put it out there for comment but one rather terse word does not an opion make. May I ask on what you base your opinion?
I too was highly skeptical - that's why I only invested $60 to see for myself - but I'm quite pleased with the result. Have you seen or handled one of these? Do you know something I don't know...very possible.
Best, Rob
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Post by Rob Dorsey on Jul 7, 2012 20:02:11 GMT
Chrisernoni,
Many thanks for the feedback and I will apraise Yao of your comments, particularly regarding the ito. Quite frankly I did not notice the wrap and only checked the tightness which I found very acceptable. I am fairly certain, given the pictures of the forge Yao has shared with me, that the tsuka work is farmed out and/or there is a communal assembly shop that is an independent business and serves several forges. As you know the final assembly and decoration of the swords is a process entirely different and unrelated to the forging. Since I bought the swords for the quality of the steel work I pay only cursury attention to the furniture.
Thanks again, Rob PS: Pictures coming.
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Post by chopper on Jul 7, 2012 20:48:07 GMT
I think he did pretty good for $60.00. The tsukimaki looks descent except for it not alternating. The overall look of the swords appear clean to me. Dude, If you're happy with it that's all that matters.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2012 20:56:20 GMT
Well, then I say he didn't blow it by letting that sword go for a cheap $60 auction, because look at the valued customer he gained from it! :mrgreen: The later ones that you've bought with the clay tempered edges (looks like he's selling them in the $250 price range?) are the ones I'd be interested in. They look good, and I tend to trust the smiths from Longquan. Let me ask you this then... you say you've been doing some cutting with these swords, right? So how well is the ito holding out? Is it moving on you at all? I've had alternating ito which creeps like a mother. I don't think that's necessarily the sign of a good ito. If the tightness is really good then who really cares if it's alternating or not? I just want something functional that holds up to use. I looked at some pictures of the tsukas and I don't recognize the type of braid used. I don't think it's traditional, but I'm not that well versed anyways - I just know the basic wraps. If it's not though, I wouldn't care if it holds up at least as good or better than a traditional wrap. I've had enough problems with traditional wraps that if a non-traditional braid is tighter then I'm all for that. So if you can give us feedback as to durability during actual use, that would be more useful knowledge to me than how traditional his tsukamaki technique is.
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Post by chrisperoni on Jul 7, 2012 21:10:50 GMT
I've heard of just that- the assembly and tsuka work being done elsewhere than by the blade maker. Much like the euro sword industry of medieval times etc (and the japanese way, and other places as well I'm sure). Just for the price of the cool lamination types it'd be worth a better tsuka- people who will pay in the mid-high hundreds will notice such things. As for his ebay pages- it was on another post somewhere in SBG that "swordmaker688" was referred to as ryansword- actually in two different posts. But there was nothing to prove or back it up. So it's conjecture as far as I can tell (that's why I said might be ) yep- for $60 a good blade is a good deal. I wonder if the ebay seller sells blades from different makers. that's something ryansword does, and I'm sure others do as well (masahiro comes to mind for example) Everybody lovers sword pics so that'll be cool. Oh- one other thing about "swordmaker688" - one of the ryansword related ebay sellers uses "88" in their name as well - but of course we all know the number 8 in chinese (forgive the genveralization) is synonymous with luck prosperity etc. So that could easily be a coincidence.
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Kuya
Registered
Posts: 1,396
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Post by Kuya on Jul 7, 2012 21:43:15 GMT
Non-alternating handle wrap comes from Cheness also, which ended up earning a good reputation for its blades. If this seller is just another version of RyanSword, it's no big thing. Hanwei started out as a cheap seller with hit and miss quality, and now look how big its become... and from what I've read, it still has some misses.
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Post by Rob Dorsey on Jul 7, 2012 21:44:47 GMT
Well, their website is up and running but far from fully functional at: www.hanbonsword.com. From the rather negative comments I have gotten so far I've got that queasy-greasy feeling that perhaps I've been a bit over enthusiastic and by that I may have granted Hanbon m more credit than deserved. But, thus far, except for the discrepancies noted by chrisernoni, I am very happy with the steel and would expect to find such aggressive folding and artful hamon only on much more expensive blades. And really, the tsuka and furniture be damned, I can change or install all that stuff, plus correcting polish and sharpness, my own baby self. It's the steel that matters and this is some pretty iron. I'm pretty new at this stuff but I've been collecting for a few years and have worked on my own swords since I first got one. Also I'm an engineer and, while that don't mean diddly when it comes to Japanese swords, like the amateur art lover says, "I know what I like." I'm also doing Iaido and any form of ken-jutsu I can get my hands on so I know just enough to get myself in trouble, or throw some good money down the rat's hole. But, I have one of Honbon's cheaper blades with slim dimensions and deep bo-hi that weighs in at just 2 lbs without saya and sings like a birdy when you swing it right. I took the edge off and it is now my Iai. There's something different here 'cause Heir Kaiyo, I've seen and owned "Trash" and this ain't it. Whether it is really good swordmaking at a bargain? That's a question for greater minds than mine to ponder. Best Regards, Rob PS: I asked this Yao fellow directly if they used blades from other forges and he flatly said no. I also asked if they sold blades to other companies and he said "rarely". Frankly as I've spent a bit of time in both Taiwan and the PRC I take nothing at face value. A good rule in Asia is: Trust nothing and no one...and then ask for proof.
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Post by chrisperoni on Jul 7, 2012 21:50:05 GMT
like I said before if you feel it was a good deal then that's what counts for you. No one can tell as much from a pic as holding the real thing. It's just the nature of the beast to critique stuff on the interwebz.
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Post by Rob Dorsey on Jul 7, 2012 22:07:16 GMT
Sorry for being ignorant but this is one of theirs. Is this not the crossover you are refering to?
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Jul 7, 2012 22:20:03 GMT
What they're talking about as far as the ito/handle wrap, is that if you look at the twists/folds, they all go in the same direction. They're supposed to be alternating, because it supposedly helps keep the wrap tighter and from moving as much. If it's super tight, though, it probably won't move. Cheness doesn't alternate, and I'm not having any problems with the wrap going anywhere, and I haven't found any complaints about it doing so from others... yet.
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Post by Maynar on Jul 7, 2012 22:56:19 GMT
I understand the logic whereby the alternating ito is judged to be superior, and I have no real reason to object to that. But I have a Musashi that was wrapped tighter than any sword I ever touched. I reach for it when I have targets to cut- what I know is, this non-alternating example of itomaki works like a draft horse for me. All comes down to the craftsman, doesn't it?
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Post by Rasmu83 on Jul 7, 2012 23:27:07 GMT
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Post by Rob Dorsey on Jul 8, 2012 2:54:20 GMT
Wow, now that is one good looking meat slicer. The Nei line is spectacular, strong and highly varied. I also like the tsuba-fuchi-minuchi set. They are very pretty without losing that masculine flavor needed in a killing weapon. I mean no disrespect by saying "masculine" since I'm certain that there's lots of athletic women who could learn the kata of iai-jutsu so that they could kick Uma's butt and slice it for sashimi.
As for the relative sharpness v the claims of "shaving sharp", "razor sharp" or "scary sharp", I have yet to pick up a production sword that was. Even my $875 Hanwei Tori XL cutter is not any more sharp than the other swords in my collection. But, the beauty is that a $45 belt sander and some trick belts can get it to the level of the hype. And if you clean up with a leather strop belt, nothing is lost in appearance.
Party on Yao,
Rob
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Post by ineffableone on Jul 8, 2012 3:33:35 GMT
swordmaker688 has been a suspected Ryansword clone ebay site since SBG was back on the proboards forums.
For $60 sure one of those swords is probably worth it. However when you start getting into $200 or $400 or more they are probably not worth it. Fro those prices you can probably find better work from somewhere else. Like Hauwei or ST Nihanto on ebay, or from one of the more reputable vendors selling name brand swords.
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jhart06
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Post by jhart06 on Jul 8, 2012 4:47:00 GMT
It's not bad, and while i'm not a katana expert I read the various posts, and this just doesnt seem to be anything new, same fittings, same ito, etc... Nothing bad, but nothing you cant find pretty frequently elsewhere.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2012 4:47:48 GMT
When I browsed through that seller's store, that sword or one very much like it is what had caught my eye. If I were to buy something from his store, that would probably be it. I guess we have similar taste.
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Sam H
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Post by Sam H on Jul 8, 2012 5:30:32 GMT
I looked at the website the OP posted. No katana or swords to be found. Instead all there were were a bunch of knock-off cellphones.
As for the seller I've seen his wares. For the money better can be had from sellers with better reputations.
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