Customized KC Daisho & Cottontail Customs
Sept 9, 2012 22:12:03 GMT
Post by Artelmis on Sept 9, 2012 22:12:03 GMT
Greetings humans! I come in peace to discuss how ridiculous my obsession has become!
Or to some degree at least. I've finally sworn off Japanese swords. They sparked my initial entry into the sword community, but after a while, I've come to realize that my true passion is with Euros. But this isn't about my Euro obsession, This is about my final two Japanese blades. Two swords that I could be pleased with, display proudly, and know that I have some serious quality instead of the pile of crap that most production katana are. Sure, there's exceptions, but when it comes down to the final cut, I prefer the work of Josh Marlan over any unknown, underpaid factory worker.
As far as history goes, I'm pretty sure they didn't make katana in the Philippines until recently...
Full Disclosure
I did get a bit of special treatment on these, but really all it boiled down to was an experiment that worked out and a slight discount. I'm not getting paid by cottontailcustoms.com or kris cutlery for this... but if they wanted to, I'd happily except their money, mead, or both! Edit: Josh gave me karma so it's all k now.
Initial Impressions
So, I didn't recieve these swords until they were finished. They were shipped directly to Josh, so I can't comment on KC's packing. I can comment on Josh's ability to bubble wrap the ever living $#!^ out of them which prevented any sort of damage courtesy of the ham-handed USPS agents in the DC area. Their theme song here is "Thank you republic Airlines" by Tom Paxton (I can't seem to find the song on youtube in its complete form...)
Statistics
Katana
Blade: 26" 5160 carbon steel
Hamon: straight 60 RC hardness
Handle: 10 3/4"
Nakago (tang): 8.5"-9"
Tsuba: 3" diameter
Weight: 2.6 lbs. (without scabbard)
Waki...
I can't find this one on the KC site anymore. It's a fairly short blade... I also can't seem to find my tape measure. *ooh, the mystery!*
The Blade/Nagasa
Honestly, not much to say. It's a standard KC 26A. It looks simply beautiful. There's no nonsense around putting a fake hamon on there and the general consensus is that they're DH. Very nice kissaki.
The Handle/Tsuka
This is the part of the review that I care about.
Josh redid EVERYTHING from the ground up. The swords now sport matching bloodred silk ito and a full same wrap dyed with cashew lacquer. It's hard to describe how nice they feel compared to my other cotton ito swords without resorting to profanities, so I'll refrain. Pictures say more than I ever could anyway.
Fittings
It's the standard KC fare. blackened iron. Nothing fancy but I prefer it this way. It keeps from getting distracted away from the saya and tsuka.
The Scabbard/Saya
So, Josh asked if he could try something new with my saya. Having worked with Josh in the past, I figured "Why not!" and agreed to a "whatever you want to try, go ahead" waiver. I was not dissappointed. It's this very nice semi-mottled red color. my only gripe is that the seam where the two parts of the saya meet is visible, moreso on the waki, and there's a slight rattle on the waki... but you really have to be looking.
Handling Characteristics
I bought them as a daisho and intend to use them as such. I've been a bit too busy to do more than a bit of swinging them around and i'm very impressed. the swords handle great despite my frail toothpick-arms and the grip is very nice feeling on the hands.
Conclusions
I'm not buying another production katana. If one of the blades by a master shows up cheap, or they contact me, I may jump on it... but I'm not actively seeking another kat for the foreseeable future. These will do just fine.
Pros
KC Quality
Cottontailcustoms Quality
I made the KC wak and kat match! (virtually impossible to do unless you go custom as the KC guys like to vary their ito colors)
Cons
Cost: Custom work can put production blades to a very nice, expensive, threshold. Worth it, but pricey
slight rattle on the waki
Iron fittings require a bit more TLC to prevent rust
The Bottom Line
Contact Josh at Cottontail customs. Have him redo your ito, same, and saya. You will be amazed.
Or to some degree at least. I've finally sworn off Japanese swords. They sparked my initial entry into the sword community, but after a while, I've come to realize that my true passion is with Euros. But this isn't about my Euro obsession, This is about my final two Japanese blades. Two swords that I could be pleased with, display proudly, and know that I have some serious quality instead of the pile of crap that most production katana are. Sure, there's exceptions, but when it comes down to the final cut, I prefer the work of Josh Marlan over any unknown, underpaid factory worker.
As far as history goes, I'm pretty sure they didn't make katana in the Philippines until recently...
Full Disclosure
I did get a bit of special treatment on these, but really all it boiled down to was an experiment that worked out and a slight discount. I'm not getting paid by cottontailcustoms.com or kris cutlery for this... but if they wanted to, I'd happily except their money, mead, or both! Edit: Josh gave me karma so it's all k now.
Initial Impressions
So, I didn't recieve these swords until they were finished. They were shipped directly to Josh, so I can't comment on KC's packing. I can comment on Josh's ability to bubble wrap the ever living $#!^ out of them which prevented any sort of damage courtesy of the ham-handed USPS agents in the DC area. Their theme song here is "Thank you republic Airlines" by Tom Paxton (I can't seem to find the song on youtube in its complete form...)
Statistics
Katana
Blade: 26" 5160 carbon steel
Hamon: straight 60 RC hardness
Handle: 10 3/4"
Nakago (tang): 8.5"-9"
Tsuba: 3" diameter
Weight: 2.6 lbs. (without scabbard)
Waki...
I can't find this one on the KC site anymore. It's a fairly short blade... I also can't seem to find my tape measure. *ooh, the mystery!*
The Blade/Nagasa
Honestly, not much to say. It's a standard KC 26A. It looks simply beautiful. There's no nonsense around putting a fake hamon on there and the general consensus is that they're DH. Very nice kissaki.
The Handle/Tsuka
This is the part of the review that I care about.
Josh redid EVERYTHING from the ground up. The swords now sport matching bloodred silk ito and a full same wrap dyed with cashew lacquer. It's hard to describe how nice they feel compared to my other cotton ito swords without resorting to profanities, so I'll refrain. Pictures say more than I ever could anyway.
Fittings
It's the standard KC fare. blackened iron. Nothing fancy but I prefer it this way. It keeps from getting distracted away from the saya and tsuka.
The Scabbard/Saya
So, Josh asked if he could try something new with my saya. Having worked with Josh in the past, I figured "Why not!" and agreed to a "whatever you want to try, go ahead" waiver. I was not dissappointed. It's this very nice semi-mottled red color. my only gripe is that the seam where the two parts of the saya meet is visible, moreso on the waki, and there's a slight rattle on the waki... but you really have to be looking.
Handling Characteristics
I bought them as a daisho and intend to use them as such. I've been a bit too busy to do more than a bit of swinging them around and i'm very impressed. the swords handle great despite my frail toothpick-arms and the grip is very nice feeling on the hands.
Conclusions
I'm not buying another production katana. If one of the blades by a master shows up cheap, or they contact me, I may jump on it... but I'm not actively seeking another kat for the foreseeable future. These will do just fine.
Pros
KC Quality
Cottontailcustoms Quality
I made the KC wak and kat match! (virtually impossible to do unless you go custom as the KC guys like to vary their ito colors)
Cons
Cost: Custom work can put production blades to a very nice, expensive, threshold. Worth it, but pricey
slight rattle on the waki
Iron fittings require a bit more TLC to prevent rust
The Bottom Line
Contact Josh at Cottontail customs. Have him redo your ito, same, and saya. You will be amazed.