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Post by Tater on Oct 5, 2012 3:26:23 GMT
Yeah I'm sure also. I'm just surprised he replaced them with 4 for his collection. Anyways Kuya, I understand that you have a budo, how do you like it compared to other swords you have?
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Oct 5, 2012 4:27:39 GMT
The Budo I have is the best sword in my collection. I liked it so much, I went and spent a bunch of money on having it customized. Can't wait for the next batch of RK-2s. Ricky is having one made to my specifications. I really don't like the tsuba on "normal" RK-2s, because of the utility knife/hairpin holes. Over 99% of modern katana don't come with the knive/hairpins on the saya! if they aren't needed, the holes shouldn't be on modern tsuba! I also had the ito and samegawa changed from the current RK-2 color sets (Blue over black, brown over black, and black over black. I went with black over white instead.).
You get a lot for the money, as the profiling and polish alone are crazy nice, and you get some pretty high quality materials (fat bumps samegawa and smooth Japanese silk ito) on the handle. The koshirae are also pretty solid feeling. I'll be honest, though. Mine came with a few QC glitches that Ricky did his best to resolve.
Also, just so everyone knows ahead of time, Ricky modifies the swords' fit for extended and frequent cutting by adding an extra seppa to brace the nakago hard against the mekugi and tsuka. Me, being crazy about symmetry and uniformity, didn't like the look of it. Plus, I didn't plan on cutting lots of bamboo and stuff with it... so I really didn't need to have it done, and I ordered my RK-2 to not have the modification done either. Ricky said that the "normal fit" should be fine for light and moderate cutting, so if you've rather have the more aesthetically pleasing look, make sure to tell him with your order that you don't need the extra bracing.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2012 20:22:02 GMT
I want a budo... now it's time to save up 700 bucks
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Post by O.T. Ray Vizza on Oct 5, 2012 21:27:22 GMT
I have three joints. I have the RK-2, the WW2 Gunto style, and the older WIndglider. They are all very solid cutters. Ricky is a stand up man and I have mad respect for him and his company. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one of their swords. SALUTE!
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Oct 6, 2012 18:40:05 GMT
my 2 windgliders are still kicking ass, just wish id scored a matching kodachi when they were available
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Post by ouroborus9nine on Oct 6, 2012 19:54:01 GMT
I sold the collection because I own to cut and with the 4 I only used the others like twice just because I felt bad for them on the wall so ended up passing them on. I had used them extensively before that time though. Of them lion dog and wiwingti kokat were my fav pre
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Post by mrvei on Oct 7, 2012 17:24:54 GMT
-how would you rate the level of over all polish on your budo? is there any dips or waves to it? hows the tip geo?
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Oct 7, 2012 17:49:56 GMT
I'd rate it as well done... a B+ or so (I'd give it an A for the sub-$600 price range it's in, though). It's the first and only sword I've had so far that actually has the whole hamon edge area visibly "whiter" than the rest of the blade as opposed to just having the hamon line itself whiter, while the rest of the edge area was the same shininess color. I felt no dips/waves when I wiped it down with a cloth. The yokote isn't geometric in that it bulges out, but geometric in that the profiling of the kissaki is done so you can feel that the plane shift slope from the yokote and shinogi-ji into that kissaki area is very defined. The cross polish wasn't done the lazy way where they stopped two or so grit levels earlier than they did the rest of the blade. You can see the polishing lines are at the same level as the lines of the ji when you turn the sword to a vertical position.
I'm working off of memory, though. My Budo has been off getting work done to it for the past few weeks.
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Post by mrvei on Oct 7, 2012 18:29:33 GMT
thank you, what all are you having done to it? do you have any "before" pics?
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Post by Tater on Oct 7, 2012 21:33:54 GMT
Yeah dude! I cut empties for the first time today, and out of 5 soda bottles I got 1 static
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Post by johnwalter on Nov 28, 2012 6:15:23 GMT
I have tested many swords for Ricky,I've also had the oppurtunity to cut with most of the production swords on the market.They can't hold an edge to his swords!The Budo series is a serrious tool!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2012 18:59:40 GMT
John, would you mind qualifying your statement?
In what sense other production swords can't hold an edge to ? What are those production swords?
A serious tool for what purpose? Cutting soft target or hard target etc.?
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Post by johnwalter on Nov 28, 2012 20:58:59 GMT
Just what everyone else has said Joe.They are sharper than any other production kat on the market.Each side is plained evenly and there are no waves or dips on the cutting plain.And no secondary bevel,just even niku.The Budo series is designed for Martial Arts "grade" tameshigiri on tatami omote but will handle bamboo very well,and they will stay very sharp.The attention to detail in the fittings samegawa and itomaki is excellent.And they are beautiful blades!For more bamboo cutting,I put the RK series right there with the Hanwei Raptor shinogi zukuri,but the RK is better looking and lighter. As for what swords.I have been able to cut with most of the models from the more well known makers and Budo and RK have cut better and held thier edges better than all of them. I currently own around 20 or so kats consisting of several Hanwei,,KC,Munetoshi,Kensei,and Musashi.I have briefly owned swords from other makers and cut with many others. Just be aware that if you are looking for thick super tough beater,the Budo aint it.You may want a Raptor,Cheness spring steel or a Ronin.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2012 21:42:50 GMT
Is it prone to chipping when going through hard targets such as bamboos? Particularly the Budo series.
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Post by johnwalter on Nov 29, 2012 7:36:27 GMT
I put the first generation Budo through about one hundred blue hennon bamboo of various sizes with no edge damage at all Joe.Same with my second gen Budo.Please understand I am a student of Toyama Ryu Iai Battodo and have cut many mats and countless bamboo.I trust his swords for my purposes or I absolutely would not speak so highly of them.Even in untrained hands I believe they would hold up against reasonable traditional targets,bamboo being one of those.I would not spend my hard earned cash otherwise.I don't collect swords,I use them.There are tougher,thicker blades than the Budo,but not as sharp.They are made to test your cutting skill/ability(shizan tameshigir),not the blade(shito tameshigiri).these blades are slightly thinner than most while still being of traditional desgn,with great symmetry and proper niku and no secondary bevel.Which is why they cut so good,they allow you to test your skills in cutting.This,in my honest opinion is what the new generation of blades are all about.Testing you,your skill,form,technique,and overall ability to manipulate the blade to do what you want it to do.a dedicated hard target beater,it is not.Better to go with a Hanwei Raptor, RK,Chenness spring steel or a Ronin.But with good technique it wll easily handle fresh bamboo.And per my experience testing it will not chip on bamboo,I purposely tried to chip the bohi version on bamboo and it only slightly bent the blade with no edge damage. I apologige if I rambled on but its very late,I am tired and pain meds for a torn muscle in my back,pinched nerve and compressed disc makes me a bit loopy,lol.I will answer any more questions you may have later. Train safely.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2012 2:47:29 GMT
John, I guess the real question is how does it compare to known standards such as Ronin Dojo or even KC 26III.
I am a little confused when you say "testing you." Well, a good sword should be forgiving. Just because I don't have the best cutting form, it shouldn't bend out of shape. Remember a sword is supposed to be used in the battlefield. If the sword is so delicate that it needs me to babysit, then it's not a good sword. Yes, it needs to be a beater - I should be able to put it through all kinds of hell and it still performs. Please keep in mind that is how weapons have been tested through out human history.
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Post by kingrikoraru on Nov 30, 2012 3:17:52 GMT
Just got their gunto. Approved!
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Nov 30, 2012 3:29:17 GMT
swords are not meant for the battlefield or backyard recklessness. They are high performance traditional target blades that just happen to be able to handle a good amount of punishment from amateurs. John Walter cut through multiple stalks of bamboo with one cut and no damage to the sword. Yet, despite being that tough, it is able to do static no-swing cuts on bottles, static cuts on empty bottles with the thicker "Gatorade" plastic, and static, double, and triple multi-cuts on tameshigiri mats all day.
You don't want an blade, because you want to play around and abuse whatever you get. This isn't the movies, original battlefield swords got bent, nicked, and chipped a lot more than you probably think. These swords aren't meant for you. Get a Ronin or Cheness.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2012 4:12:44 GMT
How does it work against pigs?
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Post by Sullivan on Nov 30, 2012 6:34:42 GMT
Ricky, I've been putting some time recently into reading your posts and hearing what others have to say about your blades, and with all your business ethic, transparency, research, and willingness to tirelessly answer questions, I absolutely have to hand it to you. Not many are willing to pioneer and innovate the way you have, especially with something to traditionally revered as katana/nihonto style blades. The fact that you look to improve upon what can sometimes seem like a predictable market place, and fill you own niche, is really cool. Haha I'll stop showering you with praise now. I will surely be trying to purchase a sword from you Ricky, once my financial situation is improved.
Also, I apologize, as I do not mean in any way to hi-jack this thread. But, Ricky, I was happy to learn that you have a background in traditional kung-fu, Hung Gar I believe it was? I too have a similar Martial-Arts background, as I studied Sil-Lum Kung Fu, and my Sifu was well-versed in Hung-Gar forms, as we shared close ties with a Hung-Gar school in the Boston Area that we would meet with annually for New-Years celebrations, training all year to entertain one another with Dragon-dances and forms displays.
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