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Post by aussie-rabbit on Sept 25, 2012 12:44:51 GMT
This review is one of two swords I received this week. I have no connection to Hanbon swords, I paid the full price, etc. etc.
This sword cost $72AU Aussie dollars including postage, considering the average cost of postage is $36 from China this sword is incredibly cheap, ergo I was not expecting much.
What I found has made me wonder, how is this possible ? Surprise, you bet, from the silk (or rayon) sword bag, all the way through there is one surprise after another.
Full tang, (with some slight rust) two bamboo pegs of reasonable quality.
Brass seppa, heavy but non magnetic tsuba, tsuka is hardwood without cracks and tight, well fitted with tight cotton ito. the kurigata has reinforcing, that looks nice! Saya is well made timber with standard black gloss.
So how much is left for the blade ? Surprise! folded 1060 steel, with bohi reasonably sharp, 2/3 of the edge is paper cutting sharp. I hope the photos show the blade.
the kissaki is reasonable, not brilliant but nicely flat.
Also came with a nice card and some Chinese money!
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Sept 25, 2012 13:11:18 GMT
How was your saya fit?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2012 13:11:53 GMT
$72AU Aussie dollars including postage is unbelievable, it's tempting just to get one to mess around customizing. Don't know how they do it that cheaply! How did you order this, was it through a website or e-bay?
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Sept 25, 2012 15:04:37 GMT
This one I bid for on ebay, I can only wonder how little the workers get paid.
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Sept 25, 2012 15:08:16 GMT
The saya fit is good, tight enough so it won't fall out but you don't need Arnie's thumbs to broach the blade free, a little rattle at the bottom if you shake it, gloss finish that appears to be a good thickness.
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Post by Rob Dorsey on Sept 25, 2012 15:13:44 GMT
This is not meant as a neener-neener but, it is my fervent wish that everyone remember how I was savaged when I introduced these swords to the forum as "a new maker of high quality swords" or something like that. Perhaps I wasn't dead wrong.
Aussie I am pleased that you are pleased. So will my friend Yao be pleased when I share this with him. But both he and I worry that everyone is too focused on the price point, not on the blade quality. The koshirae is unimportant (but you did not mention the alternating ito wrap) and it is the blade that is everything. If I have in my hand a good blade I can get or cobble up fittings to wield it but if I've just a handfull of fittings and no blade then I am escrewed.
Rob
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Sept 25, 2012 15:36:32 GMT
The saya that caem on my Hanbon Swords Katana is insanely tight. I can't draw it from the waist or push it out with my thumb. I actually have to muscle it out. I had the same problem with the first ST-Swords sword I got (which is being replaced) due to the red/orange coat being rubbed off because of it. This one, luckily won't have to be replaced. Hopefully though, the saya will loosen up in time.
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Sept 25, 2012 16:01:42 GMT
A little dry-lube (not oil) will help, just put a little on the habaki when you put the sword away.
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Sept 25, 2012 16:06:59 GMT
Well I certainly took the plunge, bought another that is two "grades" up, I will be posting a longer review on that one but I will say I am very pleased with both. I have been emailing Yao also and promised a link to this review, although he may not be able to access it from China due to the "Great Firewall"
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Sébastien
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Post by Sébastien on Sept 25, 2012 16:19:01 GMT
Aussie-Rabbit ;
Congratulations for getting this blade. I'm no expert on katanas, but this one seems well-made, especially for its cost. It's always great fun to get a nice blade at a low cost.
Do you intend to do some backyard cutting with it ?
People who can easily mount, dismount and customize their blades might agree with this. However, many sword-buyers don't have those skills and/or don't want to have to tinker with their swords. As such, I think buying a katana with good fittings is important. You get a better looking and feeling product for your money. You don't have to spend too much time to improving what you paid for. Also, poorly-made fittings will hamper a sword's handling. So, in the hand, I don't think a good blade is worth much without well-made, well-placed fittings.
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Sept 25, 2012 16:25:28 GMT
This one I bought with the intent to give it as a present so I will not be cutting with this one, the second one is a different story !
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Sébastien
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Post by Sébastien on Sept 25, 2012 16:40:15 GMT
Oh, I see. Would your friend mind a quality control test through backyard cutting ? Jokes asides ... Did you make a review of the other blade you got ? I would like to see it, I'm curious about this maker.
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Sept 25, 2012 16:48:47 GMT
Next review will be up tomorrow, it takes a little time to dissemble, photograph and then do the write up, however first thoughts on the second one at $117AU landed is very favourable, looks like a keeper for backyard cutting.
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Sébastien
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Post by Sébastien on Sept 25, 2012 16:52:25 GMT
Awesome ! Thanks for taking the time to getting these reviews done. Reviews are assets to this forum and its community
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Post by Rob Dorsey on Sept 25, 2012 17:43:45 GMT
Kuya old son, it's due time for you to learn how to fit a saya mouth for exactly the right feel for you. Yao, I am pretty sure, sends them out tight since this is 1: safe and 2: over the top tight allowing the user to adjust the drag to his/her needs. I promise you, it is much easier to lighten the friction than tighten it.
It goes like this: First, and will all respect, I do not recommended what the aussie said about trying a little dry lube. I feel strongly that you do not want to introduce anything into the saya that was not put there by the maker. You may wind up with the sharpest greased pig in the dojo. He may be right, he often is, but introducing a foreign material into the saya is probably irreversible and if it's wrong ...
If I may put forward an alternative, take a small rasp, or emery board, and relieve the inside of the mouth of the Koiguchi down as far as the length of the habaki. It is usually friction between the habaki fitting and the first 5cm of the saya kioguchi that determine how easily or hard the sword draws. If you are fortunate enough to discern a shiny rub spot on the habaki you will know exactly where to file. With a new blade this is almost never the case, however.
While it is somewhat time consuming, the best way I have found to go about it is to file for a bit, invert the saya and tap out the loose sawdust and then try the sword. It usually goes that you will feel no affect until you are almost there so don't get frustrated and either go to a more aggressive tool or a more aggressive technique. Both are bad ideas, in my opinion.
Once you get close it's time to go very slowly, easing up to the point where it is a little bit too tight. It will loosen with use, particularly if you practice Iaido or Iaijutsu since both are centered around the drawing of the sword.
Best of Luck and PM me if you have a problem. I have adjusted all my collection to my taste (fairly light, just enough tension so that the blade will not come out if the saya is inverted) and I've done quite a few for the chaps in the dojo. If I can do it, you can do it.
Rob
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Sept 26, 2012 15:25:39 GMT
I'm a little behind with the second review as I want to photograph the blade patterning, so I have asked others how that have taken photos and put it in the beginners section.
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