Part 2 - Ronin Katana Dojo Pro #4
Oct 31, 2012 9:41:08 GMT
Post by Alfacentori on Oct 31, 2012 9:41:08 GMT
*Caveat - I am new to swords / Katana - Any advice to improve will be heeded*
The Why
This is the second follow on review following my initial one of a Hanbon (Swordmaker688) Katana
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13760
As someone who is new to collecting swords I wasn't sure what to buy. What some love, others scorn, so I purchased two Katana and decided to see for myself. I know there has been a lot of debate over certain sword sellers, especially Ebay ones, however this review is NOT intended to reopen that debate, so please don't restart any such discussion in this review.
All I want to do is share my own experience and people can make up their own minds.
After a lot of thought and research I decided to make my first Katana buy a constructive one, and purchased two Katana at the top end of what this forum is about, that is $300 swords. I chose a Hanbon Katana in my previous review, and a Katana of known renown, a Dojo Pro by Ronin Katana for this one. Both cost within $30 of each other posted, so let the reviewing begin!
The What?
1x Ronin Katana Dojo Pro #4
www.roninkatana.com/dojopro5.html
Historical overview
This is a serious cutting Katana, and as such it does not attempt to directly copy a known historical example. That said the materials, blade style etc, all have links to historical Katana manufacture.
Full Disclosure
I have no links to Ronin Katana, and I paid the full price of $310 USD including freight.
Initial Impressions
The sword arrive intact, was well packed in a cardboard carton, and inside a box with foam inserts and wrapped in a material sword wrap.
After getting it out the first thing I noticed was the weight, it felt considerably lighter than my Hanbon Katana, the factory stats say the difference is 0.13 pounds, but it feels like a lot more. I also noticed the feel of the grip, you can really tell the difference between the real silk Tsukamaki on the Dojo Pro and the synthetic on the Hanbon. I also immediately noticed that the Dojo's Tsuka was much longer, this despite the blade being shorter than the Hanbon. The Tsuka on the Dojo Pro measures 11.5 inches compared to 10.6 for the hanbon.
This was when I noticed something interesting for the first time. The Nagasa on the Dojo Pro is 28 inches as stated, the Hanbon lists the Nagasa as 27.8 inches, in reality it measures 29.5 inches! As you can see in the following photo. So presumably the weight stated for the Hanbon is also incorrect, hence why the weight difference was so noticeable.
Statistics - From Manufacturer
Steel: Through hardened 1060
Saya: Hand cut and polished buffalo horn Kurikata, Koguchi and Kojiri.
Weight: 2.6 pounds
POB: 4 1/2- 5 inches
Length in saya: 42 inches
Tsuka: 11 inches
Blade: 28 inches
Habaki to tip: 27 inches
Ito: Silk
Sageo: Synthetic silk
Fuchi: Backened iron
Kashira: Blackened iron
Menuki: Brass
The POB (Point of Balance) appears to be 4.8 inches forward of the Tsuba.
The Nagasa
The blade is No Hi, and through hardened, so no hamon. It is unblemished, sharp, and feels infinitely 'swingable'
The Tsuka
The Tsuka on the Dojo Pro feels and looks great, it is tight and has nice diamonds. No complaints!
The Tsuba
The Tsuba is iron, and looks quite nice, the only thing I noticed however was when I rubbed it my fingers (and cloth) came away brown? I don't think it is rust, it is more likely the coating used to make it black, but still I was quite surprised at how easily it came off.
The Saya
The Saya in a word is fabulous, I was really impressed with the quality of the feel and look. The horn is very nice and matches the glossy black finish perfectly. A big thumbs up on the Saya.
Handling Characteristics
As I am no expect I cannot really say, but it feels light, nimble, and very battle worthy
Test Cutting
For the test cutting I cut the same target as I had previously, and what I concluded may be a bit controversial, so I'll caveat it by reminding the reader I am an amateur so my view is not the ultimate in cutting wisdom. I'll just say it, by a small margin the Dojo Pro is less sharp than the Hanbon. I must admit I was shocked. Now don't get me wrong there is no way the Dojo Pro is not sharp, it is, very sharp, and I am in no way unhappy with it, but it is not as sharp as the Hanbon. You can see this from the cutting pic below, where although it cut nice rings, some of the edges are a bit jagged, and unlike the Hanbon it knocked the bottle off the platform when I cut. You can also feel the difference when you drag a finger across the edge. It may be something to do with edge geometry, I honestly don't know enough to comment beyond that.
Conclusions
I really like the Dojo Pro, it has quality fittings, and for the money is excellent value. There are a few small things about it that took the shine off it a little, for example the Habaki (which aligns and fits perfectly I might add), came with some black burned looking material ingrained in it, which I now have to figure out how to remove as it appears to not want to leave. This is a minor matter though, overall its a great sword, and I will be laying down the money for an Elite at some point in the future.
Pros
-Quality materials
-Quality fittings
-Did I say Quality?
-No doubt over the battle ready nature of this Katana
Cons
-Despite the nice Saya it is a little on the bland side compared to the Hanbon
-Minor cosmetic marks on the Habaki
-Tsuba coating comes off easily
The Bottom Line
I am very pleased with the Dojo Pro, as a practical Katana it is great value for money and has features (i.e real silk and horn) some more expensive Katana lack. Would I recommend people who want a cutting katana buy a Dojo Pro, yes I would.
The Reckoning - Hanbon vs Dojo Pro
I found it really hard to separate these two Katana, or to recommend one over the other, they are both great swords.
-For handling the Dojo Pro wins
-For appearance the Dojo Pro has a better Saya but the Hanbon has the more attractive Nagasa and Tsuba
-For price there is nothing in it, barely $30 USD difference
-For sharpness the Hanbon wins by a nose
-For quality of fittings and overall fit, the Dojo Pro wins
Overall I like both of them, and regard buying neither, I think in the end it comes down to personal preference, you won't be disappointed laying down your hard earned cash on either.
The Why
This is the second follow on review following my initial one of a Hanbon (Swordmaker688) Katana
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13760
As someone who is new to collecting swords I wasn't sure what to buy. What some love, others scorn, so I purchased two Katana and decided to see for myself. I know there has been a lot of debate over certain sword sellers, especially Ebay ones, however this review is NOT intended to reopen that debate, so please don't restart any such discussion in this review.
All I want to do is share my own experience and people can make up their own minds.
After a lot of thought and research I decided to make my first Katana buy a constructive one, and purchased two Katana at the top end of what this forum is about, that is $300 swords. I chose a Hanbon Katana in my previous review, and a Katana of known renown, a Dojo Pro by Ronin Katana for this one. Both cost within $30 of each other posted, so let the reviewing begin!
The What?
1x Ronin Katana Dojo Pro #4
www.roninkatana.com/dojopro5.html
Historical overview
This is a serious cutting Katana, and as such it does not attempt to directly copy a known historical example. That said the materials, blade style etc, all have links to historical Katana manufacture.
Full Disclosure
I have no links to Ronin Katana, and I paid the full price of $310 USD including freight.
Initial Impressions
The sword arrive intact, was well packed in a cardboard carton, and inside a box with foam inserts and wrapped in a material sword wrap.
After getting it out the first thing I noticed was the weight, it felt considerably lighter than my Hanbon Katana, the factory stats say the difference is 0.13 pounds, but it feels like a lot more. I also noticed the feel of the grip, you can really tell the difference between the real silk Tsukamaki on the Dojo Pro and the synthetic on the Hanbon. I also immediately noticed that the Dojo's Tsuka was much longer, this despite the blade being shorter than the Hanbon. The Tsuka on the Dojo Pro measures 11.5 inches compared to 10.6 for the hanbon.
This was when I noticed something interesting for the first time. The Nagasa on the Dojo Pro is 28 inches as stated, the Hanbon lists the Nagasa as 27.8 inches, in reality it measures 29.5 inches! As you can see in the following photo. So presumably the weight stated for the Hanbon is also incorrect, hence why the weight difference was so noticeable.
Statistics - From Manufacturer
Steel: Through hardened 1060
Saya: Hand cut and polished buffalo horn Kurikata, Koguchi and Kojiri.
Weight: 2.6 pounds
POB: 4 1/2- 5 inches
Length in saya: 42 inches
Tsuka: 11 inches
Blade: 28 inches
Habaki to tip: 27 inches
Ito: Silk
Sageo: Synthetic silk
Fuchi: Backened iron
Kashira: Blackened iron
Menuki: Brass
The POB (Point of Balance) appears to be 4.8 inches forward of the Tsuba.
The Nagasa
The blade is No Hi, and through hardened, so no hamon. It is unblemished, sharp, and feels infinitely 'swingable'
The Tsuka
The Tsuka on the Dojo Pro feels and looks great, it is tight and has nice diamonds. No complaints!
The Tsuba
The Tsuba is iron, and looks quite nice, the only thing I noticed however was when I rubbed it my fingers (and cloth) came away brown? I don't think it is rust, it is more likely the coating used to make it black, but still I was quite surprised at how easily it came off.
The Saya
The Saya in a word is fabulous, I was really impressed with the quality of the feel and look. The horn is very nice and matches the glossy black finish perfectly. A big thumbs up on the Saya.
Handling Characteristics
As I am no expect I cannot really say, but it feels light, nimble, and very battle worthy
Test Cutting
For the test cutting I cut the same target as I had previously, and what I concluded may be a bit controversial, so I'll caveat it by reminding the reader I am an amateur so my view is not the ultimate in cutting wisdom. I'll just say it, by a small margin the Dojo Pro is less sharp than the Hanbon. I must admit I was shocked. Now don't get me wrong there is no way the Dojo Pro is not sharp, it is, very sharp, and I am in no way unhappy with it, but it is not as sharp as the Hanbon. You can see this from the cutting pic below, where although it cut nice rings, some of the edges are a bit jagged, and unlike the Hanbon it knocked the bottle off the platform when I cut. You can also feel the difference when you drag a finger across the edge. It may be something to do with edge geometry, I honestly don't know enough to comment beyond that.
Conclusions
I really like the Dojo Pro, it has quality fittings, and for the money is excellent value. There are a few small things about it that took the shine off it a little, for example the Habaki (which aligns and fits perfectly I might add), came with some black burned looking material ingrained in it, which I now have to figure out how to remove as it appears to not want to leave. This is a minor matter though, overall its a great sword, and I will be laying down the money for an Elite at some point in the future.
Pros
-Quality materials
-Quality fittings
-Did I say Quality?
-No doubt over the battle ready nature of this Katana
Cons
-Despite the nice Saya it is a little on the bland side compared to the Hanbon
-Minor cosmetic marks on the Habaki
-Tsuba coating comes off easily
The Bottom Line
I am very pleased with the Dojo Pro, as a practical Katana it is great value for money and has features (i.e real silk and horn) some more expensive Katana lack. Would I recommend people who want a cutting katana buy a Dojo Pro, yes I would.
The Reckoning - Hanbon vs Dojo Pro
I found it really hard to separate these two Katana, or to recommend one over the other, they are both great swords.
-For handling the Dojo Pro wins
-For appearance the Dojo Pro has a better Saya but the Hanbon has the more attractive Nagasa and Tsuba
-For price there is nothing in it, barely $30 USD difference
-For sharpness the Hanbon wins by a nose
-For quality of fittings and overall fit, the Dojo Pro wins
Overall I like both of them, and regard buying neither, I think in the end it comes down to personal preference, you won't be disappointed laying down your hard earned cash on either.