"Black 33" 1060 Ninjato" review + Mini bonus review
Jan 19, 2013 5:49:29 GMT
Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Jan 19, 2013 5:49:29 GMT
Introduction
Hello, again. SORRY IF THESE REVIEWS ARE GETTING ANNOYING. :? Yep, I just got another sword within a week span. I'm so happy on how much swords I am able to buy.
Historical overview
There is a controversy on the real existence of the "Ninja" Sword. According to some sources, it is said that an authentic ninja sword is a wakizashi blade with a katana sized tsuka and saya, giving the sword a normal appearance when not drawn. When drawn, it has the ability of drawing faster than a regular katana, due to the smaller blade size. This ninja sword is the fictional Hollywood style "Ninjato", where it is a blade the same length of a wakizashi but has a straight blade instead.
Full Disclosure
I bought this sword full price on SwordNArmory website. I am an average sword collector with average knowledge about swords. I have only handled medium large swords, especially Japanese swords. The only experience I have with a short sword like this is my Munetoshi Bonsai Wakizashi. Actually, I bought two swords... :mrgreen: But lets focus on the ninjato.
Initial Impressions
The ninjato came in a plain box with Styrofoam spacers. The sword came with spare seppa and mekugi. The sword itself felt light when I picked it up.
The blade seems to be covered in some plastic wrapping, which I find a bit outlandish.
Statistics
*Stats are collected from the SwordNArmory site*
Nagasa Length: 21.75"
Nagasa Material/Tempering: Though Hardened 1060 steel
Tsuka Length: 10.5"
Overall Length: 33.25"
Point of Balance: 4"
Weight w/o Saya: 2 lb
Components
The Nagasa
Here is a picture of the blade in the plastic wrapping:
Here's without it:
Much better... Breathe the fresh air my sword
The blade is made of Through Hardened 1060 steel and is straight bladed. The blade is blued to a dark black finish. The sword came heavily oiled, which to me is not very unusual. It's good to have a heavy oiled sword when shipping... right? :?
The habaki itself has this strange brown spots on the surface. I hope it ain't something serious...
The kissaki is also shaped well. It has no yokote, making it look very nice with the black finish.
The Tsuka
The tsuka features black cotton ito and white samegawa. The ito is wrapped very tightly and very neatly, especially the end knots. Personally, since this sword is supposed to be "ninja", it would've been nicer to have black samegawa.
The Tsuba
The tsuba is as plain and simple as it can get. It is the stereotypical Hollywood square ninja sword guard, with the usual one hole on each side. (Which I have no idea what they are called :? ) The tsuba is made of steel and has a black finish.
The Fuchi-Kashira and Menuki
First time my finger was in the way of my camera... :/
The fittings are made of zinc alloy. The Fuchi and Kashira look very familiar, like I've seen them on a sword before... Oh, it's identical to the ones found on my Munetoshi Nisshoku. It is basically a black and gold pebbled pattern with strips. T
The Saya
Removing the plastic wrapping definitely changed the fit of the sword in the saya. It was fine and then now it is very loose. It has no friction fit with the saya opening and the habaki. The saya itself is fine and looks very nice. The sageo is made of cotton and the gloss finish on the saya is decent. The sword rattles in the saya, just very loose and can fall out when turned in an angle.
Handling Characteristics
The sword has almost identical handling of my Munetoshi Bonsai Wakizashi. It was light enough to be wielded with one hand and was short enough to make fast cuts. Still making a comparison with my wakizashi, it makes a slightly louder tachi-kaze, but it is still subtle to be heard all the time.
Test Cutting
This sword was able to cut paper decently. Not clean cuts, but the sword can cut well. The sword was able to cut the postal box with my newbish swings. The sword's black finishing was not scratched off as some would think. Sorry there are no pictures for these tests, but I will try to get some posted.
Conclusions
The best quality I haven't talked about in my review is that this is one of the cheapest "Ninjato" in the market that is actually scaled right. For example, the Musashi Ninjato is cheaper than this, but features a 27" blade and scales around 38"-40" overall, which is not a very "authentic" size for a ninjato. There is the Hanwei Ninjato, but seriously, that sword can kill some budget sword owners since the price of them increased, making them more expensive than they used to be.
Pros
- Nice blackened finish on a good tempered blade
- Always nice to have spare parts like the seppa and mekugi
- Light weight blade for a ninjato
- beautiful blade with nice straight fuller
Cons
- Very loose fit on the saya, slides out easily
- Not exactly razor sharp
- Tsuba feels larger than what it usually is on a Japanese sword
- It would be more "ninja" for the sword to be coming in black samegawa
The Bottom Line
This sword is a great value for a ninjato. It's scaled right and is decently priced. Other than the major flaw of the saya not fitting very well, this sword has potential of being a great piece in any collection.
I would recommend this sword to anyone who is looking for a functional authentic Hollywood Ninjato without breaking their budget.
*FAIL* For those who would prefer a non-blackened version, they do sell the same blade on SwordNArmory here.
_____________________________________________
And for those wondering about the other sword, here's some pics,
Not the best sword for the price, but it looks unique in the eyes of a newbie. Especially, hopefully, to a friend that I am gifting it to. :mrgreen: Yeah, the blade is not nearly as close to sharp, but it can barely cut paper. The sword came with a cleaning kit and a certificate of authenticity, awesome extras that I didn't expect. The whole fit and finish was unexpectedly pretty solid, yet not as detailed and clean as it would be.
Hello, again. SORRY IF THESE REVIEWS ARE GETTING ANNOYING. :? Yep, I just got another sword within a week span. I'm so happy on how much swords I am able to buy.
Historical overview
There is a controversy on the real existence of the "Ninja" Sword. According to some sources, it is said that an authentic ninja sword is a wakizashi blade with a katana sized tsuka and saya, giving the sword a normal appearance when not drawn. When drawn, it has the ability of drawing faster than a regular katana, due to the smaller blade size. This ninja sword is the fictional Hollywood style "Ninjato", where it is a blade the same length of a wakizashi but has a straight blade instead.
Full Disclosure
I bought this sword full price on SwordNArmory website. I am an average sword collector with average knowledge about swords. I have only handled medium large swords, especially Japanese swords. The only experience I have with a short sword like this is my Munetoshi Bonsai Wakizashi. Actually, I bought two swords... :mrgreen: But lets focus on the ninjato.
Initial Impressions
The ninjato came in a plain box with Styrofoam spacers. The sword came with spare seppa and mekugi. The sword itself felt light when I picked it up.
The blade seems to be covered in some plastic wrapping, which I find a bit outlandish.
Statistics
*Stats are collected from the SwordNArmory site*
Nagasa Length: 21.75"
Nagasa Material/Tempering: Though Hardened 1060 steel
Tsuka Length: 10.5"
Overall Length: 33.25"
Point of Balance: 4"
Weight w/o Saya: 2 lb
Components
The Nagasa
Here is a picture of the blade in the plastic wrapping:
Here's without it:
Much better... Breathe the fresh air my sword
The blade is made of Through Hardened 1060 steel and is straight bladed. The blade is blued to a dark black finish. The sword came heavily oiled, which to me is not very unusual. It's good to have a heavy oiled sword when shipping... right? :?
The habaki itself has this strange brown spots on the surface. I hope it ain't something serious...
The kissaki is also shaped well. It has no yokote, making it look very nice with the black finish.
The Tsuka
The tsuka features black cotton ito and white samegawa. The ito is wrapped very tightly and very neatly, especially the end knots. Personally, since this sword is supposed to be "ninja", it would've been nicer to have black samegawa.
The Tsuba
The tsuba is as plain and simple as it can get. It is the stereotypical Hollywood square ninja sword guard, with the usual one hole on each side. (Which I have no idea what they are called :? ) The tsuba is made of steel and has a black finish.
The Fuchi-Kashira and Menuki
First time my finger was in the way of my camera... :/
The fittings are made of zinc alloy. The Fuchi and Kashira look very familiar, like I've seen them on a sword before... Oh, it's identical to the ones found on my Munetoshi Nisshoku. It is basically a black and gold pebbled pattern with strips. T
The Saya
Removing the plastic wrapping definitely changed the fit of the sword in the saya. It was fine and then now it is very loose. It has no friction fit with the saya opening and the habaki. The saya itself is fine and looks very nice. The sageo is made of cotton and the gloss finish on the saya is decent. The sword rattles in the saya, just very loose and can fall out when turned in an angle.
Handling Characteristics
The sword has almost identical handling of my Munetoshi Bonsai Wakizashi. It was light enough to be wielded with one hand and was short enough to make fast cuts. Still making a comparison with my wakizashi, it makes a slightly louder tachi-kaze, but it is still subtle to be heard all the time.
Test Cutting
This sword was able to cut paper decently. Not clean cuts, but the sword can cut well. The sword was able to cut the postal box with my newbish swings. The sword's black finishing was not scratched off as some would think. Sorry there are no pictures for these tests, but I will try to get some posted.
Conclusions
The best quality I haven't talked about in my review is that this is one of the cheapest "Ninjato" in the market that is actually scaled right. For example, the Musashi Ninjato is cheaper than this, but features a 27" blade and scales around 38"-40" overall, which is not a very "authentic" size for a ninjato. There is the Hanwei Ninjato, but seriously, that sword can kill some budget sword owners since the price of them increased, making them more expensive than they used to be.
Pros
- Nice blackened finish on a good tempered blade
- Always nice to have spare parts like the seppa and mekugi
- Light weight blade for a ninjato
- beautiful blade with nice straight fuller
Cons
- Very loose fit on the saya, slides out easily
- Not exactly razor sharp
- Tsuba feels larger than what it usually is on a Japanese sword
- It would be more "ninja" for the sword to be coming in black samegawa
The Bottom Line
This sword is a great value for a ninjato. It's scaled right and is decently priced. Other than the major flaw of the saya not fitting very well, this sword has potential of being a great piece in any collection.
I would recommend this sword to anyone who is looking for a functional authentic Hollywood Ninjato without breaking their budget.
*FAIL* For those who would prefer a non-blackened version, they do sell the same blade on SwordNArmory here.
_____________________________________________
And for those wondering about the other sword, here's some pics,
Not the best sword for the price, but it looks unique in the eyes of a newbie. Especially, hopefully, to a friend that I am gifting it to. :mrgreen: Yeah, the blade is not nearly as close to sharp, but it can barely cut paper. The sword came with a cleaning kit and a certificate of authenticity, awesome extras that I didn't expect. The whole fit and finish was unexpectedly pretty solid, yet not as detailed and clean as it would be.