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Post by Cswann821 on Apr 5, 2013 17:43:59 GMT
Hello all , I'm new to the board And definitely new to buying quality swords . So first things first, my fiancé is a Big fan of the tv series the walking dead ,and has expressed to me how she would love a katana to hack zombies apart come the apocalypse . Can anyone suggest some more super functional , sharp katanas that also look pretty for a female ? It's her birthday . I was in the store and have my eye on that ONI model 14 . So for her katana I'm looking between 300-400.00 buget .
Now looking at all these, I myself have got an itch. In my past I do have experience with aikido, kendo and fencing . I would love something to hang, but know that if need be I could pull the katana down, and know it has kept a sharp edge to cut heads! Razor sharp and strong, and ready incase I need to bug out ( this is my first priority over looks). I'm 6'1" and have x-large hands. I'm willing to go up to 500.00 price .
ALSO... If like them to come with functioning sheaths.
Suggestions would be great, while I read up on things.
Sincerely , Chris
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Post by fruit-ninja on Apr 5, 2013 19:16:57 GMT
I would go with a munetoshi- functional, traditional and good looking. Perfect for your fiance's zombie chopping needs! :mrgreen: Im not sure if this ticks ALL the boxes but i thinks its a good place to start looking. www.swordnarmory.com/Munetoshi-H ... h-8805.htm
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Post by Lobster Hunter on Apr 6, 2013 0:16:57 GMT
How tall is your fiance? How big are her hands? This info will help us make better recommendations. Do you want a blade with hamon or does it not matter? If you have really big hands, maybe a katana with a slightly longer handle might fit you better?
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Apr 6, 2013 0:36:46 GMT
I've owned two Munetoshi, which is the "house brand" of vendor Swordnarmory, and agree that they are very good for what you pay. Many option for under $400. Swordnarmory is a fantastic company as well. There are a couple of issues that you should look for when ordering one, like a cracked tsuka(wood handle core located under the wrapping), One fantastic thing about Swordnarmory is that if you do find an issue, they will replace it at no charge. Ronin Katana offers a decent selection of very quality swords. www.roninkatana.com/ The prices are very good, and the owner, Chris, is a rock-solid dude. is another vendor that offers great swords at great prices. They are currently sold out, but you can contact Ricky, the owner, here at his SBG page. forum.sword-buyers-guide.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2659Another option, if you have some time, is a custom through one of the reputable low-cost dealers. They have a lot of options for a reasonable price. Huawei: www.ebay.com/sch/huawei-sword/m.htmlZhiforge: 17sword.com/Sinosword: www.sinosword.com/All of them offer stock swords, which you can then tweak to your preference(colors, fittings, ect.), or you can give them exacting details and have a wholly custom made sword. The wait time is dependent on the level of your customization. As Lobster Hundter said, you should take into account your ladies size. If she is short, you may want to look into a Ko-Katana(chisa katana), such as this: www.roninkatana.com/dojopro-ko-katana1.html or a shorter katana like this: www.roninkatana.com/dojopro15.html.
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Post by Cswann821 on Apr 6, 2013 7:45:44 GMT
Thanks all!
My Fiance is about 5'8"-5'9" and I want to say she has medium to large hands for a female. She's a country "tom boy" not scared to get dirty and look pretty doing so.
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Post by Cswann821 on Apr 6, 2013 7:54:10 GMT
I'll take a look at the pages everyone linked. I'd like to have A blade with Hamon, but if comes to choosing a blade that is better quality, cuts better .. I'd over look it. If I could get both, without having to pay much more than the price ranges I've set for myself and fiance' blades.. I'd probably go that route. Also, I'd also want a longer handle for myself.
S
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Post by Cswann821 on Apr 6, 2013 7:58:12 GMT
Does anyone have a reference page or preferably pictures showing the different type of Katana Blade Shapes?
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Paul
Member
Senior Forumite
Posts: 1,771
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Post by Paul on Apr 6, 2013 8:03:43 GMT
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Post by Cswann821 on Apr 6, 2013 8:12:24 GMT
Now you've all done it. Now I have to research types of metals to be used and compared. I really like the JKOO page , or really the thought of having a custom made fore me. Can this be done on a 300-600 budget?
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Post by hussar on Apr 6, 2013 9:01:15 GMT
yes a custom blade can be done for 300-600 dollars heck if you don't get anything to outrages you could get two for 600 but beware at that price sometimes they can cock up and give you the wrong fittings or hamon style by mistake but then again those three all do very good jobs most of the time out of the 3 Ill'd go jkoo also for steel types stick with unfolded t-10 or 1095 t-10 is cheaper but 1095 is usually stronger (note usually sometime a t-10 blade is better although very rarely) but the difference in strength is normally unnoticeable
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Post by Cswann821 on Apr 6, 2013 13:22:15 GMT
So by asking for
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Post by Cswann821 on Apr 6, 2013 13:31:25 GMT
So I've read a little on folded and unfolded steel. When would you want folded steel? When you know the sword maker is quality and folds correctly or of I'm just focused on looks? Are the chances or getting a strong folded steel which looks beautiful low ..,, compared to going unfolded... In this price range at least
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Post by Cswann821 on Apr 6, 2013 13:40:34 GMT
I found these hand makes on the sbg shop at my price tag, has anyone commented in these ? I like the choji hammon, but how are these as cutters and do they come wrapped? With a sheath? Longquan Hammer Forged - Shirasaya Elite sbg-sword-store.sword-buyers-gui ... ct250.html
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Post by hussar on Apr 6, 2013 15:04:08 GMT
would not have a clue on those seem to be a recent addition anyway while you can get a strong folded steel blade in this price range I would not most forges use machine folded billets in this range to make sure they won't snap like twigs but they still aren't as strong as unfolded they could stand up to the job of kill let say zombies but not for long say 6-8 months of constant use (the amount of time it took a friend of mine to ruin a folded jkoo with daily heavy use) where as a unfolded blade will last longer (about 10-12 months of heavy use) that being said a lot of people find folded steel pretty and are more than willing to sacrifice durability for looks it's you're choice and jkoo dose good folded blades for the price although personally I don't like folded blades (probably should of mentioned that earlier as I have a bit of a bias)
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Post by Cswann821 on Apr 6, 2013 17:52:49 GMT
Well I think I'm ready to start filling out jkoo template . Ill need to take the time to find out what I want . They don't seem to have prices for anything as well . Do you have any advice as far as the starting katanas that they sell to customize off of
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Post by Maynar on Apr 6, 2013 18:20:09 GMT
Folded steel is just for looks. In the past, iron sand the Japanese used to forge steel resulted in poor quality product, so they folded it to remove impurities. With the high quality of modern steel, folding is no longer necessary. If you love the look of folded steel you can certainly have that, but as I said, it has no practical function in modern swordmaking.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Apr 6, 2013 18:25:09 GMT
I'd say to find the one you like the most, add your requests, and wait for the reply. For the most part, the higher the carbon count(1045, 1060, 1095) and the forging method will dictate the price. For instance, a TH 1045 unfolded blade will be very cheap, but a DH folded 1095 will be up there, comparatively.
As far as the carbon count goes, 1045 is the very minimum level accepted as being usable for a sword. 1060 is a good medium, with decent edge retention and good toughness. 1095 isn't as tough, but holds a much sharper edge for longer. It also shows a really nice hamon.
I'd personally avoid folded blades. They look good, but the process of folding is best left to the more highly skilled smiths. Lower cost folded blades are not really inherently weaker, but what they do have is a higher risk of internal flaws that can lead to failure.
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Post by Lobster Hunter on Apr 6, 2013 20:12:10 GMT
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hhmoore
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Sneaking around once in a while
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Post by hhmoore on Apr 6, 2013 20:20:06 GMT
I would consider those project blades; not something to take out of the box and use for cutting. Read the description:
The tsuka will not be wrapped, nor will it have fuchi/kashira - it will be held together with the mekugi (and probably some glue)
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Post by stickem on Apr 6, 2013 21:07:37 GMT
I think these are the same thing as a Ronin Elite: www.roninkatana.com/ronin-elite-2012-bare-blade.html'Shirasaya' means they come in a wooden sheath with a handle of wood that close up tight to prevent rust and so on. This is the way samurai used to store their blades when not actively using them, and many of these old swords are still stored this way today. Thing is, you'd have to trick it out with fittings and wrap to be able to use it to cut something with. So you'd be better off going with something not in shirasaya as a beginner. The whole shirasaya thing is intended for folks who want to cutomize their sword, but don't want to pay for the fittings and ito and such they are just going to take off anyways.
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