Ko Katana Comparo
Jun 19, 2013 19:28:19 GMT
Post by hhmoore on Jun 19, 2013 19:28:19 GMT
This has a lot of images; until they get things fixed, it's probably better to click on the Print View (upper right corner). You can always come back and view whatever pics you want in full size
Introduction
This started in my head as a showdown between the Cheness Tenchi and the Ronin Dojo Pro ko kats…but that SBG Black Dragon was just sitting there, and a few people raised the question of whether it was worthy of its new price tag (roughly a $100 increase); so I decided to take a closer look at it, with that thought in mind. I’d been eyeing a WSS ko kat for some time; and, having committed to doing this comparison, I decided to snatch it up.
When reading this, please keep in mind that what little formal training I had with a katana was 20+ yrs ago – long enough ago that I disqualify it, especially since I didn’t even touch anything of the kind again until I purchased my Tenchi ko katana. Consider me a novice, because I am. I like swords; but my knowledge base is weak compared to many that will read this…and my eye for certain details is at least half blind. That said, I know what feels good in my hand; and I will attempt to show potential ko kat buyers what they want/need to know.
Historical Overview
To be quite honest, I don't know if swords similar to what we call a ko katana existed historically...and, if they did, was it simply a matter of fitting the blade to the person?
Full Disclosure
The swords featured in this review were purchased by me, at the full asking price of the sellers. The Cheness and SBG were purchased new, well before this review was even a consideration. The Ronin and WSS were purchased secondhand; and, while I purchased them specifically for this purpose, I did not reveal that to the sellers.
First Impressions
Cheness Tenchi
This was my first sword. I specifically wanted a shorter blade because it had been so long since I'd even held one in hand. Admittedly, like many first time owners, I was probably a bit starry eyed - but here's what I remember: I purchased directly from Cheness, without any preliminary correspondence with the company. Cheness does not provide tracking numbers - which was mildly annoying - but the box arrived within the anticipated time frame. The cardboard box contained a fancy looking, if not very sturdy, sword box. The saya was glossy; the blade was fairly sharp; the ito seemed sort of cheap looking, but it was comfortable enough. Let's just say that, as an undereducated consumer, I was pleased.
SBG Black Dragon
Oddly enough, I don't remember much about the packaging of this one. I think it was simple, but functional. The sword arrived undamaged, looking as I expected. It was lighter than the Tenchi, though - better handling. Nice hamon, sharp blade. I didn't want to mess this one up, so I put it in my rack and left it there.
Wiwingti Sword Supply (WSS)
This was a secondhand purchase. The packaging wasn't fancy; but the sword arrived undamaged, and that's all I really cared about. As I removed it from it's sword bag, the first thing I noticed was that the saya didn't come with it. By that, I don't mean it wasn't there - but the blade slid smoothly out of the saya as I drew it out of the bag. Hmmm - put the blade back in; grasped the saya, and slid the bag down to reveal my new purchase. Nice tight, blue ito; nickle silver fittings. Ahh - the saya - done in that black and blue "tree bark" finish; very pretty, but very loose. Hold the WSS by the tsuka and tip it down slightly, and the saya slides right off. (I'd read about the poor fitting saya in reviews, so that part wasn't a surprise...however I wasn't expecting it to be THAT loose). Blade is nice and long, sharp...and - what's this? - rather straight. Doesn't matter...this thing handles like a dream. I love it.
Ronin Dojo Pro
This was also a second hand purchase; but packaged in all the original stuff. The outer cardboard box contained the Ronin box. Since I had purchased this specifically to compare to the others (especially the Cheness), my mind was already working that way, and I was looking critically. (I had gone into details, but it was too long...so) Let's just say that it arrived in As New condition, and I was pleased.
Statistics aka The Tale of the Tape
For the sake of keeping this simple (and probably more accurate), I am going to use the posted measurements (from websites and/or reviews). The exception to this is the weights - these were done out of saya, by me, this morning.
Cheness Tenchi
Name Tenchi Ko Katana - 9260 Fully Functional Sharpened Ko Katana
Blade Through Hardened 9260 Silicon Alloy Carbon Spring Steel.
Overall Length (+ Saya) 34"
Blade 21"
Tsuba/Fuchi/Kashira Antiqued Brass Musashi Double Ring Tsuba with alloy fittings
Balance Point 2" from tsuba
Tsuka/Ho 10.5" Wood
Weight - 1030g, or 2 lbs, 4.2 oz
Ronin Dojo Pro
TH 1060
Nagasa : 23.25 in
Tsuka : 11 1/8 in with fittings
Weight : 2lbs 4 oz
POB : 3.75 in.
Tsuba/fuchi/kashira - blackened iron
Weight - 1000g, or 2 lbs 3.2 oz
WSS
TH 1070(?) - based on a forum post
Nagasa 25in
tsuka 12 in
pob 3.5 in
Tsuba is blackened steel; other fittings are nickel silver.
weight - 1090g, or 2 lbs 6.5 oz
SBG Black Dragon
DH T10
Blade length: 21” from Muromachi/Habaki
Handle length: 11"
POB: 5-6” from tsuba
tsuka/fittings - brass
weight 983g, or 2 lbs, 2.6 oz
Appearance
I'm going to let the pictures do the talking, and add some comments later.
Cheness Tenchi
Ronin Dojo Pro
Ronin + Cheness
WSS
Ronin + WSS
SBG
(Yeah - the table is on top...I wasn't paying attention when I took the pic, and had the dragon upside down)
Ronin + SBG (SBG on top)
About the ito...
The Cheness ito is cotton, and does not alternate. It was slightly loose on arrival, but hasn't worsened appreciably with use. (Closest to front in the next pic)
The SBG ito appears only slightly better than that of the Cheness, in quality. It does alternate. It is tighter than the Cheness; but has loosened slightly with just some dry handling + the cutting done in this review. The folds bulge enough to detract from the overall look/feel, IMO. (right behind the Cheness in pic)
The Ronin Dojo Pro ito is of better quality than the preceding two, and it is still nice and tight. It is also the flattest of the 4; so I'll give it the top score (third in pic)
The WSS ito seems of comparable quality, if not slightly better, than the RDP. It is equally tight, and well done. Good enough to tie with the RDP, IMO. (furthest back in the pic)
Tsuka shape and feel
This is pretty subjective. I'm putting the WSS on top here, with the RDP coming in second. I hate to say this; but I'm calling it a tie between the SBG and Cheness - it's sort of difficult for me to quantify; but there are things I like about both of them. The Cheness might have gotten a bit of an edge because I've had it longer, and used it a lot more; so my hands are used to it.
Handling
All of these handle quite nicely. This time, though, familiarity didn't win out. The WSS feels best to me, with the others being in a fairly close bunch behind it. I'll give the RDP a slight edge over the others. The SBG lost some ground here (with me) because the feel of the ito is a distraction, and because the handle length is just a little short for my taste. It also feels like it carries weight further forward - not quite blade heavy, but probably only because it is so light.
Test Cutting.
I went through a bunch of small water bottles, gallon milk/water jugs, and heavy plastic OJ bottles. I also cut double beach mats with 1/2 inch dowel centers, and those same doweled mats layered with newspaper. There were also a couple rolls without dowels because my dog got one of them, lol.
to be continued (too many pics, so I had to split it...and I wasn't finished)
Introduction
This started in my head as a showdown between the Cheness Tenchi and the Ronin Dojo Pro ko kats…but that SBG Black Dragon was just sitting there, and a few people raised the question of whether it was worthy of its new price tag (roughly a $100 increase); so I decided to take a closer look at it, with that thought in mind. I’d been eyeing a WSS ko kat for some time; and, having committed to doing this comparison, I decided to snatch it up.
When reading this, please keep in mind that what little formal training I had with a katana was 20+ yrs ago – long enough ago that I disqualify it, especially since I didn’t even touch anything of the kind again until I purchased my Tenchi ko katana. Consider me a novice, because I am. I like swords; but my knowledge base is weak compared to many that will read this…and my eye for certain details is at least half blind. That said, I know what feels good in my hand; and I will attempt to show potential ko kat buyers what they want/need to know.
Historical Overview
To be quite honest, I don't know if swords similar to what we call a ko katana existed historically...and, if they did, was it simply a matter of fitting the blade to the person?
Full Disclosure
The swords featured in this review were purchased by me, at the full asking price of the sellers. The Cheness and SBG were purchased new, well before this review was even a consideration. The Ronin and WSS were purchased secondhand; and, while I purchased them specifically for this purpose, I did not reveal that to the sellers.
First Impressions
Cheness Tenchi
This was my first sword. I specifically wanted a shorter blade because it had been so long since I'd even held one in hand. Admittedly, like many first time owners, I was probably a bit starry eyed - but here's what I remember: I purchased directly from Cheness, without any preliminary correspondence with the company. Cheness does not provide tracking numbers - which was mildly annoying - but the box arrived within the anticipated time frame. The cardboard box contained a fancy looking, if not very sturdy, sword box. The saya was glossy; the blade was fairly sharp; the ito seemed sort of cheap looking, but it was comfortable enough. Let's just say that, as an undereducated consumer, I was pleased.
SBG Black Dragon
Oddly enough, I don't remember much about the packaging of this one. I think it was simple, but functional. The sword arrived undamaged, looking as I expected. It was lighter than the Tenchi, though - better handling. Nice hamon, sharp blade. I didn't want to mess this one up, so I put it in my rack and left it there.
Wiwingti Sword Supply (WSS)
This was a secondhand purchase. The packaging wasn't fancy; but the sword arrived undamaged, and that's all I really cared about. As I removed it from it's sword bag, the first thing I noticed was that the saya didn't come with it. By that, I don't mean it wasn't there - but the blade slid smoothly out of the saya as I drew it out of the bag. Hmmm - put the blade back in; grasped the saya, and slid the bag down to reveal my new purchase. Nice tight, blue ito; nickle silver fittings. Ahh - the saya - done in that black and blue "tree bark" finish; very pretty, but very loose. Hold the WSS by the tsuka and tip it down slightly, and the saya slides right off. (I'd read about the poor fitting saya in reviews, so that part wasn't a surprise...however I wasn't expecting it to be THAT loose). Blade is nice and long, sharp...and - what's this? - rather straight. Doesn't matter...this thing handles like a dream. I love it.
Ronin Dojo Pro
This was also a second hand purchase; but packaged in all the original stuff. The outer cardboard box contained the Ronin box. Since I had purchased this specifically to compare to the others (especially the Cheness), my mind was already working that way, and I was looking critically. (I had gone into details, but it was too long...so) Let's just say that it arrived in As New condition, and I was pleased.
Statistics aka The Tale of the Tape
For the sake of keeping this simple (and probably more accurate), I am going to use the posted measurements (from websites and/or reviews). The exception to this is the weights - these were done out of saya, by me, this morning.
Cheness Tenchi
Name Tenchi Ko Katana - 9260 Fully Functional Sharpened Ko Katana
Blade Through Hardened 9260 Silicon Alloy Carbon Spring Steel.
Overall Length (+ Saya) 34"
Blade 21"
Tsuba/Fuchi/Kashira Antiqued Brass Musashi Double Ring Tsuba with alloy fittings
Balance Point 2" from tsuba
Tsuka/Ho 10.5" Wood
Weight - 1030g, or 2 lbs, 4.2 oz
Ronin Dojo Pro
TH 1060
Nagasa : 23.25 in
Tsuka : 11 1/8 in with fittings
Weight : 2lbs 4 oz
POB : 3.75 in.
Tsuba/fuchi/kashira - blackened iron
Weight - 1000g, or 2 lbs 3.2 oz
WSS
TH 1070(?) - based on a forum post
Nagasa 25in
tsuka 12 in
pob 3.5 in
Tsuba is blackened steel; other fittings are nickel silver.
weight - 1090g, or 2 lbs 6.5 oz
SBG Black Dragon
DH T10
Blade length: 21” from Muromachi/Habaki
Handle length: 11"
POB: 5-6” from tsuba
tsuka/fittings - brass
weight 983g, or 2 lbs, 2.6 oz
Appearance
I'm going to let the pictures do the talking, and add some comments later.
Cheness Tenchi
Ronin Dojo Pro
Ronin + Cheness
WSS
Ronin + WSS
SBG
(Yeah - the table is on top...I wasn't paying attention when I took the pic, and had the dragon upside down)
Ronin + SBG (SBG on top)
About the ito...
The Cheness ito is cotton, and does not alternate. It was slightly loose on arrival, but hasn't worsened appreciably with use. (Closest to front in the next pic)
The SBG ito appears only slightly better than that of the Cheness, in quality. It does alternate. It is tighter than the Cheness; but has loosened slightly with just some dry handling + the cutting done in this review. The folds bulge enough to detract from the overall look/feel, IMO. (right behind the Cheness in pic)
The Ronin Dojo Pro ito is of better quality than the preceding two, and it is still nice and tight. It is also the flattest of the 4; so I'll give it the top score (third in pic)
The WSS ito seems of comparable quality, if not slightly better, than the RDP. It is equally tight, and well done. Good enough to tie with the RDP, IMO. (furthest back in the pic)
Tsuka shape and feel
This is pretty subjective. I'm putting the WSS on top here, with the RDP coming in second. I hate to say this; but I'm calling it a tie between the SBG and Cheness - it's sort of difficult for me to quantify; but there are things I like about both of them. The Cheness might have gotten a bit of an edge because I've had it longer, and used it a lot more; so my hands are used to it.
Handling
All of these handle quite nicely. This time, though, familiarity didn't win out. The WSS feels best to me, with the others being in a fairly close bunch behind it. I'll give the RDP a slight edge over the others. The SBG lost some ground here (with me) because the feel of the ito is a distraction, and because the handle length is just a little short for my taste. It also feels like it carries weight further forward - not quite blade heavy, but probably only because it is so light.
Test Cutting.
I went through a bunch of small water bottles, gallon milk/water jugs, and heavy plastic OJ bottles. I also cut double beach mats with 1/2 inch dowel centers, and those same doweled mats layered with newspaper. There were also a couple rolls without dowels because my dog got one of them, lol.
to be continued (too many pics, so I had to split it...and I wasn't finished)