Proswords Semi-Custom, A Quick Look
Jul 6, 2013 23:32:45 GMT
Post by frankthebunny on Jul 6, 2013 23:32:45 GMT
This isn't a full review since I didn't do any cutting with it but since I have one in hand, I thought I'd try to answer some of the questions I've seen posted regarding this company's current products.
(open in new tab to see full images)
This was a semi-custom order with options for a longer tsuka length, ito material and color, and fittings.
The blade itself is the standard T-10 differentially hardened shinogi zukuri no hi model but in a non-standard length of 31 3/8"
Statistics:
Blade material - T-10 high speed tool steel
Blade length - 31 3/8" (from ha-machi)
Tsuka length - 12" (was supposed to be 13")
Nakago length - 11 1/2"
Blade thickness at habaki - 6mm
Blade thickness at yokote - 4.5mm
Kissaki length - 3/4"
Blade width at habaki - 1 1/4"
Blade width at Yokote - 15/16"
Weight (w/saya) - 3.73 Lbs.
Weight (w/o saya) - 2.98 Lbs.
Weight (bare blade) - 2.28 Lbs.
Sori - 3/4"
POB - 6"
Hamon - Notare midare
The fittings
The fuchi/kashira on this sword are typical brass alloy castings with hand painted details. The quality is comparable to inexpensive suppliers such as Artsfeng and are in my opinion, gaudy and poorly finished. They are also very large and would require the tsuka to be thick and wide to fit properly.
The tsuba is of the same material and quality as the f&k.
The seppa are made of copper and are stamped, nothing special but better than the cheaper gear stamped brass ones. The Habaki is of brass and is also typical average quality with gaps on both sides but fairly well centered.
Tsuka
The tsuka is in my opinion an eyesore. While it does have alternating ito, and the core was not cracked as far as I can tell, everything else is very poorly done.
The core is fully wrapped in tanned samegawa which is thick and requires a lot of wood to be removed and doesn't add the same strength in return as the raw type.
The wood used is red and a little rubbery, easily flexing with some pressure from my hands. The tsuka also smells really bad. The tsuka was on the nakago extremely tight and took more force than usual to remove, even with a proper tool.
The ito is a faux leather that is fragile and is easily scratched and damaged with use. The diamonds are sloppy and do not use hishigami, there is a break in a strand which was just glued one piece over another as a messy fix and the end knots are very loose and ugly.
Because the tsukamaki and end knots are so loose and poorly done, the kashira is also extremely loose and could probably be pulled off with a tug.
The Saya
Here is another example of poor craftsmanship. While the fit is satisfactory with a bit of rattle, the aesthetics are scary.
The best part is that the koiguchi, kurikata, and kojiri seem to be made of buffalo horn.
The partial samegawa wrap is of tanned samegawa and doesn't look like it was fit very well. Usually the area where it will be applied is carved down to allow a flush fit but this piece looks like it was laid on top of the surface. The samegawa wraps are also usually sanded down after lacquering to achieve a flat smooth surface where this one was left with the round and bumpy nodes.
There are areas where the samegawa ends or is joined to the koiguchi that have large amounts of glue just applied in a very messy way and are not nice to look at to say the least.
There was something in the opening to help tighten the fit on the habaki that looked like dried oatmeal but I'm not really sure what it's made of. Definitely not standard wood shims.
The kurikata is poorly installed with a huge gap on one side and more messy glue around the edges.
The black lacquer is applied so thick and sloppily that it almost looks like it was a plastic sleeve that was heat shrinked onto the wood. Look how it appears around the kojiri
The Blade
Ok, here is where the value is. The blade is a well shaped and sturdy shinogi-zukuri style with clean crisp lines and decent polish. The natural hamon pops with the help of a factory applied acid etch* and shows nice activity.
The habuchi is clear and well defined and the boshi is robust with a very attractive turnback. There is no ugly or scratchy looking cross polish on the kissaki because it is polished the same as the rest of the blade but while not traditional, it looks neat and cleanly done.
While the yokote isn't as crisp as the shinogi, it is visible and there is a slight geometric shift. The mune is standard iori and travels dead center all the way to the very tip without deviating or getting soft. The edge is very sharp and easily slices paper but since I have not cut anything with it, I'm not sure how durable it is.
The nakago is well cut and shaped with clean ha and mune-machi. There are some burrs around the mekugi-ana which can be easily filed off but prevent the tsuka from coming off easily. I was surprised to see that there is even a tiny bit of curvature on the nakago even though it is hidden by the stick straight tsuka. It is good to know that the nakago is of sufficient length for a 12" tsuka (especially with such a weak tsuka core)
This blade is very similar to the two Kuramono I've had/handled that were produced before Proswords took over and imho, is a piece of steel worth building on.
Handling
I did only a little dry handling so I don't have a clear idea really. It seemed a bit hefty and tip heavy to me but then again it does have a 32" blade(to tsuba) so it's not very surprising. I feel the 6" pob on a blade this size and weight is pretty good and for those who like a heavy cutter, it seems like it would fit the bill nicely.
Final Thoughts
I would recommend this sword for under $300 and for the blade alone, not the koshirae. To pay more for semi-custom options is just not worth it in my opinion. Hopefully these will improve over time if the company sticks around.
The blade is well made and worth building a new sword around but maybe only if you could get one second hand for a good price. There are too many other very nice swords on the market right now for me to consider this one.
Pros
Well made blade with crisp clean lines and bright hamon that really pops
Decent copper seppa and brass habaki
Buffalo horn parts
Cons
Pretty much everything else
Thanks for looking
-Josh
* Because I don't want to state any opinions of mine as fact I will say this -
I have to officially state that I cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the hamon on this sword is enhanced with an acid etch.
(open in new tab to see full images)
This was a semi-custom order with options for a longer tsuka length, ito material and color, and fittings.
The blade itself is the standard T-10 differentially hardened shinogi zukuri no hi model but in a non-standard length of 31 3/8"
Statistics:
Blade material - T-10 high speed tool steel
Blade length - 31 3/8" (from ha-machi)
Tsuka length - 12" (was supposed to be 13")
Nakago length - 11 1/2"
Blade thickness at habaki - 6mm
Blade thickness at yokote - 4.5mm
Kissaki length - 3/4"
Blade width at habaki - 1 1/4"
Blade width at Yokote - 15/16"
Weight (w/saya) - 3.73 Lbs.
Weight (w/o saya) - 2.98 Lbs.
Weight (bare blade) - 2.28 Lbs.
Sori - 3/4"
POB - 6"
Hamon - Notare midare
The fittings
The fuchi/kashira on this sword are typical brass alloy castings with hand painted details. The quality is comparable to inexpensive suppliers such as Artsfeng and are in my opinion, gaudy and poorly finished. They are also very large and would require the tsuka to be thick and wide to fit properly.
The tsuba is of the same material and quality as the f&k.
The seppa are made of copper and are stamped, nothing special but better than the cheaper gear stamped brass ones. The Habaki is of brass and is also typical average quality with gaps on both sides but fairly well centered.
Tsuka
The tsuka is in my opinion an eyesore. While it does have alternating ito, and the core was not cracked as far as I can tell, everything else is very poorly done.
The core is fully wrapped in tanned samegawa which is thick and requires a lot of wood to be removed and doesn't add the same strength in return as the raw type.
The wood used is red and a little rubbery, easily flexing with some pressure from my hands. The tsuka also smells really bad. The tsuka was on the nakago extremely tight and took more force than usual to remove, even with a proper tool.
The ito is a faux leather that is fragile and is easily scratched and damaged with use. The diamonds are sloppy and do not use hishigami, there is a break in a strand which was just glued one piece over another as a messy fix and the end knots are very loose and ugly.
Because the tsukamaki and end knots are so loose and poorly done, the kashira is also extremely loose and could probably be pulled off with a tug.
The Saya
Here is another example of poor craftsmanship. While the fit is satisfactory with a bit of rattle, the aesthetics are scary.
The best part is that the koiguchi, kurikata, and kojiri seem to be made of buffalo horn.
The partial samegawa wrap is of tanned samegawa and doesn't look like it was fit very well. Usually the area where it will be applied is carved down to allow a flush fit but this piece looks like it was laid on top of the surface. The samegawa wraps are also usually sanded down after lacquering to achieve a flat smooth surface where this one was left with the round and bumpy nodes.
There are areas where the samegawa ends or is joined to the koiguchi that have large amounts of glue just applied in a very messy way and are not nice to look at to say the least.
There was something in the opening to help tighten the fit on the habaki that looked like dried oatmeal but I'm not really sure what it's made of. Definitely not standard wood shims.
The kurikata is poorly installed with a huge gap on one side and more messy glue around the edges.
The black lacquer is applied so thick and sloppily that it almost looks like it was a plastic sleeve that was heat shrinked onto the wood. Look how it appears around the kojiri
The Blade
Ok, here is where the value is. The blade is a well shaped and sturdy shinogi-zukuri style with clean crisp lines and decent polish. The natural hamon pops with the help of a factory applied acid etch* and shows nice activity.
The habuchi is clear and well defined and the boshi is robust with a very attractive turnback. There is no ugly or scratchy looking cross polish on the kissaki because it is polished the same as the rest of the blade but while not traditional, it looks neat and cleanly done.
While the yokote isn't as crisp as the shinogi, it is visible and there is a slight geometric shift. The mune is standard iori and travels dead center all the way to the very tip without deviating or getting soft. The edge is very sharp and easily slices paper but since I have not cut anything with it, I'm not sure how durable it is.
The nakago is well cut and shaped with clean ha and mune-machi. There are some burrs around the mekugi-ana which can be easily filed off but prevent the tsuka from coming off easily. I was surprised to see that there is even a tiny bit of curvature on the nakago even though it is hidden by the stick straight tsuka. It is good to know that the nakago is of sufficient length for a 12" tsuka (especially with such a weak tsuka core)
This blade is very similar to the two Kuramono I've had/handled that were produced before Proswords took over and imho, is a piece of steel worth building on.
Handling
I did only a little dry handling so I don't have a clear idea really. It seemed a bit hefty and tip heavy to me but then again it does have a 32" blade(to tsuba) so it's not very surprising. I feel the 6" pob on a blade this size and weight is pretty good and for those who like a heavy cutter, it seems like it would fit the bill nicely.
Final Thoughts
I would recommend this sword for under $300 and for the blade alone, not the koshirae. To pay more for semi-custom options is just not worth it in my opinion. Hopefully these will improve over time if the company sticks around.
The blade is well made and worth building a new sword around but maybe only if you could get one second hand for a good price. There are too many other very nice swords on the market right now for me to consider this one.
Pros
Well made blade with crisp clean lines and bright hamon that really pops
Decent copper seppa and brass habaki
Buffalo horn parts
Cons
Pretty much everything else
Thanks for looking
-Josh
* Because I don't want to state any opinions of mine as fact I will say this -
I have to officially state that I cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the hamon on this sword is enhanced with an acid etch.