ST-Nihonto Iaito
Dec 13, 2013 20:52:15 GMT
Post by sochiemill on Dec 13, 2013 20:52:15 GMT
I wanted another option for my iaido students to have when purchasing an iaito. I know about the japanese imported iaito, but the prices can be very high. Some of my students do have them, but I was not really impressed with the alloy blade. It does not feel solid to me. So, I decided to purchase a Chinese made iaito for myself to see if these will work for my students. I have in the past purchased an iaito from Swordnarmory for one of my students. He was young and had little income. The iaito was around $60 with free shipping. Not bad, the balance was decent and the student had no issues with it. But the fittings were very basic and not the best quality.
I read good reviews about ST-Nihonto on this forum, so I communicated with him through ebay. He responded very quickly, but his translation was not the best. I managed.
Here is the item on ebay. www.ebay.com/itm/221177911616?ss ... 1439.l2649
This is how it came. Nice packaging for the overseas travel. Delivered within reasonable time. USPS delivered it.
Nice sword bag.
The Iaito. Nicely wrapped in plastic.
I thought the saya was wrapped in plastic, but it was the lacquer which gave the illusion.
This is the blade. It is 1060 carbon steel. TH. Bohi. Fake hamon, but nicely done. The tip and the hasaki are dull as expected.
POB: Around 4 1/2" from Habaki. Not bad for iaido. It does not feel tip heavy, but just right.
Blade length from habaki: 27 1/4".
Tsuka: 10.5" from tsuba. Nicely shaped.
I won't go into detail in other areas of the blade since it is an iaito, not a cutter.
Tsuba & habaki: I kept the tsuba and the fittings original. Not bad for alloy, but I don't need iron since it is an iaito. Habaki fits nice and tight. NO wiggles. Seppas are nice as well. Nice and tight, no wiggles.
Tsuka: I chose katate maki mode 1, but it came in as mode2 with menuki on the outside, instead of inside. I prefer this anyways. Very nicely done. Ito is nice and tight. Diamonds are alternating and even. Mekugi fits the fitting nicely. Everything is tight. Same is black. Feels like real same. Standard for this price range. No wood showing, which is very nice.
Saya: Nicely made with good lacquering. No cracks, but a decent sized ding covered up by the sageo. No big deal since the saya will get used. I had to glue down the shito-dome, but again, no big deal.
Sageo: It matches the ito, but there are areas where it is fraying(not tight). Oh well, I can live with that.
Overall picture:
Pros:
1. The price is awesome. If you wait for a sale and free shipping, it is a very affordable.
2. Able to customize.
3. Tight fittings, nice tsuka-maki, decent same, and nicely shaped tsuka.
4. Ito is nice quality, I don't think it is silk, but synthetic. However, it feels nice and grippy in my hands. It should wear nicely. Both ito and sageo matches in color.
5. Blade has nice balance for an iaito. I will know more when I practice with it.
Cons:
1. Sageo has flaws, but I am not too concerned since the price is low.
2. Shito-dome is loose, but easily fixable. I had other swords with this issue.
Overall:
I am very pleased with this purchase. For the price, it is a winner for me. Now I have options for the new students who can't spend the big bucks on Japanese iaito.
Thanks for taking time reading my long preview. I hope this help you out.
Good day.
I read good reviews about ST-Nihonto on this forum, so I communicated with him through ebay. He responded very quickly, but his translation was not the best. I managed.
Here is the item on ebay. www.ebay.com/itm/221177911616?ss ... 1439.l2649
This is how it came. Nice packaging for the overseas travel. Delivered within reasonable time. USPS delivered it.
Nice sword bag.
The Iaito. Nicely wrapped in plastic.
I thought the saya was wrapped in plastic, but it was the lacquer which gave the illusion.
This is the blade. It is 1060 carbon steel. TH. Bohi. Fake hamon, but nicely done. The tip and the hasaki are dull as expected.
POB: Around 4 1/2" from Habaki. Not bad for iaido. It does not feel tip heavy, but just right.
Blade length from habaki: 27 1/4".
Tsuka: 10.5" from tsuba. Nicely shaped.
I won't go into detail in other areas of the blade since it is an iaito, not a cutter.
Tsuba & habaki: I kept the tsuba and the fittings original. Not bad for alloy, but I don't need iron since it is an iaito. Habaki fits nice and tight. NO wiggles. Seppas are nice as well. Nice and tight, no wiggles.
Tsuka: I chose katate maki mode 1, but it came in as mode2 with menuki on the outside, instead of inside. I prefer this anyways. Very nicely done. Ito is nice and tight. Diamonds are alternating and even. Mekugi fits the fitting nicely. Everything is tight. Same is black. Feels like real same. Standard for this price range. No wood showing, which is very nice.
Saya: Nicely made with good lacquering. No cracks, but a decent sized ding covered up by the sageo. No big deal since the saya will get used. I had to glue down the shito-dome, but again, no big deal.
Sageo: It matches the ito, but there are areas where it is fraying(not tight). Oh well, I can live with that.
Overall picture:
Pros:
1. The price is awesome. If you wait for a sale and free shipping, it is a very affordable.
2. Able to customize.
3. Tight fittings, nice tsuka-maki, decent same, and nicely shaped tsuka.
4. Ito is nice quality, I don't think it is silk, but synthetic. However, it feels nice and grippy in my hands. It should wear nicely. Both ito and sageo matches in color.
5. Blade has nice balance for an iaito. I will know more when I practice with it.
Cons:
1. Sageo has flaws, but I am not too concerned since the price is low.
2. Shito-dome is loose, but easily fixable. I had other swords with this issue.
Overall:
I am very pleased with this purchase. For the price, it is a winner for me. Now I have options for the new students who can't spend the big bucks on Japanese iaito.
Thanks for taking time reading my long preview. I hope this help you out.
Good day.