Huawei 9260 $100 Budget Sword (UPDATE)
Mar 1, 2014 0:02:09 GMT
Post by Sugiyama on Mar 1, 2014 0:02:09 GMT
Introduction:
So for my birthday about a week ago, my mother ordered me a sword as a present. It arrived today, and man, what a great gift to get from your family. The fact that she must have researched what manufacturers forge decent katana, too, makes it mean that much more to me. So without further ado, here's my review of the $100 HuaWei budget cutter.
Full Disclosure:
My mother purchased me this sword at full price from HuaWei's eBay store. My mother, myself, nor anyone else in my family, is associated with or receiving favors from eBay or HuaWei.
Stats:
Overall Length: 40.6 in (103 cm)
Nagasa: 27.95 in (71 cm)
Tsuka: 10.8 in (27.5 cm)
Thickness at mune-machi: .3 in (.76 cm)
Width at mune-machi: 1.26 in (3.2 cm)
Initial Impressions:
The sword came in HuaWei's signature yellow taped styrofoam packaging. It arrived a week after my mother placed the order. Pretty quick shipping from the other side of the world. I cut the packaging open, and revealed the very nice sword bag printed with a dragon motif. It's very soft, but feels pretty sturdy. The know was tied very well.
i.imgur.com/arZjgT9.jpg
i.imgur.com/RXClK0U.jpg
I opened the sword bag to get a better look at the katana itself. Boy, was I surprised. For $100, this thing looks real pretty. If I'm not mistaken, it has a slight koshi-sori.
i.imgur.com/7mOlftf.jpg
The ito is tied very well, alternates, and has very little give I really like the deep blue.
i.imgur.com/1B35CTZ.jpg
The end knots are also well tied.
i.imgur.com/mbcSMFw.jpg
The same doesn't buckle at all at the mekugi ana, though there was a single nodule on one side that didn't quite belong. Nothing that could not be fixed.
i.imgur.com/TSP0OlS.jpg
Other than that, the same is pretty good quality, sporting some decent nodules.
i.imgur.com/AOV6NkZ.jpg
The mekugi are a bit low quality in appearance, but they secure the nakago very nicely, so I'm not complaining. The menuki are brass, though it's a very shiny, gaudy gold color. I'm hoping handling will subdue it a bit.
i.imgur.com/lRzIkA4.jpg
i.imgur.com/kOVrRyN.jpg
The case is the same with the shitodome.
i.imgur.com/BkFWUiq.jpg
The saya is lacquered quite nicely, with a consistent polish throughout. There is a decent chip in the paint at the kojiri. Not quite sure about that.
i.imgur.com/lvBAGwz.jpg
Other than that, the saya fits very snug, and with no rattle.
The tsuba is a classic Musashi theme, though it's a bit smaller, and if I want to get real nit-picky, it's slightly out of alignment. None of the parts shift or move, though, so I'm not worried.
i.imgur.com/cX0YysO.jpg
Finally, I unsheathed the blade. It took some force to remove it, but it came out.
i.imgur.com/Jg4vBEE.jpg
The blade is in the style of shobu zukuri with a false cross-polish yokote to give the appearance of shinogi zukuri.
i.imgur.com/GaI8GdO.jpg
The bo-hi is well executed, and looks fantastic. And the polish, while not necessarily mirror, does give a nice reflection of the camera.
i.imgur.com/l83WnaD.jpg
The edge had little blemishes around the monouchi, but they came off with some firm rubbing. As you probably notice, the camera hardly (if at all) picked them up.
i.imgur.com/i1P8Sy4.jpg
The habaki is fitted pretty well, with minuscule gaps that I'd hardly give another thought to. The polish is good, but in certain light you can see slight scratches. Again, what can you do.
i.imgur.com/QQSFmDn.jpg
i.imgur.com/VNzf4UT.jpg
Handling:
i.imgur.com/UsfbbsG.jpg
Since the blade has a bo-hi, I expected it to be quite a bit lighter than my Ronin katana. If anything, it was the same in feel. It handles well, but not as well as I would expect a bo-hi blade to. Though this is my first bo-hi blade, and I'm a pretty small guy, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Speaking of this being my first bo-hi blade, talk about tachi-kaze! I'd gotten some tachi-kaze on my Ronin, but man is it waaay different with this sword! It's much louder and came as quite a shock. :lol:
Cutting:
I first decided to test the sharpness of the sword. I tried it on a pesky junk mail envelope. It cut through like butter.
i.imgur.com/S2DbLtv.jpg
I then took the sword outside to see how it handled against your basic backyard targets. First to go was your typical 16.9 oz water bottle. The cut came close to the neck, and caused some slight rips near the neck of the bottle, but the sword sailed through without even making a sound as it cut the bottle. It even cut cleanly right through the label.
i.imgur.com/DZqPzcj.jpg
Next up was something slightly thicker. This is made with a more soda-bottle plastic, but the sword didn't seem to mind. It once again sliced right through without much effort.
i.imgur.com/asTJaln.jpg
Finally, I busted out a bit more of a challenge with an orange juice bottle. these ones, even with my Ronin that I sharpened, were a bit more brittle and tended to rip more than cut. My first swing smashed the cap in half and knocked the bottle off the stand. I noticed no damage to the edge, and carried on, cutting the orange juice bottle with no cap and about 3/4 full. The sword sailed through with hardly any resistance, and left a very satisfying, clean cut.
i.imgur.com/6LZXfIj.jpg
i.imgur.com/9AiMaIB.jpg
I would have cut more, but due to Michigan's rather cold weather and my lack of bottles on hand, I couldn't. I'll probably update this when going outside is more feasible.
While taking pictures, my dog decided he was interested in the bottles. :lol:
i.imgur.com/ZTDA2jw.jpg
Conclusion:
I love this sword. It cuts well, comes sharp, looks sharp, handles well, and cuts well. The fittings are simplistic, yet look really great. Everything about it, for the price point, is outstanding. I believe that for the money, you'll be hard pressed to find a better buy. I'm very grateful to have received it as a gift.
PROS:
-Sharp blade right out of the box
-Alternating ito
-Real same with good nodules
-Koshi-sori just adds that much more
-Looks great
-Awesome price!
CONS:
-Chip in the kojiri
-Shipping is expensive (though considering customs and the overall distance, it is reasonable)
Bottom Line:
This sword is great, and was a fantastic gift on my mother's part. It's a competent cutter, very affordable, comes from a great vendor, and arrives paper-shaving sharp. I would recommend this as a starter sword to anyone, or as just an inexpensive addition to a collection.
-Sugi
UPDATE- ONE MONTH OF OWNING THE SWORD- MARCH 20-
Sword's tang snapped on a thicker target, but nothing this sword should have been unable to handle. This extra movement of the tang also caused the tsuka to crack. This is extremely disappointing, considering the sword has hardly been subjected to much if at all. I have contact Huawei and am awaiting a reply as we speak. Pics will be up some time in the near future.
-Sugi
So for my birthday about a week ago, my mother ordered me a sword as a present. It arrived today, and man, what a great gift to get from your family. The fact that she must have researched what manufacturers forge decent katana, too, makes it mean that much more to me. So without further ado, here's my review of the $100 HuaWei budget cutter.
Full Disclosure:
My mother purchased me this sword at full price from HuaWei's eBay store. My mother, myself, nor anyone else in my family, is associated with or receiving favors from eBay or HuaWei.
Stats:
Overall Length: 40.6 in (103 cm)
Nagasa: 27.95 in (71 cm)
Tsuka: 10.8 in (27.5 cm)
Thickness at mune-machi: .3 in (.76 cm)
Width at mune-machi: 1.26 in (3.2 cm)
Initial Impressions:
The sword came in HuaWei's signature yellow taped styrofoam packaging. It arrived a week after my mother placed the order. Pretty quick shipping from the other side of the world. I cut the packaging open, and revealed the very nice sword bag printed with a dragon motif. It's very soft, but feels pretty sturdy. The know was tied very well.
i.imgur.com/arZjgT9.jpg
i.imgur.com/RXClK0U.jpg
I opened the sword bag to get a better look at the katana itself. Boy, was I surprised. For $100, this thing looks real pretty. If I'm not mistaken, it has a slight koshi-sori.
i.imgur.com/7mOlftf.jpg
The ito is tied very well, alternates, and has very little give I really like the deep blue.
i.imgur.com/1B35CTZ.jpg
The end knots are also well tied.
i.imgur.com/mbcSMFw.jpg
The same doesn't buckle at all at the mekugi ana, though there was a single nodule on one side that didn't quite belong. Nothing that could not be fixed.
i.imgur.com/TSP0OlS.jpg
Other than that, the same is pretty good quality, sporting some decent nodules.
i.imgur.com/AOV6NkZ.jpg
The mekugi are a bit low quality in appearance, but they secure the nakago very nicely, so I'm not complaining. The menuki are brass, though it's a very shiny, gaudy gold color. I'm hoping handling will subdue it a bit.
i.imgur.com/lRzIkA4.jpg
i.imgur.com/kOVrRyN.jpg
The case is the same with the shitodome.
i.imgur.com/BkFWUiq.jpg
The saya is lacquered quite nicely, with a consistent polish throughout. There is a decent chip in the paint at the kojiri. Not quite sure about that.
i.imgur.com/lvBAGwz.jpg
Other than that, the saya fits very snug, and with no rattle.
The tsuba is a classic Musashi theme, though it's a bit smaller, and if I want to get real nit-picky, it's slightly out of alignment. None of the parts shift or move, though, so I'm not worried.
i.imgur.com/cX0YysO.jpg
Finally, I unsheathed the blade. It took some force to remove it, but it came out.
i.imgur.com/Jg4vBEE.jpg
The blade is in the style of shobu zukuri with a false cross-polish yokote to give the appearance of shinogi zukuri.
i.imgur.com/GaI8GdO.jpg
The bo-hi is well executed, and looks fantastic. And the polish, while not necessarily mirror, does give a nice reflection of the camera.
i.imgur.com/l83WnaD.jpg
The edge had little blemishes around the monouchi, but they came off with some firm rubbing. As you probably notice, the camera hardly (if at all) picked them up.
i.imgur.com/i1P8Sy4.jpg
The habaki is fitted pretty well, with minuscule gaps that I'd hardly give another thought to. The polish is good, but in certain light you can see slight scratches. Again, what can you do.
i.imgur.com/QQSFmDn.jpg
i.imgur.com/VNzf4UT.jpg
Handling:
i.imgur.com/UsfbbsG.jpg
Since the blade has a bo-hi, I expected it to be quite a bit lighter than my Ronin katana. If anything, it was the same in feel. It handles well, but not as well as I would expect a bo-hi blade to. Though this is my first bo-hi blade, and I'm a pretty small guy, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Speaking of this being my first bo-hi blade, talk about tachi-kaze! I'd gotten some tachi-kaze on my Ronin, but man is it waaay different with this sword! It's much louder and came as quite a shock. :lol:
Cutting:
I first decided to test the sharpness of the sword. I tried it on a pesky junk mail envelope. It cut through like butter.
i.imgur.com/S2DbLtv.jpg
I then took the sword outside to see how it handled against your basic backyard targets. First to go was your typical 16.9 oz water bottle. The cut came close to the neck, and caused some slight rips near the neck of the bottle, but the sword sailed through without even making a sound as it cut the bottle. It even cut cleanly right through the label.
i.imgur.com/DZqPzcj.jpg
Next up was something slightly thicker. This is made with a more soda-bottle plastic, but the sword didn't seem to mind. It once again sliced right through without much effort.
i.imgur.com/asTJaln.jpg
Finally, I busted out a bit more of a challenge with an orange juice bottle. these ones, even with my Ronin that I sharpened, were a bit more brittle and tended to rip more than cut. My first swing smashed the cap in half and knocked the bottle off the stand. I noticed no damage to the edge, and carried on, cutting the orange juice bottle with no cap and about 3/4 full. The sword sailed through with hardly any resistance, and left a very satisfying, clean cut.
i.imgur.com/6LZXfIj.jpg
i.imgur.com/9AiMaIB.jpg
I would have cut more, but due to Michigan's rather cold weather and my lack of bottles on hand, I couldn't. I'll probably update this when going outside is more feasible.
While taking pictures, my dog decided he was interested in the bottles. :lol:
i.imgur.com/ZTDA2jw.jpg
Conclusion:
I love this sword. It cuts well, comes sharp, looks sharp, handles well, and cuts well. The fittings are simplistic, yet look really great. Everything about it, for the price point, is outstanding. I believe that for the money, you'll be hard pressed to find a better buy. I'm very grateful to have received it as a gift.
PROS:
-Sharp blade right out of the box
-Alternating ito
-Real same with good nodules
-Koshi-sori just adds that much more
-Looks great
-Awesome price!
CONS:
-Chip in the kojiri
-Shipping is expensive (though considering customs and the overall distance, it is reasonable)
Bottom Line:
This sword is great, and was a fantastic gift on my mother's part. It's a competent cutter, very affordable, comes from a great vendor, and arrives paper-shaving sharp. I would recommend this as a starter sword to anyone, or as just an inexpensive addition to a collection.
-Sugi
UPDATE- ONE MONTH OF OWNING THE SWORD- MARCH 20-
Sword's tang snapped on a thicker target, but nothing this sword should have been unable to handle. This extra movement of the tang also caused the tsuka to crack. This is extremely disappointing, considering the sword has hardly been subjected to much if at all. I have contact Huawei and am awaiting a reply as we speak. Pics will be up some time in the near future.
-Sugi