Cold Steel Warrior Katana
Apr 30, 2014 18:13:55 GMT
Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2014 18:13:55 GMT
Howdy gents, today i am gonna break a lance for the often cursed and insulted CS warrior!
Intro:
I like usually like picking up the side of the underdog, and as i own a few production katana i considered giving this babe a chance EXACTLY because it receives some beating. As i stumbled upon it for a reasonable price i gave it a shot!
Historical overview:
Forgive me being ignorant, but i cant see why this sword should fail here compared to my Ronin Dojo Pro Nr.13 and my Huawei. I have little background knowledge on katana though; but i know theyre no supernatural uber-swords...
Disclosure:
I am in no way affiliated with Cold Steel.
Stats:
Weight: 2 lb 11 oz
Edge: Very Sharp
P.O.B.: 6 3/8''
Thickness: 6.8 mm - 5.2 mm
Width: 34.6 mm
Grip Length: 11''
Pommel: Full tang
Blade:
The blade is made of 1055 through-hardened carbon steel, superclean with very exact lines and curves; none of my Hanwei kat blades looks as good. It is considerably wider than than the blades of any of my other kats which makes the overall "flow" of the sword very nice; the sudden wideness difference between the grip and the blade always disturbs me. The polish is a little rough but i prefer that type of finish anyway.
Handle:
VERY tight cord wrapping with very exact diamonds; look at the pictures and compare it to my Ronin! VERY exact fitting mekugi; theyre about 1/3 thicker than i am used to know, also see the bad fitting on the Ronin! The rayskin panels are good, but you can see a tiny twinkle of wood on top and bottom of the handle; same with my Hanweis, same with my Ronin, i suppose it is standard without a full wrap.
Tsuba & fittings:
smaller than expected, made from blackened iron like the other fittings. All share some kind of arrow theme. Tsuba has a very little bend. What i didnt like to see was the clear evidence of glue between habaki and seppa, also between seppa and grip; shouldnt be necessary! Habaki alignment with the blade is excellent though; none of my other kats comes near that.
Scabbard:
Very nice high-gloss laquer finish, and it has a lttle fitting on the end which matches the others. Nice. The fit of the sword inside the scabbard is WAY too tight though, no chance to release it with the lttle thumb trick; its ULTRAtight! In fact you have to be carefull when you draw it! The Ronin is the other way round, no friction at all, it falls just out! So none of my kats seems to have the right fit!
Handling:
Yes, its blade heavy, and thats the way it is with katana, though with this one here its a little more!
I got the feeling this katana was constructed exactly with big fat strong western guys in mind; a two-handed battlesword in the shape of a katana! Is that a bad thing? I dont know but i like it!
Cutting:
Not yet, sorry...
Conclusions:
If you can get your paws on that sword for lets say around 300,- to 350,- bucks i would say: grab it! The list price at Cold Steel for these things is certainly ridiculous, for around 600,- dollars you can get FAR superior katana! But for the price i paid its the best katana i have, especially considering fit and finish. It outclasses all my others including my Ronin and my Raptor by that point of view, or all my other kats are lemons!
Pro:
- excellent fit and finish
- wide meaty blade (for me!) with crisp and clean lines
- very sharp out of the box
- good overall no-nonsense look and feel
- nice iron fittings
Cons:
- maybe too heavy for traditional kendo guys (though i know some here in my hometown who use it including their sensei)
- traces of glue: WTF?
- sword fits in the scabbard much too tight; could be considered dangerous. You need quite a lot of force to pull it!
EDIT: SORRY FOR THE sempriniesque PICS! DONT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAMERA, GONNA UPLOAD DAYLIGHT PICS TOMORROW!
Intro:
I like usually like picking up the side of the underdog, and as i own a few production katana i considered giving this babe a chance EXACTLY because it receives some beating. As i stumbled upon it for a reasonable price i gave it a shot!
Historical overview:
Forgive me being ignorant, but i cant see why this sword should fail here compared to my Ronin Dojo Pro Nr.13 and my Huawei. I have little background knowledge on katana though; but i know theyre no supernatural uber-swords...
Disclosure:
I am in no way affiliated with Cold Steel.
Stats:
Weight: 2 lb 11 oz
Edge: Very Sharp
P.O.B.: 6 3/8''
Thickness: 6.8 mm - 5.2 mm
Width: 34.6 mm
Grip Length: 11''
Pommel: Full tang
Blade:
The blade is made of 1055 through-hardened carbon steel, superclean with very exact lines and curves; none of my Hanwei kat blades looks as good. It is considerably wider than than the blades of any of my other kats which makes the overall "flow" of the sword very nice; the sudden wideness difference between the grip and the blade always disturbs me. The polish is a little rough but i prefer that type of finish anyway.
Handle:
VERY tight cord wrapping with very exact diamonds; look at the pictures and compare it to my Ronin! VERY exact fitting mekugi; theyre about 1/3 thicker than i am used to know, also see the bad fitting on the Ronin! The rayskin panels are good, but you can see a tiny twinkle of wood on top and bottom of the handle; same with my Hanweis, same with my Ronin, i suppose it is standard without a full wrap.
Tsuba & fittings:
smaller than expected, made from blackened iron like the other fittings. All share some kind of arrow theme. Tsuba has a very little bend. What i didnt like to see was the clear evidence of glue between habaki and seppa, also between seppa and grip; shouldnt be necessary! Habaki alignment with the blade is excellent though; none of my other kats comes near that.
Scabbard:
Very nice high-gloss laquer finish, and it has a lttle fitting on the end which matches the others. Nice. The fit of the sword inside the scabbard is WAY too tight though, no chance to release it with the lttle thumb trick; its ULTRAtight! In fact you have to be carefull when you draw it! The Ronin is the other way round, no friction at all, it falls just out! So none of my kats seems to have the right fit!
Handling:
Yes, its blade heavy, and thats the way it is with katana, though with this one here its a little more!
I got the feeling this katana was constructed exactly with big fat strong western guys in mind; a two-handed battlesword in the shape of a katana! Is that a bad thing? I dont know but i like it!
Cutting:
Not yet, sorry...
Conclusions:
If you can get your paws on that sword for lets say around 300,- to 350,- bucks i would say: grab it! The list price at Cold Steel for these things is certainly ridiculous, for around 600,- dollars you can get FAR superior katana! But for the price i paid its the best katana i have, especially considering fit and finish. It outclasses all my others including my Ronin and my Raptor by that point of view, or all my other kats are lemons!
Pro:
- excellent fit and finish
- wide meaty blade (for me!) with crisp and clean lines
- very sharp out of the box
- good overall no-nonsense look and feel
- nice iron fittings
Cons:
- maybe too heavy for traditional kendo guys (though i know some here in my hometown who use it including their sensei)
- traces of glue: WTF?
- sword fits in the scabbard much too tight; could be considered dangerous. You need quite a lot of force to pull it!
EDIT: SORRY FOR THE sempriniesque PICS! DONT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAMERA, GONNA UPLOAD DAYLIGHT PICS TOMORROW!