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Post by Nefrai on Oct 31, 2014 23:43:10 GMT
Hello! Just wanted to introduce myself, I just picked up my first sword after wanting one for many years. I decided to test out the Ryumon RY-3202 katana after reading some reviews here on another Ryumon sword. For my first sword, I'm very happy with it so far, bearing in mind I have no training yet so am not cutting with it...yet. I hope to get there eventually, but I don't want to hurt the sword or myself since I'm a beginner with this Aside from the cutting which I can't verify, I was really happy the sword was clean, well oiled, no rust, all fitting tight. The only thing I've noticed is that one of the menuki is a bit loose in the handle, but I have no idea if that is normal or not. I was pretty scared of ordering a sword online, so very relieved by how nice the sword was, and the saya looks nice as well. So now I'm starting to look around for a second sword. I was considering getting a Jian, I saw a pretty nice looking one from Cas-Hanwei. I know Hanwei makes nice katanas, does anyone have an opinion on where to buy a jian? One thing I'm looking for is a damascus pattern - which the Hanwei has (that sword is about $500 from what I'm looking at). There are also damascus jians on amazon made by Longquan Sword, but I can't find much of anything on Longquan Sword - if anyone knows if that is a reputable company. I'm still going back and forth between buying a second katana, or getting a jian instead. If I get another katana, I would kind of like to find one that has a design on the saya, but most of the Hanwei sayas I saw appeared to have basic black sayas (the ones I looked at on amazon were listed at $1,000 but being sold at $500). Which brings me to one other question, is amazon ok to go through, or is it better to go through a website such as kult of athena? I got my Ryumon through amazon, and did get lucky on that buy. The main reason I started looking on amazon at all, is because I had gift cards there at the time...I picked up the Ryumon for only $240, so I thought it would be a low risk comparatively. Sorry for the long post! I've been wanting to talk about swords, but none of my friends have a clue what I'm talking about, so been just reading all I can since getting the katana. I have to say, seeing the katana in real life was impressive. I didn't expect the blade to be that shiny, in the sun it was blinding. The hamon looks incredible, I can't tell for certain what a 'real' hamon looks like, but I know it's not wirebrushed or anything cheap like that. Based on my research on hamons, it appears as real as Ryumon claims it is. The sword is around $600 retail, according to amazon. And in my excitement, I just keep typing...sorry
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Post by Nefrai on Oct 31, 2014 23:55:42 GMT
Some images of the katana, for anyone curious: Just got the sword, still covered in oil from shipping: And again, still shipping oil pre-cleaning: Cleaned, wanted to see it in sunlight...blinded myself, lol.
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Nov 1, 2014 0:57:32 GMT
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Post by Nefrai on Nov 1, 2014 1:19:06 GMT
Thanks Timo! Looking over those links. I also just found this manufacturer, but I can't find any reviews - I see their swords range anywhere from sub-$200 to $5,000+. They seem worth looking into maybe, but I haven't found any reviews on them so far. It appears they build after you order, since they are all 3+ weeks to get one. Here is a link to one katana they make that looked interesting to me (they make jian as well, which is how I found them first): www.swordsofnorthshire.com/samur ... mai-katana Edit - here is the jian I was looking at before: www.swordsofnorthshire.com/chine ... ided-blade
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Nov 1, 2014 5:41:49 GMT
That's not a manufacturer, but a re-seller. Of their Chinese weapons, they have Dynasty Forge stuff (same photos, stats, descriptions), Zhisword stuff (same photos and stats, descriptions), and stuff I've seen on ebay from a few Longquan sellers. Some of their prices are good, other stuff is cheaper elsewhere (which is normal enough for any reseller).
The 3+ weeks suggests they have no stock, and order one from the manufacturer, and send to you. Or it might be sent straight from the manufacturer. Free worldwide shipping suggests the latter.
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Post by Nefrai on Nov 1, 2014 14:27:21 GMT
Thanks, that makes more sense then! Appreciate the advice I'm thinking of looking into an Iaido class, so heavily considering getting a iaito katana next. I can't practice with my current sword, since it has a sharp edge. I'm careful enough to not cut myself normally, but after watching how you are supposed to cover the mouth of the saya with your thumb and finger - I'm not even going to attempt that with a sharp sword right now! Not to mention I don't want to touch the blade, since it seems they can rust really easily. For care, I have a bottle of Hanwei oil (wasn't sure about the oil Ryumon sent me, so got something I knew). I've been using the ball of powder from the Ryumon cleaning kit, but looking into the idea of using flour instead, based on some recommendations. I want to verify flour is safe first before I try it though. I didn't pay a ton for this sword, but I want to get the care down correctly early on, before I find myself buying a really expensive one, heh.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Nov 1, 2014 14:58:24 GMT
Welcome to SBG... I found this when you mentioned flour instead of the uchiko powder www.sword-buyers-guide.com/sword-cleaning-kit.htmlJust for reference, real uchiko powder is very different from the "talcum" powder used in most Chinese kits... real uchiko is made from very finely crushed hazuya and jizuya stones.
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Post by Nefrai on Nov 13, 2014 1:17:14 GMT
I'm not sure if the powder ball I have is real uchiko or not. It says it is, but I don't know how honest Ryumon is. They also say the sword is hand-forged and that the smith has 30 years of experience, which I would imagine should drive the price up well over $1,000. I'm guessing it was power-hammered, but I have no way to tell either way. Regardless, still a beautiful sword I think. I've been trying to figure out how much oil to put on it after cleaning. Right now I've been dabbing oil onto a kleenix (unscented, no lotion in the tissue), and using that to oil it. I have a Hanwei spray bottle of oil, but the spray doesn't do anything so I'm just using it like a normal bottle.
I've been cleaning it by wiping the old oil off with a tissue, wiping it down with 99% alcohol, powder it, then oiling it. I haven't taken the hilt apart yet, as I'm afraid I won't get it back on as securely as it is now.
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Post by Robert in California on Nov 13, 2014 1:22:34 GMT
Welcome to SBG. Nice looking sword! RinC
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Post by William Swiger on Nov 13, 2014 4:42:33 GMT
Welcome to the Forum.
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Post by Krelian on Nov 13, 2014 5:50:09 GMT
I'm gonna go ahead and answer your question about Amazon since I don't think anyone else has yet. Generally Amazon is best to be avoided for sword purchases. Mostly because there is practically no inspection of their sword inventory done prior to shipping so for whatever reason they more often than not arrive looking like factory seconds. At least that seems to be the case with most Hanwei swords sold on Amazon... Definitely best to stick to an excellent vendor with great prices (like Kult of Athena).
Also, it's really awesome that your considering pursuing an authentic/historic sword art! Although, I'd honestly recommend holding off on getting an iaito until you've actually begun so you can be sure you'll get one appropriate to the style.
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Post by Nefrai on Nov 13, 2014 15:08:38 GMT
Thanks, Krelian! I thought Amazon may just be the middle-man, so wasn't sure if it was a bad idea or not - but what you say makes a lot of sense. Normally, I would not have gone though Amazon, but I wanted to do a test run - I had $75 off, which brought the sword down to around $230ish, so I figured even if it was a rusty blade I would learn something, and not be out a ton of money. I think I will go Kult of Athena on my next purchase. Good idea on waiting on an iaito too, I hadn't thought about the different styles of katanas, though I have read about the different shaped blades. Especially since if I do get an iaito, I want to it to be a quality one that I can keep a long time. On my background, I was going to take sword training years back - my original karate instructor was going to teach me, but the school closed before I could learn. Then I moved on to TKD, as it was the only other thing in my little town (but had a good teacher, I enjoyed it). Had to move for college and career though, so have been out of martial arts for years (got lazy, need to address that . I've always wanted to take up learning to use a sword though, ever since my first karate instructor.
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Post by Arwyn on Nov 13, 2014 22:48:47 GMT
I would recommend being very careful with Jian. The Huano Jian are quality, and the Dynasty Forge are generally good. Jian can vary wildly, and the type is important. Later Jian with a single handed grip have oval wood scales, and are generally safer than Han Jian which have round grips, but you still need to be careful. There are a lot of manufactures, even some of the reputable ones that sell Jian with hollow or poorly fitted grips. These are dangerous if you intend to cut with them. A folded Jian is a bit more of an issue. The least expensive decent one I can think of is the Kris cutlery jian; kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=KRSJN27&name=Kris+Cutlery+Folded+Jian++27%27%27+BladeDynasty forge as one thats a bit more than the Kris, with a bit fancier kit; kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=DF013&name=Dynasty+Forge+Chinese+Imperial+Qing+Sword+-+Tien+Di+Ren+JianDynasty Forge also makes one thats a even bit fancier with a folded blade; kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=DF020&name=Dynasty+Forge+Dragon+JianBoth of those are pretty good quality, Kris makes a good quality product for the dollar. The thing to immediately check with these kinda of Jian is the tightness of the pommel nut. These kinds of swords are all commonly assembled with the pommel screwed onto the tang, and then secured with a nut. Thats normal. Its also normal for the pommel nut to loosen with use and need to be re-tightened. If the nut is loose when you get it, see if it can be tightened up ASAP before use. Something like loc-tight on the nut can help with the loosening issue. If you cant' get the nut to seat solidly, send it back, its not going to be a usable blade for safe practice. Also, be careful with the Dynasty Forge blades, those suckers tend to come very sharp!
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Post by Nefrai on Feb 18, 2015 18:52:49 GMT
Sorry, I haven't been back in here for a while, thank you guys for the advice and help! I've learned a bit more since I posted this, and picked up a few more swords.. I ended up getting the Dynasty Forge Jian, and I love it so far. I plan to test cuts with it when it warms up more, but so far using it for some basic sword drill practice, and it feels really nice. The guard on the hilt is my only concern, as it's rough on hands if your hand gets to close. I so far could only test cutting paper with it, which it tore up badly (no clean cuts like my katana does to paper). I want to test it on something better when I can. The Jian: kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=DF013&name=Dynasty+Forge+Chinese+Imperial+Qing+Sword+-+Tien+Di+Ren+JianI also ended up buying a Damascus Sir William Marshall Sword by Hanwei. I picked this up, because I got it for $200...I love it, though it feels heavier and harder to move around compared to the Jian (it is a bigger sword overall, so wasn't surprised). It feels about the same sharpness as the Jian, it doesn't cut paper either, just rips it. It cuts through carboard fine, but I didn't want to cut into cardboard that much...beautiful blade, the damascus pattern really pops, however it seems to only show up in the fuller of the blade, unlike the jian that has the pattern all the way to the edges. Not sure if this is good or bad for the pattern. The leather grip is nice, my hands don't move at all, very solid grip, and peened tang. Feels extremely solid. I did not buy it from Athena, but this is the same sword: www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=PC2001&name=Hanwei+Sir+William+Marshall+Sword+-+Damascus+BladeI did also do something I shouldn't have done, and ordered an Albion Caithness, however that is still months out. Getting a wood core scabbard built for the Caithness as well. Thanks to Skallagrim's reviews, I got hooked on the Caithness, and said "you only live once, do it!" ... That is the extent of my sword buying so far, and after that caithness, I plan to hold off on any more for some time. I did get one art piece sword, the Mithrodin, but of course that is simply art - though it is solid as heck and is nice looking art, lol. It's also my only non-functional sword.
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