Huanuo Cherry Katana
Nov 9, 2014 22:05:35 GMT
Post by Jussi Ekholm on Nov 9, 2014 22:05:35 GMT
Introduction
I have been aware of Huanuo for quite a while now. I've known that they are also known as Fred Chen, due to their owner and they are one of the biggest manufacturers of production katana. I have previously owned Cold Steel and Dynasty Forge products but I've never seen a Huanuo brand product in my hands.
Fellow member Jordy Klaver who runs Samurai Katana Shop in the Netherlands asked me if I would like to review a Huanuo sword. I was eager to see how these swords are so I agreed to review one.
Please use the print screen option or open pics in a new tab. I've tried my best to crop & scale the pictures but this forum cuts still off important parts of them, I'm really frustrated how narrow the forum text field is.
Historical Overview
This is a katana. I do not think that Huanuo was after anything special historically thinking. This is similar user blade oriented for cutting as the majority of cutting swords are.
Full Disclosure
I do not get paid for doing this review. Samurai Katana Shop is paying shipping both ways. I agreed to do an honest review, like I always tried to do. Jordy said I could cut with the sword but unfortunately we got lots of snow over the weekend that I planned cutting on, and I do not have access to indoor cutting possibility at the moment. So this review wont have cutting portion but I think this is a good cutting sword.
Initial Impressions
First thing when opening the package is usually a sword bag. I must say that the bag on this one surprised me positively. It's plain single colored one but it's good. I'm not sure of the material but I like this. It's funny how big initial impression the sword bag makes for me. Plain colors and good material always gets me hyped where as gaudy multicolored dragons etc. put me off a bit.
After taking it out of the bag I instantly thought this sword is like CS or DF sword. Well as Huanuo makes swords for both of those companies it's only logical. I know that Cold Steel products aren't very popular in this forum, and on the other hand Dynasty Forge is quite popular. I think Huanuo, Dynasty Forge and Cold Steel are pretty close in quality. There are small differences in fittings and stats but I think all are good swords.
I usually don't like dragons or flowers in fittings but I was really happy that this sword has unique fittings. Even though they are flowers, I have not seen anyone else use these fittings which is great. The overall package seems to be of good quality, as my overall impressions of this are very good.
Statistics
Nagasa: 71,9 cm
Sori: 1,6 cm
Motohaba: 3,2 cm
Sakihaba: 2,35 cm
Moto-gasane: 6,5 mm
Moto-shinogi-gasane: 7,3 mm
Saki-gasane: 5,5 mm
Saki-shinogi-gasane: 5,8 mm
Nakago: 24,3 cm
Nakago sori: 0,1 cm
Nakago kasane: 7,3 mm
Bare blade weight: 856 g
Weight in koshirae: 1170 g
Steel: 1060
Tsuka: 28,8 cm
Tsuba: 8,0 x 7,3 cm, thickness 5 mm
Blade
I am usually a fan of large curvature. This sword has regular curvature for production katana. I still think that the overall shape is good even though it does not tick my own preferences. I think this sword has shape and size that most users will find pleasing. Sword has clean lines and is well made in overall.
I like the nakago of this sword. As you can see from the picture it's not the stick straight nakago that you see on some swords in this price range. Nakago actually follows the flow of the blade curvature. Even though curvature in the nakago is very mild, it's still there. Nakago is also quite well shaped. I was pleasantly surprised to see that machi were quite close each other. They are not excatly aligned but closer than on many production swords, and the habaki fits like a charm.
So now we will jump onto habaki in the middle here. I've thought that Cold Steel Swords have well fitting habaki, and so does this Huanuo. I wish it was common in this price range that habaki fits this well. It also feels and looks well made.
I like the kissaki on this sword. I know many will dislike it due to it being only cosmetic but I would rather take this than a poor shaped geometric one. I think this is better than many others in this price range, and it was positive surprise to me.
And finally the thing about the blade that amazes me the most... the ghost hamon. I have never seen this phenomenon before. I know this has been discussed on multiple occasions, and this has appearead for example in Ronin Dojo Pros quite often.
I really don't know what to think about this. As far as I've understood the metallurgical side of posts by blacksmiths this phenomenon is mostly aesthetical one, and does not compromise the strength of the sword. I just don't like these ghost hamons, I understand how many will find these interesting. Maybe if I understood metallurgy better I would think differently, who knows...
Koshirae
I think that Huanuo makes their own fittings, that's why they have designs that are unique to them. I look highly upon companies who are making their own fittings and not using the generic Longquan fittings.
Here you can see the flower themed tsuba. I have not seen this tsuba before, and I think it's quite good for a sword of this price range. Unfortunately there is a minor flaw where the surface finish has rubbed off on one part of the tsuba.
I think this sword has well shaped saya. What really impressed me is the distance from kurikata to koiguchi. You can see it here in the picture, I find it just perfect for myself considering iai use. It's very common that production katana have very big distance from kurikata to koiguchi which makes good sheathing more cumbersome. Sword fits very snugly in saya and you can turn it upside down and shake a bit and it wont fall. This is very good fit. Unfortunately one of the shitodome came loose from the kurikata, but this happens very often with production katana.
Fuchi and kashira are floral themed and quite nice. The most unfortunate thing koshirae wise is the fact that kashira is crooked. Something like this upsets me very much, and I constantly would want to fix it... It's nothing major but for me it breaks the nice flow that this sword has. I find it funny how troublesome I can find a minor flaw like this one.
One minor detail that might be easy to totally overlook is the nice pattern on the seppa. It's a nice small touch.
Tsuka actually has quite good nakago fit. I know that now that you see the pic that it's shimmed on many might shun upon it. However I'd much rather take shimmed well fitting tsuka, than poorly fitting unshimmed one. Shims & other quick fixes are understandable in this price range, and good fit is the thing that matter to me. I think the tsuka has a good shape.
Tsukamaki is of black Chinese silk. I must say I do not like this material, yet probably most of the production companies tend to use this a lot. Tsukamaki has pretty even diamonds but unfortunately it's not exactly as tight as I would like. I still think this is quite good tsukamaki for this price level.
Conclusion
So it's time to think about the pros and cons of the sword. I think this sword is a good sword in the sub 300€ range. This might even be one of the top competitors in the range. Here in Europe we have different market than in the US so many might think this is expensive TH sword. But actually this is cheaper than RDP's, CS swords or Hanwei Raptors.
+
Sword has a good shape
Tsuka has a good shape
Kurikata is in good spot
Fittings are original
Good quality for the price
Neutral
Tsukamaki is ok
Chinese silk ito
Balance is not exactly to my liking but it's a personal thing
-
Kashira is crooked
Sageo is of cheap material
Ghost hamon
Unfortunately I won't get to cut with this, so my feel of this is only of dry handling. Sword is very sharp and I feel that this is very authoritative cutter. Of course due to circumstances it's only my gut feeling because I didn't actually cut but I have cut with quite similar Cold Steel swords and they have been good cutters. I think in overall this is a budget katana that is good value for the money.
I have been aware of Huanuo for quite a while now. I've known that they are also known as Fred Chen, due to their owner and they are one of the biggest manufacturers of production katana. I have previously owned Cold Steel and Dynasty Forge products but I've never seen a Huanuo brand product in my hands.
Fellow member Jordy Klaver who runs Samurai Katana Shop in the Netherlands asked me if I would like to review a Huanuo sword. I was eager to see how these swords are so I agreed to review one.
Please use the print screen option or open pics in a new tab. I've tried my best to crop & scale the pictures but this forum cuts still off important parts of them, I'm really frustrated how narrow the forum text field is.
Historical Overview
This is a katana. I do not think that Huanuo was after anything special historically thinking. This is similar user blade oriented for cutting as the majority of cutting swords are.
Full Disclosure
I do not get paid for doing this review. Samurai Katana Shop is paying shipping both ways. I agreed to do an honest review, like I always tried to do. Jordy said I could cut with the sword but unfortunately we got lots of snow over the weekend that I planned cutting on, and I do not have access to indoor cutting possibility at the moment. So this review wont have cutting portion but I think this is a good cutting sword.
Initial Impressions
First thing when opening the package is usually a sword bag. I must say that the bag on this one surprised me positively. It's plain single colored one but it's good. I'm not sure of the material but I like this. It's funny how big initial impression the sword bag makes for me. Plain colors and good material always gets me hyped where as gaudy multicolored dragons etc. put me off a bit.
After taking it out of the bag I instantly thought this sword is like CS or DF sword. Well as Huanuo makes swords for both of those companies it's only logical. I know that Cold Steel products aren't very popular in this forum, and on the other hand Dynasty Forge is quite popular. I think Huanuo, Dynasty Forge and Cold Steel are pretty close in quality. There are small differences in fittings and stats but I think all are good swords.
I usually don't like dragons or flowers in fittings but I was really happy that this sword has unique fittings. Even though they are flowers, I have not seen anyone else use these fittings which is great. The overall package seems to be of good quality, as my overall impressions of this are very good.
Statistics
Nagasa: 71,9 cm
Sori: 1,6 cm
Motohaba: 3,2 cm
Sakihaba: 2,35 cm
Moto-gasane: 6,5 mm
Moto-shinogi-gasane: 7,3 mm
Saki-gasane: 5,5 mm
Saki-shinogi-gasane: 5,8 mm
Nakago: 24,3 cm
Nakago sori: 0,1 cm
Nakago kasane: 7,3 mm
Bare blade weight: 856 g
Weight in koshirae: 1170 g
Steel: 1060
Tsuka: 28,8 cm
Tsuba: 8,0 x 7,3 cm, thickness 5 mm
Blade
I am usually a fan of large curvature. This sword has regular curvature for production katana. I still think that the overall shape is good even though it does not tick my own preferences. I think this sword has shape and size that most users will find pleasing. Sword has clean lines and is well made in overall.
I like the nakago of this sword. As you can see from the picture it's not the stick straight nakago that you see on some swords in this price range. Nakago actually follows the flow of the blade curvature. Even though curvature in the nakago is very mild, it's still there. Nakago is also quite well shaped. I was pleasantly surprised to see that machi were quite close each other. They are not excatly aligned but closer than on many production swords, and the habaki fits like a charm.
So now we will jump onto habaki in the middle here. I've thought that Cold Steel Swords have well fitting habaki, and so does this Huanuo. I wish it was common in this price range that habaki fits this well. It also feels and looks well made.
I like the kissaki on this sword. I know many will dislike it due to it being only cosmetic but I would rather take this than a poor shaped geometric one. I think this is better than many others in this price range, and it was positive surprise to me.
And finally the thing about the blade that amazes me the most... the ghost hamon. I have never seen this phenomenon before. I know this has been discussed on multiple occasions, and this has appearead for example in Ronin Dojo Pros quite often.
I really don't know what to think about this. As far as I've understood the metallurgical side of posts by blacksmiths this phenomenon is mostly aesthetical one, and does not compromise the strength of the sword. I just don't like these ghost hamons, I understand how many will find these interesting. Maybe if I understood metallurgy better I would think differently, who knows...
Koshirae
I think that Huanuo makes their own fittings, that's why they have designs that are unique to them. I look highly upon companies who are making their own fittings and not using the generic Longquan fittings.
Here you can see the flower themed tsuba. I have not seen this tsuba before, and I think it's quite good for a sword of this price range. Unfortunately there is a minor flaw where the surface finish has rubbed off on one part of the tsuba.
I think this sword has well shaped saya. What really impressed me is the distance from kurikata to koiguchi. You can see it here in the picture, I find it just perfect for myself considering iai use. It's very common that production katana have very big distance from kurikata to koiguchi which makes good sheathing more cumbersome. Sword fits very snugly in saya and you can turn it upside down and shake a bit and it wont fall. This is very good fit. Unfortunately one of the shitodome came loose from the kurikata, but this happens very often with production katana.
Fuchi and kashira are floral themed and quite nice. The most unfortunate thing koshirae wise is the fact that kashira is crooked. Something like this upsets me very much, and I constantly would want to fix it... It's nothing major but for me it breaks the nice flow that this sword has. I find it funny how troublesome I can find a minor flaw like this one.
One minor detail that might be easy to totally overlook is the nice pattern on the seppa. It's a nice small touch.
Tsuka actually has quite good nakago fit. I know that now that you see the pic that it's shimmed on many might shun upon it. However I'd much rather take shimmed well fitting tsuka, than poorly fitting unshimmed one. Shims & other quick fixes are understandable in this price range, and good fit is the thing that matter to me. I think the tsuka has a good shape.
Tsukamaki is of black Chinese silk. I must say I do not like this material, yet probably most of the production companies tend to use this a lot. Tsukamaki has pretty even diamonds but unfortunately it's not exactly as tight as I would like. I still think this is quite good tsukamaki for this price level.
Conclusion
So it's time to think about the pros and cons of the sword. I think this sword is a good sword in the sub 300€ range. This might even be one of the top competitors in the range. Here in Europe we have different market than in the US so many might think this is expensive TH sword. But actually this is cheaper than RDP's, CS swords or Hanwei Raptors.
+
Sword has a good shape
Tsuka has a good shape
Kurikata is in good spot
Fittings are original
Good quality for the price
Neutral
Tsukamaki is ok
Chinese silk ito
Balance is not exactly to my liking but it's a personal thing
-
Kashira is crooked
Sageo is of cheap material
Ghost hamon
Unfortunately I won't get to cut with this, so my feel of this is only of dry handling. Sword is very sharp and I feel that this is very authoritative cutter. Of course due to circumstances it's only my gut feeling because I didn't actually cut but I have cut with quite similar Cold Steel swords and they have been good cutters. I think in overall this is a budget katana that is good value for the money.