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Post by Matthew.Jensen on Jan 6, 2015 18:54:46 GMT
I'm not personally a fan and I can't say anything about Ryan Sword that has not already been said. So I will just stick to the nice parts. The nakago looks a little better shaped than pieces I have seen from them in the past. So that is nice. The overall shape also looks decent.
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Mikeeman
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Post by Mikeeman on Jan 6, 2015 19:01:16 GMT
People have said they've changed and they are selling quality things, now, but I personally would never buy from them. Between my dealings with them and what I've seen come out of there in the past, I would not recommend them.
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Jan 6, 2015 19:19:26 GMT
I'd also not buy from them for the reasons stated above and just simply because there are other ebay sellers making a better product imho.
-Josh
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 6, 2015 19:20:32 GMT
Like others have alluded to/said before my post, it seems like Ryan swords is picking up a little when it comes to quality - however, I would never do business with them due to the shady actions they've commited in the past (including just these last few months), breaching US copyrights/using a well known smith's name on one of their Euro swords, etc. If you like the sword you mentioned and you think it's a good deal, go for it - however, if you do some research here and on the Internet, you'll come across lots of info about other forges equal to or better than Ryan swords imho.
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Mikeeman
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Post by Mikeeman on Jan 6, 2015 19:39:16 GMT
In my particular dealings with them, I was looking at an item of theirs and compared it to an item of another vendor's and asked why theirs was more expensive. They sent me a message back basically saying that theirs was more expensive because the quality level was different (it wasn't) and it used better materials (it didn't.) Other people have ordered "functional" blades from them and they came with welded on rat-tail tangs. Their blades (in people's honest reviews where they knew what they were talking about) would come badly heat treated and the product would be something different from what they ordered. Just stuff like that. A lot of new guys have kinda bashed on us "older" guys for hating on them because they ordered from them and got exactly what they wanted for what they thought was a good price. And that's all fine and dandy. But some of us steer clear of them regardless of the way they do business, now.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Jan 6, 2015 19:48:16 GMT
a Simple search of the forum for Ryan Sword will yield plenty of washroom reading. I had to kind of lol when i saw your first post asking for feedback, and then the next 5 min.later with your "custom" purchase. If you haven't already sent funds, then i'd hold off until you get some better info. Alot of these ebay sellers are selling the same junk as other sellers under different names,......and unfortunately Ryan is not one of the names that will get a great response here. Huawei (on the shelf) pieces might just be some of the best all around budget blades, and in some cases ARE the nicest to look at. There are a few good vendors, but to truly find what you want, i'd do a little searching within the forum and see what meets your needs. There is better to be had for the money.
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Post by uchiha998 on Jan 6, 2015 20:06:22 GMT
I wouldn't buy from them either. It just seems to risky. Why buy from someone who has supposedly switched to selling quality items rather than someone who always has. Like Huawei. Really Huawei is the best of the Ebay vendors and if you are going to buy from ebay. They are your best bet IMO.
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Jan 6, 2015 22:29:29 GMT
I've personally had more issues dealing with cs at Amazon and getting kicked in the butt with the fine print nonsense than I've had bad experiences shopping on ebay. Those going into either blindly will likely pay more than they should for an item found elsewhere or buy garbage from a crook. The key is to know what you want and whom to get it from and getting good advice from those who've been around is a good way to start If you want good quality and you also want the additional confidence of exceptional cs, I would suggest buying from trusted vendors such as the SBG Store or Kult Of Athena, among others. If you're not in a terrible rush to buy a sword, I think you would benefit greatly by taking some time to read the many threads here regarding Japanese style swords, as much of the info you're seeking can be found there. There are a ton of reviews here as well and a lot by those who have owned many of the popular brands and have plenty to reference for comparisons. -Josh
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Post by schoolofmonkey on Jan 6, 2015 22:41:53 GMT
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Jan 6, 2015 22:58:36 GMT
Yeah I know I just made these threads to see if there was any new info to get. I've read plenty of reviews and the "Beginners Guide to Japanese Swords" thing. I just like to ask personally in case there's any magic I'm unaware of. In truth it looks like it's coming down to Huawei and Ronin for me. Cheness was on the table before but I think their quality has been declining by the looks of it, and they had problems to begin with, and their designs are quite boring. I think I may get a Huawei nice sword and just get something in the hundred dollar range from Swords of the East for a beater, probably just a Masahiro, Tenryu, or Bushido. Ronin makes a good sword. I own one of the TH 1045 Dojo katana and it's a great sword. They only have the TH 1060 Dojo Pro now, but that's a superior sword to mine all around. Huawei's products have been getting a lot of really great feedback. Their TH 9260 swords run about $150 after shipping and would be a good choice for a beater. Many of their more expensive pieces look really outstanding, especially for their price. I own a Cheness Kaze and I really like it a lot. Very well put together. I don't agree with some of their decisions on what constitutes an acceptable piece and how they intend to handle ones that aren't, to the eyes of the general collecting world, up to par. You may get a great piece, like I did. You may not, and they may tell that that's just too bad.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Jan 7, 2015 1:37:05 GMT
Musashi and Ten Ryu are from the same company, if I recall correctly. The Musashi Shirakawa line is well respected as a low-cost sword, though it is not for hard use. I believe that Masahiro and Bushido are re-branders, so the odds of getting something good are about the same as getting something not great. None of them are designated for hard use. Of those mentioned, I would go for a Musashi.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 1:48:41 GMT
Very nice sword, love it!
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Jan 7, 2015 1:55:15 GMT
i had one of their "folded steel" models in the 200$ price range and it wasnt even heat treated.
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Post by schoolofmonkey on Jan 7, 2015 12:48:29 GMT
The only thing that bugs me about Huawei is lack of an adequate pictures from different angles, for example this where he only has one picture and it's of the tsuba. But yeah, I'm now looking at Huawei models in the up-to $400 range, which are his top-level swords apparently. Lack of pictures is the only thing that makes it a little frustrating. If you want pictures, message Jacky through ebay, he sent me plenty when I was buying my sword, even of different Saya's they had. They also have many different tsuba's, though I think they miss putting all the info on every listing. Check out this: www.ebay.com/itm/FUNCTIONAL-HAZUYA-FINISH-HISHI-GAMI-TSUKAMAKI-RINGS-SAYA-SHINKEN-KATANA-/280865121680?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4164dda590Jacky is very accommodating and gets back to you very quickly.
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Post by neuronic on Jan 7, 2015 13:08:16 GMT
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Post by schoolofmonkey on Jan 7, 2015 13:35:34 GMT
Well I got mine in 6 days including a weekend. From China to Australia. 100% feedback on eBay speaks for itself really, plus Paypal protection. If you do it safely there is very little risk.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Jan 7, 2015 13:46:04 GMT
Ronin does make a good blade, i've got a 1045 th dojo and a dojo pro. Definitely a great choice if you really plan on cutting, as the heat treat is consistently well done with all ronin blades.To me the Ronin tsuka are on the smaller side (which i prefer)and really well shaped. If the japanese aesthetic is really what youre after, i'd still stick with huawei for the custom options, hamon's etc. You really cant go wrong with either vendor.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 13:57:55 GMT
Things usually go amiss when people place custom orders with production forges... Seen it before on this forum with different vendors.
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Jan 8, 2015 11:31:26 GMT
yeah it was a ryan sword, the tip rolled when i bumped the kissakki against drywall, and then the edge severely rolled just from hitting my wood practice stand, which ive never seen another sword do on pine..lol
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Jan 8, 2015 11:44:59 GMT
You can do so much better than Ryansword
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