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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 9, 2015 16:02:14 GMT
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Post by sonofarwyn on Jan 9, 2015 16:40:08 GMT
Nice looking, and it seems to be well assembled, but that's a really good chunk of change. I think the Kaneie has some gorgeous looking blades in that price range, and definitely cheaper than the companion katana.
That being said, looks solid, and I admit I have no experience with Citadel, anyone handled any of their swords?
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Post by randomnobody on Jan 9, 2015 16:54:53 GMT
Well, let me start by saying it's a very nice looking sword. Price aside, though, it's just not my style. A bit long for a wak, too, but some folks like that.
Looks great, price is fine, but I won't be buying it because it's just not the sword I, personally, want right now.
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Post by DigsFossils-n-Knives on Jan 9, 2015 17:27:20 GMT
Even if the sword was a katana for that price, and I had the money, I would hesitate and then buy somewhere else. I have no issues with CAS, the issue is the cost.
Not sure if this comes of clearly, but if I were in the market for a sword costing 2K I would then just cough up whatever I needed to and buy a Howard Clark or Walter Sorrels ($5K-10K) or a real nihonto (and pay much more). So for me a +2K sword is one I would consider a grail sword.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 9, 2015 17:41:51 GMT
Even if the sword was a katana for that price, and I had the money, I would hesitate and then buy somewhere else. I have no issues with CAS, the issue is the cost. Not sure if this comes of clearly, but if I were in the market for a sword costing 2K I would then just cough up whatever I needed to and buy a Howard Clark or Walter Sorrels ($5K-10K) or a real nihonto (and pay much more). So for me a +2K sword is one I would consider a grail sword. I agree the price is cost prohibitive, but there are a couple of things to consider: 1st is that the MSRP is direct from CAS Iberia, which is always higher priced than from resellers. Second, it is a limited run of only 20 pieces, so it could be considered a rare piece. That being said, I personally would save more $ for another nihonto, but that's a topic for a different thread.
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Post by DigsFossils-n-Knives on Jan 9, 2015 18:00:01 GMT
I agree the price is cost prohibitive, but there are a couple of things to consider: 1st is that the MSRP is direct from CAS Iberia, which is always higher priced than from resellers. Second, it is a limited run of only 20 pieces, so it could be considered a rare piece. That being said, I personally would save more $ for another nihonto, but that's a topic for a different thread. :D Are CAS swords collector pieces? If so, then maybe purchasing this limited run sword to use or display would be something that someone might want to do knowing they could get some/all/more of their money back.
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Post by Krelian on Jan 9, 2015 18:00:41 GMT
Too expensive for me. I'd settle for a Bamboo Mat wakizashi to go with my Bamboo Mat daito... Are CAS swords collector pieces? No, not really. Even the 25th Anniversary Shinto which is actually quite nice hasn't really gained much if any value from being limited...
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Jan 9, 2015 18:05:25 GMT
If I had the money I would buy it. I'm familiar with Citadel swords and wouldn't hesitate due to the high quality of their materials and craftsmanship. I mean essentially, what you're paying for here is a custom piece built from the ground up. You can read it right in the description or watch the video of how they make their swords but each one is fitted with pieces and parts made specifically for that blade. Full wrap premium samegawa, had cut iron tsuba with copper sekigane, handmade copper habaki & seppa, top notch tsukamaki in Japanese silk, handmade two-piece shitodome, expertly carved tsuka cores made just for that blade, and the list goes on. I personally love their blades too and think they are of excellent quality but know that some people may think they're a bit non traditional. The saya work is no less carefully carried out for each blade, again using top quality materials. I also found that among all the swords I've ever handled, a Citadel felt the best in my hands. It was agile and lively without feeling to light and had excellent balance. You know when you pick up a sword and immediately know it feels great, that's what it felt like to me, with three different models of their swords. I know they might not be for everyone but they are going a bit further than any other production blade when it comes to overall attention to detail and craftsmanship. Just my opinion of course -Josh
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Post by randomnobody on Jan 9, 2015 19:24:31 GMT
Yeah, I've heard great things about Citadel over many years, and while their aesthetics never really caught me (I think at one time they had some models with odd kissaki shape or bohi execution, I can't remember; they seem to have gotten better, either way) I've always looked at them as that middle-ground between custom and high-end production. I'd love to try one out someday, but I've never really been in that price range unless I was making payments. If they had an unokubi wak about three or four inches shorter, I might be in that ballpark...but this model, while again, it looks really good, just isn't the kind of sword I'm shopping for right now.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2015 20:10:47 GMT
It would be a contender if I didn't already have wakizashi covered.
The higher price point isn't so bad, if it's put together correctly the first time I don't have to mentally tack on another couple of hundred getting things replaced so to me it would be worth it.
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Post by Jussi Ekholm on Jan 9, 2015 20:14:03 GMT
I think Citadel swords are well made but they cost more than I'm personally willing to spend on them (the same thing I have with Kaneie). I saw about 10 different Citadel models 9 years ago and I was impressed by them. Well of course impressing me back then was whole lot easier than impressing me now... As I have not ever thought seriously about buying a Citadel sword for retail price that speaks something about my preferences and attitude towards them. The old Citadel models seemed to have much larger sori than these current ones. These current ones look in overall to be better quality than the old ones but unfortunately I do not like the shape of these new models. As I don't like the shape I would not buy one. That tsuba is in my mind one of the best Citadel has made. I bought one of those for a project 9 years ago.
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Post by Bob B on Jan 9, 2015 22:07:03 GMT
Nice looking sword. But at that price range I'm going to customize something to my personal taste instead.
Bob
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Post by Aurélien on Jan 10, 2015 1:28:09 GMT
Classy, but not sexy. Very well conceived, but no "wow-effect" when I look at it. If I had about $1900 to invest in a chinese repro, I'd choose a Peace katana - a classy, sexy, wow-effect trigger. But I can understand the reasons why you find this sword appealing, Citadel has a good reputation, and this waki seems very well crafted. If you want it and have the money, go for it! Such a sword in a collection is far from being shameful! Just not my cup of tea...
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Post by randomnobody on Jan 10, 2015 1:33:46 GMT
Citadel is Cambodian. They're not just another Chinese gig churning out cheap swords in a modified assembly line, they're a real group of skilled artisans making each piece one by one the whole way through. Generally speaking, they're a better product than Bugei. That said, more folk like Bugei's stuff, and that's fine. Just don't confuse Citadel with any old Chinese forge operation, because they're not. By the way, the Peace does nothing for me, either.
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Post by justin520 on Jan 10, 2015 1:35:37 GMT
The quality is there but it's just to shogunate regulation for my taste. I'm all about either solid blacks or wild color schemes.
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Post by Aurélien on Jan 10, 2015 1:42:22 GMT
Citadel is Cambodian. They're not just another Chinese gig churning out cheap swords in a modified assembly line, they're a real group of skilled artisans making each piece one by one the whole way through. Generally speaking, they're a better product than Bugei. That said, more folk like Bugei's stuff, and that's fine. Just don't confuse Citadel with any old Chinese forge operation, because they're not. By the way, the Peace does nothing for me, either. I didn't know the origin of Citadel! Thanks for that info, random'! The fun part : I'll go to Cambodge (don't know how to spell it in English, sorry) in 5 weeks!
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Post by randomnobody on Jan 10, 2015 1:44:29 GMT
Ooh, that sounds fun. A few years back one of our members got to tour their shop and posted up a ton of awesome pictures and stuff. I can't remember who it was, though...figure it was around 8-10 years ago? Come to think of it, it should be on this forum somewhere, thanks to the merge... Edit: That was easier to find than I'd expected. Nice. Turns out it was only four and a half years ago. Well, September '09. sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/12543/visit-citadel-katana-workshop
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 10, 2015 14:03:05 GMT
Aurélien, I hope you get to tour their shop - that would definitely be awesome! Random, thanks for the link... really enjoyable to look at the behind the scenes at Citadel, even though it was from several years ago.
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Jan 10, 2015 18:29:18 GMT
There is a great video on the making of a Citadel katana from the Cas Iberia website -Josh
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