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Post by Adrian Jordan on Sept 13, 2015 2:06:17 GMT
Hello. In an effort to make an easily found and understood compendium of buyers experiences with eBay/low cost sword forge vendors I have decided to create this thread. I am putting up a template in which you can rate certain aspects of buying swords from eBay forges. All categories should receive a score of 1 to 5 if a score is required, with 1 being the worst and 5 the best. Please only list if you have personal experience, and be as objective as you can in your scoring. This is not a review of the sword, but rather the experience of buying, receiving, customer service, etc. If you have multiple orders to report, feel free to either list each order, or to give an overall score, but please mention if this is the case. This is for any type of sword. This is for the sellers/forges like Ryansword, Huawei, Hanbon, st_nihonto, Sinosword(JKoo) and the like
This thread is aimed at eBay and other lower cost custom vendor/forges. Online stores such as Swordnarmory, Ronin Katana, SBG Sword Store or Kult of Athena are not those that should be scored.
This information should be recognized for what it is; voluntary information given by buyers wishing to share and educate. As objective as a person will try to be, personal opinion is always flavored. It is not gospel, and should be used as a reference only. Please refrain from discussion beyond the scoring. Thank you.
Template:
Non-Scored:
1. Name of vendor/forge.
2. Type of sword.
3. Off the shelf or custom.
4. What customization asked.
5. Time frame for completion/delivery.
6. Price(if you wish to share).
Scored:
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry.
2. Vendors ability to meet requests.
3. Quality of received items.
4. Accuracy of any customization requested.
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made.
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment.
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction.
Feel free to give a short description detailing if you were happy/unhappy with communication and/or customer service.
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Post by mrwizard on Sept 13, 2015 14:53:46 GMT
Non-Scored: 1. Tommy Lee ebay ID tommy_lee852. Folded Steel Clay Tempered Katana 3. custom. 4. Tsuba, fuchi, kashira 5. Don't remember time exactly but it was the time they promised. 6. Don't remember... it's been a few years. Scored: 1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 5 2. Vendors ability to meet requests. 5 3. Quality of received items. 4.8 4. Accuracy of any customization requested. 5 5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 5 6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 5 7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 5 Beautiful sword, I only use it on special occasions and only on tatami. It has never failed to deliver a perfect cut. Tommy Lee lost only .2 points for the non-alternating ito although it was a very tight wrap. Perhaps thats not a quality thing as much as a technical glitch?... I plan to do a full wrap samegawa, already have ray skin with a very nice emperor node. Haven't decided ito material yet (haven't tried all possibilities yet) but leaning toward silk. Very happy with the product and transaction. The people were more than willing to comply to my every want. |
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Post by emmavon on Sept 19, 2015 18:36:20 GMT
Non-Scored: 1. Name of vendor/forge. St. Nihonto www.ebay.com/usr/st-nihonto2. Type of sword. katana 3. Off the shelf or custom. Off the shelf 4. What customization asked. None 5. Time frame for completion/delivery. None given, actual time = 1 month 6. Price(if you wish to share). $299.99, free shipping Scored: 1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry - 5 2. Vendors ability to meet requests - N/A 3. Quality of received items - 4.5 4. Accuracy of any customization requested - N/A 5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made - 5 6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment - 5 7. Overall satisfaction with transaction - 4.5 Mr. Sheng, the representative that handles all the communication from St. Nihonto was very pleasant to deal with. It appears as though he uses an online translator for emails, so the English is a little off, but it's not too hard to understand what he's talking about. I didn't have any problems communicating with him and he was very timely in responding to my inquiries. The only thing that some might find off-putting is that he doesn't estimate the time something will take very accurately. For me, he told me that the forge was working on my saya and it would be ready in 3-4 days, but I didn't hear back about it for 2 weeks. But never at any time did I feel like he would have a problem completing the transaction. The katana I ordered was stock, which I chose to do over getting a custom sword because I heard from a lot of people who ordered through St. Nihonto that getting a custom katana could be time-consuming. However, it appears that stock swords still have to be made-to-order since it was a month from the time I placed the order until I received notification that it was shipped. I was a little confused at first as to why it was taking so long to ship, so that's when I sent Mr. Sheng a message and he cleared everything up. He even threw in a free sword stand for the wait. The katana itself is much better quality than I expected. There are a few little iffy things about it, but overall everything is well done and I'm very happy with the sword. The katana came with a very nice cloth sword bag, the blade came well-oiled and wrapped in a plastic sheath, which protected the inside of the saya from the heavy layer of oil. The sword was packaged in a Styrofoam box that had a form cut out inside for the sword, and the box itself was completely wrapped in heavy plastic and tape, so everything was very secure. Shipping was quick: the package got from China to my doorstep in 5 days. I would definitely buy from them again and I recommend St. Nihonto to anyone looking for a good quality eBay katana. |
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Post by MessengerofDarkness on Sept 27, 2015 19:24:03 GMT
Non-Scored: 1. Name of vendor/forge: ST-Nihonto2. Type of sword: Katana 3. Off the shelf or custom: Off-the-shelf with minor customizations 4. What customization asked: Different fuchi, kashira, menuki and tsuba. Changed ito and sageo colouring 5. Time frame for completion/delivery: August 18th (day of purchase), to September 26th (day of delivery) 6. Price(if you wish to share): $187. 07 Scored: 1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry: 4 2. Vendors ability to meet requests: 2 3. Quality of received items: 4 4. Accuracy of any customization requested: 3 5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made: 3 6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment: 3 7. Overall satisfaction with transaction: 5 Although I'm currently in the midst of a custom katana order from Sheng, this was a mostly off-the-shelf purchase to see how good their average stuff was. It's a mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly tbh. The good: What was good about this katana was mainly the blade itself. It is made out of L6 steel and has a very prominent hamon with lots of interesting activity. Naturally, it arrived razor sharp and easily passed a paper-cutting test. The kissaki is geometric as well, which is a very nice bonus as well. The saya is a nice fit for the blade and is coated in ishime laquer, so it doesn't show fingerprints every time you touch it. The koiguchi, kurigata, and kojiri are all made out of genuine buffalo horn (I checked), and are all very attractive. The tsuka was also not cracked and is a decent fit to the nakago. The fuchi, kashira and menuki are all nicely cast pieces as well. All this for a price under $200 is hard to beat. The bad: Unfortunatly, the overall flow of the katana is somewhat disrupted by the tsuka - although it is not stick straight, and it does follow the sori of the katana, it is not waisted properly, and has somewhat of a potato~ish shape and feel. The ito wrap alternates properly, but unfortunatly, I can tell that glue was used to hold the ito down on the sides of the tsuka, which, while not a bad thing, is untraditional. The diamonds, while even, are a little bit loose and are a bit too small for my liking to provide a proper grip. The saya's grip on the habaki could also be tighter, and the habaki could be a little better fit to the blade itself. The katana itself is also a bit tipheavy, with a POB at around 5 and 1/2 inches or so from the tsuba. The ugly: While there is little that is openly ugly about this katana, I can tell that the silk ito is synthetic, the kurigata is a square-shaped one instead of a rounded dome (which I much prefer), though this is my own opinion. The kashira is also a little bit too big for the tsuka, as it sticks out a little bit. (This is because the tsuka wasn't shaped as well as it could have been.) Most importantly though, the katana arrived with the wrong tsuba, as it came with the cast brass one instead of the different iron one I asked for. (Though it was well fitted to the nagago, as there were hand-done punch marks to tighten the fit.) Pros: -Excellent blade with stunning hamon -Great quality saya -Fuchi, kashira, and menuki are all attractive -Not cracked tsuka -Excellent price-to-value ratio Cons: -Synthetic ito -Relatively poor tsuka shaping -Wrong Tsuba -Overall though, pretty hard to fault for the price paid |
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Post by the6thdeadlyvenom on Nov 19, 2015 20:37:11 GMT
Non-Scored:
1. ST-Nihonto
2. Shinogi Zukuri /Kamasu Kissaki
3. Semi-Custom Blade off the shelf, Custom Tsuka, Wrap and Fittings
4. Full Same wrap in red, Tsukaito in black leather, Tsukaito wrapped in Katatemaki style, Custom Fuchi Kashira and Tsuba and
Cha-isshime Saya with natural unpainted Koiguchi Kurikata and Kojiri
5. 2 Weeks to make, 20 days to deliver. Total 34 days
6. $275 after partial refund
Scored:
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry - 5
2. Vendors ability to meet requests - 1
3. Quality of received items - 2.5
4. Accuracy of any customization requested - 3
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made - 5
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment - 3
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction - 3
Tsukaito was requested to be leather, he sent me synthetic cotton, and cheap synthsilk at that. Wrong Tsuba, Kashira Tsuka and Menuki, the Kashira is barely attached and jammed onto the Tsuka and the worst tsuka wrap I've ever seen. Uneven diamonds, loose wrap, one reversed knot at Kashira and it sticks out like 1/4 inch. Just lazy and atrocious. Loose saya fit, no rattle and saya is super cheap laquer on buffalo horn that flakes off.
I contacted ST-Nihonto and voiced my displeasure with the final product I received. I asked to return for a full refund. He agreed to a return for full refund but asked if I could please consider a partial refund to avoid a return. I have no problem with this as I do like the blade and with a proper wrap and fittings it would be a worthwhile addition to my collection. So I asked him how much he had in mind as a partial refund. He insulted me by offering me $25USD!! LOL! After doing a triple take at my monitor I replied that if that is the most he'd be willing to offer, I'd just rather return for full refund. He apologized and asked how much I thought was fair. Not wanting to be too hard on the guy I said I'd take $75. Bottom line is that although that will certainly not cover a re-wrap and proper fittings that puts what I received at a price that I don't feel like I got ripped at. So he agreed. Now I find out how he has maintained a 100%+ feedback profile. He responds saying that he will gladly refund only after I have left him 5 star positive feedback and ended this request with "thank you for your help and understanding". Now I don't have a problem doing this. The fact is that even if he's tricking me and not planning on refunding me after I leave feedback (which I don't believe he is doing mind you) I could still file a claim with Paypal and get a full refund anyway. It's just his way of making sure nobody sneaks in - feedback after a refund in a transaction in which the purchaser was dissatisfied by holding said refund $$ hostage. Again I don't care and so long as he was willing to give me $75 back I had no intention of leaving him - feedback (probably just no feedback at all) but it is enlightening as to his ability to maintain a flawless feedback profile. Just goes to show you Ebay feedback doesn't mean as much as you might think. Stick to this forum and other similar ones for the real straight dope! Out!
See full review thread here if interested: sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/46317/nihonto-shinogi-zukuri-kamasu-kissaki
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Post by the6thdeadlyvenom on Nov 19, 2015 22:28:06 GMT
1. Huawei
2. Unokubi Zukuri Katana
3. Offthe shelf
4. Auction included a cheap saya, For an addition $27 he swapped for a Saya with Buffalo horn fittings
5. Arrived onmy doorstep 7 days after I paid
6. $268 + $27 for upgraded Saya
Scored:
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 3
2. Vendors ability to meet requests.5
3. Quality of received items. 5
4. Accuracy of any customization requested. N/A
5.Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 5
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 5
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 5
As I stated in my review of this sword in reviews section I really feel like I got a bargain in this deal. Jacky offers limited products, limited to no customization options, spotty communication, but a VERY high quality product that exceeds expectations. Because you not only get exactly what is promised but the quality exceeds. His blades are beautiful and lively and very high quality. Fittings are not spectacular but certainly not throwaway junk like most other Chinese Ebay swords. Nothing but high marks for Huawei in my book. |
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Post by Kodex on Jan 10, 2016 1:23:20 GMT
Non-Scored:
1. Name of vendor/forge. Ryansword
2. Type of sword. 1095 folded Katana and 2 1060 Katanas
3. Off the shelf or custom. Custom
4. What customization asked. Picked specific fittings, Sageo, Ito, Ito Wrap Style, and Saya colour.
5. Time frame for completion/delivery. Under 2 weeks.
6. Price(if you wish to share).
Scored:
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 5
2. Vendors ability to meet requests. 5
3. Quality of received items. 3
4. Accuracy of any customization requested. 5
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 5
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 2
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 2
The swords were very hit and miss, after doing some light cutting (water bottles) the swords required some maintenance afterwards ranging from adding spacers under and between the tsuba and the blade to get rid of a rattling sound, and doing the same to the habaki. The swords were rated for light use, but didn't expect them to require as much attention as they did. One 1060 sword I had was flawless, it didn't need any attention after cutting, and was fairly sturdy. The 1095 on the other hand was warped to the left when holding it straight out, besides that it was an awesome blade. The customizations they had were wonderful, and I find myself wanting to order another one, but the sour taste from the bad ones remind me not to do so. If I ever did order another one, it'd purely be a wall hanger.
Edit: just wanted to say this was about 3 years ago, I haven't ordered since, maybe they have improved their production quality since then.
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Post by zabazagobo on Mar 15, 2016 9:10:41 GMT
3 Katana from Hanbon Swords (Swordsmith668)
Round One: TH 1060 Carbon Steel Full Tang Samurai Sword Sharp Can Cut Tree.....or something like that
Picked a cheap (~$80) model for sale. Asked to up the blade length to around 30 inches and got a stand to go with it. Communication was excellent, service was highly accommodating and shipping was very fast. Off to a good start. The blade itself was nothing spectacular, although for what it was, it worked. The ito was tight enough, and the fittings were all tight, but cheap. The blade steel was markedly soft and took damage easily from contact with other objects. The habaki fit was also poor in the koiguchi and the blade fell out at near horizontal angles.
Scored:
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 5/5
2. Vendors ability to meet requests. 5/5
3. Quality of received items. 2/5
4. Accuracy of any customization requested. 5/5
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 5/5
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 4/5
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 3/5
Having seen what $80 got from the seller, I decided to take the plunge on something a bit better.
Round Two: DH 1095 Carbon Steel Dragon Tsuba Something Something Full Tang
Picking a model with a nice blue theme (and an unokubi zukuri sugata), I asked to get a sword that was differentially hardened and paid something to the effect of $230 for the sword. Still not a lot of money, but a rank up from the previous order. As before, Yao was polite, prompt and accommodating. However, the sword that arrived was not DH and had no hamon anywhere on the blade. LESSON 1: EBAY CUSTOMS HAVE PROBLEMS. Yao was highly apologetic and took ownership of the mistake. As neither of us wanted to deal with return shipping, he refunded me $60 for the surcharge for DH and promised discounts on any future orders...in exchange for leaving him positive feedback on Ebay of course! Yep, his customer service was held ransom for an Ebay rating! LESSON 2: FORCING EBAY POSITIVE FEEDBACK AS RANSOM FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS A REAL THREAT.
The sword itself wasn't that great. The tsuka was horribly shaped and felt incredibly clunky. The ito frayed extremely easily and shifted around a bit too. The samegawa was a fake plastic colored blue that was cut into thin panels that exposed the wood core. The bo-hi termination on the blade was poorly executed, and the yokote was fake. Not a very well handling sword, although it looks nice as a display piece (from a distance).
Scored:
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 5/5
2. Vendors ability to meet requests. 2/5
3. Quality of received items. 2/5
4. Accuracy of any customization requested. 2/5
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 5/5
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 2/5
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 2/5
Despite having poor luck with the second order, seeing as how Yao was such a nice guy and how there were positive reviews posted on this forum and elsewhere, I decided to take Yao up on his offer of a discounted sword to take one last stab at getting a satisfactory product from Hanbon Swords. Above and beyond of me, I know.
Round Three: Custom DH 1095 Katana
This blade was specified to have a 29 inch nagasa in shinogi zukuri with chu kissaki paired with a white scabbard, ito and sageo in a red cotton and a crane koshirae theme. The blade, which normally cost $240, was sold to me discounted at $190. Seems like a great deal, right?
Too bad it was horribly put together. The habaki fit to the koiguchi was absolutely terrible and the sword had to be wrestled out of the saya. The samegawa wasn’t even panels of cheap plastic, but rather some odd round material forming small circular plastic blobs glued closely together to simulate samegawa. The first time the blade came into contact with a cutting board the kashira flew off and I was so underwhelmed I have yet to properly retie it. The blade is clunky with no distal taper, no geometric yokote and an odd abnormality in the steel close to the habaki that suggests there was an issue with quenching and the structural integrity of the blade is dubious. Topped off with a gross acid-etched hamon and you have a bad purchase no matter how you look at it.
Scored:
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 5/5
2. Vendors ability to meet requests. 2/5
3. Quality of received items. 1/5
4. Accuracy of any customization requested. 2/5
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 5/5
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 0/5
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 0/5
Given this order was supposed to be an apology of sorts for the previous screwup, I find it rude of Swordsmith668 to have done such a shoddy job with every aspect of this sword. The complete lack of quality I’ve seen from Hanbon Swords in the “budget” price range is why I will not recommend them.
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Post by pellius on Jun 4, 2016 13:18:21 GMT
Non-Scored:
1. Name of vendor/forge. Hanbon/Yao
2. Type of sword. Jian/gim
3. Off the shelf or custom. Off the shelf
4. What customization asked. None
5. Time frame for completion/delivery. A window of 2-3 weeks after placing order
6. Price(if you wish to share). About 275
Scored:
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 4/5
2. Vendors ability to meet requests. 5/5
3. Quality of received items. 4/5
4. Accuracy of any customization requested. N/A
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 4/5
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 5/5
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 5/5
Delivery time:
As with other eBay vendors, Mr. Yao gave a delivery time immediately after I placed and made payment for my order. A shipping tracking number was quickly provided. At the end of the time window there was no shipping update and, of course, no sword. I'm not an experienced eBay consumer, so I emailed the vendor directly. I got no reply. So, in a few days, I emailed thru the eBay vendor contact system requesting a full refund citing no sword and no communication. Mr. Yao replied thru the eBay system within a few hours. He claimed the monsoon season had caused his sword stock to rust, and that he had to have a fresh blade forged. He gave a 4 day completion time, and offered a very sincere sounding apology.
As an aside at this point in the story, Mr. Yao has very little negative feedback. Those (few) negative comments also complain of a no-delivery-blame-the-weather issue. They also say that Mr. Yao subsequently ships the sword in a timely manner. This was my experience as well.
I asked Mr. Yao to email me when he shipped my sword. He shipped it about 36 hours later, and emailed me the update. The sword arrived in less than a week. Overall, I had it in hand about 7 days after the original estimated date.
The sword:
Was mostly as advertised. The jian blade was beautiful - pattern welded TH 1060. The pattern welding was symmetrical across the blade. The blade had a good distal taper and good quality (inexpensive) fittings. The wood handle and scabbard was very nice. The only flaw I found was that the taper to the point was slightly asymmetrical.
The sword was advertised as "strong enough to cut thick bamboo but sharp enough to slice paper." Well, not quite. The blade was not sharp enough to cut paper. It was not quite sharp enough to cut skin on moderate contact. It was close, though, and not blunt or dull. It did easily cut thru a heavy cardboard box (copy paper case) with ease - front to back - with a smart cut but no fajing. Would be easy to sharpen it. Since I wanted a practice sword, I don't mind the sharpness. It would be somewhat forgiving, but would still demand care and caution in practice. It would definitely be considered a live blade.
The hilt was not pinned (was not advertised to be). The hilt was held on and together with a moderately heavy pommel nut. I cross drilled the wood handle under the pommel cap thru the substantial tang. There was plenty of meat to hold a steel roll pin. I would call the sword "battle ready" now.
*edit*
I read some of the other eBay vendor reviews. For what it's worth, eBay feedback never came up in my discussion with Mr. Yao. Maybe it would've if returning the sword had come up.
*Second edit*
It has been about a year and a half since I last bought a sword from Hanbon/Mr. Yao. In that time, a fair number of other folks have reported various substantial issues with workmanship and customer service from Hanbon. My experiences with Hanbon were okay with only minor complaints, but I would encourage anyone reading my review to also look at the numerous more recent reviews.
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Post by pupeski on Oct 23, 2016 10:05:37 GMT
Non-Scored: 1. Swordmaker688 for HanBon Forge 2. "Handmade Japanese Sword Katana 1060 Damascus Steel Blade Empire Wheel Iron Tsuba" AND "High Carbon Steel Full Tang Japanese Samurai Katana Sword Sharp Blade Cut Trees" respectively. 3. Off the shelf. 4. What customization asked -- nil. 5. Time frame for completion/delivery -- PRC to Australia about seven or eight working days. 6. Prices -- AUD145.68 & AUD83.43 respectively. Scored: 1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry -- 5/5. 2. Vendors ability to meet requests -- 4/5. 3. Quality of received items -- 4/5 prices considered. 4. Accuracy of any customization requested -- n/a 5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made -- 5/5. 6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment -- 4/5. 7. Overall satisfaction with transaction -- 4/5. The first item (Damascus) does dismantle easily however unsigned; to be expected (I may practice engraving at a later date). Beautiful Damascus steel which does indeed continue up and to and along the tang and truly wicked-sharp. Very light but I keep it and haven't attempted anything potentially destructive as the sword is simply too nice, albeit a cheapie. Wrap appears to be real ray skin but heavily bleached and only a strip. One thing the Tsuba is non-ferrous which annoyed me greatly as it was advertised as "High Quality Iron Tsuba". I contacted them immediately; vendor replied within two hours: "...Thank you for telling us the problem,i just checked,there's an error about this item page,it is alloy,not iron,i have revised the page.I really appreciate your kindly reminder,thank you very much.If you buy top quality sword from us next time.We are willing to give you a discount.  ..." Oh, well. The second cheaper item, I really do use to cut shrubs, small tree branches, other trash around the yard and even meat and bones for our red cattle dog. Only once sustained confined rippling damage accidentally striking tensile twisted fencing wire within hedge. Easy thing to repair and practice polishing and sharpening on. Absolutely no hope of dismantling it; suspect Tsuka fixed in with epoxy. Wrap appears to be real ray skin but heavily bleached and only a strip. Both swords are nicely presented and most likely safe for basic cutting and one gets what they pay for. On both cotton fittings and basic hardwood Saya. Fastest shipping out of PRC possible (thanking EMS). |
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Post by ambulocetus on May 6, 2017 21:53:18 GMT
1. Name of vendor/forge. artsfeng_com
2. Type of sword. HAND MADE SHARP JAPANESE SAMURAI KATANA SWORD 1060 HIGH CARBON STEEL FULL TANG
Non-Scored:
3. Off the shelf or custom. Arts Feng usually just sells fittings. I don't know why they decided to sell an assembled sword
4. What customization asked. Listing had pics of two different swords and I asked for them to send the all black one. They did, but it wasn't easy getting them to understand what I meant.
5. Time frame for completion/delivery. Reasonably speedy, but not as quick as Sinosword
6. Price(if you wish to share). 69.99
Scored:
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 5
2. Vendors ability to meet requests. 5
3. Quality of received items. 4 handle and fittings good for the price, but blade doesn't fit saya very well. At this price I can't complain
4. Accuracy of any customization requested. 5
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 5
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 5
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 4 pretty good deal, but not the best. Overall seems like a good vendor, but you get what you pay for
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Post by lowkick on Oct 12, 2017 10:21:19 GMT
1. Name of vendor/forge. Swordmaker688 / Hanbon Forge
2. Type of sword. Customized ko-katana that I ordered through HF's website rather than ebay since using the website seemed more natural to order a custom sword.
3. Off the shelf or custom. Custom
4. What customization asked. I requested a specific blade and tsuka length, which in turn required a custom sized saya. They have all the standard options such as type/color of ito, type of saya, fittings, etc. but I don't really consider those options custom as they are just mix and match.
5. Time frame for completion/delivery. Advertised as 3/4 weeks for delivery if choosing a non-standard blade or saya length, took 4 weeks.
6. Price(if you wish to share). $237.00
Scored:
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 5
2. Vendors ability to meet requests. 5
3. Quality of received items. 4.5
4. Accuracy of any customization requested. 5
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 5
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 5
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 5
Everything I requested through their "customized katana" order form through their website was met. I requested a blade length of 25 inches and tsuka length of 9 inches, blade length is 25 inches, tsuka length is 9-1/4 inches. Everything is solid, no loose fittings nor saya rattle, etc. I asked for a saya carving, carving is on the wrong side imo, it should be able to be viewed from the outside when worn, as it is, it faces inwards. Blade is sharp, but not razor sharp, and slightly dull near the tsuka. Is able to cut paper, but not near the base of the blade due to it being a bit dull, cuts tatami fine.
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Post by Roscoe57 on Nov 6, 2017 23:40:15 GMT
Non-Scored: 1. Name of vendor/forge. Swordermaker668 / Hanbon Swords 2. Type of sword. Katana 9260 spring steel 3. Off the shelf or custom. Custom 4. What customization asked. Cotton ito, white rayskin and iron tsuba 5. Time frame for completion/delivery. 14 days 6. Price(if you wish to share). $ 136.00 Scored 1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 5 2. Vendors ability to meet requests. 3 3. Quality of received items. 3 4. Accuracy of any customization requested. 3 5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 5 6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 5 7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 3 Pros: -Ito wrap is tight and spaced right. -All fittings are tight and the blade is very sharp. -Fast to answer emails. Cons: -Tsuka was filled with wood and metal shavings. Burrs on drill holes. -Sent wrong saya. Replaced with another wrong color saya that didn't fit at all. Saya that came with the katana was a purple metal flake, was supposed to of been high quality saya with bull horn, dark reddish stained wood that you could see the wood grain. Replacement saya was a bright red paint. The blade will go in and stop about 3 inches to the tsuba. -Overall for $136 the katana is excellent and the saya is crap. I ended up sanding and repainting the purple saya. But you still have to jiggle it to seat correctly. I bought this one because I wanted a 9260 blade and I loved the original saya that was shown on the eBay page. Update: Case closed with swordsmith668. I asked for a $25 refund and Yao Yillin sent it asap. I will give Hanbon credit for being honest, helpful in trying to solve the saya problem. Along with very fast email replies. Excellent customer service. More info and pictures: sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/52517/swordsmith668-hanbon-swords-problem |
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Post by Roscoe57 on Nov 7, 2017 15:18:20 GMT
Non-Scored:
1. Name of vendor/forge. huawei-sword
2. Type of sword. 9260 spring steel Katana
3. Off the shelf or custom. off the shelf
4. What customization asked. None
5. Time frame for completion/delivery. 16 days
6. Price(if you wish to share). $199.
Scored
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 1
2. Vendors ability to meet requests. NA
3. Quality of received items. 3
4. Accuracy of any customization requested. NA
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 1
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 1
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 3
Pros:
-Beatiful blade and very sharp
-Well done ito
-Saya works perfect
Cons:
-Customer serice sucks
-Tsuka was cracked and full of metal / wood pieces.
-Tsuka on super tight
-Loose fuchi
Overall nice blade with good polish. I knew better than ask for anything different from reading what others say about making changes, super long wait time. No confirmation email that they received the order and no replies to the cracked tsuka. I should of taken it apart before giving eBay feedback. The fuchi became very loose after just a few cuts.
My first and last Huawei.
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Post by Roscoe57 on Nov 7, 2017 16:00:57 GMT
Non-Scored:
1. Name of vendor/forge. st-nihonto
2. Type of sword. 9260 spring steel
3. Off the shelf or custom. Custom
4. What customization asked. Ito color, saya color and tsuba
5. Time frame for completion/delivery. 16 days
6. Price(if you wish to share). $200
Scored
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 5
2. Vendors ability to meet requests. 5
3. Quality of received items. 4
4. Accuracy of any customization requested. 5
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 5
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 5
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 5
Pros:
-blade is excellent and very sharp.
-all fittinga are tight
-ito wrapped tight and looks good
-Saya works perfect
-Bought in Dec 2013. I have used this one alot. Holding up very well.
Cons:
-Tsuka is very narrow and the wood is rather thin.
Overall I am very pleased with this katana. Excellent cutter. Being the tsuka was so very narrow I wrapped paracord around it to thicken it up some.
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Post by Roscoe57 on Nov 7, 2017 16:56:58 GMT
Non-Scored:
1. Name of vendor/forge. Ryan Swords
2. Type of sword. 1095 Folded clay tempered set Katana and Wakizashi
3. Off the shelf or custom. Custom
4. What customization asked. leather ito, tsuba, copper seppa's
5. Time frame for completion/delivery. 18 days
6. Price $ 400
Scored 5
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 5
2. Vendors ability to meet requests. 5
3. Quality of received items. 5
4. Accuracy of any customization requested. 5
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 5
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 5
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 5
Pros:
-Everything fits like it should
-Very sharp blades with excellent polish
Cons:
-I had engraving done. It was a etch rather than engraving.
Overall excellent.
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Post by aphetchakan on Nov 10, 2017 1:54:13 GMT
Non-Scored:
1. Name of vendor/forge. Hanbon Forge
2. Type of sword. Katana 1095 Clay Tempered
3. Off the shelf or custom. Off the shelf
4. What customization asked. N/A
5. Time frame for completion/delivery. 2 weeks
6. Price(if you wish to share). $196 (Won Bid)
Scored:
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry. 5
2. Vendors ability to meet requests. 5
3. Quality of received items.
4. Accuracy of any customization requested. N/A
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made. 5
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment. 4
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction. 4
Pros:
- The sword is mounted very good, the Saya is very tight, the Habaki has no gap
Cons:
- The blade is not really smooth polished at the cutting edge, at the impact area of cutting edge is not even sharped
Summary
Overall of the sword is almost perfect, except the cutting edge is not even sharped and smooth, especially at the attack point is NOT sharped to cut anything. However the blade is not sharped no problem to me. I can polish the blade to be razor sharp and their blade can hold edge well.
Thank you.
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Post by nbhraizo on Aug 26, 2018 2:02:22 GMT
Non-Scored:
1. Name of vendor/forge.: JKOO/ sinosword.com
2. Type of sword: 9260 Katana
3. Off the shelf or custom.: Custom
4. What customization asked.: 9260 TH mono spring steel, 28" blade, 11" tsuka, midnight blue ito wrap, full samegawa, chu kissaki.
5. Time frame for completion/delivery: Ordered June 1st, 2018, received August 23rd, 2018
6. Price(if you wish to share): USD 199+50 shipping
Scored:
1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry: 5/5 Waited 2 days from submitting my request to receiving my quote.
2. Vendors ability to meet requests.: 5/5
3. Quality of received items: 5/5 Tsuba arrived bent, notified vendor who immediately offered to ship a replacement at no cost to me.
4. Accuracy of any customization requested.: 5/5 exactly as asked
5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made.: 5/5 Even after payment, replies to my questions and inquiries about placing future orders were prompt, either within hours or one day from each email.
6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment: 5/5
7. Overall satisfaction with transaction: 5/5 would definitely recommend them to someone else as well as purchase from them again.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Sept 29, 2018 3:06:00 GMT
Non-Scored: 1. Name of vendor/forge: Huaweisword 2. Type of sword: Unokubi-zukuri katana. 3. Off the shelf or custom: Off the shelf with alternative saya. 4. What customization asked: Alternative saya. 5. Time frame for completion/delivery: Two days for shipment, none for delivery. 6. Price: $303 usd. Scored: 1. Vendors reply time to initial inquiry: 5. 2. Vendors ability to meet requests: 5. 3. Quality of received items: 5. 4. Accuracy of any customization requested:5. 5. Vendors reply time to inquiries once deal has been made: N/A. No inquiries made post sale. 6. Overall satisfaction with vendors/representatives treatment: 5. 7. Overall satisfaction with transaction: 5.
Overall Impressions:
Did this quite a while ago. I was very happy with the experience. I contacted the eBay page for huaweiswords inquiring if they had alternate saya options for their $268 Unokubi-zukuri model katana and got a response within a couple of hours. Over the course of about a day we worked out the model of saya and price to be paid, and two days later it was on its way to me. Arrived about two weeks after that. An extra $35 over the base price got me a real nice saya with a partial rattan wrap and horn parts. I was(and continue to be) pretty blown away at the quality of the sword for the price paid.
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Post by ctimmerwilke on Jan 1, 2019 7:57:46 GMT
Non scored 1 swords of northshire 2 okatana or nodachi (unsure where it sits based on length) 3 custom 4 basically everything including blade profile 5 it was probably about 5 months from order to delivery 6 not sure but was roughly 400$ usd scored 1 6/10 2 4/10 I had wanted a proper length nodachi but this was the largest they could forge for me, the blade profile of the false edge that gives it a bit more stabbing potential is unsymmetrical. 3 6/10 4 7/10 for reasons stated above but from what they told me they could make 10/10 5 5/10 6 10/10 7 10/10 I’ve grown to love my not so little monster, as it’s been my best sword so far. I only have about 4 but man is this is quality, it feels better than $1000+ usd swords I’ve handled, but I love my blades a little more hardy than most. This demon of a blade cut halfway through a tatami mat stand on an upswing with no nicks, cracks or rolls. But the laser engraved lion dog looks cheap and I think is straight up ripped from one of the kill bill swords. Forgot to mention till now I specifically asked for the battle wrap on the handle and for an imitation hammon because I personally don’t believe 1095 needs or benefits from clay tempering |
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..." Oh, well.
