Ten Ryu Tactical Katana
Nov 21, 2015 19:24:58 GMT
Post by disappearingone on Nov 21, 2015 19:24:58 GMT
I decided to pick this up a few weeks back due to the fact that I had been curious about Tactical Katana's and this was inexpensive enough to be a fairly insignificant as far as unnecessary purchases go. At $54.99 at Swords of Might (first ever purchase from them, and all went well) I just figured what the heck. So, here we go, these are my quick thoughts on the sword.
Stats: (copied and pasted from swordsofmight.com)
HAND FORGED 1045 HIGH CARBON STEEL BLADE
FULL TANG
SHARP
27"" 5.5MM BLADE
9.5" TRIPLE RIVETED WOOD HANDLE (FALSE!!!!) WITH NON SLIP GRIP
PARACORD LANYARD
WOOD SCABBARD WITH SPECKLED BLACK COATING AND PARACORD SAGEO
GREAT FOR THE OUTDOOR SAMURAI
39" OVERALL
One thing I feel needs to be mentioned is that the write-up on Swords of Might says the handle is wood... it isn't It's black plastic. For the price, not a big deal, but I feel it needs be cleared up. It is, however, nice and solid feeling and I don't have any fear of the handle coming apart or anything. The lanyard just feels weird to me on a sword. On a knife, sure, I get it. But on sword, it just seems unnecessary.
The saya is surprisingly nice. Really nice fit with absolutely no blade clacking about. That's very surprising to me at this price point. I do like the speckle finish.
As for the blade... well, here's where I encountered a couple of issues. First, after I cleaned off the factory oil I noticed there were some oxidation spots. I can take care of that easily with some Metal Glo, but still, a brand new sword shouldn't have that. Then, after I'd had it for a few days a friend of mine was checking it out. As he was looking it over he said "Did you know there's a bend in the blade?" He handed it to me and sure enough, about three quarters of the way down the blade was indeed a slight bend. I was able to straighten it out simply with a careful grip and some muscle and so far it's remained straight, even after a bottle cutting session. Speaking of cutting....
It did okay cutting bottles. There were one or two that got batted away. To do serious cutting the edge would probably need a touch-up. My new khukri that I tested out at the same time effortlessly sailed through them though. The sword handles decently. It seems somehow a bit heavier than it should be. If you're used to a standard katana handle it may feel a little strange at first.
This is what I would describe as a "disposable sword". It's well-built enough to actually do some stuff with, but inexpensive enough that you won't be heartbroken if you accidentally smack it against your cutting stand and damage it. The couple of issues I had with it were pretty easily fixed, so even though they were disappointing they weren't really deal breakers.
Should you get one? It's a cheap sword that does actually have some function. If that appeals to you then you may want to give it a try.
Stats: (copied and pasted from swordsofmight.com)
HAND FORGED 1045 HIGH CARBON STEEL BLADE
FULL TANG
SHARP
27"" 5.5MM BLADE
9.5" TRIPLE RIVETED WOOD HANDLE (FALSE!!!!) WITH NON SLIP GRIP
PARACORD LANYARD
WOOD SCABBARD WITH SPECKLED BLACK COATING AND PARACORD SAGEO
GREAT FOR THE OUTDOOR SAMURAI
39" OVERALL
One thing I feel needs to be mentioned is that the write-up on Swords of Might says the handle is wood... it isn't It's black plastic. For the price, not a big deal, but I feel it needs be cleared up. It is, however, nice and solid feeling and I don't have any fear of the handle coming apart or anything. The lanyard just feels weird to me on a sword. On a knife, sure, I get it. But on sword, it just seems unnecessary.
The saya is surprisingly nice. Really nice fit with absolutely no blade clacking about. That's very surprising to me at this price point. I do like the speckle finish.
As for the blade... well, here's where I encountered a couple of issues. First, after I cleaned off the factory oil I noticed there were some oxidation spots. I can take care of that easily with some Metal Glo, but still, a brand new sword shouldn't have that. Then, after I'd had it for a few days a friend of mine was checking it out. As he was looking it over he said "Did you know there's a bend in the blade?" He handed it to me and sure enough, about three quarters of the way down the blade was indeed a slight bend. I was able to straighten it out simply with a careful grip and some muscle and so far it's remained straight, even after a bottle cutting session. Speaking of cutting....
It did okay cutting bottles. There were one or two that got batted away. To do serious cutting the edge would probably need a touch-up. My new khukri that I tested out at the same time effortlessly sailed through them though. The sword handles decently. It seems somehow a bit heavier than it should be. If you're used to a standard katana handle it may feel a little strange at first.
This is what I would describe as a "disposable sword". It's well-built enough to actually do some stuff with, but inexpensive enough that you won't be heartbroken if you accidentally smack it against your cutting stand and damage it. The couple of issues I had with it were pretty easily fixed, so even though they were disappointing they weren't really deal breakers.
Should you get one? It's a cheap sword that does actually have some function. If that appeals to you then you may want to give it a try.