pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Oct 25, 2017 21:55:10 GMT
I purchased a Kris Pinuti with no regrets. I posted a couple of videos using them at: Hey, where did you purchase your Pinuti from? I've been looking at the stuff from TFW. From KoA. They had four Kris offerings at the time, I wasn’t interested in the sword & dagger nor the combat barong. The choice was between a working barong and the pinuti. Kris has introduced at least one pinuti, and I think two since then, so what they are now offering is not the exact model I have. It has held up well and is amongst my favourites. The only modification I’ve was to wrap the grip with cord to improve the grasp. Not because it was lacking as such but while working in the wet it put me more at ease, besides it added strength. It has made a marvellous tool cutting like a champ and I would feel comfortable using it in combat. Just made a quick search and it doesn’t appear to be on their listing now. www.kriscutlery.com/
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Post by howler on Oct 25, 2017 23:04:07 GMT
Hey, where did you purchase your Pinuti from? I've been looking at the stuff from TFW. From KoA. They had four Kris offerings at the time, I wasn’t interested in the sword & dagger nor the combat barong. The choice was between a working barong and the pinuti. Kris has introduced at least one pinuti, and I think two since then, so what they are now offering is not the exact model I have. It has held up well and is amongst my favourites. The only modification I’ve was to wrap the grip with cord to improve the grasp. Not because it was lacking as such but while working in the wet it put me more at ease, besides it added strength. It has made a marvellous tool cutting like a champ and I would feel comfortable using it in combat. Just made a quick search and it doesn’t appear to be on their listing now. www.kriscutlery.com/ Ah, so Kris cutlery through KoA. Pickings seem slim outside of TFW, who offer superior products, though at a greater economic price.
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Post by Croccifixio on Oct 26, 2017 2:14:24 GMT
Here you go. The Ginunting did not perform badly to be honest, but I'm sure I'd have done better with a Sansibar-type blade. But rewatching this makes me want to buy another Ginunting :P
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Post by howler on Oct 26, 2017 7:32:17 GMT
Here you go. The Ginunting did not perform badly to be honest, but I'm sure I'd have done better with a Sansibar-type blade. But rewatching this makes me want to buy another Ginunting You used good form Crocc, putting as much slice as you could into the chopping nature of the beast. The look you gave that dog made it shut up for a while. That looked like a much shorter model (around 16"), and maybe a bit less curved from butt to tip, so maybe a tad easier stabbing ability.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Oct 26, 2017 13:39:05 GMT
Thanks for the video Croccifixio. I see many things in your video that remind me of my country. I like the ginunting, the reason that I wrote it off of my choices was the reverse curve of the blade. I questioned my ability to sharpen it well when needed. I believe now with more experience I can do it and would welcome a ginunting.
Below is a video I made for the UBC Competition but was unable to enter. I believe the pinuti has the ability to cut that stick in the video in two with one cut but the distal end of the blade was stopped by the cutting board first.
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Post by kalkikrosah on Oct 26, 2017 14:56:26 GMT
Thanks for the video Croccifixio. I see many things in your video that remind me of my country. I like the ginunting, the reason that I wrote it off of my choices was the reverse curve of the blade. I questioned my ability to sharpen it well when needed. I believe now with more experience I can do it and would welcome a ginunting. Below is a video I made for the UBC Competition but was unable to enter. I believe the pinuti has the ability to cut that stick in the video in two with one cut but the distal end of the blade was stopped by the cutting board first. You can buy yourself a budget Ginunting at $130 from Kalahai Custom Blades. It comes almost dull out of the box and the fit and finish is rough and cheap, but from a functionality stand point it is a very good Ginunting at that price range. You can learn to sharpen a recurve on that blade and if you do a poor job you won't feel as bad because it isn't as big of a money investment as if you bought from TFW (mid-range pricing) or somewhere else. I used a ken onion work sharp on it and got a decent edge on the blade. My ginunting was the first large blade I used my work shop on and I think I did a fair job for a first timer. Some spots are sharper than others but it is still way better than the factory edge.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Oct 26, 2017 17:54:47 GMT
Thanks for the info and I added Kalahai Customs Blades to my bookmarks. Unfortunately that 130 USD price will cost me in the neighbourhood of 300 by the time I receive it. Another problem that might occur is that customs may block it altogether. I don’t know how Kalahai list themselves but I see a FMA heading on their web site, I suspect the same problem will exist with TFW, as when customs see the word “weapon” and “martial arts” things get a bit sticky. Customs seems to have no stigma with names like Amazon, Kult of Athen, etc. The problem comes from the manufacturer they represent attaching a name to the product to make it sound more macho and inferring that it’s a weapon. I have received sharpened swords but that is iffy and I hold my breath never knowing when customs will stop it. When I state it is an unsharpened copy of a sword customs seems to relax but it is still a tense time and until the last time I used a lawyer’s assistance to get a sword through. Between customs appearing to relax and loosening up and me learning the ropes I got the last one on my own.
I finally broke down and ordered a Ken Onion Work Sharp. Maybe one day customs will let me have it. I’ve written twice and on the last inquiry they indicated soon with no date attached. The belt sander will be a new experience and I didn’t buy it to get a sharp edge as such although that would be great, but to rough out those unsharpened edges and then finish by hand as in the past. Perhaps one day I’ll master it and do the complete job on the sander.
At any rate I’d rather buy at $130 and pay about $300 than TFW’s price bringing that package to about $500. Thanks.
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Post by kalkikrosah on Oct 26, 2017 20:50:33 GMT
Thanks for the info and I added Kalahai Customs Blades to my bookmarks. Unfortunately that 130 USD price will cost me in the neighbourhood of 300 by the time I receive it. Another problem that might occur is that customs may block it altogether. I don’t know how Kalahai list themselves but I see a FMA heading on their web site, I suspect the same problem will exist with TFW, as when customs see the word “weapon” and “martial arts” things get a bit sticky. Customs seems to have no stigma with names like Amazon, Kult of Athen, etc. The problem comes from the manufacturer they represent attaching a name to the product to make it sound more macho and inferring that it’s a weapon. I have received sharpened swords but that is iffy and I hold my breath never knowing when customs will stop it. When I state it is an unsharpened copy of a sword customs seems to relax but it is still a tense time and until the last time I used a lawyer’s assistance to get a sword through. Between customs appearing to relax and loosening up and me learning the ropes I got the last one on my own. I finally broke down and ordered a Ken Onion Work Sharp. Maybe one day customs will let me have it. I’ve written twice and on the last inquiry they indicated soon with no date attached. The belt sander will be a new experience and I didn’t buy it to get a sharp edge as such although that would be great, but to rough out those unsharpened edges and then finish by hand as in the past. Perhaps one day I’ll master it and do the complete job on the sander. At any rate I’d rather buy at $130 and pay about $300 than TFW’s price bringing that package to about $500. Thanks. I bought directly from both TFW and KCB. TFW I know for sure lists themselves as TFW on the package. I bought a karambit from TFW which came through the USPS in a manilla envelope. You may be able to contact Ron Kosakowski, the owner of TFW and inform you are an interested customer who has reservations about buying from him because your customs agency is so strict. He probably has run into the issue in the past and can talk with you on how to go about packaging and labeling so as not to raise any suspicions. I have spoken to him briefly on youtube and can say he is knowledgeable about his wares and helpful with his feedback. KCB I forget if they use and acronym or not. Mine came through DHL, which is the international delivery agency in the US. My ginunting was wrapped in the standard yellow DHL bag and in the bag is a very plain size-appropriate plywood box containing the ginunting. I saved the box (and the bubblewrap) but not the bag. The box has some wooden nails around the edges and some clear packing tape but is otherwise unmarked. You could contact them like you would Ron but I have never spoken to them myself.
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pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on Oct 26, 2017 21:54:21 GMT
The question is what's on the invoice?
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Post by kalkikrosah on Oct 27, 2017 1:54:41 GMT
The question is what's on the invoice? No clue
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Post by Croccifixio on Oct 27, 2017 15:54:26 GMT
Here you go. The Ginunting did not perform badly to be honest, but I'm sure I'd have done better with a Sansibar-type blade. But rewatching this makes me want to buy another Ginunting You used good form Crocc, putting as much slice as you could into the chopping nature of the beast. The look you gave that dog made it shut up for a while. That looked like a much shorter model (around 16"), and maybe a bit less curved from butt to tip, so maybe a tad easier stabbing ability. Yeah this isn't a TFW and indeed, it's shorter. It's the $40 Tactical Ginunting I bought (and sold for higher locally). I want a longer one, but that short one was pretty sweet to be honest. Thanks for that. The dog is my uncle's, who's now living with my parents and it's never really liked me all that much.
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Post by howler on Oct 27, 2017 21:28:19 GMT
You used good form Crocc, putting as much slice as you could into the chopping nature of the beast. The look you gave that dog made it shut up for a while. That looked like a much shorter model (around 16"), and maybe a bit less curved from butt to tip, so maybe a tad easier stabbing ability. Yeah this isn't a TFW and indeed, it's shorter. It's the $40 Tactical Ginunting I bought (and sold for higher locally). I want a longer one, but that short one was pretty sweet to be honest. Thanks for that. The dog is my uncle's, who's now living with my parents and it's never really liked me all that much. Love TFW, but the idea of shelling out more than a quarter grand for machete/sword hybrids (ginunting, binagon, pinute, etc...) is the only problem. Which kind of puts me back to where I started over two weeks ago when I got back on the Filipino blade craze...the Kris. Now THOSE are more worth the dough, when you look at the increased craftsmanship, design, and need for a true, balanced sword to justify the price. I have a kazillion different machete type items. Example: my standard Latin machete with 18" blade from Aranyik cost me $25...razor sharp hand ground convex 5160 from Miles himself, and the handles are unbreakable full tang...unarguably the best deal in the history of swords on the internet. Would I rather have the TFW...HELL YEAH (better quality, better weapon). The price point is a cold, cruel semprini. So I have to chose, which makes me lean towards a Kris sword.
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Post by howler on Oct 27, 2017 21:43:29 GMT
I wonder if TFW is phasing in shorter blades on their Moro Kris line, as I see a bunch of 20" blades rather than 23 1/2" on their sword descriptions? That could be the case. The Kris shown in the photo is a straight Kris though, which is more historically accurate for actual war usage. The wavy stuff that TFW puts out tend to have waves in them. I do not know for sure but the waves may have something to do with adding on weight and as a way to keep the weight in line with historical models TFW opted to shave off a few inches from the overall length in order to keep the weight down. Purely speculation on my part but that could be why there is a discrepancy on the sword lengths. In correspondence with Ron and TFW, it appears that only the #5 model has the longer blade (over 23"), and that the KoA measurements on the other models are not correct, as they should be shorter (around 20"). The correct blade measurements (according to TFW) are on the Traditional Filipino Weapons site. Now, it's a mystery as to why KoA has those measurements longer on the other Kris models.
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Post by kalkikrosah on Oct 27, 2017 23:43:49 GMT
Yeah this isn't a TFW and indeed, it's shorter. It's the $40 Tactical Ginunting I bought (and sold for higher locally). I want a longer one, but that short one was pretty sweet to be honest. Thanks for that. The dog is my uncle's, who's now living with my parents and it's never really liked me all that much. Love TFW, but the idea of shelling out more than a quarter grand for machete/sword hybrids (ginunting, binagon, pinute, etc...) is the only problem. Which kind of puts me back to where I started over two weeks ago when I got back on the Filipino blade craze...the Kris. Now THOSE are more worth the dough, when you look at the increased craftsmanship, design, and need for a true, balanced sword to justify the price. I have a kazillion different machete type items. Example: my standard Latin machete with 18" blade from Aranyik cost me $25...razor sharp hand ground convex 5160 from Miles himself, and the handles are unbreakable full tang...unarguably the best deal in the history of swords on the internet. Would I rather have the TFW...HELL YEAH (better quality, better weapon). The price point is a cold, cruel semprini. So I have to chose, which makes me lean towards a Kris sword. If you feel like that price point justifies a longer blade the largest thing you will find from TFW is their Moro Kampilan. Blade length of 27 and 1/4 and overall length of 38 and 1/2. Its the closest thing the Filipino blacksmiths came to making a bastard sword. They weren't all that common compared to the kris or the barong and most people who owned one were prominent figures in the community, namely Chieftans and similarly high ranking people. The price point is only $30 more than their machete length blades. The Kampilan is priced at $270. www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=TFW039&name=Moro+Kampilan+2
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Post by mrbadexample on Oct 28, 2017 0:10:48 GMT
Crocc, pretty off topic, but what is your tree? I used to do landscape design in the region so I should know, but I can't quite tell.
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Post by Croccifixio on Oct 28, 2017 2:01:44 GMT
Love TFW, but the idea of shelling out more than a quarter grand for machete/sword hybrids (ginunting, binagon, pinute, etc...) is the only problem. Which kind of puts me back to where I started over two weeks ago when I got back on the Filipino blade craze...the Kris. Now THOSE are more worth the dough, when you look at the increased craftsmanship, design, and need for a true, balanced sword to justify the price. I have a kazillion different machete type items. Example: my standard Latin machete with 18" blade from Aranyik cost me $25...razor sharp hand ground convex 5160 from Miles himself, and the handles are unbreakable full tang...unarguably the best deal in the history of swords on the internet. Would I rather have the TFW...HELL YEAH (better quality, better weapon). The price point is a cold, cruel semprini. So I have to chose, which makes me lean towards a Kris sword. If you feel like that price point justifies a longer blade the largest thing you will find from TFW is their Moro Kampilan. Blade length of 27 and 1/4 and overall length of 38 and 1/2. Its the closest thing the Filipino blacksmiths came to making a bastard sword. They weren't all that common compared to the kris or the barong and most people who owned one were prominent figures in the community, namely Chieftans and similarly high ranking people. The price point is only $30 more than their machete length blades. The Kampilan is priced at $270. www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=TFW039&name=Moro+Kampilan+2That's not quite true. Kampilan were also used by non-datu class, but they were very plain. There's a huge variety of kampilan I've seen ranging from simple ones used for battle to ceremonial ones with blades inlaid with gold and ivory-handled.
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Post by Croccifixio on Oct 28, 2017 2:02:31 GMT
Crocc, pretty off topic, but what is your tree? I used to do landscape design in the region so I should know, but I can't quite tell. I think it's Philippine Mango. Not quite sure. I'll ask my wife.
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Post by howler on Oct 28, 2017 3:33:05 GMT
Love TFW, but the idea of shelling out more than a quarter grand for machete/sword hybrids (ginunting, binagon, pinute, etc...) is the only problem. Which kind of puts me back to where I started over two weeks ago when I got back on the Filipino blade craze...the Kris. Now THOSE are more worth the dough, when you look at the increased craftsmanship, design, and need for a true, balanced sword to justify the price. I have a kazillion different machete type items. Example: my standard Latin machete with 18" blade from Aranyik cost me $25...razor sharp hand ground convex 5160 from Miles himself, and the handles are unbreakable full tang...unarguably the best deal in the history of swords on the internet. Would I rather have the TFW...HELL YEAH (better quality, better weapon). The price point is a cold, cruel semprini. So I have to chose, which makes me lean towards a Kris sword. If you feel like that price point justifies a longer blade the largest thing you will find from TFW is their Moro Kampilan. Blade length of 27 and 1/4 and overall length of 38 and 1/2. Its the closest thing the Filipino blacksmiths came to making a bastard sword. They weren't all that common compared to the kris or the barong and most people who owned one were prominent figures in the community, namely Chieftans and similarly high ranking people. The price point is only $30 more than their machete length blades. The Kampilan is priced at $270. www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=TFW039&name=Moro+Kampilan+2If I was interested in that Kampilan, I would favor it as well, as I think part of it was the way they themselves felt (spiritually, actually, particularly with the kris) about these pure weapons. It isn't just the price point (Kris is $20 over other swords but $10 under Kampilan), but what you receive for your dollar. The machete/utility thing bums me because I have so much of that and why would I swing these beautiful, expensive things in the dirt? This is an interesting topic that actually bled into another discussion on another post "Machete or Sword definition". You will always pay more for what you believe is a weapon advantage, which gets into balance, distal taper, nuance, durability, lightness, etc..., and this often costs money. My main belief on the value (naturally, always subjective) of the Kris over the others is that you get so much more (my opinion) for that extra 20 bucks. The detailed guard, carved blade etchings, and wavy, sharpened double edge. The pinute is a fine tool, but hold it side by side with a kris and it just seems that your getting vastly more than that $20 increase. A TFW Kris at $259 seems a VERY good sword price when compared to other companies offerings. Hell, that's Cold Steel pricing. How the $239 swords from TFW compare to the swords from other companies is a more interesting question. What was tough for me was the factoring of utility into the equation, and this led me to the pure weapon concept, (as I already have machete) and then started comparing them with the ginunting/binagon (which I love both, btw). I'm rambling, but bottom line, TFW stuff is excellent, but I gotta choose carefully, as I can't get it all (even though I want to).
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Post by howler on Oct 28, 2017 4:39:56 GMT
If you feel like that price point justifies a longer blade the largest thing you will find from TFW is their Moro Kampilan. Blade length of 27 and 1/4 and overall length of 38 and 1/2. Its the closest thing the Filipino blacksmiths came to making a bastard sword. They weren't all that common compared to the kris or the barong and most people who owned one were prominent figures in the community, namely Chieftans and similarly high ranking people. The price point is only $30 more than their machete length blades. The Kampilan is priced at $270. www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=TFW039&name=Moro+Kampilan+2That's not quite true. Kampilan were also used by non-datu class, but they were very plain. There's a huge variety of kampilan I've seen ranging from simple ones used for battle to ceremonial ones with blades inlaid with gold and ivory-handled. And the Kris is quite comparable to the $239 TFW offerings in both size and one handed function, while the Kampilan was a far larger and mainly two handed affair. In my opinion, many of those Filipino blades (most of the $239 stuff) can rock with anything comparable from China, Japan, and the West (particularly the Kris), but the Kampilan vs similar sized weapons from other countries like Katana, Longsword, Saber, Backsword, Jian, Dadao, etc...perhaps another offshoot debate.
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Post by Croccifixio on Oct 28, 2017 9:30:49 GMT
Well, Philippine blade construction was mostly influenced by Chinese and Indonesian blades, and was quite at par for its time. It was just a matter of location at the end of the day. You cannot bear the heat in this country (especially the South, which is very near the equator) and hence one handed sword with shield (or without, if in town) was the name of the game since heavy armour would cook you alive. And we all know that 2 handed swords make you look way cooler so we fell behind in popularity :
PS: imo, the kris is the value-for-money sword amongst TFW stuff, given the amount of care they take in its crafting, better heat treat (shorter blades make for easier heat treat), and uniqueness and style. Also, while antique kris can be had for near the price, you shouldn't really cut with them since they were often made to be extremely hard and a bit more brittle, not to mention the stick tang construction could have an old piece flying out of your hands...
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