Any tip to beat longsword using the katana?

Definitely...cool and eloquently presented data.

Your joking, right? Every one of the pictures you just posted has a needle-like point, and every one of them is less of a chunky wedge than a typical kissaki.

A rondel/poniard's tip has, without question, less metal per mm than a katana's kissaki, and they certainly came into contact with metal armour far more often than a typical katana (even in times of war). 

I guess I'm done trying to point out the obvious to folks who are set on wanking about the magnificence of the Japanese sword.

Cheers folks.  

A needle-point tip of a flat blade is less durable than a needle point of a triangle or square "icepick" like the rondells.
A katana with thick spine and a longer pointy tip can be like such an icepick.
A short kissaki isn't pointy, but can be durable yet.
If the gap between hard armour parts is not protected with mail, the short kissaki can perhaps thrust in too, will not be destroyed if it hits the hard armour and is still better for cutting into gaps.
It's really funny to be an euro-fanboy in one thread and a katana-fanboy in another.
I'm a sword-fanboy!

Remember, If your buying MODERN representations, there is roughly a 6 oz. (and sometimes less) difference between that 4ft. longsword (with closer POB) and 10 inch shorter katana.  What a 5 foot 100lb person used historically is interesting.  I apply tools that are best for me.  The design to attack in bind (blade on blade), superior guard, doubling of attack angles (due to double edge), make the longsword a great open field sidearm, but that doesn't stop me from having my Ko-Katana under the bed.  Verdict:  GET BOTH!

You said "thin", and I said "thick". Isn't a 5mm thick needle-point just as thick as a 5mm thick wedge-section point?

I said that one of the reasons why a katana has a thick tip was to survive hitting armour. I didn't say that's why a katana has a wide tip.



Yes. And?

If you want to optimise your point for thrusting against armour, you want thickness, to have stiffness (thickness contributes far more to stiffness than width). You also want a small cross-section, so you don't need to make a large hole if you trying to actually pierce the armour, and to fit through smaller gaps if you're trying to bypass armour. Thick and small cross-section means it also has to be narrow.

Thick and narrow points (a stout needle point, like on these daggers, longswords designed for armoured fighting, some Indian katars, and more) are excellent thrusting points against armour. Even for use against unarmoured targets, they're still excellent thrusting points (which is why you see similar points on various bayonets).

But thick and narrow gives up cutting ability. If you want stiff, you need thick. If you want to retain more cutting ability, you end up with thick and wide. Not as good for thrusting as thick and narrow.

There are thin-tipped rondel daggers out there. They appear to be the version for civilian carry, with no armour in sight. Not just thinner tips, but often wider, too. They'll cut better than the needle-pointed ones.



Not sure how certain that "certainly" is. It's possible.

There are also two different longsword vs katana debates. There's the "which is better" in a general sense, for which there's no good answer. They have different compromises in their designs, and have different strengths and weaknesses.

Then there's longsword vs katana, in the sense of fighting with one against the other (like the OP). This one you can test! The answer doesn't say anything useful about the 1st general version of the question.

The non-Eurocentric way to answer it is to change the question: which has the advantage in a duel - longsword or 27" messer with a hand-and-half hilt?

Of course our south german messers which could cut a tank into pieces and never bend any time!! 

If I post only a   "  "  after a post of Timo, it was me with the app I just found!
Seriously!!!
I'm experienced with translating drunkards, do this often with myself.

In the "battle of the side arms" (Polearms...battlefield weapons...win by default) I would like to see heavy rapier with offhand dagger vs. longsword, as these (in my mind) are the top two contenders.  You mentioned the 27" messer with a hand-and-half hilt, what about a half basket backsword or early cut and thrust with hand guard (like A&A or Windlass Munich) with an off hand dagger?  Frankly, I believe all of these superior (by a large margin) to a Katana.  Sidearm matchups are fascinating.