Lyuesword High Sori "Afro-Samurai" style Katana
Jun 30, 2017 23:13:48 GMT
Post by astyanaz on Jun 30, 2017 23:13:48 GMT
While I have been a member of SBG for a number of years I have only made about half a dozen posts, and never attempted anything like a review, therefore I won't call this a review, just some ramblings about a sword I recently purchased.
The only modern Katana I have is a Cheness Tenchi but I had always preferred the looks of those with greater sori. I was going it get something in the $500 dollar range but after getting a Bugei Samurai, I lacked the funds and decided to get something cheaper.
There are not a great number of extreme sori Katanas made by major firms so I checked on eBay and found one that stood out. It was often called an "Afro Samurai" Katana, modeled on one from a TV show that I had never seen. It was being sold for just under $200 dollars by Lyueswords, who did not use the "Afro Samurai" name but had the identical sword.
Two things made it stand out. It had the greatest sori of any Katana I could find, 4.8 cm. I figured I would be unlikely to ever want more (or even want that much again). Next, it had a through hardened monosteel 1060 blade while all the others in the price range were folded steel. From everything I had read the folded blades that cheap would likely be weaker than the through hardened ones.
I had minor customization. In the advertisement, which was on eBay and Amazon, the sword was made to look like the one in the "Afro Samurai" show. "This Tsuka is wooden one wrapped with genuine ray skin, and tied with real silk ITO in the Traditional wrap." The original had orange ito over white same. I ordered black over black. The original tsuba was a large square alloy one. For an additional $20 I got a differently shaped iron one.
They said that with the customization it would take a little longer than normal. I made the order on May 29, it was shipped on June 10, and it arrived on June 19. Throughout the whole process, every email I sent was answered within a day if not sooner and everything went smoothly.
When the package arrived the sword was packed extremely well in thick Styrofoam. Everything was in excellent condition and the silk bag was included. All customization was correct. The fabric of the silk bag was the same as that which covered the box my Cheness Tenchi came in.
As I have ordered only two previous Katanas so I am limited in description. The blade was sharp enough to easily cut paper and seemed very well made. Afterward, I cut several twelve ounce and twenty ounce plastic mountain dew bottles which were filled with water. This was the first time that I have ever attempted to cut bottles. While the bottles were knocked off their stand, they were all sliced cleanly in half. Afterward, I check the blade. In the area where it should have hit the bottles the edge was rolled over at several points. I attempted to smooth it using a "sharpening steel". I am adding a few pictures taken before my attempt at cutting the Mountain Dew bottles. Or at least I shall attempt to add them as I have never done this before.
The only modern Katana I have is a Cheness Tenchi but I had always preferred the looks of those with greater sori. I was going it get something in the $500 dollar range but after getting a Bugei Samurai, I lacked the funds and decided to get something cheaper.
There are not a great number of extreme sori Katanas made by major firms so I checked on eBay and found one that stood out. It was often called an "Afro Samurai" Katana, modeled on one from a TV show that I had never seen. It was being sold for just under $200 dollars by Lyueswords, who did not use the "Afro Samurai" name but had the identical sword.
Two things made it stand out. It had the greatest sori of any Katana I could find, 4.8 cm. I figured I would be unlikely to ever want more (or even want that much again). Next, it had a through hardened monosteel 1060 blade while all the others in the price range were folded steel. From everything I had read the folded blades that cheap would likely be weaker than the through hardened ones.
I had minor customization. In the advertisement, which was on eBay and Amazon, the sword was made to look like the one in the "Afro Samurai" show. "This Tsuka is wooden one wrapped with genuine ray skin, and tied with real silk ITO in the Traditional wrap." The original had orange ito over white same. I ordered black over black. The original tsuba was a large square alloy one. For an additional $20 I got a differently shaped iron one.
They said that with the customization it would take a little longer than normal. I made the order on May 29, it was shipped on June 10, and it arrived on June 19. Throughout the whole process, every email I sent was answered within a day if not sooner and everything went smoothly.
When the package arrived the sword was packed extremely well in thick Styrofoam. Everything was in excellent condition and the silk bag was included. All customization was correct. The fabric of the silk bag was the same as that which covered the box my Cheness Tenchi came in.
As I have ordered only two previous Katanas so I am limited in description. The blade was sharp enough to easily cut paper and seemed very well made. Afterward, I cut several twelve ounce and twenty ounce plastic mountain dew bottles which were filled with water. This was the first time that I have ever attempted to cut bottles. While the bottles were knocked off their stand, they were all sliced cleanly in half. Afterward, I check the blade. In the area where it should have hit the bottles the edge was rolled over at several points. I attempted to smooth it using a "sharpening steel". I am adding a few pictures taken before my attempt at cutting the Mountain Dew bottles. Or at least I shall attempt to add them as I have never done this before.