|
Post by jrock on Dec 21, 2017 1:30:31 GMT
Hey guys...
So coming up in January I will be receiving my re-enlistment bonus and after a long discussion with my wife, she has given me the go ahead to purchase another high-end production katana. Last year I bought a Kaneie Guardian, which I think nothing could top in the production world, unless it's another Kaneie of course. But, getting a Kaneie in the US is almost impossible so I'm exploring other options. So I'm really looking at swords that would impress me beyond what the Kaneie impresses me, if that's possible.
So I'm seeking opinions and advise. I'm going to stay away from ebay, just fyi.
What I'm really looking for....
Close to "nihonto-esqe" as possible. Tamahagane or folded steel Highest quality fittings
I've been looking mostly at hanwei and dynasty forge because well, that's all I know besides Kaneie. My top picks are the Hanwei Tiger Elite and the Dynasty Forge Diamyo line. Hanwei Tori Elite and Tori tanto Diasho Hanwei Tonbo Diasho Hanwei Wind and Thunder Diasho Hanwei Golden Oriole Diasho, cuz I like blue. I have questions regarding each of these. Pros/Cons??
All of the Hanweis are readily available via Kult of Athena. Hopefully they restock their Dynasty Forge stuff.
Now, I really want another Kaneie. And there are 2 available on The Samurai Workshops website. One is similar to the Guardian katana I already own and the other one is tamahagane which would cost about $4000. How does someone in the US order from them? Never done it. And of course, sending that amount of cash to a foreign bank would raise some questions,considering my job lol.
I've been looking at those Kotetsu katanas on Nihonzashis website but I don't really know much about them beyond what ppl say.
All of the nihonto I've been looking at are still out of my price range. I would get a nihonto if I knew the seller and it was below 3 grand.
So I'm asking for info from you guys to help me out. I don't need a blade to cut with, just admire.
Thanks guys....Jason
|
|
|
Post by zabazagobo on Dec 21, 2017 22:33:10 GMT
I'm a bit of a fanboy when it comes to Hanwei's folded katanas, so my (somewhat biased) nod would be for them, although the tsuka shape won't be the most "nihonto-esque" and probably won't appeal as much as a Kaneie. That being the case, having the tsuka re-done by a professional like Josh (Cottontail Customs), Fred Lohman or the folks over at Nihonzashi may be a great idea if you're dissatisfied with the tsuka shape. Blade-wise, I love how Hanwei's K120c models look and perform and they handle very nicely across the board.
The Golden Oriole and Wind and Thunder aren't folded though, so if you like the blue theme of the Golden Oriole my recommendation would be looking at a Kaeru daisho (if I had the cash, I'd opt for this set right after the Bushido), or you could always just get a custom saya for whatever model has the specs you like the best. With your budget you could really customize any of these models to the spec's you like and buy the blade and koshirae you like best and start there.
Can't really comment on the high-end Dynasty Forge or the Kotetsu's, haven't had experience with either.
|
|
|
Post by vermithrax on Dec 21, 2017 23:46:16 GMT
The Kaneie Guardian is my most favorite production katana, so you have the best one IMO Verity's older model Shinto is also really wonderful. Are you going to use the sword for actual cutting? What is your budget? Yes, don't send money to a foreign bank or you will be colluding LOL I see a few gendaito/shinsakuto swords in my nihonto searches for $4k or less.
|
|
|
Post by jrock on Dec 22, 2017 0:03:44 GMT
Thanks for the reply.
Hanwei's folded blades are gorgeous as far as modern steel goes. Which is why I'm looking at the Tiger elite. I love the koshirae it comes with. It's not like other koshirae offered, esp the saya. That alone sold me on it. The tsuka shape may not be as elegant as a Kaneie but it does have a slight "hourglass" shape to it. I'm sure Josh at Cottontail Customs could refine it. At some point I need to talk to him about upgrading my Kaneie tsuka.
The Kaeru, although nice, isn't my cup of tea. I really don't like frogs and lilipads and the saya is plain jane. Also it's blade is a little bit to narrow for my taste.
The reason I'm looking at the Golden Oriole and Wind and Thunder is because they have a wakizashi ensuite, readily available. I really want a Diasho.
My budget is pretty high but just not enough for a full blown custom or nihonto.
|
|
|
Post by jrock on Dec 22, 2017 0:12:05 GMT
The Kaneie Guardian is my most favorite production katana, so you have the best one IMO Verity's older model Shinto is also really wonderful. Are you going to use the sword for actual cutting? What is your budget? Yes, don't send money to a foreign bank or you will be colluding LOL I see a few gendaito/shinsakuto swords in my nihonto searches for $4k or less. Haha! That's just my problem. The Guardian is the best, imho. So it's going to be hard to find something that beats it. My budget is $9000 but I have other toys I want to buy too. There's a certain DelTin I want, an Arms n Armor, a Kimber, a new dining room set for the wife, etc. Can't forget the wife lol. Getting something outside the US is a no go. Unfortunately.
|
|
|
Post by vermithrax on Dec 22, 2017 0:15:48 GMT
The Kaneie Guardian is my most favorite production katana, so you have the best one IMO Verity's older model Shinto is also really wonderful. Are you going to use the sword for actual cutting? What is your budget? Yes, don't send money to a foreign bank or you will be colluding LOL I see a few gendaito/shinsakuto swords in my nihonto searches for $4k or less. Haha! That's just my problem. The Guardian is the best, imho. So it's going to be hard to find something that beats it. My budget is $9000 but I have other toys I want to buy too. There's a certain DelTin I want, an Arms n Armor, a Kimber, a new dining room set for the wife, etc. Can't forget the wife lol. Getting something outside the US is a no go. Unfortunately. NEVER FORGET THE WIFE!!!!! If you want to continue with swords, this is the golden rule!
|
|
|
Post by jrock on Dec 22, 2017 0:21:12 GMT
Haha! That's just my problem. The Guardian is the best, imho. So it's going to be hard to find something that beats it. My budget is $9000 but I have other toys I want to buy too. There's a certain DelTin I want, an Arms n Armor, a Kimber, a new dining room set for the wife, etc. Can't forget the wife lol. Getting something outside the US is a no go. Unfortunately. NEVER FORGET THE WIFE!!!!! If you want to continue with swords, this is the golden rule! YES!! She's placed the dreaded "sword cap" on me tho. 4 or 5 expensive swords. AND, I have to sell my cheaper ones!
|
|
|
Post by zabazagobo on Dec 22, 2017 0:24:55 GMT
Thanks for the reply. Hanwei's folded blades are gorgeous as far as modern steel goes. Which is why I'm looking at the Tiger elite. I love the koshirae it comes with. It's not like other koshirae offered, esp the saya. That alone sold me on it. The tsuka shape may not be as elegant as a Kaneie but it does have a slight "hourglass" shape to it. I'm sure Josh at Cottontail Customs could refine it. At some point I need to talk to him about upgrading my Kaneie tsuka. The Kaeru, although nice, isn't my cup of tea. I really don't like frogs and lilipads and the saya is plain jane. Also it's blade is a little bit to narrow for my taste. The reason I'm looking at the Golden Oriole and Wind and Thunder is because they have a wakizashi ensuite, readily available. I really want a Diasho. My budget is pretty high but just not enough for a full blown custom or nihonto. Lol, I know what you mean about frogs on that set; the black/blue is nice, but I agree the frogs seem to have a rather intimidating glare that takes you to an uncomfortable part of the fishy abyss. The Tiger Elite is sweet, the expression on the tiger's face has an awesome 'don't mess with me, bub' vibe. I know there was once a 'tiger' set (daisho plus tanto) from Hanwei that's different than the tiger elite, but if you could track down a wakizashi from that run it could be a really cool set (although that's probably easier said than done).
|
|
|
Post by jrock on Dec 22, 2017 0:28:18 GMT
Thanks for the reply. Hanwei's folded blades are gorgeous as far as modern steel goes. Which is why I'm looking at the Tiger elite. I love the koshirae it comes with. It's not like other koshirae offered, esp the saya. That alone sold me on it. The tsuka shape may not be as elegant as a Kaneie but it does have a slight "hourglass" shape to it. I'm sure Josh at Cottontail Customs could refine it. At some point I need to talk to him about upgrading my Kaneie tsuka. The Kaeru, although nice, isn't my cup of tea. I really don't like frogs and lilipads and the saya is plain jane. Also it's blade is a little bit to narrow for my taste. The reason I'm looking at the Golden Oriole and Wind and Thunder is because they have a wakizashi ensuite, readily available. I really want a Diasho. My budget is pretty high but just not enough for a full blown custom or nihonto. Lol, I know what you mean about frogs on that set; the black/blue is nice, but I agree the frogs seem to have a rather intimidating glare that takes you to an uncomfortable part of the fishy abyss. The Tiger Elite is sweet, the expression on the tiger's face has an awesome 'don't mess with me, bub' vibe. I know there was once a 'tiger' set (daisho plus tanto) from Hanwei that's different than the tiger elite, but if you could track down a wakizashi from that run it could be a really cool set (although that's probably easier said than done). I've looked everywhere for a Tiger wakizashi. Minus the bohi it would be perfect.
|
|
|
Post by Verity on Dec 22, 2017 0:45:31 GMT
The Kaneie Guardian is my most favorite production katana, so you have the best one IMO Verity's older model Shinto is also really wonderful. Are you going to use the sword for actual cutting? What is your budget? Yes, don't send money to a foreign bank or you will be colluding LOL I see a few gendaito/shinsakuto swords in my nihonto searches for $4k or less. Haha! That's just my problem. The Guardian is the best, imho. So it's going to be hard to find something that beats it. My budget is $9000 but I have other toys I want to buy too. There's a certain DelTin I want, an Arms n Armor, a Kimber, a new dining room set for the wife, etc. Can't forget the wife lol. Getting something outside the US is a no go. Unfortunately. Ooo. What Kimber? I love love LOVE my Eclipse Pro II and want a TLE II at some point.☺️ Verm is right though. Some decent Nihonto for $4k. Are you planning to cut with it? (I personally find cutting with Nihonto distasteful but shinsakuto or gendaito or unpaperable... sure). You want to avoid eBay but could look at a Komonjo “special” as a bare blade and mounts and still come under $4k too... Kotetsu... also a good choice. Given Kaneie Guardian already sits in your inventory, i personally would do a Komonjo and custom mounts or a Kotetsu as my next ones if it were me. Or a legit Nihonto which you CAN get for $4k, if you look.
|
|
|
Post by vermithrax on Dec 22, 2017 1:02:10 GMT
Haha! That's just my problem. The Guardian is the best, imho. So it's going to be hard to find something that beats it. My budget is $9000 but I have other toys I want to buy too. There's a certain DelTin I want, an Arms n Armor, a Kimber, a new dining room set for the wife, etc. Can't forget the wife lol. Getting something outside the US is a no go. Unfortunately. Ooo. What Kimber? I love love LOVE my Eclipse Pro II and want a TLE II at some point.☺️ Verm is right though. Some decent Nihonto for $4k. Are you planning to cut with it? (I personally find cutting with Nihonto distasteful but shinsakuto or gendaito or unpaperable... sure). You want to avoid eBay but could look at a Komonjo “special” as a bare blade and mounts and still come under $4k too... Kotetsu... also a good choice. Given Kaneie Guardian already sits in your inventory, i personally would do a Komonjo and custom mounts or a Kotetsu as my next ones if it were me. Or a legit Nihonto which you CAN get for $4k, if you look. Excellent advice as usual from Verity.
|
|
|
Post by jrock on Dec 22, 2017 1:04:33 GMT
Haha! That's just my problem. The Guardian is the best, imho. So it's going to be hard to find something that beats it. My budget is $9000 but I have other toys I want to buy too. There's a certain DelTin I want, an Arms n Armor, a Kimber, a new dining room set for the wife, etc. Can't forget the wife lol. Getting something outside the US is a no go. Unfortunately. Ooo. What Kimber? I love love LOVE my Eclipse Pro II and want a TLE II at some point.☺️ Verm is right though. Some decent Nihonto for $4k. Are you planning to cut with it? (I personally find cutting with Nihonto distasteful but shinsakuto or gendaito or unpaperable... sure). You want to avoid eBay but could look at a Komonjo “special” as a bare blade and mounts and still come under $4k too... Kotetsu... also a good choice. Given Kaneie Guardian already sits in your inventory, i personally would do a Komonjo and custom mounts or a Kotetsu as my next ones if it were me. Or a legit Nihonto which you CAN get for $4k, if you look. The Kimber SOC or Kimber Warrior with an upgraded main spring housing and grips from Hogue. Kimber makes a fine 1911 but they need a little tweeking imo. The Kotetsu...man I'm looking hard at those. What steel are they? The polish looks similar to Kaneie's. I would up my budget to get a shinsakuto but buying outside the US isn't really a choice I'm willing to make. If I were to get out of the Army, sure, but that's not gonna happen for at least 6 more years lol. Besides, spending that much cash on an item like a nihonto, unseen is a risk that I don't want to make. I don't really trust ppl THAT much lol. But, alas, I knew it would be a hard choice. I'm very picky with Japanese blades, new or old.
|
|
|
Post by jrock on Dec 22, 2017 1:06:56 GMT
Oh and no, I'm not cutting with my expensive blades. My Guardian is mint, so will the next one stay mint.
|
|
|
Post by Verity on Dec 22, 2017 1:17:32 GMT
Ooo. What Kimber? I love love LOVE my Eclipse Pro II and want a TLE II at some point.☺️ Verm is right though. Some decent Nihonto for $4k. Are you planning to cut with it? (I personally find cutting with Nihonto distasteful but shinsakuto or gendaito or unpaperable... sure). You want to avoid eBay but could look at a Komonjo “special” as a bare blade and mounts and still come under $4k too... Kotetsu... also a good choice. Given Kaneie Guardian already sits in your inventory, i personally would do a Komonjo and custom mounts or a Kotetsu as my next ones if it were me. Or a legit Nihonto which you CAN get for $4k, if you look. The Kimber SOC or Kimber Warrior with an upgraded main spring housing and grips from Hogue. Kimber makes a fine 1911 but they need a little tweeking imo. The Kotetsu...man I'm looking hard at those. What steel are they? The polish looks similar to Kaneie's. I would up my budget to get a shinsakuto but buying outside the US isn't really a choice I'm willing to make. If I were to get out of the Army, sure, but that's not gonna happen for at least 6 more years lol. Besides, spending that much cash on an item like a nihonto, unseen is a risk that I don't want to make. I don't really trust ppl THAT much lol. But, alas, I knew it would be a hard choice. I'm very picky with Japanese blades, new or old. i can put you in touch with a few dealers whom have impeccable reputations and are well known in the Nihonto community. If you want to go that route. PM me and I will send you some links / references.
|
|
|
Post by treeslicer on Dec 22, 2017 3:20:18 GMT
NINE GRAND? You can look at all sorts of nihonto. Here's something I look at occasionally: Kamakura naginata naoshi w/Tokubetsu Hozonsemprini about the minor rust, and offer him 3 grand, see what he does. He's better than impeccably reputable, he's cheap, and sometimes sells things he didn't look at closely enough (though this finely papered beauty isn't one of them). For impeccably reputable, Aoi is probably what you're looking for, and they have katana for around 350000 yen ($3080) and up (up being astronomical). When reading Japanese prices, the current exchange is about 113.64 yen to the US dollar. In between the two levels, a couple hours on Google will totally swamp you in swords. Plus, there's whoever Verity points you at. With your budget, don't even consider Chinese. Oh, and don't even consider getting in a hurry, either. This is a serious purchase.
|
|
|
Post by Cottontail Customs on Dec 22, 2017 3:37:12 GMT
there are nihonto available for a couple of thousand but they are either going to have some flaws or at least they won't likely be coming with all the koshirae you want. also, many aren't really suitable for cutting with, especially at an amateur level. There is the Kotetsu, which has a very nice blade and while the koshirae is simple, you can definitely cut with it and could also customize some stuff later on. it's a solid, functional and traditionally made dojo katana. it should also hold it's value over time.
The way you are talking about the Hanwei Tiger Elite though, sounds like it hits multiple spots for you. the blades on those are very nice. I've seen one in person and it's impressive for a production blade imo. If you like most things about it, and you really think you'd be happy with it, I'd say that's the one. I've also seen them resell for retail price or higher. it's not nihonto but it's a very nice full package
if you want a Kurin, you can contact TSW directly from their site I believe. or just tag or pm Jeffrey Ching here on the forum. I believe he also customizes his swords upon request.
|
|
|
Post by jrock on Dec 22, 2017 3:44:44 GMT
NINE GRAND? You can look at all sorts of nihonto. Here's something I look at occasionally: Kamakura naginata naoshi w/Tokubetsu Hozonsemprini about the minor rust, and offer him 3 grand, see what he does. He's better than impeccably reputable, he's cheap, and sometimes sells things he didn't look at closely enough (though this finely papered beauty isn't one of them). For impeccably reputable, Aoi is probably what you're looking for, and they have katana for around 350000 yen ($3080) and up (up being astronomical). When reading Japanese prices, the current exchange is about 113.64 yen to the US dollar. In between the two levels, a couple hours on Google will totally swamp you in swords. Plus, there's whoever Verity points you at. With your budget, don't even consider Chinese. Oh, and don't even consider getting in a hurry, either. This is a serious purchase. Although I will have $9 grand, I'm not using all of it on just one blade, though tempting for sure. Paying off my Lancer, new furniture for my wife, other swords I'm looking at, etc. gets some of that too. Which is why I'm looking at high end production katanas. Having said that, buying a nihonto would be my dream come true and you guys have certainly given me a lot to think on. I can now make an informed decision instead of just thinking Hanwei was my only option. That's very much appreciated.
|
|
|
Post by jrock on Dec 22, 2017 5:17:14 GMT
there are nihonto available for a couple of thousand but they are either going to have some flaws or at least they won't likely be coming with all the koshirae you want. also, many aren't really suitable for cutting with, especially at an amateur level. There is the Kotetsu, which has a very nice blade and while the koshirae is simple, you can definitely cut with it and could also customize some stuff later on. it's a solid, functional and traditionally made dojo katana. it should also hold it's value over time. The way you are talking about the Hanwei Tiger Elite though, sounds like it hits multiple spots for you. the blades on those are very nice. I've seen one in person and it's impressive for a production blade imo. If you like most things about it, and you really think you'd be happy with it, I'd say that's the one. I've also seen them resell for retail price or higher. it's not nihonto but it's a very nice full package if you want a Kurin, you can contact TSW directly from their site I believe. or just tag or pm Jeffrey Ching here on the forum. I believe he also customizes his swords upon request. That's my biggest fear about nihonto. Flaws. I know given the age of nihonto that is inevitable. But it comes with the territory. I'm not educated enough to know if a $5000+ nihonto pictured on a website is actually worth $5000+ after its purchased. Kinda risky but folks on here are more educated than me on the subject and are a big help. The Tiger Elite just might be the one. I just need to find a suitable wakizashi to go with it. I've got about a month to make up my mind. I'm in no rush. Getting the Guardian just pushed my standards up a lot I think.
|
|
|
Post by Verity on Dec 22, 2017 16:40:11 GMT
there are nihonto available for a couple of thousand but they are either going to have some flaws or at least they won't likely be coming with all the koshirae you want. also, many aren't really suitable for cutting with, especially at an amateur level. There is the Kotetsu, which has a very nice blade and while the koshirae is simple, you can definitely cut with it and could also customize some stuff later on. it's a solid, functional and traditionally made dojo katana. it should also hold it's value over time. The way you are talking about the Hanwei Tiger Elite though, sounds like it hits multiple spots for you. the blades on those are very nice. I've seen one in person and it's impressive for a production blade imo. If you like most things about it, and you really think you'd be happy with it, I'd say that's the one. I've also seen them resell for retail price or higher. it's not nihonto but it's a very nice full package if you want a Kurin, you can contact TSW directly from their site I believe. or just tag or pm Jeffrey Ching here on the forum. I believe he also customizes his swords upon request. That's my biggest fear about nihonto. Flaws. I know given the age of nihonto that is inevitable. But it comes with the territory. I'm not educated enough to know if a $5000+ nihonto pictured on a website is actually worth $5000+ after its purchased. Kinda risky but folks on here are more educated than me on the subject and are a big help. The Tiger Elite just might be the one. I just need to find a suitable wakizashi to go with it. I've got about a month to make up my mind. I'm in no rush. Getting the Guardian just pushed my standards up a lot I think. I could definitely see a Guardian raising the bar. ☺️. If you DO decide to look for a Nihonto, I am happy to help you find one that sings to you.
|
|
|
Post by skane on Dec 22, 2017 17:10:45 GMT
Folded Hanwei or DF blade with a remount. Or if you want something that looks pretty good and cuts very well (likely better than anything else), Kotetsu with a remount.
|
|