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Post by Robert in California on Mar 19, 2018 16:03:04 GMT
Sorry, but I can't get the search function to work on my PC. I wanted to search for posts on Simon-Lee swords. Ebay site....nice looking swords in the $600 plus/minus price range. But I don't recall the pro's and con's of them. Thanks, RinC
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Post by Brian Weiss on Mar 19, 2018 21:21:45 GMT
Some of the Kompletely Katana folks swear by them as some of the prettiest folded blades out there (some even claim that they fooled some of the nihonto board folks). However, they almost universally agree that the fittings are complete garbage.
Haven't heard any performance opinions though, just that they're pretty.
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Post by skane on Mar 19, 2018 21:36:31 GMT
Yep, very nice looking blades, mounts not at same level.
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Post by JAK85 on Mar 19, 2018 23:06:37 GMT
And he won't sell bare blades or in shirasaya
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Post by kintaro on Mar 20, 2018 4:52:22 GMT
Be careful with vendors who claim making katana from tamahagane steel. In the case of simon lee some of his blades seem legit, it's hard to tell if it's really made from home smelted steel or not. But for some others blades from him, I suspect they were made from industrial folded steel refolded multiple times to mimic the tamahagane hada patterns.
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Post by mjm80 on Mar 21, 2018 16:52:08 GMT
I purchased one used from another forum member. The tsuka was already redone by Fred Lohman. I changed the tsuba to an edo period plain japanese one. And purchased a new silk sageo "gold color", and weaved it. I'll post pictures in a while. I have not cut with it. However the blade is sharp and I'm no expert by any means;but I think the katana looks and feels awesome.
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Post by midbloom on Mar 22, 2018 5:01:20 GMT
i'm pretty sure it's not iron sand/tamahagane that is being used by simon lee. main reason is that non of his blades show any indications of nie, nioi or nioi-guchi which is a by-product of differential hardening using iron sand. i believe he is using differential tempering with two or more types of modern rolled metal to create the effects of a hada and a hamon-like by-product that is void of any nioi nor nie in the hada. there's a real good reason to do this; differential hardening leads to many cracks and warping; differential tempering rarely leads to cracks/warping. hardening requires using high temperature to harden the edge; tempering uses high temperature to soften the spine of an already harden and shape-fixed blade.
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Post by mjm80 on Mar 22, 2018 21:10:08 GMT
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Post by kintaro on Mar 23, 2018 2:18:48 GMT
Honestly, great looking katana but I stand by what I said earlier.
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Post by mjm80 on Mar 23, 2018 10:03:39 GMT
Thank you. I'm with you on the steel. If it's not a certified Nihonto, no one is smeltng steel from sand. Most likely with all the new age pure steel; they use 2 different types and fold them. However, that said. Simon Lee is a talented sword smith.
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Post by kintaro on Mar 23, 2018 18:55:39 GMT
Yes it's also the case for wootz steel: But actually I think there are some chinese blacksmiths who work with smelted steel from sand. They are very few and the production is very low so the price is relatively high for these pieces, but the market is smaller anyway in this price range no matter what. -shirasaya katana -katanaI don't want to compare genuine nihonto made in japan but if you want to have a particular blade, this can be a good cheap way to acquire one, as it is infinitly cheaper than a mumei blade without major flaw. The same idea apply to horimono as a good horimono is a expensive piece of work. In China there is famous and traditionnal art of carving, particularly in Dongyang. It's mostly wood carving but some artists can work on a harder matter like steel. If you have contact in China you can make some good quality carving on your blade.
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Post by laionidas on Oct 27, 2018 16:14:10 GMT
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Oct 30, 2018 18:59:57 GMT
His blades are forged very well and the polish is exceptional for a Chinese made katana. He's been putting out consistently well made blades for years but as good as his blades are, his mounts (I think not done by him) are generally of fairly low quality. The fittings are cheap and common and the construction, fit and finish is subpar imo. I have seen a few of his swords sold in shirasaya before though.
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Post by Gelue on Oct 31, 2018 9:40:04 GMT
On pure blade quality is he the best coming out of China atm?
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Nov 1, 2018 21:58:52 GMT
On pure blade quality is he the best coming out of China atm? it depends on what you mean by "coming out of China". there are some very high level Chinese smiths making excellent blades but not all are so easily available unless you know how to find them so these probably aren't going to be seen on ebay or KOA. as far as what is currently available in a retail or direct buy situation that most are familiar with, Simon Lee is up there as some of the best, along with Kurin (Kaneie) and high end Huanuo Forge for example. one of the advantages with Lee is the ability to have a blade custom made to your specs.
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Post by laionidas on Nov 3, 2018 19:35:19 GMT
His blades are forged very well and the polish is exceptional for a Chinese made katana. He's been putting out consistently well made blades for years but as good as his blades are, his mounts (I think not done by him) are generally of fairly low quality. The fittings are cheap and common and the construction, fit and finish is subpar imo. I have seen a few of his swords sold in shirasaya before though. I agree 100% on the blade and fitting qualities, and the huge gap between them (see my review). That said, I did not like the hadori polish. I found the border to be too vague, while the hadori polished area overal was too harsh, obscuring too much detail. As I only own a (heavy,.. freakishly heavy) wakizashi, I can't say much about the balance of his blades. I like how it is on my wakizashi, especially once the fittings have been adjusted: I currently plan on making a thicker, small, but heavy, steel aikuchi tsuba for it myself; but I'm not sure if I'd find a similar style of balance working out for a daito. On pure blade quality is he the best coming out of China atm? Put bluntly, no, not the best, I've seen (much) better. I'd say he's quite far from the worst though, and most certainly among the best in his price range.
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Nov 7, 2018 0:12:57 GMT
His blades are forged very well and the polish is exceptional for a Chinese made katana. He's been putting out consistently well made blades for years but as good as his blades are, his mounts (I think not done by him) are generally of fairly low quality. The fittings are cheap and common and the construction, fit and finish is subpar imo. I have seen a few of his swords sold in shirasaya before though. I agree 100% on the blade and fitting qualities, and the huge gap between them (see my review). That said, I did not like the hadori polish. I found the border to be too vague, while the hadori polished area overal was too harsh, obscuring too much detail. As I only own a (heavy,.. freakishly heavy) wakizashi, I can't say much about the balance of his blades. I like how it is on my wakizashi, especially once the fittings have been adjusted: I currently plan on making a thicker, small, but heavy, steel aikuchi tsuba for it myself; but I'm not sure if I'd find a similar style of balance working out for a daito. On pure blade quality is he the best coming out of China atm? Put bluntly, no, not the best, I've seen (much) better. I'd say he's quite far from the worst though, and most certainly among the best in his price range. I've seen a lot of difference from one Lee blade to another, especially the type and quality of the polish. I also think it has improved greatly over the years. I believe he makes different quality blades as well, ranging from about $400/$500 to over $1K so not all have the same features or level of work. in your opinion, who else makes high quality blades in China that are sold publicly?
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Post by shepherd214 on Nov 8, 2018 0:33:31 GMT
I'd like to see people cutting with them. Testing the heat treat. Looking at grain structure. I've never seen anyone use them. Only post hamon pictures.
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Post by skane on Nov 8, 2018 0:59:08 GMT
I'd like to see people cutting with them. Testing the heat treat. Looking at grain structure. I've never seen anyone use them. Only post hamon pictures. +1. Good looking stuff, but haven't seen any cutting demos on mats or bamboo.
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