Cheness Cutlery: 9260 Spring Steel Oniyuri Bujinkan Katana
May 21, 2018 19:15:54 GMT
Post by tenko on May 21, 2018 19:15:54 GMT
Hello everyone, I'm quite new to both Katana and reviewing weaponry both, but I'll do my best to be as specific and helpful as possible.
Having found there to be a general dearth of information whenever I look into a specific piece by a specific company, I thought I'd make a review of the first two Katana I've purchased: The Oniyuri Bujinkan by Cheness Cutlery in both sharpened and unsharpened form.
If you're unacquainted, the Oniyuri is intended as something of a ninja sword; it was designed to look like a full 28 inch blade, 14 inch tsuka katana while sheathed, but is in reality only 23 inches (or so, as you'll see) in the blade, allowing for a very fast, controlled weapon with a faster unsheathing time: an ambush weapon, hiding in plain sight.
Let me start my review with my feelings on the overall quality of the swords and their common qualities, before I get into their differences.
As you may know, Cheness has something of a reputation for quality control issues, and my experiences mirror that. I ordered both blades separately, but directly from Cheness, and received both exactly a week after receiving confirmation of payment.
As you might expect with a sub-$300 katana, there are some victories and shortcomings. Both blades are quite nice for the price; Each is 9260 Spring steel, quite straight, balanced about 2.5 inches from their Tsuba, and with the same ugly perpendicular-grain grind on the kissaki, and both have the same fake Hamon. The Tsuba on each are both the thick brass pieces common to many Katana in the same quality/price tier, and are quite sufficient for their purpose. The Same wraps do appear to be genuine rayskin, albeit with some very small nodes, particularly those on the unsharpened piece. For both of the blades (as well as all currently produced pieces by Cheness, from what I understand) the Mekugi were present in pairs; the front Mekugi made of traditional bamboo, the back made of brass with a sort of gear finish to the perimeter of the pin, ostensibly for grip. Both pins are inserted at a diagonal angle, with the front downwards from right to left, and the back downwards from left to right. The Same on each blade appeared slightly displaced or disturbed by the Mekugi pins.
As for the low points, the fuchi and Kashira on each are the same oft-bemoaned cheap alloy fittings, and the seppa are the familiar, cog-like copper pieces. Their Ito are a bit fragile and "shoelacey", and appear to be glued or epoxied at some points, specifically on the Menuki; The diamonds on each are quite even, though.
Now, onto the disparities between the weapons. Beyond this point, I will refer to the sharpened piece as the "Sharp" blade and the unsharpened piece will be referred to as the "Iaito".
Blade:
The sharp blade came sufficiently sharp, albeit with a few points along its length less so; it passed the paper test quite easily, though not without a few small stutters. There were a few small rough patches on one side of the blade just above the Habaki, although I suspect a good 30 minutes of careful attention could easily rectify that. The blade is ground back along the edge at the point where it meets the Habaki so that it is even in breadth with the latter. From the tip of the Kissaki to the Seppa on top of the Tsuba, the blade was 23.5 inches in length, and with a reasonably deep Bo-hi. Overall, the unsheathed blade weighed 2 pounds, 7.8 ounces. The overall handling of the blade was pleasant, responsive, and well controlled.
The Iaito, obviously, isn't going to cut anything, so the paper test is irrelevant. From what I can see, there are no scratches or deformations along the blade, but the edge protrudes slightly out from the Habaki, presumably to allow for it to be sharpened and reshaped at a later time. Unlike the sharp blade, the blade length was 24.75 inches from tip of the Kissaki to the 1st Seppa, and the Bo-hi was very shallow- as a result, the unsheathed blade weighed 2 pounds and 11.2 ounches. The Iaito almost feels as though it has slightly more blade presence, despite the same point of balance, likely due to the extra weight
Tsuba, Tsuka, and Tsuka fittings:
The Tsuba on the sharp blade seemed thicker, perhaps about 1.3x the thickness of the Iaito, and with a superficial indentation in one of the corners that looked like it was probably an error on the first cut of the Tsuba. Beyond that, they appeared to be of the same material, albeit with a significantly higher degree of tarnish on the Iaito's Tsuba, a trait shared by the Fuchi and Kashira on the same piece.
The Tsuka both bore the same cotton wrap, though the rayskin Same on the Iaito almost looked dried out near the Fuchi, another sign of age like the condition of the Tsuba and Fuchi-Kashira. The Tsuka on the Iaito was also about 1/2 an inch longer, but that's not really all that worrisome. The Ito wrap on the Menuki pin of the sharp blade has slipped slightly, with very light use, revealing a bit of glue had been holding it in place. I would be concerned about the durability of the Ito wrap of both, especially for a purported beater sword.
I've yet to pull the Tsuka off of the blade to see how it looks inside. I may update with that information later.
Saya:
The Saya of the sharp blade was fine. The fit to the Habaki was perfect for my tastes, holding the blade snugly while sheathed and unlocking with satisfying crispness. The sharp blade sits neatly in its Saya with no wiggle or wobble, and draws cleanly, albeit with a healthy amount of sawdust on the blade each time it is unsheathed.
The Saya of the Iaito was actually somewhat disappointing. It was lighter, and almost felt like Styrofoam in how it weighed and sits on the blade while sheathed. It was also about 2 inches shorter than the sharpened blade's Saya. The worst part, however, was how loosely it fit on the Habaki and the blade itself. The blade of the Iaito rattles in the Saya whenever it is moved and regardless of force or speed. There appears to be something of a pivot at the mouth, as it is the end of the blade that rattles around in the sheath. Speaking of the mouth of the Saya, the Habaki's fit was also poor; holding the blade upright, I took a few bounding steps up the stairs in my home and found that the blade would pop slightly out of the Saya with every step. To hold it diagonally with the Tsuka near the ground, were I to move my body in any way but meticulous, the blade would fall out.
Overall:
I would absolutely buy the sharpened blade again, although I may redo the fittings with some more substantial iron Fuchi-Kashira, a pair of brass Seppa, and silk Ito wrap in the future.
The weight, length, and Saya fit on the Iaito were off even by the standards laid out on the Cheness website, but overall it's still a pretty solid piece. I suspect the one I received sat in humid conditions for some time, given the state of the steel clasps on the box and the discoloration of the brass, but the blade and assembly are solid, from what I can tell. I wish it was to the same standards as the sharpened blade, but I'd likely still buy it again.
Both blades handle reasonably well, moreso the sharpened piece, and are pleasantly responsive and easy to control with the extended Tsuka. They both perform admirably with grips wide and narrow on the Tsuka, from between a blade-heavy cleaving Katana to something of a short polearm in performance.
I agree with the general consensus; Cheness makes a decent beater sword, tends to focus more on the blade than overall quality, and has some quality control issues, but overall makes a solid product.
Having found there to be a general dearth of information whenever I look into a specific piece by a specific company, I thought I'd make a review of the first two Katana I've purchased: The Oniyuri Bujinkan by Cheness Cutlery in both sharpened and unsharpened form.
If you're unacquainted, the Oniyuri is intended as something of a ninja sword; it was designed to look like a full 28 inch blade, 14 inch tsuka katana while sheathed, but is in reality only 23 inches (or so, as you'll see) in the blade, allowing for a very fast, controlled weapon with a faster unsheathing time: an ambush weapon, hiding in plain sight.
Let me start my review with my feelings on the overall quality of the swords and their common qualities, before I get into their differences.
As you may know, Cheness has something of a reputation for quality control issues, and my experiences mirror that. I ordered both blades separately, but directly from Cheness, and received both exactly a week after receiving confirmation of payment.
As you might expect with a sub-$300 katana, there are some victories and shortcomings. Both blades are quite nice for the price; Each is 9260 Spring steel, quite straight, balanced about 2.5 inches from their Tsuba, and with the same ugly perpendicular-grain grind on the kissaki, and both have the same fake Hamon. The Tsuba on each are both the thick brass pieces common to many Katana in the same quality/price tier, and are quite sufficient for their purpose. The Same wraps do appear to be genuine rayskin, albeit with some very small nodes, particularly those on the unsharpened piece. For both of the blades (as well as all currently produced pieces by Cheness, from what I understand) the Mekugi were present in pairs; the front Mekugi made of traditional bamboo, the back made of brass with a sort of gear finish to the perimeter of the pin, ostensibly for grip. Both pins are inserted at a diagonal angle, with the front downwards from right to left, and the back downwards from left to right. The Same on each blade appeared slightly displaced or disturbed by the Mekugi pins.
As for the low points, the fuchi and Kashira on each are the same oft-bemoaned cheap alloy fittings, and the seppa are the familiar, cog-like copper pieces. Their Ito are a bit fragile and "shoelacey", and appear to be glued or epoxied at some points, specifically on the Menuki; The diamonds on each are quite even, though.
Now, onto the disparities between the weapons. Beyond this point, I will refer to the sharpened piece as the "Sharp" blade and the unsharpened piece will be referred to as the "Iaito".
Blade:
The sharp blade came sufficiently sharp, albeit with a few points along its length less so; it passed the paper test quite easily, though not without a few small stutters. There were a few small rough patches on one side of the blade just above the Habaki, although I suspect a good 30 minutes of careful attention could easily rectify that. The blade is ground back along the edge at the point where it meets the Habaki so that it is even in breadth with the latter. From the tip of the Kissaki to the Seppa on top of the Tsuba, the blade was 23.5 inches in length, and with a reasonably deep Bo-hi. Overall, the unsheathed blade weighed 2 pounds, 7.8 ounces. The overall handling of the blade was pleasant, responsive, and well controlled.
The Iaito, obviously, isn't going to cut anything, so the paper test is irrelevant. From what I can see, there are no scratches or deformations along the blade, but the edge protrudes slightly out from the Habaki, presumably to allow for it to be sharpened and reshaped at a later time. Unlike the sharp blade, the blade length was 24.75 inches from tip of the Kissaki to the 1st Seppa, and the Bo-hi was very shallow- as a result, the unsheathed blade weighed 2 pounds and 11.2 ounches. The Iaito almost feels as though it has slightly more blade presence, despite the same point of balance, likely due to the extra weight
Tsuba, Tsuka, and Tsuka fittings:
The Tsuba on the sharp blade seemed thicker, perhaps about 1.3x the thickness of the Iaito, and with a superficial indentation in one of the corners that looked like it was probably an error on the first cut of the Tsuba. Beyond that, they appeared to be of the same material, albeit with a significantly higher degree of tarnish on the Iaito's Tsuba, a trait shared by the Fuchi and Kashira on the same piece.
The Tsuka both bore the same cotton wrap, though the rayskin Same on the Iaito almost looked dried out near the Fuchi, another sign of age like the condition of the Tsuba and Fuchi-Kashira. The Tsuka on the Iaito was also about 1/2 an inch longer, but that's not really all that worrisome. The Ito wrap on the Menuki pin of the sharp blade has slipped slightly, with very light use, revealing a bit of glue had been holding it in place. I would be concerned about the durability of the Ito wrap of both, especially for a purported beater sword.
I've yet to pull the Tsuka off of the blade to see how it looks inside. I may update with that information later.
Saya:
The Saya of the sharp blade was fine. The fit to the Habaki was perfect for my tastes, holding the blade snugly while sheathed and unlocking with satisfying crispness. The sharp blade sits neatly in its Saya with no wiggle or wobble, and draws cleanly, albeit with a healthy amount of sawdust on the blade each time it is unsheathed.
The Saya of the Iaito was actually somewhat disappointing. It was lighter, and almost felt like Styrofoam in how it weighed and sits on the blade while sheathed. It was also about 2 inches shorter than the sharpened blade's Saya. The worst part, however, was how loosely it fit on the Habaki and the blade itself. The blade of the Iaito rattles in the Saya whenever it is moved and regardless of force or speed. There appears to be something of a pivot at the mouth, as it is the end of the blade that rattles around in the sheath. Speaking of the mouth of the Saya, the Habaki's fit was also poor; holding the blade upright, I took a few bounding steps up the stairs in my home and found that the blade would pop slightly out of the Saya with every step. To hold it diagonally with the Tsuka near the ground, were I to move my body in any way but meticulous, the blade would fall out.
Overall:
I would absolutely buy the sharpened blade again, although I may redo the fittings with some more substantial iron Fuchi-Kashira, a pair of brass Seppa, and silk Ito wrap in the future.
The weight, length, and Saya fit on the Iaito were off even by the standards laid out on the Cheness website, but overall it's still a pretty solid piece. I suspect the one I received sat in humid conditions for some time, given the state of the steel clasps on the box and the discoloration of the brass, but the blade and assembly are solid, from what I can tell. I wish it was to the same standards as the sharpened blade, but I'd likely still buy it again.
Both blades handle reasonably well, moreso the sharpened piece, and are pleasantly responsive and easy to control with the extended Tsuka. They both perform admirably with grips wide and narrow on the Tsuka, from between a blade-heavy cleaving Katana to something of a short polearm in performance.
I agree with the general consensus; Cheness makes a decent beater sword, tends to focus more on the blade than overall quality, and has some quality control issues, but overall makes a solid product.