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Post by Airborne on Mar 21, 2019 0:40:49 GMT
Hello All at SBG my name is Mike, I am a total Newbie who is interested in buying a decent / reasonable quality reproduction Katana and having stumbled across SBG , I feel I am at the right place to get my questions answered . First of all I live in the UK and we , as far as I am aware have not got the access to the sources for something I want to buy (please educate me if I am wrong about this ) . I am not exactly new to the world of knives as in the past I used to make my own scandi style knives of a decent quality that I sold to work colleagues , friends etc and so have a reasonable idea regarding different steels and well fitting knives . I also have a small collection of Nepalese Khukuri Knives which I purchased from the original Khukuri manufacturer in Nepal and who in my view makes some of the best handmade Khukuris around . so as I,ve said I am on the lookout for a nice well made and well fitted reproduction Katana , the trouble is there are so many companies and Swords to choose from and then there is the problem of sorting the rubbish out from the decent quality katanas and then what sort of budget you can afford and what you get for your bucks ! So I would kindly ask forum members for their opinions and expertise in helping me to decide . I am quite surprised reading many of the reviews that there seems to be so many quality control problems with things that in my opinion could easily be corrected , ie the amount of horror stories of poor quality Ito wrapping , both the wrap itself and the many times people are receiving katanas with loose wrap ( surely that cannot be so hard to get right) especially if you are doing it as a job ! In todays world of trade how hard is it to buy reasonably cheap some good quality Ito wrapping material instead of some of the rubbish you see being used ? If the top end Katana manufacturers can do such a simple thing then why not the lower end . Another thing Ive seen are the plastic or other inferior material Mekugis and fittings . I would have thought that the smaller items like these would be readily available in good solid quality materials . These are the type of things that I want to try and avoid when I buy my first Katana , hence the reason I chose this forum to ask on . So basically what I am after is with a budget of at present around £500 British Pounds : The katana would definitely have to be Differentially Hardened with a definite Hamon (not acid etched ) A Bo-Hi or partial Bo-Hi Nice quality Iron or partially gold plated Tsuba and some really nice carved /engraved fitments (cant remember the proper names ) Ideally a custom katana where I could have some choice in colour etc for Saya and Ito wrap , but I would consider a production Katana if forum members could give me the right advice for various makes or models . I thank you in anticipation for any help given regarding this request . Kind regards . Mike
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Post by zabazagobo on Mar 21, 2019 2:11:31 GMT
Howdy Mike, welcome to the forum. Regarding the ito, it's actually kind of surprising how tricky it is to wrap a katana grip perfectly. It really is an art and requires quite a bit of skill to wrap a katana so that it can hold up to intensive use. The material cost for good silk or leather isn't as high as many other material costs, but working with the material and getting it to hold its shape just right is very material-specific and requires a bit of technical know-how. If you're interested in learning more about ito-maki and the pitfalls of many production swords (cheap materials, sloppy efforts, etc.), I highly recommend chatting up Cottontail Customs who is what I would consider an expert on the subject. Generally, production swords in the sub $300 u.s.d. range have a combination of materials which stretch too easily (cotton), fray too easily (bad quality synthetic materials) or bad technique wrapping them. There are several brands which do a much better job than others (I fanboy about Huawei Swords in this regard quite a bit), and other brands which can generally be quite good but have the occasional lemon (such as Hanwei, where one of my swords is awful and the other three are all fantastic with regards to the ito).
Generally speaking, cheaper swords use cheaper materials and skip labor costs (predictably). So as long as you are comfortable spending the figure you quoted, you're in pretty good shape to begin with since you'll be avoiding the lower priced stuff where the issues you want to avoid are much more common.
I'm not sure which budget custom sources (I think all are Chinese manufacturers) ship to the U.K., given some finicky laws about curved blades I've heard about. I know a few forum members live over in the U.K., but aside from RickDastardly I can't recall. You might shoot him a message if curious about possible sources and shipping (I live in the U.S., so I'm not well informed regarding U.K. laws).
But with regards to the suppliers/manufacturers who can do some of the custom work you're interested in for the budget you quoted, Sinosword (also called JKOO) pops into mind immediately, Huawei is a little less user friendly on more elaborate customization projects, and Swords of Northshire also rings a bell. I'd dodge sellers like RyanSword or Hanbon Swords off of ebay and elsewhere from my experience.
I also think buying a stock model with good specifications is always a good idea. If you want to describe how you'd like the sword to feel and what sort of practice you'd be putting it to, you'll get the best advice. It's kind of an abstract prompt, but its worth considering so you nab something that's fun and fulfilling to use.
Also really intrigued by the knives you make. If you feel like sharing pictures of any it'd be cool to see what sort of designs you craft up.
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Post by nddave on Mar 21, 2019 2:21:04 GMT
Hi Mike, I think I found a sword right up your alley, the Hanwei Orchid. Not to expensive (though a little higher than your budget), nicely shaped and well wrapped tsuka, polished steel tsuba with gold accents and a impressive (especially for the price) folded Differentially Hardened blade of Swedish Powder steel. Unfortunately no bohi. Here's a link to a UK based seller I found but sadly I know nothing about them as I'm located in the states but apparently they are the official Hanwei vendor of the United Kingdom for Hanwei swords. www.oriental-weaponry.co.uk/acatalog/swords-hanwei-paul-chen-golden-oriole-samurai.htmlHere's a link to the US based KultofAthena for price comparison as well as more detailed pics. You never know shipping and costs through KoA might be cheaper than the local shops. www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=PC1207Problem is you're kind of asking a lot for the $500 range and most swords in your interest are going to go for around $700 and up. For another less glitzy but highly rated sword in your budget (meeting the majority of your specifications) There is the Hanwei Shinto. Great differentially hardened blade T-10 tool steel, bohi and properly wrapped (though a little bulky in shape) tsuka. It's right around $500 and can be found at either the UK vendor or KoA. www.oriental-weaponry.co.uk/acatalog/swords-hanwei-paul-chen-shinto-samurai.htmlkultofathena.com/product.asp?item=PC1001
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Post by zabazagobo on Mar 21, 2019 2:33:16 GMT
Yeah, if you don't mind spending more, nddave picked a knock out. The Hanwei Orchid I recently acquired is utterly fantastic and nearly flawless, a rare treat as far as production swords go. I could go on and on for hours about how this is one of those rare examples for a production katana that does just about everything perfectly, but I won't unless asked to. Suffice to say it's an instant favorite and a blast to use, not to mention quite the looker in person. It's nimble enough that a bo-hi would be redundant, unless your desire for a bo-hi is for a nice whooshing tachi-kaze.
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Post by Airborne on Mar 21, 2019 2:34:42 GMT
Hi Zabazagobo , First of all Thanks for your reply and very informative contents as its good to hear from the people who have the knowledge . Yeh youre right I would imagine it is an art doing that Ito wrap especially like you said its got to hold up to some pretty tough use at times , but I was amazed when reading different views on the forums that so many Katanas are sent out to customers with a loose ito wrap !It seems to be quite a common problem and it got me wondering if these people do this every day for a living , how come so many times they just don't get it right .Never mind , it wont put me off buying a katana and I just want to be aware of any problems I am likely to come across . How about Thaitsuki , do people regard them quite highly as they seem to turn out some really nice products ? Unfortunately I stopped making my knives a few years ago and have just sold the last of my knife making kit to a friend of mine . This friend is actually making me a D2 steel repro of the iconic WW2 US M3 fighting / trench knife . I will be fitting a good quality leather handle on it and making a good solid sheath for it once ive got it , so looking forward to getting on with that mission .Anyway take care my friend and thanks again .
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Post by Airborne on Mar 21, 2019 2:37:15 GMT
Thanks Guys for the advice on the Orchid , I will certainly check it out
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Post by nddave on Mar 21, 2019 2:57:11 GMT
No personal experience bur from what I've read and my own impressions (in regards to online pics and reviews) is Thaisuki Nihonto are overly self marketed and due to craftmanship and materials used overpriced.
Sure there are other options than Hanwei but for your limited purchasing in the UK, its going to be hard to get those available. Hanwei is the largest and most respectable Japanese production manufacturer on the market and is one of the few with vendors in the UK. Plus your specifications pretty much described the Orchid.
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Post by Silent on Mar 21, 2019 12:33:45 GMT
www.theknightshop.com/blunt-and-sharp-swords-uk/swords-by-historical-period-uk/japanese-swordsThere are a lot of places to buy swords inside the UK and Europe. Oriental weaponry its great seller too. I recall someone on the forum selling a costum folded hanwei Bushido? professionally mounted, I thinks hes from UK. Check forum market. The cheapest Orchid I found its 1100€... I would think a Lion Dog katana to be a better sword, just not folded. Which can be found much cheaper. Just My 2 cents, most chinese katanas suffer from tsuka/saya problems, the one brand that has better quality control Hanwei/Dragon King would be good choices. For a first Katana I wouldnt go over 300 GBP, you "will feel the need to buy more swords", trust me on this. Dragon king Hana katana.... Cya
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Post by Airborne on Mar 21, 2019 12:50:49 GMT
Once again , thanks for your comments Guys all of this is a great help in making me understand what is out there on offer . CYA , I will check those places out .NDDAVE , I HAVE LOOKED AT THAT "Orchid"and although it does seem like a nice buy and a really nice katana , I just prefer different colour options, but thanks anyway. Take care guys
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Post by Airborne on Mar 21, 2019 15:06:36 GMT
Once again , regarding buying a Katana . It will have to be a one off and bought with the fact that I want it to be a sort of Family Heirloom so I can pass it on to my Grandson (He is already being left some really nice quality Khukuri knives including one I had made specially for him and engraved "For my Grandson" ). So I will only be buying a one off , which I want it to tick all the right boxes . I think I would even consider extending my limit to around £800-£900 British if the sword was the right one ie a Custom made one from SBG OR wherever but I will have to give this serious thought.Anybody got any ideas on these custom Katanas and the three different types you can order from SBG ? Kind regards All
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Post by Silent on Mar 21, 2019 16:50:53 GMT
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