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Post by zabazagobo on May 9, 2019 21:33:55 GMT
Huawei's ito wrap tends to be really well done from my experience, so I imagine you'll be happy with it. Plus that 'dotanuki' style model you picked is a cutting behemoth of a sword from what I've seen (I prefer more agile blades, so not my style). Only sword from Huawei with any significant loosening was a cheap $160 (shipping included) 9260 shobu I turned into a "practice d.i.y. work" sword. Loose ito is an obnoxious problem because it kills the usability (and safety) of a sword. The only swords that had genuinely loose ito all around out of the box were the three I bought from Hanbon. I keep them as display pieces since I can't in good conscience sell them to anyone who thinks they'd pass for a functional sword. Aside from the 9260 from Huawei, the only other sword I've owned that has developed significant ito slippage and wear is my Hanwei Bushido, but that was after two years of daily use and some peculiarly creative tests. Some brands have much better trends with ito and assembly, and they're the ones I recommend. Huawei, Hanwei and Feilong just seem to do most everything right, with the occasional slip up here and there (like my Bushido katana, took awhile to become a mess but it eventually got there). Certain brands which tend to go for a budget pricing (like Ryujin) often have issues that become evident far more quickly. Better to spend a bit more and get better quality from my experience, having been there done that with cheap swords which turn into wallhangers. Having Josh wrap anything will turn it into a luxury item. The guide he recently typed up on the different types of ito is by far and away the most comprehensive I've had the pleasure of reading: www.cottontailcustoms.com/which-tsuka-ito-is-right-for-you/
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reptaronice1
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 9, 2019 21:44:08 GMT
Huawei's ito wrap tends to be really well done from my experience, so I imagine you'll be happy with it. Plus that 'dotanuki' style model you picked is a cutting behemoth of a sword from what I've seen (I prefer more agile blades, so not my style). Only sword from Huawei with any significant loosening was a cheap $160 (shipping included) 9260 shobu I turned into a "practice d.i.y. work" sword. Loose ito is an obnoxious problem because it kills the usability (and safety) of a sword. The only swords that had genuinely loose ito all around out of the box were the three I bought from Hanbon. I keep them as display pieces since I can't in good conscience sell them to anyone who thinks they'd pass for a functional sword. Aside from the 9260 from Huawei, the only other sword I've owned that has developed significant ito slippage and wear is my Hanwei Bushido, but that was after two years of daily use and some peculiarly creative tests. Some brands have much better trends with ito and assembly, and they're the ones I recommend. Huawei, Hanwei and Feilong just seem to do most everything right, with the occasional slip up here and there (like my Bushido katana, took awhile to become a mess but it eventually got there). Certain brands which tend to go for a budget pricing (like Ryujin) often have issues that become evident far more quickly. Better to spend a bit more and get better quality from my experience, having been there done that with cheap swords which turn into wallhangers. Having Josh wrap anything will turn it into a luxury item. The guide he recently typed up on the different types of ito is by far and away the most comprehensive I've had the pleasure of reading: www.cottontailcustoms.com/which-tsuka-ito-is-right-for-you/what do you mean by agile? im interested now as I thought it was the same as any other katana? Is it a bad thing I picked that kind?
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reptaronice1
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 9, 2019 21:44:35 GMT
Huawei's ito wrap tends to be really well done from my experience, so I imagine you'll be happy with it. Plus that 'dotanuki' style model you picked is a cutting behemoth of a sword from what I've seen (I prefer more agile blades, so not my style). Only sword from Huawei with any significant loosening was a cheap $160 (shipping included) 9260 shobu I turned into a "practice d.i.y. work" sword. Loose ito is an obnoxious problem because it kills the usability (and safety) of a sword. The only swords that had genuinely loose ito all around out of the box were the three I bought from Hanbon. I keep them as display pieces since I can't in good conscience sell them to anyone who thinks they'd pass for a functional sword. Aside from the 9260 from Huawei, the only other sword I've owned that has developed significant ito slippage and wear is my Hanwei Bushido, but that was after two years of daily use and some peculiarly creative tests. Some brands have much better trends with ito and assembly, and they're the ones I recommend. Huawei, Hanwei and Feilong just seem to do most everything right, with the occasional slip up here and there (like my Bushido katana, took awhile to become a mess but it eventually got there). Certain brands which tend to go for a budget pricing (like Ryujin) often have issues that become evident far more quickly. Better to spend a bit more and get better quality from my experience, having been there done that with cheap swords which turn into wallhangers. Having Josh wrap anything will turn it into a luxury item. The guide he recently typed up on the different types of ito is by far and away the most comprehensive I've had the pleasure of reading: www.cottontailcustoms.com/which-tsuka-ito-is-right-for-you/Is it a bad thing I picked dotanuki style? Whats the differences? im not used to the differences rly
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Post by Adrian Jordan on May 9, 2019 22:10:05 GMT
Agile generally means easily handled. Lighter swords and swords with a point of balance closer to the handle tend to be easier to swing and control because the weight is centered more towards your hands. Think of a 5lb weight. Not hard to pick up and handle. Now pick up a hammer with a 5lb head. It feels much heavier and is harder to control because the weight is so far out from your hand.
Dotanuki is a school of sword smithing known for their thicker, very sharp, no nonsense blades. Not as much a finesse weapon as other styles. They got the nickname "Torso-cutters" thanks to their cutting ability(as despite what pop culture would have you believe, cutting someone in half, especially along the torso, is g*ddamn near impossible). "Dotanuki" is more of a buzzword to denote a thicker/beefier blade these days, however.
No, I don't think you made a mistake. It may be a bit more difficult to control, but I doubt it will be unwieldy. Maybe not a lightening fast trick cutter, but a good bread and butter cutter almost definitely.
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reptaronice1
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 9, 2019 22:26:07 GMT
Agile generally means easily handled. Lighter swords and swords with a point of balance closer to the handle tend to be easier to swing and control because the weight is centered more towards your hands. Think of a 5lb weight. Not hard to pick up and handle. Now pick up a hammer with a 5lb head. It feels much heavier and is harder to control because the weight is so far out from your hand. Dotanuki is a school of sword smithing known for their thicker, very sharp, no nonsense blades. Not as much a finesse weapon as other styles. They got the nickname "Torso-cutters" thanks to their cutting ability(as despite what pop culture would have you believe, cutting someone in half, especially along the torso, is g*ddamn near impossible). "Dotanuki" is more of a buzzword to denote a thicker/beefier blade these days, however. No, I don't think you made a mistake. It may be a bit more difficult to control, but I doubt it will be unwieldy. Maybe not a lightening fast trick cutter, but a good bread and butter cutter almost definitely. Ok so it is just a bit heavier than the normal ones. But in that case it should also cut very deeply correct? Are they historic in japan at all? And ya I dont buy that whole cut a torso in half stuff. Ive seen it with ballistic dummies. you can get maybe half way through with a good swing. Now if were talking about be heading someone, then a katana would work well. I wonder how much heavier it will be than my other ones I love a blade with a razor edge that can cut deep. Just dont want it to be to heavy that I get exhausted lol.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on May 9, 2019 22:37:48 GMT
It should cut deeper, yes. It will likely be a bit heavier and probably have a point of balance a little further out. This will make it a harder hitting blade. As I mentioned though, I'm sure you'll be able to handle it. I don't think you'll have any issues.
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reptaronice1
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 9, 2019 22:39:12 GMT
It should cut deeper, yes. It will likely be a bit heavier and probably have a point of balance a little further out. This will make it a harder hitting blade. As I mentioned though, I'm sure you'll be able to handle it. I don't think you'll have any issues. Thanks man im assuming this is because of the niku they add to the blade?
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Post by Adrian Jordan on May 9, 2019 22:42:27 GMT
Lots of things contribute to weight and PoB. Geometry, niku, type and severity of curvature, length, width, the size and weight of the tsuka and fittings, whether it has a bo-hi, where the bo-hi starts and stops. Lots of stuff.
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reptaronice1
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 9, 2019 22:51:23 GMT
Lots of things contribute to weight and PoB. Geometry, niku, type and severity of curvature, length, width, the size and weight of the tsuka and fittings, whether it has a bo-hi, where the bo-hi starts and stops. Lots of stuff. Ya that is true. I guess it comes down to in the end how much steel is on the blade vs off the blade lol. A double blood groove will be lighter than a single groove cause of less material.
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Post by john1 on May 9, 2019 23:08:58 GMT
Here’s another source: Fred Lohman www.japanese-swords.com/pages/hndl.htmPrice for a handle rewrap is listed as $250 + materials + shipping. The other sources already mentioned (Nihonzashi.com & Salvatore) are good too. I think they are all in a similar price range. I’ve been most impressed by pics and reviews of CottontailCustoms.com though.
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Post by zabazagobo on May 9, 2019 23:10:13 GMT
Cutting through a torso is definitely a historical/real thing. Swords were sometimes tested on how many torsos they could cut through with a swing (think the record was 7 or 8). This sword for instance is an antique that passed through two bodies during testing. nihontoart.com/shop/katana-with-2-body-test-cut-with-battle-strikes/And this one went through five. www.samuraisword.com/nihontodisplay/CUTTING_TEST/gold_inlay/Yoshikane/index.htmContemporary tameshigiri arose due to a combination of cultural (ethics) and economic (costs) factors favoring soaked mats as a more tasteful substitute rather than using corpses or prisoners receiving a death sentence. It is also true that the capability of cutting through a torso in dynamic combat is much more tricky than executing an overhead power cut. But no, it's nothing to worry about. This particular blade geometry is more robust and by nature features a lot more power. It's an ideal style for a two handed 'war sword' since it will have lots of power and bonus durability. Agile blades are thinner and less robust so they're faster and 'better' for one handed use, although they aren't nearly as forceful as this (unless you really accelerate them). Loose analogy (with lots of caveats): think dueling vs. battlefield. There's a whole lot of variety to katana. Even with just shinogi zukuri, there's half a dozen types of hi (fullers), different kissaki shapes, shinogi elevations, tapering, edge convexity etc. Sprinkle in other geometries like Shobu zukuri , Unokubi zukuri, Hira zukuri, and Kamnuri otoshi zukuri and there's a huge amount of variation and variety. Anyone who's handled a katana and didn't like it just hasn't tried the right style of blade yet lol. Did you nab one with double hi or an unfullered design? That'll change up the weight dynamics a bit.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on May 9, 2019 23:15:32 GMT
Lots of things contribute to weight and PoB. Geometry, niku, type and severity of curvature, length, width, the size and weight of the tsuka and fittings, whether it has a bo-hi, where the bo-hi starts and stops. Lots of stuff. Ya that is true. I guess it comes down to in the end how much steel is on the blade vs off the blade lol. A double blood groove will be lighter than a single groove cause of less material.
To an extent. PoB has been more of a factor for me, though. A 2lb sword with a PoB of 3" will feel lighter and easier to handle than the exact same 2lb sword with a PoB of 6". One will be very easy to control but not hit as hard in the cut, one will feel heavier and more sluggish but hit the target harder. A more extreme example is that I have a Euro styled blade. It is very heavy(to me) at around 3 or 4lb with a largish blade. However, it has a large metal S guard and metal fittings, so the Pob is not far out from the handle. This allows me to somewhat easily control the sword. On the other hand I have a Cheness Kaze katana that weighs probably a pound and a half less with a smaller blade. However, the PoB is further out, so It's actually not as easy to control the follow through and stop the cut.
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reptaronice1
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 9, 2019 23:16:08 GMT
Here’s another source: Fred Lohman www.japanese-swords.com/pages/hndl.htmPrice for a handle rewrap is listed as $250 + materials + shipping. The other sources already mentioned (Nihonzashi.com & Salvatore) are good too. I think they are all in a similar price range. I’ve been most impressed by pics and reviews of CottontailCustoms.com though. Thank you Sheesh 250 is a little steep for me atm XD You could buy a sword for that price.
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reptaronice1
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 9, 2019 23:18:09 GMT
Ya that is true. I guess it comes down to in the end how much steel is on the blade vs off the blade lol. A double blood groove will be lighter than a single groove cause of less material.
To an extent. PoB has been more of a factor for me, though. A 2lb sword with a PoB of 3" will feel lighter and easier to handle than the exact same 2lb sword with a PoB of 6". One will be very easy to control but not hit as hard in the cut, one will feel heavier and more sluggish but hit the target harder. A more extreme example is that I have a Euro styled blade. It is very heavy(to me) at around 3 or 4lb with a largish blade. However, it has a large metal S guard and metal fittings, so the Pob is not far out from the handle. This allows me to somewhat easily control the sword. On the other hand I have a Cheness Kaze katana that weighs probably a pound and a half less with a smaller blade. However, the PoB is further out, so It's actually not as easy to control the follow through and stop the cut.
So the POB on the blade I bought will be farther out on the blade?
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reptaronice1
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 9, 2019 23:23:57 GMT
Cutting through a torso is definitely a historical/real thing. Swords were sometimes tested on how many torsos they could cut through with a swing (think the record was 7 or 8). This sword for instance is an antique that passed through two bodies during testing. nihontoart.com/shop/katana-with-2-body-test-cut-with-battle-strikes/And this one went through five. www.samuraisword.com/nihontodisplay/CUTTING_TEST/gold_inlay/Yoshikane/index.htmContemporary tameshigiri arose due to a combination of cultural (ethics) and economic (costs) factors favoring soaked mats as a more tasteful substitute rather than using corpses or prisoners receiving a death sentence. It is also true that the capability of cutting through a torso in dynamic combat is much more tricky than executing an overhead power cut. But no, it's nothing to worry about. This particular blade geometry is more robust and by nature features a lot more power. It's an ideal style for a two handed 'war sword' since it will have lots of power and bonus durability. Agile blades are thinner and less robust so they're faster and 'better' for one handed use, although they aren't nearly as forceful as this (unless you really accelerate them). Loose analogy (with lots of caveats): think dueling vs. battlefield. There's a whole lot of variety to katana. Even with just shinogi zukuri, there's half a dozen types of hi (fullers), different kissaki shapes, shinogi elevations, tapering, edge convexity etc. Sprinkle in other geometries like Shobu zukuri , Unokubi zukuri, Hira zukuri, and Kamnuri otoshi zukuri and there's a huge amount of variation and variety. Anyone who's handled a katana and didn't like it just hasn't tried the right style of blade yet lol. Did you nab one with double hi or an unfullered design? That'll change up the weight dynamics a bit. I got one with a double hi I think the one I got would be good for either dueling or on the battlefield. Just a bit heavier than average I will be used to that as I always use my katana 2 handed lol. Ya i heard about the corpse slash but never knew if it was accurate or just a myth.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on May 9, 2019 23:26:11 GMT
It may be. I've never had that one so I don't know. This is all just kind of academic stuff so that you'll have a more well rounded set of knowledge and considerations when buying in the future. Knowing things like the difference in geometries, the effects or weight and PoB and such will give you the tools you need to accurately imagine how a sword will handle. You'll also grow into your preferences. I wanted a big, heavy cutter for my first sword(being a samurai movie lover and anime nerd). Turns out I don't like big heavy cutters so much as lively, agile blades. You might be the opposite and find out you like the burly choppers and light/average swords feel like toys to you. All part of the experience.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on May 9, 2019 23:27:48 GMT
Bear in mind also that if you train with your tool, even a relatively unwieldy sword will eventually just be normal for you as your body strengthens and adapts to it.
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Post by zabazagobo on May 9, 2019 23:29:09 GMT
Very much reality; a rather gruesome practice but it did have pragmatic merits.
And nice pick, that one will be plenty lively thanks to the fullers livening the blade up. You get a sturdy blade with plenty of niku, 9260 steel to practice with. Excellent choice all around. Should be one heck of a fun blade to practice cutting with.
Plus having a slightly heavier blade to train with is a great way to reinforce muscle memory and train your reflexes. It's also a useful trick to help you go nice and slow and not get all wild and crazy with swords as you're starting out. It worked for me, so I'm a fan of the approach.
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Post by zabazagobo on May 9, 2019 23:30:09 GMT
Bear in mind also that if you train with your tool, even a relatively unwieldy sword will eventually just be normal for you as your body strengthens and adapts to it. Yup, exactly. Well, maybe not including the Wind and Thunder, but that's a whole different animal haha
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Post by Adrian Jordan on May 9, 2019 23:31:46 GMT
Bear in mind also that if you train with your tool, even a relatively unwieldy sword will eventually just be normal for you as your body strengthens and adapts to it. Yup, exactly. Well, maybe not including the Wind and Thunder, but that's a whole different animal haha
We'll asterisk that, hahaha.
*except for the Wind and Thunder.
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