|
Post by dinvaas on May 27, 2020 2:12:46 GMT
Hi, guys! Been eyeing two options that have my interest and I was hoping to get people's thoughts on them.
I actually have an older model Ronin Katana Euro Model 7, but it's a few years old now and having put it through it's paces, I'm not willing to risk using it much longer to prevent a catastrophic failure from happening and it becoming a potential hazard because of how much stress I've put it through from just the natural progression of using it for a few years now. That said, it's probably my favorite longsword out of any I've owned, and the new updated version with a leather wrapped handle has me curious and I'm considering looking into it to replace my old reliable.
But I also like the look of the Euro 2 model and from the specs I keep reading from every vendor that carries it tells me it's almost a whole pound lighter than other models in the RK Euro line despite being near to the same proportions as the RK Euro 1 model which I own as well. And I really love the aesthetic and design of that sword. I just worry a little that the RK Euro 2 doesn't live up to the same standards I have for the RK1 and RK7 being so well constructed and made so strong after Skallagrim's review of the RK2 highlighting some potential construction flaws. Which I know that one instance isn't wholly representative of RK's Euro models, especially after owning some myself and just being blown away at how tough they are.
Can anyone give me some insight to these two models? How does the Euro 2 hold up to the rest of the models in the series? Does anyone have any experience with the updated #7 model? Any and all feedback is highly appreciated.
|
|
|
Post by twin-rabbit on May 28, 2020 0:14:36 GMT
I would get the 2. It looks way cooler imo, plus a pound lighter is pretty impressive. Plus you already have the 7.. Or you could by the best looking sword of the whole lot, the Euro Model 5 - Italian! ;p That's the one I have. I love it and would buy it again. The only thing that irritates me is that the scabbard has absolutely zero retention.
|
|
|
Post by dinvaas on May 28, 2020 16:03:21 GMT
I would get the 2. It looks way cooler imo, plus a pound lighter is pretty impressive. Plus you already have the 7.. Or you could by the best looking sword of the whole lot, the Euro Model 5 - Italian! ;p That's the one I have. I love it and would buy it again. The only thing that irritates me is that the scabbard has absolutely zero retention. Yeah, a big reason I'm thinking about getting the 7 again is cuz of how much I enjoyed it. Easily my favorite longsword in my collection. But after owning it for a few years, the natural wear and tear on it has me worried it might become a potential safety concern I just don't want to risk. :/ I was eyeing the 5, as well. Very reminiscent of the 7 but the fuller gives it a very dramatic and interesting look you'd see in fantasy settings. Both that and the 2 are gorgeous looking blades I could see in a setting like Dragon Quest (one of my favorite games) Visual aesthetics are important after all and as great as the 7 feels in the hand, it's a very plain jane. How does the 5 model feel? Is it at all blade heavy like the Euro Model 1?
|
|
|
Post by demented on May 28, 2020 16:20:56 GMT
I like the RK Euro 2 more. The wheel pommel and blade are just more my thing. The 2 also feels better when cutting, the 7 seemed somewhat awkward for me.
|
|
|
Post by demented on May 28, 2020 16:24:08 GMT
Sorry for hijacking the thread but how are RKs arming swords? Do they offer any bastard swords?
|
|
|
Post by dinvaas on May 28, 2020 16:55:26 GMT
Sorry for hijacking the thread but how are RKs arming swords? Do they offer any bastard swords? From what I hear, their arming swords are pretty satisfying. I hear a lot of positive things about them from various reveiwers but I've never tried one myself
|
|
|
Post by dinvaas on May 29, 2020 16:39:29 GMT
I know you mentioned you liked how the Euro 2 model cut as well. My primary concern regarding the 2 is the pommel issue seen in Skall's review. Is that at all representative of the 2's quality in construction in general or have you not had any sort of similar concerns in hilt construction?
|
|
|
Post by demented on May 29, 2020 19:17:56 GMT
I know you mentioned you liked how the Euro 2 model cut as well. My primary concern regarding the 2 is the pommel issue seen in Skall's review. Is that at all representative of the 2's quality in construction in general or have you not had any sort of similar concerns in hilt construction? No it's not that way with all of them, at least not as far as I kniow. My pommel is on there just fine. The sword is great for the price I even rank it higher than my Darksword xvia style sword. The XVIa and XVIa-syle swords are my favorite type of longsword though. I say XVIa-style because they are not historical my accurate but still based off the design. My only conplaint is the grip but thats all RKs not just one model.
|
|
|
Post by dinvaas on May 29, 2020 20:50:50 GMT
I know you mentioned you liked how the Euro 2 model cut as well. My primary concern regarding the 2 is the pommel issue seen in Skall's review. Is that at all representative of the 2's quality in construction in general or have you not had any sort of similar concerns in hilt construction? No it's just not that way with all of them, at leadt not as farcas I kniow. My pommel is on there just fine. The sword is great for the price I even rank it higher than my Darksword xvia style sword. The XVIa and XVIa-syle swords are my favorite type of longsword though. I say XVIa-style because they are not historical my accurate but still based off the design. My only conplaint is the grip but thats all RKs not just one model. That's good to know. That was the one big concern of mine with the Number 2 Model, especially since I've never got to handle a wheel pommel and don't know what to expect from them. I've handled scent stopper pommels of varying shapes and so far have loved how easily they all fit into the hand. But I think I'll probably give the Euro 2 a try. And yeah, I know what you mean. RK Euros aren't really made with historical accuracy in mind, but are made with what I call "historical plausibility" in that they likely could have existed and made sense for the time period. The grips on RK Euros aren't all that great, admittedly, but given their blades seem to be made as tough as some higher end swords, I feel like that's a small price to pay
|
|
|
Post by demented on May 29, 2020 21:22:03 GMT
No it's just not that way with all of them, at leadt not as farcas I kniow. My pommel is on there just fine. The sword is great for the price I even rank it higher than my Darksword xvia style sword. The XVIa and XVIa-syle swords are my favorite type of longsword though. I say XVIa-style because they are not historical my accurate but still based off the design. My only conplaint is the grip but thats all RKs not just one model. That's good to know. That was the one big concern of mine with the Number 2 Model, especially since I've never got to handle a wheel pommel and don't know what to expect from them. I've handled scent stopper pommels of varying shapes and so far have loved how easily they all fit into the hand. But I think I'll probably give the Euro 2 a try. And yeah, I know what you mean. RK Euros aren't really made with historical accuracy in mind, but are made with what I call "historical plausibility" in that they likely could have existed and made sense for the time period. The grips on RK Euros aren't all that great, admittedly, but given their blades seem to be made as tough as some higher end swords, I feel like that's a small price to pay The only other thing I dont care for is the cross gaurd. I would've much rather have a plain-jane straight cross gaurd.
|
|
|
Post by dinvaas on May 30, 2020 0:38:10 GMT
That's good to know. That was the one big concern of mine with the Number 2 Model, especially since I've never got to handle a wheel pommel and don't know what to expect from them. I've handled scent stopper pommels of varying shapes and so far have loved how easily they all fit into the hand. But I think I'll probably give the Euro 2 a try. And yeah, I know what you mean. RK Euros aren't really made with historical accuracy in mind, but are made with what I call "historical plausibility" in that they likely could have existed and made sense for the time period. The grips on RK Euros aren't all that great, admittedly, but given their blades seem to be made as tough as some higher end swords, I feel like that's a small price to pay The only other thing I dont care for is the cross gaurd. I would've much rather have a plain-jane straight cross gaurd. Yeah the plain-jane style of the RK7 is nice. The 5 has the exact same cross guard too
|
|
|
Post by twin-rabbit on May 31, 2020 18:38:49 GMT
I would get the 2. It looks way cooler imo, plus a pound lighter is pretty impressive. Plus you already have the 7.. Or you could by the best looking sword of the whole lot, the Euro Model 5 - Italian! ;p That's the one I have. I love it and would buy it again. The only thing that irritates me is that the scabbard has absolutely zero retention. Yeah, a big reason I'm thinking about getting the 7 again is cuz of how much I enjoyed it. Easily my favorite longsword in my collection. But after owning it for a few years, the natural wear and tear on it has me worried it might become a potential safety concern I just don't want to risk. :/ I was eyeing the 5, as well. Very reminiscent of the 7 but the fuller gives it a very dramatic and interesting look you'd see in fantasy settings. Both that and the 2 are gorgeous looking blades I could see in a setting like Dragon Quest (one of my favorite games) Visual aesthetics are important after all and as great as the 7 feels in the hand, it's a very plain jane. How does the 5 model feel? Is it at all blade heavy like the Euro Model 1? Aesthetics play a big part in anything I buy. I think blades look way cooler with a fuller than without (not to say they aren't still cool without). Honestly, this is the only medieval type sword I have (other than the CS MAA Grosse Messer, which is kind of a joke of a 'sword' and a total pig). That being said, it feels amazing to me. I've done handling and guard drills and cutting with it and it really feels very agile, to a surprising degree for me. Balances right around 4 inches and doesn't feel blade heavy at all. I was surprised when I got it, because like many people, I had a preconceived notion (from movies) that longswords/hand-and-a-half swords all medieval swords (lol) were all heavy and unwieldy. I have to agree about the grips though, they aren't spectacular. But I do agree that the blade seems rather well made and tough. And I also really like the crossguard. It is very simple and plain, but I love how it is finished to smooth rounded ends. The other main difference is obviously the pommel, which I really like because it has more style. Of course, I wanted an Italian longsword specifically. And it's possible that I didn't look hard enough, but there seem to be significantly less options available for an Italian stylized longsword, rather than everything else.
|
|