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Post by swordenthusiast on Apr 1, 2021 22:21:47 GMT
Has anyone had any experience with swordstore.com? They seemed like a good option for making a customized sword until I received the following message:
T10 is not really good. Yes, the numbers would be around 1095 but here’s the thing, good blades need some impurities and there needs to be some leeching of excess impurities. As for the clay, probably the most proprietary of information, I can say that clay that is too heavy, too wet, or too light will not survive the fire properly and the quenching process will fail. Finding just the right clay is one of the essential steps to making a successful blade. Nobody seems to talk about it, throwing out terms like “T10” without having the metallurgy behind the process to understand. I don't know a whole lot about metallurgy, but I have read a bit on this forum and it would seem that T10 that is not folded would be a superior choice for durability over a 1095 sword that has had the impurities worked out of it.
If you haven't had experience with swordstore.com. Who do you like working with in the up to $1k range for a well-made sword for tameshigiri? There seems to be a lot of mixed reviews in the forum and articles that are written on the SBG site. I have read good and bad about Huawei, Hanbon, Swords of the East, Swords of Northshire, Katanas for Sale, SamuraiSword.store, Sinosword/jkoo, and Lyuesword. There's lots of chatter. Are any of these reliable?
I've also visited the SBG sword store. However, I need a blade longer than something in the 27" range. Ideally, something around 30".
Just looking for the best advice on something that is functional and properly fitted. Part of me thinks I should just buy the blade somewhere and then work on getting it fitted here locally in the U.S.
All thoughts and options welcome. Thank you!
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Post by jester on Apr 16, 2021 11:43:57 GMT
For what I understood through research, forums, reviews and general talking, it would be best to go with a reputable vendor for the base piece (like Hanwei, Huawei, Citadel...) and then get spare parts to be fitted paying attention to exact measurements and being ready to do some tweaking by hand with a file or similar. The companies you indicated are mostly "hit or miss" about overall quality and details, often with too much "corner cutting" which will disrupt the functionality and structure of the sword when used for tameshigiri. My 2 cents is "if you want a real custom job, the price is definitely in the triple zero range".
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Post by swordenthusiast on Apr 23, 2021 21:33:36 GMT
Thank you Jester.
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pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on Apr 23, 2021 23:16:27 GMT
The heat treating process is more important the type of metal. Also there are two ways to measure a katana’s blade. Make sure the vendor and you are on the same boat. One includes the habaki and the other doesn’t.
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Post by swordenthusiast on Apr 25, 2021 21:41:41 GMT
The heat treating process is more important the type of metal. Also there are two ways to measure a katana’s blade. Make sure the vendor and you are on the same boat. One includes the habaki and the other doesn’t. Thank you. Didn't even think of the blade measurement issue. Appreciate the advice.
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Post by skane on Apr 25, 2021 23:17:04 GMT
What do you plan to cut? Bamboo? Mats? If mats, what type (beach, wara, Mugen Dachi, used Japanese tatami omote)? Other?
Ignore steel type. Focus on maker-reputation and get recommendations from people that actually do the same type of cutting you intend to do. You can put together a decent cutter for 1K. It's a good approach to select a blade that'll cover your requirements, and get it mounted by a craftsman.
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Post by swordenthusiast on Apr 26, 2021 14:54:14 GMT
What do you plan to cut? Bamboo? Mats? If mats, what type (beach, wara, Mugen Dachi, used Japanese tatami omote)? Other? Ignore steel type. Focus on maker-reputation and get recommendations from people that actually do the same type of cutting you intend to do. You can put together a decent cutter for 1K. It's a good approach to select a blade that'll cover your requirements, and get it mounted by a craftsman. Plan to cut tatami omote as a regular practice. What manufacturers have you had good luck with? Who do you recommend for mountings?
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Post by skane on Apr 27, 2021 2:51:26 GMT
What do you plan to cut? Bamboo? Mats? If mats, what type (beach, wara, Mugen Dachi, used Japanese tatami omote)? Other? Ignore steel type. Focus on maker-reputation and get recommendations from people that actually do the same type of cutting you intend to do. You can put together a decent cutter for 1K. It's a good approach to select a blade that'll cover your requirements, and get it mounted by a craftsman. Plan to cut tatami omote as a regular practice. What manufacturers have you had good luck with? Who do you recommend for mountings? For sub $1K, Huawei, Hanwei, Dynasty Forge, Feilong, Alex Zheng (Masurao, Budo), Munetoshi. Most of those swords mentioned are sub $500. Spend the rest on a good remount. Other people can recommend good craftsmen, better to open a new thread for that, or do some searches, it's been covered before. Huawei has best overall blade and mount quality and QC consistency in sub $1K. Others I mentioned might have better cutting performance for specific things. Huawei just keeps upping their game. Are you cutting real used Japanese tatami omote? Nihonzashi in Florida is the only place that sells it. Some JSA dojos import their own from Japan. If it's not from either of those sources it's not used Japanese tatami omote (UJTO). If you're cutting mats like Mugen Dachi (green mats with frayed ends) or soft easy stuff like brown wara or beach mats, most any $100+ production kat with decent edge and geometry will work.. UJTO is generally at least 2x tougher and denser than MD, there are also several types of UJTO; some are really tough, heavy, and dense and will shake swords with crap mounts apart with regular usage. Also, if you're new to cutting targets with resistance, consider getting a through hardened blade (TH) ... TH is less prone to taking bend-sets on bad cuts (compared to differentially hardened (DH) blades). Huawei, Hanwei, DF, and Munetoshi sell TH and DH blades. Have fun researching and shopping.
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Post by swordenthusiast on Apr 27, 2021 20:00:57 GMT
Plan to cut tatami omote as a regular practice. What manufacturers have you had good luck with? Who do you recommend for mountings? For sub $1K, Huawei, Hanwei, Dynasty Forge, Feilong, Alex Zheng (Masurao, Budo), Munetoshi. Most of those swords mentioned are sub $500. Spend the rest on a good remount. Other people can recommend good craftsmen, better to open a new thread for that, or do some searches, it's been covered before. Huawei has best overall blade and mount quality and QC consistency in sub $1K. Others I mentioned might have better cutting performance for specific things. Huawei just keeps upping their game. Are you cutting real used Japanese tatami omote? Nihonzashi in Florida is the only place that sells it. Some JSA dojos import their own from Japan. If it's not from either of those sources it's not used Japanese tatami omote (UJTO). If you're cutting mats like Mugen Dachi (green mats with frayed ends) or soft easy stuff like brown wara or beach mats, most any $100+ production kat with decent edge and geometry will work.. UJTO is generally at least 2x tougher and denser than MD, there are also several types of UJTO; some are really tough, heavy, and dense and will shake swords with crap mounts apart with regular usage. Also, if you're new to cutting targets with resistance, consider getting a through hardened blade (TH) ... TH is less prone to taking bend-sets on bad cuts (compared to differentially hardened (DH) blades). Huawei, Hanwei, DF, and Munetoshi sell TH and DH blades. Have fun researching and shopping. Appreciate the detailed feedback skin. I did get a quote for a T10 DH blade with brass fittings for around $730 and the same setup from JKOO for a little over $300. Huawei seems kind of high from what I've seen in the non-custom production market, but JKOO definitely seems way to low. As to the other producers you mentioned, I want a 30" blade and haven't seen any of their products that fit the bill. Leaning toward Huawei right now, but what are your thoughts on Swords of the East or Swords of Northshire for a custom job?
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Post by jester on Apr 27, 2021 21:58:45 GMT
Appreciate the detailed feedback skin. I did get a quote for a T10 DH blade with brass fittings for around $730 and the same setup from JKOO for a little over $300. Huawei seems kind of high from what I've seen in the non-custom production market, but JKOO definitely seems way to low. As to the other producers you mentioned, I want a 30" blade and haven't seen any of their products that fit the bill. Leaning toward Huawei right now, but what are your thoughts on Swords of the East or Swords of Northshire for a custom job? Just finished the same research. Sword of the east / northshire / jkoo / etc have all the same parts as they take them from the same place. Some of them just have better websites to justify inflated prices but the swords are identical. And identically wrong. You will have a big chance of not getting what you want in terms of "this specific fuchi or this colour on the ito or this saya in red". Also, a big chance that some of the fittings (or even the saya) are pre used. Not worth it. Go huawei.
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Post by swordenthusiast on Apr 27, 2021 22:17:08 GMT
Appreciate the detailed feedback skin. I did get a quote for a T10 DH blade with brass fittings for around $730 and the same setup from JKOO for a little over $300. Huawei seems kind of high from what I've seen in the non-custom production market, but JKOO definitely seems way to low. As to the other producers you mentioned, I want a 30" blade and haven't seen any of their products that fit the bill. Leaning toward Huawei right now, but what are your thoughts on Swords of the East or Swords of Northshire for a custom job? Just finished the same research. Sword of the east / northshire / jkoo / etc have all the same parts as they take them from the same place. Some of them just have better websites to justify inflated prices but the swords are identical. And identically wrong. You will have a big chance of not getting what you want in terms of "this specific fuchi or this colour on the ito or this saya in red". Also, a big chance that some of the fittings (or even the saya) are pre used. Not worth it. Go huawei. Appreciate the additional insight Jester. An you feel the $730 price point hits the right mark from Huawei with these specs? - Shinogi nukuri style with a geometric chu kissaki - Blade length 76 cm and T10 clay tempered, differentially hardened steel - 30.5 cm tsuka with a full black samegawa wrap and navy blue silk ito - Wave themed brass fittings - Brass seppa and habaki
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Post by skane on Apr 27, 2021 23:10:16 GMT
For sub $1K, Huawei, Hanwei, Dynasty Forge, Feilong, Alex Zheng (Masurao, Budo), Munetoshi. Most of those swords mentioned are sub $500. Spend the rest on a good remount. Other people can recommend good craftsmen, better to open a new thread for that, or do some searches, it's been covered before. Huawei has best overall blade and mount quality and QC consistency in sub $1K. Others I mentioned might have better cutting performance for specific things. Huawei just keeps upping their game. Are you cutting real used Japanese tatami omote? Nihonzashi in Florida is the only place that sells it. Some JSA dojos import their own from Japan. If it's not from either of those sources it's not used Japanese tatami omote (UJTO). If you're cutting mats like Mugen Dachi (green mats with frayed ends) or soft easy stuff like brown wara or beach mats, most any $100+ production kat with decent edge and geometry will work.. UJTO is generally at least 2x tougher and denser than MD, there are also several types of UJTO; some are really tough, heavy, and dense and will shake swords with crap mounts apart with regular usage. Also, if you're new to cutting targets with resistance, consider getting a through hardened blade (TH) ... TH is less prone to taking bend-sets on bad cuts (compared to differentially hardened (DH) blades). Huawei, Hanwei, DF, and Munetoshi sell TH and DH blades. Have fun researching and shopping. Appreciate the detailed feedback skin. I did get a quote for a T10 DH blade with brass fittings for around $730 and the same setup from JKOO for a little over $300. Huawei seems kind of high from what I've seen in the non-custom production market, but JKOO definitely seems way to low. As to the other producers you mentioned, I want a 30" blade and haven't seen any of their products that fit the bill. Leaning toward Huawei right now, but what are your thoughts on Swords of the East or Swords of Northshire for a custom job? You can find feedback on SoE in searches. I've seen the jkoo and SoN stuff, no comment. I'll pick "boring" looks with higher quality for the price every time. Have a craftsman do a remount if you want a certain aesthetic. With up to 1K to play with, you can have a good cutting sword. Buy once cry once. If you buy non-Huawei, Kult of Athena (KoA) and SwordnArmory are good sellers ime. You can buy Huawei direct. Huawei wait-time can be long and communication sparse, but they are worth it. No other maker/seller in the sub-1K price cap has continued to up their game like Huawei.
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Post by swordenthusiast on Apr 28, 2021 16:13:40 GMT
Appreciate the detailed feedback skin. I did get a quote for a T10 DH blade with brass fittings for around $730 and the same setup from JKOO for a little over $300. Huawei seems kind of high from what I've seen in the non-custom production market, but JKOO definitely seems way to low. As to the other producers you mentioned, I want a 30" blade and haven't seen any of their products that fit the bill. Leaning toward Huawei right now, but what are your thoughts on Swords of the East or Swords of Northshire for a custom job? You can find feedback on SoE in searches. I've seen the jkoo and SoN stuff, no comment. I'll pick "boring" looks with higher quality for the price every time. Have a craftsman do a remount if you want a certain aesthetic. With up to 1K to play with, you can have a good cutting sword. Buy once cry once. If you buy non-Huawei, Kult of Athena (KoA) and SwordnArmory are good sellers ime. You can buy Huawei direct. Huawei wait-time can be long and communication sparse, but they are worth it. No other maker/seller in the sub-1K price cap has continued to up their game like Huawei. Thank you.
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