BudK better quality items reviewathon with destructive tests
Aug 23, 2021 19:53:23 GMT
Post by Tiers1 on Aug 23, 2021 19:53:23 GMT
Recently, I was about to purchase one of the newer Deepeekas and a Balaur from KoA, but in a flash of inspiration nearly everyone here would disagree with, I instead decided to buy four or five hundred dollars worth of the ostensibly higher quality stuff from BudK just as a fun experiment. My intent was to examine the overall quality and wieldiness of these inexpensive items, see if they were actually hardened and tempered, and see how they held up to...exuberant use. Here are the first results of my little foray.
1. Honshu Karito Kama
This is a largish Kama made of 7Cr13 which is, broadly speaking, a lower quality stainless steel. The sheath is some kind of pleather/leather and is well constructed and well fit. I was very pleased with the initial quality. The handle was comfortable and well shaped to the purpose, and felt solidly constructed (easy to achieve as it is solid molded nylon). The blade is affixed to the handle with bolts, and the enclosed portion is substantial. The blade itself was sharp and has quite an acute point, with a sharp edge and a narrow secondary bevel. The biggest surprise was the hardness- my files registered this at somewhere around 55hrc which is probably harder than an inexpensive and (likely) simply heat treated stainless steel should be. My simple test protocol began with many strikes into pressed wood. The kama sunk very deep, and did not suffer any damage, despite the torsion from pulling it out of the wood. I then struck the kama against a the surface of a mild steel shield. I knew there would be damage but did not expect the result- the tip immediately broke off and the 1 1/2 inches of blade length behind the tip took a nasty bend. Upon trying to gently straighten it, another small section broke off. Upon trying again, another small section broke off. So I would hazard a guess that this blade was hardened, but not tempered (and perhaps this stainless steel type can't be tempered anyway), and the level of hardness exceeded what would have likely been more functional for the blade shape. I understand the point is acute and that will lend itself to damage against a hard surface, but gentle efforts quickly broke it twice more, and I tend to believe that the brittleness would eventually lead to a failure. In any case, I was able to reshape the broken point pretty easily. That being said, it is easy to see it is vicious in its function, with purpose built blade and handle shape...
2. Forged Warrior Katana
This wildly inexpensive katana was a big surprise. At 65 bucks, it is about the cheapest functional katana out there (the description hints at it being fully functional without outright declaring it). And it really is functional. This is a spring tempered (I bent it 25 degrees several times and it returns to true) blade of somewhere around 55hrc. The blade is vaguely katana shaped without any traditional geometry and the sword weight 2.5lbs with reasonably good balance. It comes with an effort made towards establishing an edge, but the final edge will be needed to be added by the purchaser. There is a typical low-end production tsuba, no habaki, and a super thin seppa. The tsuba wiggled a bit right away because the handle, I am pretty sture, is the sword tang wrapped in some kind of dense foam and then wrapped over with cotton cord...there aren't handle shoulders to secure the tsuba in place but rather just tension against the built up handle wrap. The scabbard is your typical spackle finished matte production katana scabbard with no adornments other than the sageo. Just a very basic katana. But it isn't crap. I sharpened it to a paper slicing edge and tested with many strikes against plywood laid flat and covered in cardboard followed by 10 hard strikes into the edge of a long plywood board. No damage, no bends, and it sunk quite deep because the edge bevel was not thick. I then proceeded to take 15 strikes into the handle of a 35lb steel kettlebell. The sword stayed in one piece with no bends. The edge had the usual damage one would find on an edge that is not overbuilt and of good sharpness. The steel was mashed in rather than chipped, and 20 minutes on a 1x30 belt sander had the edge fixed and reprofiled with enough width still there to not be easily differentiated from the lower undamaged blade section. I would hazard a guess that this is a frankenstein sword made with the usual hammertown 1060 blade affixed to a random assortment of stuff lying around. On the overall, a decent deal for $65.
3. Fire-Kissed Kama
This is a Kama with an unusual pattern on the blade that looks like it was made by dipping in some kind of compound and then going at it with a blowtorch at various points. It has a smooth, attractive wooden handle with good ergonomics, and is light and wieldy (not hard to achieve given the small size). It comes with a large lightly embossed leather or pleather scabbard with three brass buttoned snaps that covers the whole blade length. It is hard to tell with certainty but the tang appears to be pretty thin, which would make the brass bolts in the handle decorative. Additionally, from examining the tang-handle junction it looks like the tang shoulders were not radiused...I was pretty confident this was going to break, and quickly. I filed tested it at right around 45hrc. I tested this much the same way as I did the other kama (and in fact, I tested it first) with many strikes against pressed wood followed with many strikes against the flat of the shield. This kama held up much better. After about 5 hard blows to the mild steel flat of the shield, the very tip had bent around 2mm out of line, 10 more strikes and it was 4.5mm. I was able to straighten it without a problem and then continued to strike the shield many times to see of the straightened tip would break off. It didn't. I really abused this Kama and everything held up well. Despite my initial reservations, the thin tang did not lead to breakage, and everything remained tight and rattle-free. I would presume that the relative softness (45hrc) led to the tip not breaking. This is a durable and effective weapon.
4. Honshu D2 seax
D2 is famous for keeping a mediocre edge for a really long time, being brittle, and being a challenge to heat-treat correctly. Not a great choice for a short sword length blade built to a budget, especially if you aren't going to overbuild it. This seax is a weapon, no doubt. It arrived with a very sharp edge and a short secondary bevel; the point is thin and vicious. I file tested it at between 55 and 60 hrc...based upon the way the 60hrc file bit, I would guess it is 58hrc. The weapon is not overweight or overthick, despite having zero distal taper save for the last several inches. The scabbard is thick pleather or leather that is well formed to the blade, however the buckle leather is too short and cannot be snapped closed. The handle is the usual robust feeling Molded Nylon. The tang appears to be of a fair length, and it affixed with two bolts. Make no mistake, this is a reasonably well balanced chopper in the hand, and as mentioned earlier, feels to me like a weapon, not a wall hanger. I started with 30 hard chops into plywood, which bit deep and sent pieces and chunks of wood flying. The blade exhibited little dulling of the edge and there were no bends or edge damage of any kind, there was zero looseness or rattle in the handle. Next I stabbed powerfully into the plywood and applied vertical torque when removing (the tip is so thin that it is impossible lateral torque wouldn't bend it, so no point to test) then directed 12 hard blows with another sword (a heavy modern tulwar) on each flat of the blade. I expected something bad to happen here...again, D2 and it isn't particularly thick. Everything held together perfectly. I then took 25 more chops into the plywood for good measure. The final condition of this seax was some very minor scratches on the flats and a tip with a nearly imperceptible amount of deflection. It was not as sharp as it had started, but still slices paper pretty well. As a little bonus the blade exhibits some interesting looking alloy banding activity. Very impressed overall.
5. Gargantua Bowie
I bought this on a whim as $86 is pretty expensive for a BudK bowie and I thought maybe it is a sleeper. This for some weird reason is my favorite piece of all. It is 15" long 1/2" thick beast of a blade (20" oal) somewhere between 55 and 60hrc, with a 1/2" thick full tang which is surrounded by cheeks of thick rubber to form the handle and secured with two industrial looking bolts. The blade is given an even satin finish with the exception of the 'hammer forge' marks towards the spine. The guard is 1/2" thick steel. The blade is sharp with a short secondary bevel and it comes with a well fit leather or pleather scabbard. This thing is an absolute monster and I love it...I like it so much that I am not yet willing to damage it (and to be fair it is likely impossible to break given how overbuilt it is).
1. Honshu Karito Kama
This is a largish Kama made of 7Cr13 which is, broadly speaking, a lower quality stainless steel. The sheath is some kind of pleather/leather and is well constructed and well fit. I was very pleased with the initial quality. The handle was comfortable and well shaped to the purpose, and felt solidly constructed (easy to achieve as it is solid molded nylon). The blade is affixed to the handle with bolts, and the enclosed portion is substantial. The blade itself was sharp and has quite an acute point, with a sharp edge and a narrow secondary bevel. The biggest surprise was the hardness- my files registered this at somewhere around 55hrc which is probably harder than an inexpensive and (likely) simply heat treated stainless steel should be. My simple test protocol began with many strikes into pressed wood. The kama sunk very deep, and did not suffer any damage, despite the torsion from pulling it out of the wood. I then struck the kama against a the surface of a mild steel shield. I knew there would be damage but did not expect the result- the tip immediately broke off and the 1 1/2 inches of blade length behind the tip took a nasty bend. Upon trying to gently straighten it, another small section broke off. Upon trying again, another small section broke off. So I would hazard a guess that this blade was hardened, but not tempered (and perhaps this stainless steel type can't be tempered anyway), and the level of hardness exceeded what would have likely been more functional for the blade shape. I understand the point is acute and that will lend itself to damage against a hard surface, but gentle efforts quickly broke it twice more, and I tend to believe that the brittleness would eventually lead to a failure. In any case, I was able to reshape the broken point pretty easily. That being said, it is easy to see it is vicious in its function, with purpose built blade and handle shape...
2. Forged Warrior Katana
This wildly inexpensive katana was a big surprise. At 65 bucks, it is about the cheapest functional katana out there (the description hints at it being fully functional without outright declaring it). And it really is functional. This is a spring tempered (I bent it 25 degrees several times and it returns to true) blade of somewhere around 55hrc. The blade is vaguely katana shaped without any traditional geometry and the sword weight 2.5lbs with reasonably good balance. It comes with an effort made towards establishing an edge, but the final edge will be needed to be added by the purchaser. There is a typical low-end production tsuba, no habaki, and a super thin seppa. The tsuba wiggled a bit right away because the handle, I am pretty sture, is the sword tang wrapped in some kind of dense foam and then wrapped over with cotton cord...there aren't handle shoulders to secure the tsuba in place but rather just tension against the built up handle wrap. The scabbard is your typical spackle finished matte production katana scabbard with no adornments other than the sageo. Just a very basic katana. But it isn't crap. I sharpened it to a paper slicing edge and tested with many strikes against plywood laid flat and covered in cardboard followed by 10 hard strikes into the edge of a long plywood board. No damage, no bends, and it sunk quite deep because the edge bevel was not thick. I then proceeded to take 15 strikes into the handle of a 35lb steel kettlebell. The sword stayed in one piece with no bends. The edge had the usual damage one would find on an edge that is not overbuilt and of good sharpness. The steel was mashed in rather than chipped, and 20 minutes on a 1x30 belt sander had the edge fixed and reprofiled with enough width still there to not be easily differentiated from the lower undamaged blade section. I would hazard a guess that this is a frankenstein sword made with the usual hammertown 1060 blade affixed to a random assortment of stuff lying around. On the overall, a decent deal for $65.
3. Fire-Kissed Kama
This is a Kama with an unusual pattern on the blade that looks like it was made by dipping in some kind of compound and then going at it with a blowtorch at various points. It has a smooth, attractive wooden handle with good ergonomics, and is light and wieldy (not hard to achieve given the small size). It comes with a large lightly embossed leather or pleather scabbard with three brass buttoned snaps that covers the whole blade length. It is hard to tell with certainty but the tang appears to be pretty thin, which would make the brass bolts in the handle decorative. Additionally, from examining the tang-handle junction it looks like the tang shoulders were not radiused...I was pretty confident this was going to break, and quickly. I filed tested it at right around 45hrc. I tested this much the same way as I did the other kama (and in fact, I tested it first) with many strikes against pressed wood followed with many strikes against the flat of the shield. This kama held up much better. After about 5 hard blows to the mild steel flat of the shield, the very tip had bent around 2mm out of line, 10 more strikes and it was 4.5mm. I was able to straighten it without a problem and then continued to strike the shield many times to see of the straightened tip would break off. It didn't. I really abused this Kama and everything held up well. Despite my initial reservations, the thin tang did not lead to breakage, and everything remained tight and rattle-free. I would presume that the relative softness (45hrc) led to the tip not breaking. This is a durable and effective weapon.
4. Honshu D2 seax
D2 is famous for keeping a mediocre edge for a really long time, being brittle, and being a challenge to heat-treat correctly. Not a great choice for a short sword length blade built to a budget, especially if you aren't going to overbuild it. This seax is a weapon, no doubt. It arrived with a very sharp edge and a short secondary bevel; the point is thin and vicious. I file tested it at between 55 and 60 hrc...based upon the way the 60hrc file bit, I would guess it is 58hrc. The weapon is not overweight or overthick, despite having zero distal taper save for the last several inches. The scabbard is thick pleather or leather that is well formed to the blade, however the buckle leather is too short and cannot be snapped closed. The handle is the usual robust feeling Molded Nylon. The tang appears to be of a fair length, and it affixed with two bolts. Make no mistake, this is a reasonably well balanced chopper in the hand, and as mentioned earlier, feels to me like a weapon, not a wall hanger. I started with 30 hard chops into plywood, which bit deep and sent pieces and chunks of wood flying. The blade exhibited little dulling of the edge and there were no bends or edge damage of any kind, there was zero looseness or rattle in the handle. Next I stabbed powerfully into the plywood and applied vertical torque when removing (the tip is so thin that it is impossible lateral torque wouldn't bend it, so no point to test) then directed 12 hard blows with another sword (a heavy modern tulwar) on each flat of the blade. I expected something bad to happen here...again, D2 and it isn't particularly thick. Everything held together perfectly. I then took 25 more chops into the plywood for good measure. The final condition of this seax was some very minor scratches on the flats and a tip with a nearly imperceptible amount of deflection. It was not as sharp as it had started, but still slices paper pretty well. As a little bonus the blade exhibits some interesting looking alloy banding activity. Very impressed overall.
5. Gargantua Bowie
I bought this on a whim as $86 is pretty expensive for a BudK bowie and I thought maybe it is a sleeper. This for some weird reason is my favorite piece of all. It is 15" long 1/2" thick beast of a blade (20" oal) somewhere between 55 and 60hrc, with a 1/2" thick full tang which is surrounded by cheeks of thick rubber to form the handle and secured with two industrial looking bolts. The blade is given an even satin finish with the exception of the 'hammer forge' marks towards the spine. The guard is 1/2" thick steel. The blade is sharp with a short secondary bevel and it comes with a well fit leather or pleather scabbard. This thing is an absolute monster and I love it...I like it so much that I am not yet willing to damage it (and to be fair it is likely impossible to break given how overbuilt it is).