Comparison of my 5 Tactical Katana ZT, APOC, UC, Hanwei, CS
Feb 13, 2022 14:56:40 GMT
Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Feb 13, 2022 14:56:40 GMT
I want to give short overviews of my five tactical katana in comparison to each other.
All 5 have in common that they have a full tang through the whole grip which brings the balance closer to the hilt.
Another effect of this construction is that it is possible to grip those kats at the very end of the hilt and get more reach.
The Hanwei and the A.P.O.C. just feel like a cavalry saber then.
They're all well made and sharp.
Here are pictures with scabbard/sheath and without:
From left to right:
Cold Steel Tactical Katana Machete
United Cutlery Honshu Boshin Katana
Hanwei Tactical Katana
A.P.O.C. Survival Katana
Zombie Tools Apokatana
I just give the weights and PoB, other stats can be found in the internet.
Impressions:
1.) ZT Apokatana: 1518 g / 3 lb 5,5 oz
PoB 7,5 cm / 3" from the tsuba.
Most expensive und heaviest.
Very long handle.
Despite the high overall weight still acceptable handling, even one handed.
The long full tang handle gives counterweight to the blade without distal taper but with some profile taper.
Feels indestructable.
2.) UC Honshu Boshin Katana: 1282 g / 2 lb 13 oz
PoB 12,5 cm / 5" from the tsuba.
The longest blade of my tak kats.
A bit blade heavy but similar to my heavy cutters like a Raptor Shinogi Zukuri.
Another forumist found out that the pommel sits on a threaded rod which can break off, but the handle slabs are glued on and the kat would be still usable.
Don't try to screw off the "mekugi" bolts, it's very soft metal and you can't disassemble the hilt because it's glued.
I like the SciFi look but the handling is not inspiring.
3.) A.P.O.C. Survival Katana: 1138 g / 2 lb 13 oz
PoB 1,5 cm / 0,6 " from the guard.
Feels much lighter than it is due to the very solid full tang and a blade with good distal and profile taper.
Very nimble blade, just a bit hilt heavy.
Not much hand protection.
Relative cheap.
The black coating isn't very durable.
4.) Hanwei Tactical Katana: 1006 g / 2 lb 3,5 oz
PoB 12,5 cm / 5 " from the" tsuba".
Despite the PoB similar to the UC Boshin the handling is much better, for me this kat has the ideal balance for a sword.
It's more or less my favorite sword.
It's available again but for a much higher price than when I bought it 2013.
It's a very good "fencing" sword but probably not an indestructable heavy cutting blade.
Not much hand protection but better than the A.P.O.C.
5.) CS Tactical Katana Machete: 941 g / 2 lb 1 oz
PoB 10 cm / 4" from the tsuba.
Long handle, relative short blade, and it's a machete.
Extremely cheap, flat thin blade, just 2,8 mm thick.
But it's light with a good handling.
Despite the thin machete blade it feels like you can cut down a tree with it.
The original grip is very uncomfortable due to the sharp edges from the hard plastik fake tsukamaki.
I used a flambe burner to smooth it but the grip wrap is better.
Best bang for the buck.
Rankings:
Price:
1.) CS
2.) UC HB
3.) APOC
4.) Hanwei
5.) ZT
Nimbleness:
1.) CS
2.) APOC
3.) Hanwei
4.) UC HB (without fun)
5.) ZT (with fun)
Impact power:
1.) ZT
2.) UC HB
3.) Hanwei
4.) CS
5.) APOC
Indestructability:
1.) ZT
2.) CS
3.) UC HB (except pommel)
4.) APOC
5.) Hanwei
Coolness:
1.) ZT
2.) APOC
3.) UC HB
4.) Hanwei
5.) CS
Personal ranking:
1.) Hanwei - perfect balance
2.) ZT - pure hack & slash power
3.) APOC - flies without offspring
4.) CS - best bang for the buck
5.) UC HB - nice SciFi sword
Edit:
About saya/sheets/scabbards:
Best is the Hanwei, solid plastik (whatever) with a drainage hole at the end and a nce paracord sageo.
Can be used as a parrying staff.
The APOC is a bit thin and doesn't feel very solid.
The US HB is a cheap standard saya, not bad, not good.
The ZT is an interesting design with the safety bracket.
It's not good to hold (parrying).
Somehow the special mouth of the sheath together with the bracket makes sheating a bit complicated and dangerous, I hit my thenar twice!
The CS sheat is good for transport with the long strap but the hole for the tsuba makes sheating and drawing difficult.
All 5 have in common that they have a full tang through the whole grip which brings the balance closer to the hilt.
Another effect of this construction is that it is possible to grip those kats at the very end of the hilt and get more reach.
The Hanwei and the A.P.O.C. just feel like a cavalry saber then.
They're all well made and sharp.
Here are pictures with scabbard/sheath and without:
From left to right:
Cold Steel Tactical Katana Machete
United Cutlery Honshu Boshin Katana
Hanwei Tactical Katana
A.P.O.C. Survival Katana
Zombie Tools Apokatana
I just give the weights and PoB, other stats can be found in the internet.
Impressions:
1.) ZT Apokatana: 1518 g / 3 lb 5,5 oz
PoB 7,5 cm / 3" from the tsuba.
Most expensive und heaviest.
Very long handle.
Despite the high overall weight still acceptable handling, even one handed.
The long full tang handle gives counterweight to the blade without distal taper but with some profile taper.
Feels indestructable.
2.) UC Honshu Boshin Katana: 1282 g / 2 lb 13 oz
PoB 12,5 cm / 5" from the tsuba.
The longest blade of my tak kats.
A bit blade heavy but similar to my heavy cutters like a Raptor Shinogi Zukuri.
Another forumist found out that the pommel sits on a threaded rod which can break off, but the handle slabs are glued on and the kat would be still usable.
Don't try to screw off the "mekugi" bolts, it's very soft metal and you can't disassemble the hilt because it's glued.
I like the SciFi look but the handling is not inspiring.
3.) A.P.O.C. Survival Katana: 1138 g / 2 lb 13 oz
PoB 1,5 cm / 0,6 " from the guard.
Feels much lighter than it is due to the very solid full tang and a blade with good distal and profile taper.
Very nimble blade, just a bit hilt heavy.
Not much hand protection.
Relative cheap.
The black coating isn't very durable.
4.) Hanwei Tactical Katana: 1006 g / 2 lb 3,5 oz
PoB 12,5 cm / 5 " from the" tsuba".
Despite the PoB similar to the UC Boshin the handling is much better, for me this kat has the ideal balance for a sword.
It's more or less my favorite sword.
It's available again but for a much higher price than when I bought it 2013.
It's a very good "fencing" sword but probably not an indestructable heavy cutting blade.
Not much hand protection but better than the A.P.O.C.
5.) CS Tactical Katana Machete: 941 g / 2 lb 1 oz
PoB 10 cm / 4" from the tsuba.
Long handle, relative short blade, and it's a machete.
Extremely cheap, flat thin blade, just 2,8 mm thick.
But it's light with a good handling.
Despite the thin machete blade it feels like you can cut down a tree with it.
The original grip is very uncomfortable due to the sharp edges from the hard plastik fake tsukamaki.
I used a flambe burner to smooth it but the grip wrap is better.
Best bang for the buck.
Rankings:
Price:
1.) CS
2.) UC HB
3.) APOC
4.) Hanwei
5.) ZT
Nimbleness:
1.) CS
2.) APOC
3.) Hanwei
4.) UC HB (without fun)
5.) ZT (with fun)
Impact power:
1.) ZT
2.) UC HB
3.) Hanwei
4.) CS
5.) APOC
Indestructability:
1.) ZT
2.) CS
3.) UC HB (except pommel)
4.) APOC
5.) Hanwei
Coolness:
1.) ZT
2.) APOC
3.) UC HB
4.) Hanwei
5.) CS
Personal ranking:
1.) Hanwei - perfect balance
2.) ZT - pure hack & slash power
3.) APOC - flies without offspring
4.) CS - best bang for the buck
5.) UC HB - nice SciFi sword
Edit:
About saya/sheets/scabbards:
Best is the Hanwei, solid plastik (whatever) with a drainage hole at the end and a nce paracord sageo.
Can be used as a parrying staff.
The APOC is a bit thin and doesn't feel very solid.
The US HB is a cheap standard saya, not bad, not good.
The ZT is an interesting design with the safety bracket.
It's not good to hold (parrying).
Somehow the special mouth of the sheath together with the bracket makes sheating a bit complicated and dangerous, I hit my thenar twice!
The CS sheat is good for transport with the long strap but the hole for the tsuba makes sheating and drawing difficult.