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Post by Matthew.Jensen on Aug 19, 2022 23:44:37 GMT
Hello all, I am in the middle of moving from my home of 15+ years and it got me thinking about change. I have made YouTube reviews for a long time with the very specific goal of helping people make informed decisions about buying swords. The move marks a change in my life and has me reflecting on what I have done and what I can do. This is my channel - www.youtube.com/krunanIf you have a moment, I would love to know what I can do better. YouTube cultivates a community t hat enjoy what I currently do but is not always great at providing insight on what can be done better. I have learned a lot over the years and I am grateful for everyone that has helped me along the way. It would be great to learn more and be better. If you have any suggestions on what I can do to help people make more informed decisions about buying swords, then please let me know! As a side note, I appreciate the criticism. I don't really have a thick skin but I am asking for genuine feedback. If you don't like what I do, then that is fine. Still, I would love ideas on improvement. I get told to "die from cancer of the ass" at least once a week, so anything constructive would be lovely. Cheers,
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stormmaster
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I like viking/migration era swords
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Post by stormmaster on Aug 20, 2022 1:03:35 GMT
I really like your reviews but I wish there were more euro swords reviewed that it
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Aug 20, 2022 1:09:34 GMT
As I mentioned when we spoke about this before, I think you cover the important aspects. my opinion may differ from yours on some of the swords you review but we all have different tastes and preferences and there's plenty for all of us to choose from. I'm not sure I'm coming up with anything I think you're missing to make a complete review but I am including a list of things I personally want to know about and look for in katana reviews and again, I think you probably cover all of these already. I may add to this list as I think of more but here it is for now and in no specific order aesthetics overview sword stats, including all measurements/weights, steel type, heat treat, pob, etc. blade sugata polish sharpness hamon nakago – length, shape, condition, burrs, etc. tsuka length ito type tsukamaki style, tightness, alternating or not, end knots on correct sides, recessed or standing out tsuka core condition, fit, shaping, style, easy to remove or not mekugi – material, condition, fit samegawa – panels, full wrap, glued on top, quality, tanned or raw, etc. all fittings –overall quality, fuchi length, material, fit, etc. habaki fit/gaps/ha-machi enclosure saya – lacquer style, quality, weight, shape, fit, sageo, alignment with fuchi handling performance consistency within the model and brand cost shipping time/order time suitable for customizing or not if it's a copy or version of a historical sword or sugata, etc., how accurate is it I hope your move goes smoothly and you and your family settle quickly
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Yagoro
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Ikkyu in Kendo and Kenjutsu Practitioner
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Post by Yagoro on Aug 20, 2022 6:58:43 GMT
As I mentioned when we spoke about this before, I think you cover the important aspects. my opinion may differ from yours on some of the swords you review but we all have different tastes and preferences and there's plenty for all of us to choose from. I'm not sure I'm coming up with anything I think you're missing to make a complete review but I am including a list of things I personally want to know about and look for in katana reviews and again, I think you probably cover all of these already. I may add to this list as I think of more but here it is for now and in no specific order aesthetics overview sword stats, including all measurements/weights, steel type, heat treat, pob, etc. blade sugata polish sharpness hamon nakago – length, shape, condition, burrs, etc. tsuka length ito type tsukamaki style, tightness, alternating or not, end knots on correct sides, recessed or standing out tsuka core condition, fit, shaping, style, easy to remove or not mekugi – material, condition, fit samegawa – panels, full wrap, glued on top, quality, tanned or raw, etc. all fittings –overall quality, fuchi length, material, fit, etc. habaki fit/gaps/ha-machi enclosure saya – lacquer style, quality, weight, shape, fit, sageo, alignment with fuchi handling performance consistency within the model and brand cost shipping time/order time suitable for customizing or not if it's a copy or version of a historical sword or sugata, etc., how accurate is it I hope your move goes smoothly and you and your family settle quickly This: mekugi material especially, I also think when doing your destruction tests it would be cool if you used a knife or something similar to test the thickness of the lacquer on the saya
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Post by treeslicer on Aug 23, 2022 19:43:42 GMT
Hello all, I am in the middle of moving from my home of 15+ years and it got me thinking about change. I have made YouTube reviews for a long time with the very specific goal of helping people make informed decisions about buying swords. The move marks a change in my life and has me reflecting on what I have done and what I can do. This is my channel - www.youtube.com/krunanIf you have a moment, I would love to know what I can do better. YouTube cultivates a community t hat enjoy what I currently do but is not always great at providing insight on what can be done better. I have learned a lot over the years and I am grateful for everyone that has helped me along the way. It would be great to learn more and be better. If you have any suggestions on what I can do to help people make more informed decisions about buying swords, then please let me know! As a side note, I appreciate the criticism. I don't really have a thick skin but I am asking for genuine feedback. If you don't like what I do, then that is fine. Still, I would love ideas on improvement. I get told to "die from cancer of the ass" at least once a week, so anything constructive would be lovely. Cheers, Provide text and photos reviews for those of us who live so far in the woods that we don't have unlimited broadband. I haven't seen a single one of your YouTube reviews, and have little idea who you are. I don't waste time on video reviews, because most of them that I have seen are ineptly organized and narrated, as well as taking endless megabytes to get to the few seconds that really concern me. OTOH, I can blaze through a text review quickly and efficiently. I need to conserve my bandwidth for Zoom, Skype, Discord, and downloading videos and publications in areas I'm studying.
I love forums like SBG, because they consume very little bandwidth, until, of course, someone hides what they have to share in a video.
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Post by randomnobody on Aug 23, 2022 20:28:35 GMT
Provide text and photos reviews for those of us who live so far in the woods that we don't have unlimited broadband. I haven't seen a single one of your YouTube reviews, and have little idea who you are. I don't waste time on video reviews, because most of them that I have seen are ineptly organized and narrated, as well as taking endless megabytes to get to the few seconds that really concern me. OTOH, I can blaze through a text review quickly and efficiently. I need to conserve my bandwidth for Zoom, Skype, Discord, and downloading technical documents, rather than videos. I love forums like SBG, because they consume very little bandwidth, until, of course, someone hides what they have to share in a video. I've been trying to find a constructive way to state my own distaste for the increasing trend of video-only reviews. Many are far longer than they need to be and seldom follow a concise pattern, just kind of wandering wherever at the whim of the speaker. If the video is longer than five minutes, I don't have time for it. Yes, I know YouTube only monetizes over a certain length. That's a shame. I much prefer a bunch of photos and a few words to a bunch of words from a talking head that sometimes shows me the thing they're talking about. Granted, I've seen a few of Matt's video reviews and while they run long and wander a bit, they do cover most of what I want to know about the sword in question. Others are worse, a small few are better. Then again I don't even review swords, myself. Of course, I haven't bought any new swords in years...
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ghost
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Post by ghost on Aug 23, 2022 23:17:04 GMT
I do watch a lot of your videos Matt and appreciate them, (along with scholagladitoria and skallagrim's)
^Ditto on more Euro swords would greatly broaden your audience Attn to lighting is pretty important as well as your video background. There is a lot of bad shadowing on your face/the sword at times, grainy videos. often the sword wall is a bit too far/cluttered to make out individual pieces. More panning and stationary shots of the sword interspersed definitely help I hope you have time to set up a dedicated and organized studio as this may be the best fix
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2022 23:18:00 GMT
Yea I'll second others, and word it to my own taste by saying this. Prewrite your reviews (by that I don't mean say things in the spot) . Don't write them like you have a thousand word count minimum essay due, I know school teaches people that it's the right way to do things, but there isn't many swords in interested enough to sit through a 15 minute review when the reviewer is trying to make the video as long as possible. I'm not saying this was my experience with your videos exactly, but I have a short attention span, as does most the the world these days thanks to modern internet media
Too many long winded videos of a guy just sitting there talking. I don't watch those typically. Focus on visuals a bit more, so it's exciting to watch.
Does this make the review better and make you know about the sword more? Not really, but if you wanna attract a bigger audience, it will help. The katana world has been becoming huge. You don't gotta take a picture of yourself with your mouth open next to a questionable image, and please don't do that, it will push away a lot of traditional viewers. But it wouldn't hurt to consider what makes a video exciting to watch, as usually, it brings in different sorts of people to watch your channel
If everything is kept to a simple point, all the facts compacted tightly together, it will be easier for people to watch them.
Of course, you guys can ignore me on this one too. I have a short attention span and don't enjoy lengthy videos at all unless it's jam packed with information I find relivant to what I'm looking for
I'm not saying you do any of the things I mentioned. I have no idea, cause I don't really watch long reviews and am not really a katana guy much these days.
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Aug 23, 2022 23:54:56 GMT
You don't gotta take a picture of yourself with your mouth open next to a questionable image, and please don't do that, it will push away a lot of traditional viewers. hahahaha, I noticed this too, lol. or similarly, a surprised look on the face and a heading that reads "Does this katana explode on impact?!" you then watch the 20 minute review to find out in the last minute that no, the sword did not explode, lol
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2022 1:06:41 GMT
You don't gotta take a picture of yourself with your mouth open next to a questionable image, and please don't do that, it will push away a lot of traditional viewers. hahahaha, I noticed this too, lol. or similarly, a surprised look on the face and a heading that reads "Does this katana explode on impact?!" you then watch the 20 minute review to find out in the last minute that no, the sword did not explode, lol This, none of this please
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2022 1:29:20 GMT
Matt, I'm a subscriber to your channel and I like your videos. I think you generally strike a good balance between sharing factual information, providing demonstrations or making tests of weapons, and giving us your opinions. I agree with others that more European swords would be nice, but I would also say that some Oriental or Near East content would also be appreciated.
Regarding the length of your videos, my attention span is quite long. I have never felt your videos are excessively long or your presentation style pedantic. So far as I am concerned, you keep doing you, man! I'll be along for the ride.
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Post by armizare9 on Aug 24, 2022 2:20:59 GMT
Imagination and different camera angles can go a long way.
Use anywhere between 2-4 action camera's if you can and of course edit them all together.
I've seen a few reviews and good editing can make a world of difference.
Almost 40mins for a review for a single sword is simply far too long, 15-20mins is plenty.
But that's just me and as they say you can't please everyone.
All the best with your videos.
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Post by whitefeathers on Aug 27, 2022 12:22:24 GMT
I may have watched some of your earlier ones from waaay back it's been so long I don't remember! I also prefer in general shorter videos with options to read text. I don't have the bandwidth or the focus to stick with something longer than 15 minutes. I don't have any comments on them but wish you a safe move. Are staying in the area or completely changing location?
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Post by paulmuaddib on Aug 27, 2022 13:19:14 GMT
More drunk reviews.
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Yagoro
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Post by Yagoro on Aug 27, 2022 19:32:37 GMT
Lol this. I am not in the crowd that think 40 min videos are too long, but I do think people would appreciate you uploading an edited 15-20 min version of a review that maybe cuts out parts that arent as necessary, then providing the full unedited review potentially to those that support you on youtube, since that is the crowd that is more likely to watch the 40 min long videos. Also regarding euro swords, I appreciate your input on them, but if i ever am looking to buy a euro sword, I will most likely look for a review from someone who either practices hema or specializes in european swords. Your destructive reviews of them are still very helpful, but I value your opinion on japanese style blades much more than on euro style blades if I am being honest. Also there are a ton more japanese style swords out there that could use a review by you.
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Post by paulmuaddib on Aug 27, 2022 20:40:22 GMT
Lol this. I am not in the crowd that think 40 min videos are too long, but I do think people would appreciate you uploading an edited 15-20 min version of a review that maybe cuts out parts that arent as necessary, then providing the full unedited review potentially to those that support you on youtube, since that is the crowd that is more likely to watch the 40 min long videos. Also regarding euro swords, I appreciate your input on them, but if i ever am looking to buy a euro sword, I will most likely look for a review from someone who either practices hema or specializes in european swords. Your destructive reviews of them are still very helpful, but I value your opinion on japanese style blades much more than on euro style blades if I am being honest. Also there are a ton more japanese style swords out there that could use a review by you. Don’t know if your just loling my comment but he did do a drunk review of a sword. I saw it when I first got into this hobby and was pretty funny. He wasn’t falling down drunk but mildly intoxicated.
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Yagoro
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Post by Yagoro on Aug 27, 2022 21:12:30 GMT
Lol this. I am not in the crowd that think 40 min videos are too long, but I do think people would appreciate you uploading an edited 15-20 min version of a review that maybe cuts out parts that arent as necessary, then providing the full unedited review potentially to those that support you on youtube, since that is the crowd that is more likely to watch the 40 min long videos. Also regarding euro swords, I appreciate your input on them, but if i ever am looking to buy a euro sword, I will most likely look for a review from someone who either practices hema or specializes in european swords. Your destructive reviews of them are still very helpful, but I value your opinion on japanese style blades much more than on euro style blades if I am being honest. Also there are a ton more japanese style swords out there that could use a review by you. Don’t know if your just loling my comment but he did do a drunk review of a sword. I saw it when I first got into this hobby and was pretty funny. He wasn’t falling down drunk but mildly intoxicated. Hes done a couple, but not any recently
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AJGBlack
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"This world will stress you like Orson Wells on the radio." -RTJ
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Post by AJGBlack on Aug 30, 2022 17:15:19 GMT
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Post by nddave on Aug 30, 2022 17:34:57 GMT
I think we both (and other smaller channels) have a similar issue when it comes to making sword reviews and other sword related videos. That being basically needing higher production value to our videos. In the end we're both two guys basically just recording ourselves talking about swords, so editing, writing, presentation and general production is on us rather than a crew or team. So basically our videos are only as good as we are able to make them with our current resources and abilities.
Of course with higher production value comes higher cost and I don't know about you but I don't do my videos for revenue or ever really expect to. I do them because it's fun sidework regarding my sword enthusiasm and is something I like share with the community which is why I always liked doing written reviews here before I started the channel. So obviously putting extra money towards production value is kind of not necessary unless I really want to fully invest into a video career like say Shad or Skallgrim have done. I don't know if you're of the same mind as me but I've always felt you were from watching your videos over the years. You were one of the members here who inspired me to start my own video channel rather than stick with just written reviews.
Overall I think your videos are fine and are well done and give the right information regarding durability and build of the swords you feature in your videos. I tend to like to focus on the historical aspect of swords which is why I do my historical sections and focus more on stats and handling than durability and capability. But at the same time I don't think either of us do something better, rather we kinda accentuate each other's content by offering different aspects of the same material. For example if someone asked me to do destructive testing I'd probably deny such content because the swords I review I also collect and like to keep in sound shape, but that is also where I would reference that viewer to your channel. So they could see the durability and capabilities of said swords in that context. Much like you could send them my way for reference on historical accuracy.
That way neither of us really have to be the other and or stress that our videos provide everything. But rather work on what we do best regarding our own content. That way it's less about making better reviews in a genralized state and more or less about focusing on our strengths as content providers to benefit our own videos and content style. But of course production values are always going to factor in and no matter how much effort we put into any aspect of presentation.
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Post by Matthew.Jensen on Aug 31, 2022 2:24:19 GMT
I appreciate everyone taking the time to give me some feedback. Moving is harder than I expected but I am turning a corner and should have some content soon. It will give me some time to consider what I have read and see how it fits. Thank you again to everyone who chimed in.
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