Z-sey katana review (eye candy)
Jan 29, 2023 7:01:27 GMT
Post by vagabondzenith on Jan 29, 2023 7:01:27 GMT
Hello everyone! seeing as this is my first post on sbg i wanted to start it off with a banger. i have in my hands a lot of cool katanas i want to share with you all and ill tart with the most *flamboyant* katana youll ever see.
i recently bought this katana with kobuse steel construction with "mt fuji" hamon from Zsey after seeing reviews from karl ruedger, mathew jensen and jsbladecraft on youtube on zseys tuoyuan model. id never heard of the company before but i was impressed with the polish work and fitting selection they offer and so i rolled the dice on buying my own and ended up with a stunning sword.
my swords photo album link ---> photos.app.goo.gl/yUqLEDtUoXbkLRSt6
Zsey link ---> www.swordjp.com/product/forged-kobuse-katana
starting the review
the Blade: 8/10
i appreciate the geometry of the blade i think zsey does it better than any of the competition (maybe besides huawei its a tossup for me), it looks like a real nihonto and not some chinese mass made junk. the lines are crisp and theres no ripples in the surface, the yokote is geometric. i have not and dont plan on taking this sword apart to see the nakago cause i just wanted this sword for eye candy not performance so i cant personally speak for how well the nakago is shaped.
the hamon is so unique and beautiful and unlike anything ive see from a chinese forge with a awesomely done polish making it easy to see the hamon in all kind of lighting. the shinogiji is a true mirror polish that looks black at some angles and the hamon has a nice cloudy polish. what i heard and seen about zseys polish work was all true. its the best in the business.
the edge is sharp enough that id feel confident doing tameshigiri with it. my favorite part about the blade has to be the kissaki, its sexy.
its durability though im not sure how tough it is. they have steel options more suited towards performance than what this is. i dont even know what the steel is made of the website doesnt say. but that doesnt concern me cause this boy is made to just sit and be pretty.
i have one issue with the blade. i do notice some kind of smalll forging flaw or something along the shinogi. its hard to notice but it is worth noting. im sure if i contacted them about it they would do something to reimburse me but as i wont be using this sword to cut i wont bother them. still sucks that made it past quality control. im sure that isnt a common problem for them but if anyone else has had this same problem then id like to hear about it.
fittings: 8.5
the fuchi, kashira and menuki are brass and decently cast, theyre not muddy but arent too crisp either, they aight i like em 7.5/10. the kashira has shitodome in it which is a nice touch (they dont move. theyre solid in place) the ito is real japanese silk the diamonds are uniform and very tight, this ito wont move nowhere. the transitions are also perfect. no bunching up near the kashira and no ledges at the fuchi. i love that, more companies should take notes. samegawa is very high quality with emperor nodes. the tsuka has a comfortable haichi shape.
the tsuba is iron sukashi, very clean. seppa and habaki are plain and red copper, i didnt notice this until i got pictures from the forge which i wouldve told them to make it brass if i knew, oh well.
the fittings are nice but i have some issues that would effect performance.
1 the habaki is not well fitted the blade. i can move it back and forth which messes with my ocd
2 the fuchi also moves, though its not as bad as the habaki
(so far ive noted every issue i have with the sword. some minor some kinda bad. but i still have far more good to say about the sword than i have complaints about it.)
saya: 13/10
i chose to go with the handmade saya because having a good sword with a bad saya irks me. so i wanted the extra insurance that it would fit to the blade nicely. im glad i did, the saya has almost no rattle if anything its so muffled its almost not worth noting but i did for integrity's sake. the koigucci is expertly carved. the blade wont fall out when turned upside down, the blade when drawn is silent and smooth. the saya is also very light, slender and still tapers at the end that gives it an elegant look. the koigucci kurikata and kojiri are horn.the sageo is thick japanes silk, no need to replace and get this! the shitodome on the kurikata dont move?! thats unheard of i mean i retied the sageo and everything they didnt so much as wiggle.
i was able to customize the paint job on it and it is sooooo sexy it brings the whole sword together in a way i cant describe. the sword looks too good for me lol, like it belongs to a daimyo or some shiii. they have a catalog of fittings that you ca choose from to customize your sword if you want.
in conclusion i like zsey i think theyre swords are worth the money, the customer service is great. im in love with the sword i got.
i recently bought this katana with kobuse steel construction with "mt fuji" hamon from Zsey after seeing reviews from karl ruedger, mathew jensen and jsbladecraft on youtube on zseys tuoyuan model. id never heard of the company before but i was impressed with the polish work and fitting selection they offer and so i rolled the dice on buying my own and ended up with a stunning sword.
my swords photo album link ---> photos.app.goo.gl/yUqLEDtUoXbkLRSt6
Zsey link ---> www.swordjp.com/product/forged-kobuse-katana
starting the review
the Blade: 8/10
i appreciate the geometry of the blade i think zsey does it better than any of the competition (maybe besides huawei its a tossup for me), it looks like a real nihonto and not some chinese mass made junk. the lines are crisp and theres no ripples in the surface, the yokote is geometric. i have not and dont plan on taking this sword apart to see the nakago cause i just wanted this sword for eye candy not performance so i cant personally speak for how well the nakago is shaped.
the hamon is so unique and beautiful and unlike anything ive see from a chinese forge with a awesomely done polish making it easy to see the hamon in all kind of lighting. the shinogiji is a true mirror polish that looks black at some angles and the hamon has a nice cloudy polish. what i heard and seen about zseys polish work was all true. its the best in the business.
the edge is sharp enough that id feel confident doing tameshigiri with it. my favorite part about the blade has to be the kissaki, its sexy.
its durability though im not sure how tough it is. they have steel options more suited towards performance than what this is. i dont even know what the steel is made of the website doesnt say. but that doesnt concern me cause this boy is made to just sit and be pretty.
i have one issue with the blade. i do notice some kind of smalll forging flaw or something along the shinogi. its hard to notice but it is worth noting. im sure if i contacted them about it they would do something to reimburse me but as i wont be using this sword to cut i wont bother them. still sucks that made it past quality control. im sure that isnt a common problem for them but if anyone else has had this same problem then id like to hear about it.
fittings: 8.5
the fuchi, kashira and menuki are brass and decently cast, theyre not muddy but arent too crisp either, they aight i like em 7.5/10. the kashira has shitodome in it which is a nice touch (they dont move. theyre solid in place) the ito is real japanese silk the diamonds are uniform and very tight, this ito wont move nowhere. the transitions are also perfect. no bunching up near the kashira and no ledges at the fuchi. i love that, more companies should take notes. samegawa is very high quality with emperor nodes. the tsuka has a comfortable haichi shape.
the tsuba is iron sukashi, very clean. seppa and habaki are plain and red copper, i didnt notice this until i got pictures from the forge which i wouldve told them to make it brass if i knew, oh well.
the fittings are nice but i have some issues that would effect performance.
1 the habaki is not well fitted the blade. i can move it back and forth which messes with my ocd
2 the fuchi also moves, though its not as bad as the habaki
(so far ive noted every issue i have with the sword. some minor some kinda bad. but i still have far more good to say about the sword than i have complaints about it.)
saya: 13/10
i chose to go with the handmade saya because having a good sword with a bad saya irks me. so i wanted the extra insurance that it would fit to the blade nicely. im glad i did, the saya has almost no rattle if anything its so muffled its almost not worth noting but i did for integrity's sake. the koigucci is expertly carved. the blade wont fall out when turned upside down, the blade when drawn is silent and smooth. the saya is also very light, slender and still tapers at the end that gives it an elegant look. the koigucci kurikata and kojiri are horn.the sageo is thick japanes silk, no need to replace and get this! the shitodome on the kurikata dont move?! thats unheard of i mean i retied the sageo and everything they didnt so much as wiggle.
i was able to customize the paint job on it and it is sooooo sexy it brings the whole sword together in a way i cant describe. the sword looks too good for me lol, like it belongs to a daimyo or some shiii. they have a catalog of fittings that you ca choose from to customize your sword if you want.
in conclusion i like zsey i think theyre swords are worth the money, the customer service is great. im in love with the sword i got.
Things have changed!