Zsey custom Ko Choji review(pics to be added later)
Apr 13, 2023 20:00:28 GMT
Post by Yagoro on Apr 13, 2023 20:00:28 GMT
My order from zsey arrived in the mail yesterday, and I can confidently say its the best production sword I have ever handled. Ill start going over the blade.
Blade
The blade on this is an actual monster. Slight okissaki(key word being slight), very reminiscent of Bizen Omiya Morikage blades in proportions. Nice gentle koshi sorii on it, does not make batto any harder(although takes some getting used to. I ordered the niku option, and they sure didnt disappoint, blade has a healthy amount of hira niku, much more than what I have seen on other production swords. To add to this, this is the ONLY production sword I have seen that is both monosteel but the hada is still visible. I have no idea how they pulled it off, but it is extremely impressive and shows their polisher's abilities. To add to this, the Kissaki is very nicely executed. Slightly geometric, with the kissaki mune having a substantial amount of flair to it. To add to this, the polish on the kissaki is done excellently, lines are very crisp and clean, with no obvious flaws. Mune is iori mune, pretty typical for production swords. Nakago is extremely clean, very nice lines, mekugi ana have zero burs or rough edges, very nice yasurime but no mei, but Im sure they could add one if asked. Mune machi and ha machi are executed properly, none of that offset bs you normally see on production swords. Hamon is a very interesting saka choji with some ji nie and small amounts of utsuri, again very surprised they managed to get ji nie to show on a monosteel blade. Hamon is visible in all lighting. Blade has zero flaws other than the expected(some uneven lines in the hada, etc.). 10/10(for the price)
Tsuka
Another perfect execution, lines are extremely crisp, wrap is super tight. Diamonds could be better but still very good for a production sword. ITO ALTERNATES CORRECTLY. I cannot emphasize this enough, as it seems some companies(cough cough, huawei) have not figured it out yet. Too add to this, both the fuchi and kashira are fitted extremely well, with transitions being perfect. Tsuka core has zero cracks, and since the first one they made cracked, they decided to upgrade me to a full same wrap free of charge. The full same wrap is actually inlaid, something I am very happy about, and the core overall is just nicely shaped and feels very solid. Also fits the nakago very well, although some very minor rice paper shims have been added near the nakago jiri just to increase structural stability. 9/10(for the price)
Fittings
For the fitting set I went with something inspired by Early edo/Azuchi Momoyama examples, something rather simple but still with some flair that I feel a swordsman during that time would have used. The iron mokko tsuba is very well cast, with corners properly rounded, and it did not bend even with extreme hammering. For menuki I went with yagyu koshirae placement, which I feel provides a better grip, and I am not disappointed with those as well. Fuchi, Kashira, and Menuki go with a mitsudome theme which is very crisply executed and contains nice details. While I would not put the casting quality quite at peak Hanwei levels, it comes very close. My only gripe with the fittings is the habaki, which has a small ledge on the transition to the mune, which can make batto a little annoying. This will probably just be worn in with use however, as I have owned swords with even worse transitions on the habaki. 8/10
Saya
The saya on this is typical zsey, black lacquered with horn fittings however very elegantly done. The lacquer work is very consistent, not sageo imprints or uneven marks. Kojiri and koiguchi are very well executed, lacquer work over them is very nice. Koiguchi is a little oddly shaped, but still provides a nice lock on the habaki.Saya rattle is extremely minimal, and fit is overall very good, as are the transitions from the koiguchi to the fuchi. Only concern with the saya is how thing it is, so I most likely will only use this sword on special occasions. 9/10
Customer Service
Zsey's customer service might be the best in the industry for drop ship forges, with them responding to my relentless questions in a very timely manner. If you are to order from them, I suggest contacting them via Whatsapp for any details and minute customizations you would like to make on your order. 10/10
Specs:
Nagasa: 28 inches
Sorii: about .7 inches
Tsuka: 10 inches
Pros:
Very nice blade
Well executed tsuka
Nicely done saya
Excellent customer service
Excellent polish
Handles excellently
Cons:
Habaki transition could be better on the mune
Would be nice to have an option for a beefier saya for practitioner usage
Overall thoughts:
Zsey completely blows all other manufacturers below the 2k price point out of the water. In my opinion, they have set a new bar in almost every category. If you are considering buying one, go for it.
Will add pics later
Blade
The blade on this is an actual monster. Slight okissaki(key word being slight), very reminiscent of Bizen Omiya Morikage blades in proportions. Nice gentle koshi sorii on it, does not make batto any harder(although takes some getting used to. I ordered the niku option, and they sure didnt disappoint, blade has a healthy amount of hira niku, much more than what I have seen on other production swords. To add to this, this is the ONLY production sword I have seen that is both monosteel but the hada is still visible. I have no idea how they pulled it off, but it is extremely impressive and shows their polisher's abilities. To add to this, the Kissaki is very nicely executed. Slightly geometric, with the kissaki mune having a substantial amount of flair to it. To add to this, the polish on the kissaki is done excellently, lines are very crisp and clean, with no obvious flaws. Mune is iori mune, pretty typical for production swords. Nakago is extremely clean, very nice lines, mekugi ana have zero burs or rough edges, very nice yasurime but no mei, but Im sure they could add one if asked. Mune machi and ha machi are executed properly, none of that offset bs you normally see on production swords. Hamon is a very interesting saka choji with some ji nie and small amounts of utsuri, again very surprised they managed to get ji nie to show on a monosteel blade. Hamon is visible in all lighting. Blade has zero flaws other than the expected(some uneven lines in the hada, etc.). 10/10(for the price)
Tsuka
Another perfect execution, lines are extremely crisp, wrap is super tight. Diamonds could be better but still very good for a production sword. ITO ALTERNATES CORRECTLY. I cannot emphasize this enough, as it seems some companies(cough cough, huawei) have not figured it out yet. Too add to this, both the fuchi and kashira are fitted extremely well, with transitions being perfect. Tsuka core has zero cracks, and since the first one they made cracked, they decided to upgrade me to a full same wrap free of charge. The full same wrap is actually inlaid, something I am very happy about, and the core overall is just nicely shaped and feels very solid. Also fits the nakago very well, although some very minor rice paper shims have been added near the nakago jiri just to increase structural stability. 9/10(for the price)
Fittings
For the fitting set I went with something inspired by Early edo/Azuchi Momoyama examples, something rather simple but still with some flair that I feel a swordsman during that time would have used. The iron mokko tsuba is very well cast, with corners properly rounded, and it did not bend even with extreme hammering. For menuki I went with yagyu koshirae placement, which I feel provides a better grip, and I am not disappointed with those as well. Fuchi, Kashira, and Menuki go with a mitsudome theme which is very crisply executed and contains nice details. While I would not put the casting quality quite at peak Hanwei levels, it comes very close. My only gripe with the fittings is the habaki, which has a small ledge on the transition to the mune, which can make batto a little annoying. This will probably just be worn in with use however, as I have owned swords with even worse transitions on the habaki. 8/10
Saya
The saya on this is typical zsey, black lacquered with horn fittings however very elegantly done. The lacquer work is very consistent, not sageo imprints or uneven marks. Kojiri and koiguchi are very well executed, lacquer work over them is very nice. Koiguchi is a little oddly shaped, but still provides a nice lock on the habaki.Saya rattle is extremely minimal, and fit is overall very good, as are the transitions from the koiguchi to the fuchi. Only concern with the saya is how thing it is, so I most likely will only use this sword on special occasions. 9/10
Customer Service
Zsey's customer service might be the best in the industry for drop ship forges, with them responding to my relentless questions in a very timely manner. If you are to order from them, I suggest contacting them via Whatsapp for any details and minute customizations you would like to make on your order. 10/10
Specs:
Nagasa: 28 inches
Sorii: about .7 inches
Tsuka: 10 inches
Pros:
Very nice blade
Well executed tsuka
Nicely done saya
Excellent customer service
Excellent polish
Handles excellently
Cons:
Habaki transition could be better on the mune
Would be nice to have an option for a beefier saya for practitioner usage
Overall thoughts:
Zsey completely blows all other manufacturers below the 2k price point out of the water. In my opinion, they have set a new bar in almost every category. If you are considering buying one, go for it.
Will add pics later