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Post by colassalentry on Apr 25, 2023 18:00:04 GMT
Hi Everyone,
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this particular sword. I've been wanting to upgrade from my iaito to a live blade for awhile now and my sensei has recommended Paul Chens as a good starting point (although he hasn't bought a new sword in like...probably over a decade).
I'm taller, so I need the extra bit of length that comes with this specific blade. I also don't care for Bohi that much so I prefer not having it at all.
The only thing I don't like is the tsuba, easy fix....
Any thoughts or opinions on this?
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RE:Wrap Studio
Manufacturer/Vendor
A wise man learns from his mistakes, a wiser man learns from the mistakes of others.
Posts: 103 
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Post by RE:Wrap Studio on Apr 25, 2023 18:11:26 GMT
Speaking as a fellow iaidoka, that sword is a fantastic blade for target cutting. As for more complex movements such as batto noto, I would advise against it. The longer tsuka makes drawing and cutting more difficult than it needs to be. Depending on your hand size and physical height, I would lean you towards a more standard tsuka length (between 10.5-11.5inches) I find bohi to be a nice feature because it reduces the weight slightly but that's personal preference. I would reach out to John Kang, owner of RVA Katana in Richmond, VA. He is extremely knowledgeable and has great relationships with many forges and vendors including KoA. rva.katana@gmail.com or his website rva-katana.com |
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Post by colassalentry on Apr 25, 2023 18:40:01 GMT
Speaking as a fellow iaidoka, that sword is a fantastic blade for target cutting. As for more complex movements such as batto noto, I would advise against it. The longer tsuka makes drawing and cutting more difficult than it needs to be. Depending on your hand size and physical height, I would lean you towards a more standard tsuka length (between 10.5-11.5inches) I find bohi to be a nice feature because it reduces the weight slightly but that's personal preference. I would reach out to John Kang, owner of RVA Katana in Richmond, VA. He is extremely knowledgeable and has great relationships with many forges including KoA. rva.katana@gmail.com or his website rva-katana.com Thanks! I'm 5"11 and former competitive powerlifter, so I had large hands and a bigger stature, and I'm sized at 2.45 shaku for my iaito. I'll look into RVA but I'm in Canada so very limited on where I can buy from due to our crap border import/export. |
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RE:Wrap Studio
Manufacturer/Vendor
A wise man learns from his mistakes, a wiser man learns from the mistakes of others.
Posts: 103
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Post by RE:Wrap Studio on Apr 25, 2023 18:51:17 GMT
Speaking as a fellow iaidoka, that sword is a fantastic blade for target cutting. As for more complex movements such as batto noto, I would advise against it. The longer tsuka makes drawing and cutting more difficult than it needs to be. Depending on your hand size and physical height, I would lean you towards a more standard tsuka length (between 10.5-11.5inches) I find bohi to be a nice feature because it reduces the weight slightly but that's personal preference. I would reach out to John Kang, owner of RVA Katana in Richmond, VA. He is extremely knowledgeable and has great relationships with many forges including KoA. rva.katana@gmail.com or his website rva-katana.com Thanks! I'm 5"11 and former competitive powerlifter, so I had large hands and a bigger stature, and I'm sized at 2.45 shaku for my iaito. I'll look into RVA but I'm in Canada so very limited on where I can buy from due to our crap border import/export. We are the same height! Though I am of average stature, I have a bit of a beer belly so I had to modify my choice a bit to work around it. I went with a 2.4 shaku (28.6in roughly) but everyone is built differently, your sensei would know best for sure and I know that the generalized sizing charts are for reference and should never be taken as gospel. Best of luck in your search!  and as far as i know, they do not seem to have trouble shipping to Canada. |
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pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on Apr 25, 2023 19:16:58 GMT
He is extremely knowledgeable and has great relationships with many forges including KoA. KoA is a vendor, not a forge. |
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RE:Wrap Studio
Manufacturer/Vendor
A wise man learns from his mistakes, a wiser man learns from the mistakes of others.
Posts: 103
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Post by RE:Wrap Studio on Apr 25, 2023 19:17:54 GMT
You are correct, I mistyped that. Edited original reply.
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Post by MessengerofDarkness on Apr 25, 2023 19:44:20 GMT
I've heard that the blade is solid, but also the practical pro suffers from some noted QC issues regarding the tsuka core. Most seem to come cracked and poorly fit (not a unique problem to the pro or even Hanwei themselves), but also that the artificial leather ito tends to protrude more than it should and be somewhat hard on the hands.
What I personally do have is the practical plus elite, although that blade is better suited to tameshigiri due to how wide the blade is. The cotton ito of the PPE is comfortable though, and the tsuka not nearly as axe-shaped as many of Hanwei's other pieces.
EDIT: If it's a live blade for iaito that you're looking for and specifically shopping among Hanwei's selections then there's really no better sword I can recommend than the Shinto Katana. It handles better than the majority of iaito I've tried before, has a highly pronounced tachi kaze, and one of the more comfortable and slim tsukas that Hanwei makes. They've been making this blade for years and it's probably the single most refined overall blade for the price that they have.
My own Shinto's been through the ringer but still handles like a dream to this day.
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Post by blairbob on Apr 26, 2023 10:10:36 GMT
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Post by Lord Newport on Apr 26, 2023 13:49:30 GMT
Hi Everyone, I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this particular sword. I've been wanting to upgrade from my iaito to a live blade for awhile now and my sensei has recommended Paul Chens as a good starting point (although he hasn't bought a new sword in like...probably over a decade). I'm taller, so I need the extra bit of length that comes with this specific blade. I also don't care for Bohi that much so I prefer not having it at all. The only thing I don't like is the tsuba, easy fix.... Any thoughts or opinions on this? Ask your Sensei... |
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Post by colassalentry on May 2, 2023 22:16:05 GMT
Hi Everyone, I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this particular sword. I've been wanting to upgrade from my iaito to a live blade for awhile now and my sensei has recommended Paul Chens as a good starting point (although he hasn't bought a new sword in like...probably over a decade). I'm taller, so I need the extra bit of length that comes with this specific blade. I also don't care for Bohi that much so I prefer not having it at all. The only thing I don't like is the tsuba, easy fix.... Any thoughts or opinions on this? Ask your Sensei... Thanks. As noted above he pointed me in this direction already but it has been a long time since he has bought a sword. It doesn't matter now, I've moved forward with a decision. To everyone else, thanks for the input! I'll be sure to update the forum when it all gets here! |
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Post by blairbob on May 3, 2023 1:41:07 GMT
what did ya get?
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and as far as i know, they do not seem to have trouble shipping to Canada.
