|
Post by gavanzae on Jan 23, 2024 16:39:53 GMT
|
|
|
Advice?
Jan 24, 2024 13:52:59 GMT
via mobile
Post by larason2 on Jan 24, 2024 13:52:59 GMT
760 is too much for the katana, and the red finish on the wakizashi is pure fantasy! It's not recommended you get a damascus sword for cutting, particularly at this price range, can't always trust the welds. I have a Ronin Dojo pro katana and wakizashi, and they are great for cutting, and you can get both for $480 currently on the website. Mine had a lot of cosmetic defects, but the blades are solid, they came sharp, and they cut well. They are both dotanuki style, so they are beefy blades. If you want a more standard geometry, you can do better than true katana. For instance, this one may be a reasonable cutter: www.truekatana.com/products/22383/handmade-japanese-katana-sword-1060-carbon-steel-with-black-scabbardHowever, hardwood isn't a good material for a katana tsuka. If it's too hard it's subject to cracking. But 1060 is a really good material for a blade, particularly a first blade. It doesn't stay sharp long, but it's not going to break on bad cuts, and its pretty self serviceable. I'd say probably better to get something from Ryansword, Jkoo, or Wang Katana 2011. For a first cutter, you probably want a through hardened carbon monosteel blade, 1060 or 1075 ideal. Don't spend too much on your first two cutting swords, since you're not going to be sure yet what you like! Fantasy stuff like the red patina is ok, but you're going to scratch it cutting, and putting it back on is going to be impossible. Red patinas are for wall hangers only.
|
|
|
Post by gavanzae on Jan 24, 2024 14:24:58 GMT
larason2, Thanks for the insight. I haven't heard of any of these manufactures so I will be sure to check those out. I kinda figured it was like guitars, where you get what you pay for. Plus I liked the green lol, but I mainly want it to function well. Ill keep all of your advice in mind when searching. Thank you again.
|
|
|
Post by mrstabby on Jan 24, 2024 15:13:37 GMT
larason2, Thanks for the insight. I haven't heard of any of these manufactures so I will be sure to check those out. I kinda figured it was like guitars, where you get what you pay for. Plus I liked the green lol, but I mainly want it to function well. Ill keep all of your advice in mind when searching. Thank you again. Yes and no. There are many, many overpriced swords being sold, especially Katana. Subpar craftsmanship being sold for a premium. You have to find the right manufactiurers, everything else is a crapshoot, you can always get your moneys worth even with unknowns, but it is not too common to be honest. Look up Matthew Jensen on youtube, he has tested many cheaper swords to point of failure and you can see what you get.
|
|
|
Post by gavanzae on Jan 24, 2024 16:29:22 GMT
Thank You Mr.Stabby.
|
|
|
Post by gavanzae on Jan 24, 2024 16:40:45 GMT
So, Would 1095 Folded Steel Iron be a Damascus blade?
|
|
|
Post by noneed2hate on Jan 24, 2024 16:44:06 GMT
It is not, majority of "Damascus" is just a marketing exploit to make you think you are getting a quality product when in reality you likely are not. I would note that have a folded steel sword etc does not mean it's necessarily better. In fact, this could likely be a detractor as far as mass produced swords are concerned as it means the process to make said sword is slightly more complex and thus more prone to errors.
I would stick to monosteel swords that are either through hardened, or if you really like the look, differentially.
|
|
|
Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Jan 24, 2024 16:57:59 GMT
Pattern welded damascus usually is made of two or more different steels, which have a different color after etching. The only reason is to get that multicolor pattern.
Folded steel is made of only one steel but the folding creates weld lines. It's not necessary to fold modern cast steel, it's also just for the visible pattern. Usually it's not called damascus.
Not totally different but not exactly the same.
|
|
tera
Moderator
Posts: 1,658
|
Advice?
Jan 24, 2024 18:21:00 GMT
via mobile
Post by tera on Jan 24, 2024 18:21:00 GMT
larason2, Thanks for the insight. I haven't heard of any of these manufactures so I will be sure to check those out. I kinda figured it was like guitars, where you get what you pay for. Plus I liked the green lol, but I mainly want it to function well. Ill keep all of your advice in mind when searching. Thank you again. With production katana, there are many, many brands that assemble and sell swords that actually come from the same forges, usually in Longquan China. Some are better at quality control than others and some will charge way more for the same steel for higher profit margins. There are exceptions, of course, but you don't always get what you pay for unless it's a papered Nihonto. Not saying I own one. I went with a Munetoshi Viper for a little over $300 and am happy with it. The koshirae isn't flashy, but they had a good reputation for quality control on the blades, and I wanted spring tempered, through-hardened unokubi-zukuri. At the time, the only folks executing that better in the production world were Huawei swords and they were just unobtainable. They may still be backlogged, actually.
|
|
|
Post by larason2 on Jan 24, 2024 19:26:46 GMT
Just a note that for a Katana, which isn't that flexible because of geometry, spring tempered vs. conventionally tempered probably makes no difference. A lot of people want their sword "spring tempered," but it's unclear if the smiths in China actually bother to do this properly. Even if they did, it only matters for a small proportion of blades that are very thin. I personally have spring tempered a folder spring for a folding knife, and it's actually quite tricky to heat it up to and hold the heat properly without ruining the heat treat. I think it's unlikely they do that properly in China, it's probably just a marketing ploy.
|
|
|
Post by mrstabby on Jan 24, 2024 20:03:21 GMT
I have read, that some of the chinese manufacturers send out their blades to be well heat treated and don't do it in house, it goes to people who do heat treats only. Although I have no idea how many do this or just do an interrupted quench and say its spring tempered.
|
|
tera
Moderator
Posts: 1,658
|
Advice?
Jan 25, 2024 1:19:55 GMT
via mobile
Post by tera on Jan 25, 2024 1:19:55 GMT
Just a note that for a Katana, which isn't that flexible because of geometry, spring tempered vs. conventionally tempered probably makes no difference. A lot of people want their sword "spring tempered," but it's unclear if the smiths in China actually bother to do this properly. Even if they did, it only matters for a small proportion of blades that are very thin. I personally have spring tempered a folder spring for a folding knife, and it's actually quite tricky to heat it up to and hold the heat properly without ruining the heat treat. I think it's unlikely they do that properly in China, it's probably just a marketing ploy. I agree with this and the spring tempering may not be as important as they market it to be. The Viper weighs less than 2 pounds and has a pretty agressively lightened profile. Wanted to hedge my bets against a bad cut angle.
|
|
|
Post by blairbob on Jan 31, 2024 2:24:37 GMT
1. If you're gonna cut a lot, I wouldn't go with folded blades, especially as a beginner. I mean, the blades in Japan are definitely folded but I don't know if they always bother to polish them much if they are going to be used as cutters and they're likely gonna be $7.5-10k if new though you might buy some shinsakuto for 1/3 to 1/2 that. Both of those are very blingy, and TrueKatana is known for selling at higher prices than the other LongQuan sellers like HanbonForge, Ryansword, Jkoo/Sino, ShinkenOfSwords, Lyue, Murasame on Amazon. You can pick up a Hanwei practical(+) or Raptor wakazashi for a few hundred bucks and easily have a daisho with Eric's DK Hana (or some other DK through hardened katana for about $350-500). That'll cost probably around $750-800 at the end of the day. DragonKing/Hanwei will not likely bend as much as some of the other LongQuan katana simply because many of the LongQuan katana are built on the lighter side in stock configurations (2-2.25lb is pretty common compared to 2lb6oz-3lbs for some Hanwei/DragonKing models) That being said, they wouldn't exactly much. Just like the pair you linked from TrueKatana. rva-katana.com/products/2-sword-set-folded-steel-clay-tempered-hamom-abrasive-polish-iron-fittings?_pos=9&_sid=54319b492&_ss=r&variant=41106656755746 $500 for a folded daisho. Simple fittings but a step up from their entry level offerings. I've read that the Murasame brand on Amazon is very popular with good feedback. HanbonForge and ShinkenOfSwords also offer a few models on Amazon, but you would need to go through their own websites if you want to customize something. For $200 you can get a katana or wakazashi with "9260 (+55)" hishigami wrap (+20$), iron fittings (+$20) from HanbonForge. The 1060 offerings from RyanSword seem to go for about $150 each. From what I've read the Ryansword wraps are tigher and may not come as undone as easily as HBF. Yes, Jkoo/Sino is similar but it always seem they screw up part of their orders at the end of the day. Usually some cosmetic error. I do not know if Jkoo or Ryan cut into their to inlay their panels. Hanbon does not. Hanwei does and I'm gonna guess DragonKing does.
|
|
|
Post by izzy on Feb 1, 2024 17:27:35 GMT
Most likely late to the party, but my 2 Cents: T10 has too much carbon and very little to none ( depending on source) Tungsten. Same goes for 1095, too much carbon.
As others have noted 9260, 5160, and even lowly 1060 is often superior if heat treated right.
I'm not saying "go cheap", but go smart. It's easy to overspend on Long Quan Katana.
|
|
|
Post by gavanzae on Feb 2, 2024 19:46:59 GMT
OK everyone, I have a Daisho set from Ryans Sword Im looking at. My only question now is should i go for the hinerimaki wrap or the katatemaki wrap? I plan on practicing with both swords at the same time, and the 2 bokken i have dont have any wrap on them any more. I usually hold the handle in the center, so I was thinking of going for the katatemaki wrap. I love the look of the original hinerimaki, but i want them to be comfortable. Ive never held a katana with the katatemaki battle wrap. Any advice is appreciated, and remember, Stay Safe, Stay Sharp, and Scars on the back are a swordsmans greatest shame! Thanks Guys and Gals
|
|
|
Advice?
Feb 2, 2024 22:59:47 GMT
via mobile
Post by larason2 on Feb 2, 2024 22:59:47 GMT
If done right, there's not much difference between katate maki and hinerimaki. That is, the type of ito, whether it's full or half same wrap, whether rice paper was used in wrapping or not and how tight the wrap is make more if a difference. Traditional silk is quite thin and meshes together well. If it's one of the synthetic "silks," that a lot of cheaper Chinese swords use, you'll find it's a lot thicker in the sides than the battle wrap. I find those intolerable for actual use though, it just feels too hot in my hands. If it was me, I'd rewrap it with proper silk or leather anyway, so it doesn't much matter.
|
|
|
Post by Cottontail Customs on Feb 14, 2024 18:24:09 GMT
OK everyone, I have a Daisho set from Ryans Sword Im looking at. My only question now is should i go for the hinerimaki wrap or the katatemaki wrap? I plan on practicing with both swords at the same time, and the 2 bokken i have dont have any wrap on them any more. I usually hold the handle in the center, so I was thinking of going for the katatemaki wrap. I love the look of the original hinerimaki, but i want them to be comfortable. Ive never held a katana with the katatemaki battle wrap. Any advice is appreciated, and remember, Stay Safe, Stay Sharp, and Scars on the back are a swordsmans greatest shame! Thanks Guys and Gals if you will be regularly using your swords and also considering the level of quality you'll likely receive from this manufacturer, I'd recommend the hineri-maki over katate-maki, simply because there is less that can go wrong with the former, imho. not that katate-maki is so intricate or difficult but there are a couple of extra steps in the process that require a bit more precision to pull off successfully, both functionally and aesthetically. given that most makers like RS tend to have their limits in tsukamaki skills, it just makes more sense to go with the more basic of the two, reducing the risk of issues.
|
|