|
Post by oshuunn on Feb 1, 2024 20:11:09 GMT
I’m thinking about buying from Hanbon forge, and I was just curious on some peoples expiriences with their customer service, and of course in the quality of their blade and build. Any comments or recommendations on other websites are more than welcome. I’m looking for a beater sword to be used in a dojo with a budget of around 500. Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by stalkerfromtheearth on Feb 1, 2024 22:38:16 GMT
I have 3 of their swords and I assure you, dont spend over 200 at hanbon. For 500 you can get a nice sword from like shadow dancer, dragon king, RVA katana. I'm sure others have some more vendors in that price range.
|
|
|
Post by jdc on Feb 1, 2024 22:59:56 GMT
If you're looking for a "dojo sword" to practice with, just make sure you get one with bo-hi, which will help as you will be able to hear when your blade alignment is correct. You have lots of brand options in sub-$500 swords. If you want an actual beater sword that will be used for cutting, look at the Dojo Pro brand as their value level swords are well regarded for holding up to some punishment. good luck!
|
|
|
Post by blairbob on Feb 2, 2024 19:18:46 GMT
i have yet to pull the trigger on a HBF. Im mainly interested in some pieces of them because of their price and the ability to customize their aesthetics and turn around time. CloudhammerForge is no longer a custom option in a timely manner bc they are so backed up. But, they don't inlay their panels on the tsuka. They will do full wraps. maybe they have more volume than RyanSword or Jkoo/Sino, but I read of more issues where the wrap unravels or the blades come a bit duller than preferred (then again some users may want razor sharp instead of what is necessary to cut mats or bamboo) They have videos where they cut bamboo, maybe it's just a matter of volume and QC For $500, you can order a DragonKing from RVA (less than that actually). You could also opt for a Hanwei Practical or Raptor series as a beater. Ronin has been mentioned, some issues with wraps sometime so lacquering the wrap if you get one seems to be a smart play. Ryansword is said to have pretty tight wraps. Same with Jkoo/Sino though I rarely see a review where there isn't some kind of cosmetic error or issue. Sometimes that also happens with Hanbon as well. (like someone gets a blunt blade instead of sharp bc it was thought to be an Iaito) rva-katana.com/search?q=moritaka+9260&options%5Bprefix%5D=last Moritaka are a line for RVA from ShinkenOfSwords. Seems to have a lot of value, much tighter wraps than their entry level swords on liquidation. Just can't say how they will hold up in 1-3yrs since they haven't been around that long. RVA also has some CHF pieces with sx105 steel under $400 rn in leather without hishigami. Unless you get a blade in custom length from Long Quan, many of the blades seem to be made on the lighter side which might be an issue as beaters even if they are in 9260 or L6.
|
|
|
Post by BryanW on Feb 2, 2024 21:41:49 GMT
My brief experience with HBF:
Communication seemed spotty at times but was not terribly inconsistent. All three swords were received within 4-5 weeks from order to reception. All three swords were done according to the specs I asked for and Mr Yao was very helpful. Happy to give more details if required.
Sword 1: Blade solid, geometry "ok" for this price point. Specs in line with what I requested. Saya is "tight" at the opening and came with a dent in it as well as a scratch (possibly from transport but I doubt it because of how well they package things) but otherwise ok. Tsuka was decent for this price point. Everything seemed tight around fit including the ito. Nothing special but solid.
Sword 2: Blade solid, geometry "ok" for this price point. Specs in line with what I requested. Saya fits well at the opening but some "blade rattle" inside". Tsuka was decent for this price point. Nothing special but solid. The leather ito feels cheaper but as expected on this price point and it seems tight. Otherwise no other issues.
Sword 3: Blade solid, geometry seemed to be ok at first but I see some asymmetry towards the tip (Yokote to kissaki). Specs for the most part what I requested except one issue with a sageo not matching the color of the ito but that was easily replaced on my end. Otherwise looked great. Saya fit was solid (and the best of the three actually). Tsuka ito is fine but the fit of the tsuka itself is loose and I feel movement in there which is concerning. A shame because the rest of the fittings are solid.
Summary: All three swords have issues, some bigger than others. I think it is worth it to upgrade the tsuba and other fittings but the problem comes at that price point there may be better options. While I regret nothing and have no intention of letting these go, In the future I would rather get one decent sword than another three of these...or even better, save more and get something really worth it.
|
|
|
Post by miraculix101 on Feb 3, 2024 16:38:15 GMT
Well i consider HBF a very good option, even in the range above 200$. I ordered and got this here, review in link. The good side with HBF is, you can custom your sword to the last digit. There is some divergence in the end, but only on the low side, less than 5% of the dimensions you specified. I ordered 4 solo blades, which i completed myself with habaki, tsuka, seppa and tsuba. The blades were ordered with o-kissaki, and i got them. My last order with HBF, ordered in November 2023 just got completed today. And i like the looks of it very much.
Blade is a custom dimension 9260 steel with 35mm Motohaba 78cm nagasa and a long O-kissaki. With tsuba and fittings i said what i wanted, link to aliexpress, since HBF didnt have my fittings on their page and they got them for me. Tsuka has real japanese silk in dark blue(kinda like it, a lot of my swords have dark blue), full samegawa wrap with naval knot and Hishigami. This sword is on the higher end of costs, regarding Hanbon. But like life, you get what you pay for.
The other tsuka in the pictures, i ordered separately for another project katana of me, also fully wrapped and with japanese silk ito. More expensive than the 100$ swords of them.
I can only recommend them.
To compare, i have Ryan sword, Jkoo, Hanwei, Dragon King, Shadow Dancer(Dragonsword before), Cheness, Cloudhammer (S5, SX105v, 51CRV4..), Z-Sey S7 custom blade etc........
HBF for its money is worth it imho.
Motohara on the other expensive end....
My Hanbon and other Longquan swords always arrived without any sort of rust
|
|
addertooth
Member
Working the tsuka on two bare blades from Ninja-Katana, slow progress
Posts: 458
|
Post by addertooth on Feb 19, 2024 13:59:27 GMT
I tend to prefer Hanbon's offerings that are at the top end. It just seemed like everything was a bit better on this sword. It had Hishigami in the wrap, Hazuya polish, and good geometry on the blade. It was Gyaku Kobuse (reverse Kobuse) lamination. The blade was inspected under UV (ultraviolet) laser light to reveal both/confirm the pattern steel laminations and the mono-steel edge. Of all my Katana/Wakizashi/Tanto blades, it is my clear favorite. I also have blades that other mentioned (and more). The Hanwei Raptor and the tip top highest end Ryan Sword. The Hanbon is better than either of these other two. Two pictures: 1. UV inspection of the weld of the mono-steel core, showing the mono-steel wrapped in pattern steel. 2. Hazuya polish comparison between Hanbon (left), Ryan (middle), and a home Hazuya finish I did on a Ninja-Katana mule blade. Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by Cottontail Customs on Feb 19, 2024 20:26:08 GMT
imho, hf has some of the worst tsuka in the market so maybe be prepared to have it replaced or redone, which depending on who you can find to do it, might wind up costing more than the sword itself
|
|
|
Post by anj4de on Mar 27, 2024 10:50:04 GMT
Hello everbody
I did place an order with them about a month ago. I was quoted 450$ incl. shipping. I will post pics once I have them.
thanks Uwe
Blade: 28inches
-Shobu Zukuri
-Choji Hamon
-no Bo Hi
-T10 or 1095 (whatever gives the nicer hamon)
-Hazuja polishing
-Razor sharp
Tuska: 11.5 to 12 inches, slightly tapered or hour glass style
-full wrap black rayskin with emporer nob if possible
-Ito Silk, Gold C-18
-Hishigami
- Ito - alternating knots as tight as humanly possible
TSUBA
- HT-035 set
Habaki and Sepas
-Copper
Saya
- - Dark reddish brown or maroon, glossy
- - Kurigata, Koiguchi and Kojiri in light brown ox horn. Top part in Rattan would also be nice
Sageo
-G-07 Yellow w. brown dots
|
|