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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2007 21:34:36 GMT
I am looking to buy my first sword. I wanted something that looked nice for display, but I may also use it for light cutting. I emailed Paul the other day, and he suggested the Practical Plus XL Light. I really like this one, but am wondering if it would be too big for me.
I'm only 5'2". I was playing with a tape measure, and it seemed that I would have a hard time drawing a sword with a 28.5" blade. Would I be better off going with a Ko-Katana (Chisa)?
I put my hands together on the tape measure as if I was holding a sword, and they only spanned 6.5". Could I actually use a Wakizashi as a 2 handed sword, or would I be OK with a 10.5-11" Tsuka?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2007 22:19:54 GMT
My best friend is 5'2. He uses the older model of Paul Chen Practical Katana just fine, in fact, it's almost perfect for him. He's currently a Kendo Shodan, and Toyama Ryu Shodan. He'll be testing for Nidan in Kendo in April, and Toyama Ryu soon thereafter.
Remember, historically, Japanese people were short, and their swords were short to match. A traditionally sized katana is too small for a person of the average height of 5'10''-5'11''.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2007 1:19:43 GMT
Remember, historically, Japanese people were short, and their swords were short to match. A traditionally sized katana is too small for a person of the average height of 5'10''-5'11''. Thanks! I didn't even think of that. While short in the US, I'd be average in Japan. And thanks to Paul for his recomendation!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2007 19:18:00 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2007 3:10:39 GMT
I'm 5'10" in my everyday athletic shoes, but with a shorter than average 29" inseam (I gues I'm all torso ;D). I tried this out with one of my 28" bladed kats and the tip was about 3/4" from the ground, so I came pretty close to what they indicate is correct on that site; however, I don't believe that a 23" bladed kat would be ideal, even for someone who's 5'2". That's pretty much wakizashi length.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2007 2:13:55 GMT
My inseam is only 23"! Adam, does your friend have long arms?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2007 3:36:36 GMT
No. He's actually pretty proportionate to all us 'regular' sized people. A little bit on the stocky side, but not a whole lot. I would *guess* his inseam to be around 26 inches or so, but really I haven't asked him.
For reference, I'm a hair under 5'8'', with a 30.5'' inseam, and according to an old biology teacher, I'm very classically proportioned(a la Leonardo Da Vinci and his diagrams).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2007 0:51:26 GMT
I'm not a big fan of Windlass swords, but they do make some of the smallest handgrips I have seen. They put a very thin grip around the tang. At 5'2" you will not want anything longer then 35" in total. Celtic, viking, Greek hoplite, Roman Gladius, the lionheart and henry V swords are all well suited to you.
Classic Greeks, Romans and other mediteranians all averaged about 5'2". The Romans made short work over the Germanians that towered over them.
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Post by rammstein on Apr 1, 2007 1:13:46 GMT
actually, just to be a blatant know-it-all, roman height average was 5'4" in the early republic and 5'6" in the later stages of the empire
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2007 2:32:23 GMT
tsafa, I'm intersted in a katana. Does Windlass make those?
I've done a lot of searching and have noticed that there aren't many katanas with a with 10-11" Tsuka and a 23-26" blade (which I think is what would be ideal.) Basically, I've found
Dynasty Forge Ko-Katana 23.5" Cold Steel Chisa Katana 24.5" Kriss Cutlery Katana 25" & 26"
Are there any others in the sub $300 range?
Maybe I would be ok with a 28.5" blade, though. What would be ideal is I could find someone who had one, and just try holding it. I'm sure it would be obvious if it was too long.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2007 4:13:18 GMT
Don't the masahiro bamboo swords have 27 inch blades? Maybe you could splurge the money on one to see how long/short it is, that way you get a good sword for only a little-monies, and you can calibrate a good length sword for you. To be honest I think the 27'' nagasa will be perfect for you.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2007 4:21:46 GMT
Don't the masahiro bamboo swords have 27 inch blades? Maybe you could splurge the money on one to see how long/short it is, that way you get a good sword for only a little-monies, and you can calibrate a good length sword for you. To be honest I think the 27'' nagasa will be perfect for you. Both my Bamboos have roughly 28 3/4" blades, with one being maybe 1/8" shorter. THey also have 12" tsukas. Alas, I believe the Bamboos are gone. I haven't seen them on eBay for almost a month.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2007 4:39:32 GMT
Darn... which were the cheaper functional kats that had 27'' blades?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2007 4:45:32 GMT
Jeff, although they're not technically katanas and are "ninja swords", you might like Hanwei's Ninjato (22 inch blade) or Cheness' Bujinkan Katana(23 inch blade): Hanwei's Ninjato www.sword-buyers-guide.com/best-ninja-sword.htmlI believe Paul has recently posted though at the end of his review that some sites that have low prices for this sword have such low price because the swords are secondary or defective. Paul suggests a site to buy for because it has a guarantee for up to 90 days. Cheness Custom Bujinkan Katana www.sword-buyers-guide.com/authentic-ninja-sword.html-Tim
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2007 5:00:02 GMT
I'll look around for one of the Bamboos.
Tim, yeah, I've seen both of those. That Cheness would be cool, except that the Tsuka is 14".
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2007 5:21:26 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2007 9:14:20 GMT
Sorry to go off topic, but I just ran across this www.samurai-warehouse.com/masahirobamboo.html, and since we were talking about the Bamboo...the only thing that's off in the description is the tsuka length, which is 12" on my Bamboos, but listed as 10.75 on that site. Perhaps just a typo? Everything else looks right on. Could this be the same "Bamboo" that several of us have purchased on eBay for less than $80 USD shipped? The price on that site is 124.95 GPB, which is curently about $245 USD... If so, then no wonder these swords are so damn nice!
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Post by rammstein on Apr 1, 2007 13:19:44 GMT
I never realized how short katanas were...intesresting . I was always under the impression they were a bit longer.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2007 20:11:48 GMT
Nope... surprisingly short when one is used to European swords.
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Post by sol on Apr 1, 2007 23:24:19 GMT
Sorry to go off topic, but I just ran across this www.samurai-warehouse.com/masahirobamboo.html, and since we were talking about the Bamboo...the only thing that's off in the description is the tsuka length, which is 12" on my Bamboos, but listed as 10.75 on that site. Perhaps just a typo? Everything else looks right on. Could this be the same "Bamboo" that several of us have purchased on eBay for less than $80 USD shipped? The price on that site is 124.95 GPB, which is curently about $245 USD... If so, then no wonder these swords are so damn nice! That is the Masahiro Bamboo. I measured the blade and tsuka length on my computer screen, then scaled up the blade to full length and used that multiplier on the tsuka and it came out to be 12 inches long. I also contacted the dealer and asked for the model number.
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