Cheness 9260 Spring Steel O-Katana

With a massive 33" long blade made from the extra durable 9260 Spring Steel that Cheness Cutleries has become famous for, the aptly named O-Katana ('Greatsword') is a monster of a sword - without a corresponding monsterous price tag!

Lightened by a bo-hi (fuller/blood groove) down to a surprising 2lbs 7oz (3lbs 7oz with saya/scabbard), and superbly balanced, the additional 5" of blade give this sword an awe inspiring presence, not to mention one of the loudest Tachi Kaze (lit. 'Sword Wind Sound') of any Katana on the market, it's extra long blade allows it to generate frighteningly effective leveraged cutting power.

Especially at home in the hands of someone over 6' 3", it is also great for anyone who simply loves an especially long blade (though people of average height, such as myself, should use extra caution when wielding this sword as the tip of the sword touches the ground in a natural standing position).

Exceptional value for money and a sword that pictures simply cannot do justice to. You really do need to see one of these first hand to appreciate just how much sword it is...

For more information, pics and to see some test cutting results, check out the full review of the O-Katana here on SBG.

MUST READ NOTE REGARDING CHENESS CUTLERY SWORDS

Cheness Cutlery Swords are designed by Martial Artists for Martial Artists. Their goal is and always has been to simply offer an affordable entry level practice sword to beginners in iaido and iaijutsu and when first released in 2005 truly revolutionized the sword market for until that time, there were few to no entry level Katana.

Cheness swords were never meant to be collectors pieces, display pieces, or art sword quality. There are numerous other manufacturers and individual smiths in the industry that serve those needs (click here for our full selection of Japanese swords). The reason being the same as with all other hobbies, refinement will come with a price.

Because of this, certain shortcuts must be taken in the manufacturing process and are NOT considered to be defects. Because of this, we will not accept returns on any swords that have the following features:

• The polish of each sword is a working polish known as a 'Tameshigiri' polish and is somewhere between 400 to 600 grit. As they are handmade and subject to extensive handling, they do get scuff marks and minor stains on the blade and components.
• Each blade is hand hammered, shaped to the eye, and then tempered and quenched. This process causes all types of steel to contract, twist and warp to some degree -with 9260 being one of the hardest steels to keep straight - so you should not expect the blade to be perfectly straight like a lazer. Even if slightly off center or imperfect, it will still cut perform for Tameshigiri and you can be confident in the tempering.
• The blades have considerable hira-niku (meat) on them for heavy cutting and will generally feel somewhat dull to the causal observer. It will not slice paper or shave hair off your arm. It WILL cut tatami mats or bamboo or other targets that were traditionally used to simulate human limbs. With only a little work however, it is quite possible to sharpen it to any degree desired.
• The cotton ito wrap is tight enough for use, but is not going to be as tight as silk or leather. Habaki, Seppa, Fuchigashira, etc are free floating and pinched into place by friction forces like a traditional Katana, but some minor adjustments may be necessary out of the box.
• Mekugi pegs are angled by design to create a wedge and optimize the double mekugi configuration. The bottom peg is made of brass, the top, bamboo which results in an overall stronger design and was recommended by a senior Japanese JSA Sensei.

Please read this article about Cheness Cutlery to ensure you completely understand what to expect before you purchase.

In short, you should not expect an art sword or something perfect out of the box. You will almost certainly need to make some adjustments or even a complete DIY overhaul (we have many free tutorials on how to do this right here on the main SBG website). But for those of you who don't mind a rough and ready sword, or who wish to take it to a higher level, you will find these blades to be extremely long lasting, tough and worth every penny.

In summary, Cheness puts it like this:

The issues can all be addressed by the end user if they so choose. After receiving the sword, you can adjust the components, add a high-grit diamond paste polish, deburr the blade to slice paper, polish the components, etc. to make it as refined as you choose. However, these are not the features we strive for and should not be expected of the sword out of the box. If a highly refined sword is what you are after, you will either need to be prepared to perform these refinements yourself or should purchase a higher end sword from a different manufacturer.

Please note, as to be expected issues like cracked blades, broken handles, etc are of course subject to our standard warranties and return policies.

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