Ronin Dojo Pro Katana # 12

excellent purchase, considering... 06/15/2020
By BPD
I just purchased (and received) my Ronin Dojo Pro #12 (with bo-hi...or "blood groove" as some folks like to mistakenly call it).

Short review: excellent purchase for the price, considering that it is just shy of $300 as of 6/2020. It is well-made: the blade is completely straight, no warping from cheap & shoddy manufacturing practices with other swords in this price range. The fittings/koshirae are tight, no wobble or rattle when swung. Very sharp out-of-the-box: easily sliced a piece of paper lightly drawn across the blade.

Long review: Considering the price (as noted above), it is overall an excellent purchase. I train in Iaido...so I'm not a backyard cutter. My primary concern is the overall integrity of the sword subjected to repeated drawing & swinging: the fittings/koshirae (Are they tight? Will this thing literally fall apart sometime least expected when I'm doing waza?); and the point-of-balance (tip-heavy swords are great for backyard cutters & batto-do types...but wreak havoc on iaido folks' wrists/joints/forearms).

My first impression is that #12 is quite acceptable for iaido. The fittings/koshirae are tight, but very basic; and the point-of-balance is closer to the tsuba due to the bo-hi...which makes it a pleasure to swing. Of course, time will tell as I use this sword over time.

As to the plain fittings/koshirae & the blade having no hamon: GREAT! Ronin has delivered an affordable product with honesty. Most blades with a hamon in this price range are obviously fake...acid-etched. Modern steel-making methods make this process unnecessary, as is the case with 1060 steel. The plain iron fittings make this sword even more affordable. Fancy fittings are for vanity only. Unless they're made of titanium or some other exotic high-strength alloy, they serve no functional purpose.

Negatives: the sageo is cheap, and will certainly frey after a few handlings. This is an easy fix, though. Tsuba seems to be so-so. Time will tell if it stands up to the repeated drawing/ re-sheaving of iaido.

Great sword for the price 01/12/2020
By Steve Boyett
I wanted a practical cutting sword for batto-jutsu -- not flashy or blingy or even necessarily featuring high-end koshirae. Instead I wanted something durable and dependable, favoring elegant simplicity over shiny-sparkly.

The Dojo Pro #12 fit my needs perfectly. I'm a beginner at formal training, so model #12's bo-hi made the blade lighter, useful for acquiring control. Even more useful is the feedback from the tachikaze, the *whah* sound made by a proper cut, which is enhanced by the bo-hi. I've received high marks for my form very early on in my formal training, and I think the audio feedback is partly responsible.

The sword's fittings aren't fancy, but they're perfectly fitted and tightly applied. The suka-ito (handle wrapping) is extremely tight, beautifully symmetrical, and feels absolutely solid. Tsuba and seppa are tight -- there's not a hint of rattle, play, or shift anywhere. I don't want to disassemble it even out of curiosity because it's all so "of a piece" right now that I'd hate to degrade that.

The saya is simple and the blade's fit is very snug. This thing isn't about to slide out when I bend forward. Wax rubbed off from the saya onto the blade from sheathing for several weeks, but it was easily managed, not harmful, and diminished over time.

I have not yet cut anything of substance with this blade, and probably won't for a while. I have too much respect for the blade itself to go whanging it around like a baseball bat, which is undoubtedly what I'd look like at my stage of training. I'm looking forward to the day I do, though, as I'm convinced the blade is up to it (probably moreso than I am). For what it's worth, I've cut my fingers with it a few times -- nothing like real-world noto for training! -- and absolutely didn't feel a thing.

My only complaint is pretty minor, considering: The sageo comes wrapped decoratively for display. I undid it for securing to my belt, and the thing is pretty cheap and unravels easily. I've ordered a nice sageo that won't fall apart, and also because I want it to look nice.

I did a bunch of research before ordering this sword, and I agree with reviewers that, by focusing on a good cutting blade, and eschewing a hamon and flashy, high-end fittings in favor of fewer, simple, and well-applied ones, the Dojo Pro delivers the best working blade you're likely to find for under $300. Highly recommended!

Ronin dojo pro bo-hi 02/27/2015
By Chris Cameron
This sword is amazing, and ronin knows what they're doing. After about a month of solid research ( I'm a total beginner in this comunity) i decided functionality over aesthetics and bought this sword. However, the details are still their. The ONLY thing it's missing is a hamon and its STILL a beautiful blade. Ito was a very tight tsuka-maki, and tsuka is well put together and feels good in my hands. This was my first purchase so i over analized again and again and Ronin has it right down to the "tachi-kaze". Test cuts where water bottles that fell clean 2 and 3 at a time. Hoping to graduate to tatami soon. Overall i couldn't have asked for a better outcome for my first "real" katana. TY SBG and ronin katana

I Like It 02/02/2015
By Old Boots
I am not an expert at swords or margial arts. I have seen the real antique swords as my father was stationed inJapan in the 50s. This is made in china. It is very sharp and the fittings apear to have been done with care. I doubt I will ever use it but it seems to be an adequate defensive weapon. I have an axe and saw for tree limbs this is more graceful tool. I prefer the blood grove.

Perfect Katana! 12/18/2014
By Cain Chaos
My wife bought this as my Xmas gift this year and I couldn't be happier! Expertly crafted, properly tempered, excellent bo-hi and razor sharp. You CANNOT beat this quality for this price point. I am a blacksmith myself but I lack a forge of adequate size to evenly temper a blade of this length. As a blacksmith, I can attest to the quality of this blade, it is A++, full marks my friends, you will NOT find a better katana in this price bracket, period. Easily worth more!

Fantastic Little Sword 10/21/2014
By Adam Wegner
Excellent price for quality. The fittings are basic but well made, the quality of the blade was fantastic and very very light for its size. Beautiful sounds when it is swung and chops nicely out of the box! I would recommend this for a first time sword or just a nice cutter for your dojo. 5 stars.

Ronin Dojo Pro Model 12 09/08/2014
By Lee Gilley
This is my third katana from Ronin. Great quality throughout, The best Tsukamaki to be had at this price point and also better than alot of much higher priced blades. The blades are no nonsense cutters of superb quality.

Really nice for the price, but there is room for improvement! 06/01/2014
By Eddy Tang
First and foremost, this katana is really a steal for the price. However, there are things to look out for (I'm really just nitpicking here). Firstly, when I placed my order, I thought the saya, sageo, and the ito are dark blue, but they turn out to be purely black. This may have just been a monitor color problem, so it's not SBG's fault. Secondly, the mouth of the saya could be a bit tighter, as my katana slips relatively easily out of the saya (yes, I pushed it all the way into the saya to "lock" it, but all that it takes is a gentle shake and the katana will slip out of the saya). Having said that though, the gentle shake "test" is when I hold the saya + katana upside down and hold onto just the saya. This is to say that the weight of the katana and my gentle shake are the only forces that act against the "lock" of the saya. I personally would've liked the "lock" to be a bit tighter, but that's just personal opinion (plus, who actually holds their katana by the saya and upside down anyways?). Lastly, when I try to paper-cutting test, I find that only the first third of the katana (from kisaki to the third) is able to perfectly and consistently cut the paper (from edge of paper). The rest of the blade is really inconsistent in doing so, especially the middle third of the blade. Don't get me wrong, the entire blade is sharp and will be able to cut through a lot of things, but when it comes to delicate cuts like cutting paper freehand, only the first third is consistently capable of doing so. In defence of the lack of sharpness in the latter two thirds, it is still sharp enough to cut my thumb when I accidentally pressed onto it (stupid mistake, don't ask). Plus, this is a simple fix of just sharpening up the sword a little more to achieve your desired sharpness. These are the only three things that really bothered me. There are SUPER little minor things that I could list here, but it would be unfair to judge those points due to the price of this sword (e.g. quality of sageo, tsuka-ito diamonds are a tad uneven, etc). Plus, these things are really cheap to replace, and may even need to be replaced in the future due to natural wear and tear anyways. As for the common concern about the waxy residue present on the blade with every draw, I have not owned this katana long enough to comment on its persistence, but as of now, I still get the waxy residue with every draw (it's been two days of nightly practice of drawing and sheathing (noto)).

That's enough of the cons. Now for some pros of this katana.
1) Super sharp! Just looking down the ha (cutting edge of the blade) of the katana, you can see how sharp it is.
2) The tapered tsuka is really ergonomic and comfortable to hold
3) The bo-hi is as advertised, and the kaze-tachi (spelling?) sounds great with every correct technique (and it's really satisfying to hear)
4) The tsuba allows easy threading of the sageo to tie a safety knot when needed.
5) Balance of the sword is nearly perfect. I feel like I can control the speed of the sword at my will (given I practice with it for a little longer). At least, I don't feel like I can't stop the blade once I swing it.
6) There was not a single scuff or scratch on my blade when I received it. I was really pleased with this, as many others found a few scuffs on theirs.

Overall, I believe this is truly a bang for the buck katana. The only reasons I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is mainly for the "dullness" of the middle portions of the blade (but, again, it's still really sharp, just not paper-cutting sharp). This katana is a relatively skinnier blade than others, but this, in my opinion, just improves its agility. The bottom line is that I would definitely buy another Ronin Katana from SBG in the future.

Nice for the price 05/23/2014
By Tony Kendrick
This is a very nice, sturdy katana suitable for dojo cutting and live practice. No rattling in the tsuka, solid fit. Tsuba is tightly fit. Ito is tightly done with no slippage with use. Came nicely oiled. The Saya is solid and clean with a nice finish. The katana fit perfectly snug sheathed and pops out with a push of your thumb. Price point coencides with sword's construction. Great buy.