Category Archives: SBG Custom Katana

Posts and news concerning the SBG custom Katana and the Black Dragon Forge

It’s nearly time!

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Indeed, to be precise – a date has been set for the opening of batch 19 click on the custom Katana page to see the countdown!

In the meantime I have been updating the SBG custom Katana pages (as it kind of grew ‘organically’ over the years, it had become a bit confusing) and hopefully making some things a bit clearer, as well as providing all the various links (like to this very blog and the FAQ) all in one spot. Was actually quite interesting as I found some bad links and some information I had forgotten I had even put on there (as a webmaster, THAT is definitely a sign that an update is in order if ever there is one! Lol).

Batch 18 – the one sent to the forge on the 25th of November is going out to my agent this week, and as promised here are a few pics from the forge of some random blades! 🙂

Quite a bit of prep work from now, plus batch 18 incoming and I don’t know how many emails to get to (I prefer to deal with SBG custom enquiries shortly before a new batch opens as I want to provide the most up to date information) so if you are waiting on an email from me, please bear with me just a bit longer.

Batch 18 and 19 – quick update

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Ok, just a very quick update – I’m actually waiting on some pictures from the forge of batch 18 – but in the meantime, since we are a bit overdue for an update, this quick blog update will have to suffice.

Batch 18 is running a couple of weeks behind schedule as suspected due to the Chinese New Years celebration that lasted the better chunk of January, but the forge promised 100% completion by the 21st of March at the worst.

Naturally I am waiting until the swords are completed and shipped out from the forge to my agent in Canada before opening up on new orders for batch 19. So in the meantime I will be contacting everyone who has asked a question about the custom swords as we usually prefer to answer such questions as close as possible to when we start to take new orders again to ensure we provide the most up to date information (because as anyone who has been following the SBG custom Katana over the years will know that we do add new options and improvements every few batches).

Anyway, just wanted to let you all know where we are up to – stay tuned, not long to go if you are waiting for your sword to come in or waiting to place your order.

– Paul

“Instant” SBG Custom Katana? Kind of…

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Sometimes customers of the SBG custom Katana, having waiting 3 months or more for their personalized design or having decided so at the start, decide not to actually use these blades to the full potential of the cutters that they are.

This fantastic photo sent in by one of the batch 17 custom Katana shows that many are intended for functional art or display swords (real swords behind glass, a LOT different than a purely decorative sword as any serious collector knows).

The customer that sent me this photo asked me about the other recent SBG made blades available ex stock, the blinged up SBG prototypes – but these swords again are just a little too nice to just use as a daily cutter.

So I am pleased to offer him and everyone else a solution.

It’s been on ice for a few months as I didn’t feel comfortable releasing it until batch 17 was wrapped up properly and batch 18 well underway – but here it is now:

Introducing…

The SBG “Black Dragon” Katana – a basic SBG custom Katana based on a popular design configuration, premade and in stock!

This basic design first appeared in the SBG custom Katana gallery, and since then has proven very popular – with at least 2-3 orders with every batch (and quite a few more that are similar). No real surprise actually, as they are some of the coolest fitting sets on offer.

Basically, it is a 28″ blade available with or without bo-hi with P2 brass Dragon tsuba, C10 Dragon fittings and all black ito wrap/rayskin plus a black glossy saya.

Rather than explain it all again here simply click the link below to read the full story.

SBG Black Dragon Information

Hope you like them!

– Paul

Boxes finally made, tracking information to follow

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Just a quick update for those customers from batch 17 who have been waiting patiently for the boxes to be made, even though they were a day late with it I am pleased to advise that the boxes are FINALLY made and that some tracking numbers will be issued to everyone shortly (though it may be a day or two after Christmas).

Thanks for your patience – I’ll be in touch with everyone individually soon.

– Paul

Delay on the last of batch 17 shipments

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This is definitely extremely frustrating – the last few batch 17 Katana are stalled due to a very annoying issue..

While most swords have been shipped out, a couple of weeks ago we ran into a problem with the shipping boxes. As you probably know, the swords are shipped within a form fitting styrofoam box shown below:

The problem is that we also need to ship this box with an external cardboard box, but the company that makes them for us ran into a delay and then seemingly got overwhelmed by the general Christmas rush, so the most recent update we have is that the boxes will be ready by the 22nd of December..

To say this is extremely frustrating is an understatement, and while we have shipped or are in the process of shipping several swords that were intended as Christmas presents via Express on our dime to cover it, the last few are still stalled and all we can do is keep pushing this company to hurry up and deliver the boxes..

Anyway, I truly am sorry for this delay – we are doing our best and once all the smoke has cleared I’ll be looking at some ways to try and offer something more tangible than just an apology to everyone who ended up waiting longer than expected.

– Paul