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Update

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Just another quick update – Batch 20 is well on the way from the forge and we are bracing ourselves for customs.. It’s going to be annoying and intensive, but rest assured we always do our best to minimize any delays..

Because now the forge does not have any custom orders that they are doing for us (though they are doing a few priority remakes on some swords and components that we were not happy with from batch 19) batch 21 is scheduled to officially open on the 31st of October..

As mentioned previously, this is going to be a very small and very tight run – and because there is so much going on (plus at the same time I am struggling a bit with a very nasty cold that will probably take 2-3 weeks to get over) I’m not sure if there will be time to answer all SBG custom Katana questions. I’ll do my best once we open up, but cannot guarantee anything at this point (sorry guys, I am working 24/7 but there simply are not enough hours in the day at the moment).

Got to go, I’ll post again soon.

 – Paul

Some Hanwei Specials..

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Every now and again we get the chance to pass on some tremendous savings from the Giant of the sword industry, Paul Chen’s Hanwei Forge.

And I am pleased to say that this is one of those times again, though this time it’s only until the 12th of October..

The savings are massive and the swords some of the best in their class – all backed up by Hanwei’s 12 month Warranty (this is fresh stock, not seconds – just slightly overstocked).

Check them out while they are available!

Back to Normal

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Hey guys,

Thanks for bearing with me while I was away in Longquan. I have to say, it was an incredibly eye opening trip – we saw and were shown much, much more than what we expected and indeed it is going to take several months to disseminate it all to you, but this isn’t really news for the store per se, if you are interested in knowing more I suggest signing up to read all about it in the October issue of the sword buyers digest online magazine which I am currently writing up right now for its release on the 1st of October.

Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know that we are quickly getting back to normal after settling in after the trip. There are still quite a few emails that need to be addressed and orders to be shipped after the weekend, but my assistant Karyn and I are working hard to make sure that any further delays are minimized.

In the meantime, here’s a sneak preview of some of the Ronin Dojo Pro in action over in Longquan (first time I had ever cut that thick ‘Asian Bamboo’ though have wanted to ever since I laid eyes on it so can cross it off my bucket list).

Thanks all, talk again soon.

– Paul

Quick Update

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Ok, quick overall update time – as I have a fair bit of ground to cover I’ll break this update up into several sections, starting with:

PROJECT X

Project X closed off around 24 hours ago and formatting the pre-orders and getting the final production information out to the Master Smiths accordingly. Sorry to everyone who is asking if they can get a pre-order in now, at this stage of the game it is a little bit late, but don’t worry – you’ll get another chance when the swords come in sometime in Jan/Feb (sure, the pre-orders get the best pick – but we are making enough swords – made by the RIGHT people – that even the worst of them would still be an incredible buy. And if there are any that come in with any flaws, we will offer them at reduced price respectively).

Updates will be sent via email to pre-order customers, but you can also stay abreast of the project by signing up to the Project X newsletter here.

HOT SPECIALS

With the end of August looming, the Hanwei Raptor special has sold out and been replaced by the Hattori folded model 2202 Katana, back by popular demand.

Check them out here.

SBG CUSTOM KATANA

I will post a proper update shortly on the dedicated blog, but just wanted to keep the stragglers from batch 19 in the loop. Customs finally released all but 10 of the swords and my agent is feverishly inspecting them and shipping as fast as possible without messing it up (after all, after waiting a month extra it would be a disaster to send the wrong sword out just because we are trying to make up for time).

SBG EXCLUSIVES

Held back due to the backlog of the SBG Custom Katana in batch 19, we have been sitting on a quantity of Black Dragon Katana – the famous ‘all black’ design that out of all the possible variations of the SBG Custom Katana appeared time and time again as a popular combination (take one look at it and I think you can see why)..

Shipping may be slightly delayed as my agent concentrates on shipping out those stragglers from batch 19, but we should be fully caught up by next week. Check them out here.

I think that’s about it for the time being, as always any questions send me an email and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can.

– Paul

Restocked and good to go

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Hi everyone,

The restock of our Cheness Cutlery and Ronin Katana lines seemed to take forever to come in, but I am pleased to advise that as of yesterday both lines have been fully stocked and are good to go (Cheness came in last week, but Ronin – which was originally scheduled for mid July took until August the 7th! But these things do happen when importing swords in large numbers).

A few quick notes on the Ronin restock – models 4 and 5 have been swapped around, i.e. the model formerly known as model 4 is now model 5 and model 5 is now model 4. The product names are the same, and there are no other changes, but I thought I should mention it to try and diffuse any possible confusion (though probably it has had the opposite result! No need to worry though, it’s really just an internal logistical thing anyway).

Also, stock levels on two models – the exceptionally popular Ko Katana and the model 4 (previously the model 5, argh – well, THIS one) – are not enough to last very long, so if you want to get hold of these you really do need to act fast.

Finally, they have also brought back the woodland themed ‘Morinokami’ sword (model 13) shown below:

So anyway, good to see that for the most part the store is pretty well stocked at the moment – and it is about to get a lot more interesting as the Prototypes for Project X are also in and being inspected, checked and photographed. So stay tuned, more news on this VERY soon..!

– Paul