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With the end of August looming, the Hanwei Raptor special has sold out and been replaced by the Hattori folded model 2202 Katana, back by popular demand.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

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

Ok, a quick update as to where we are at.

Now that batch 20 is officially closed and batching up to go to the forge we are concentrating on preparing for the previous batch 19 to land and be sorted and shipped to their expectant customers.

I’ll be in contact with everyone from batch 20 over the next few days, so really this is more of a side note here – in the meantime, the long anticipated restock of Ronin Katana’s Dojo Pro series is expected to land and be ready to start shipping orders between the 23rd to the 27th, and as these swords have been out of stock for several months now, I expect the initial demand is going to be rather intense – especially for the extremely popular Dojo Pro Ko Katana – which may only actually be in stock for a few days (they sold out in a couple of weeks last time and the pressure has been building on them ever since).

Too popular for its own good – the 1060TH Carbon Steel Ronin Ko Katana

 As such, if you are interested in this particular model and want to secure one I STRONGLY suggest you sign up to the notification list by clicking the ‘order’ button and then entering your email address to be informed the minute it is available to order (this occurs automatically on all out of stock products).

Of course, along with this incoming shipment are the two prototypes of the Project X Katana – so once we have the stats and some detailed pictures we will be offering this truly exceptional opportunity to a select number of individuals. So stay tuned folks! Exciting stuff ahead!

– Paul

Hi everyone,

It took a bit longer to take care of all the loose ends after my trip, and as our stock levels have become increasingly thin into June there really wasn’t all that much to post about anyway..

We are expecting restocks of our extremely popular Ronin Katana and Cheness Cutlery swords towards the middle of July, but in the meantime I’ll be the first to admit that the store was looking a little bare.

So to this end I had a chat to Hanwei and was able to wrangle a deal to tide you all over until the restock arrives, a very special price on two of the Raptor 5160 Spring Steel blades – the Shobu Zukuri Katana and the Wakizashi – both available at a price below the usual WHOLESALE cost.

With prices increasing across the industry, this is likely to be the last chance to pick up one of these swords at this kind of price – it may not be the most amazing deal we have been able to put on the table for this series, but the days of amazing clearout specials are well and truly over.

Instead, it is quite simply a great opportunity to pick up a solid cutter at a slightly lower price than you would pay if you were a sword WHOLESALER – and you may also notice that with the optional Ricky Chen Deluxe Sharpening service on offer you can take it to the next level and get this sturdy sword honed with an edge that is so sharp it feels like you’ll cut your eye looking at it!

Next month should see a lot more activity as the restocks come in, and if all goes to plan, we will open up for new orders on Batch 20 of the SBG custom Katana (Batch 19 is basically completed and about to ship, just waiting on a few of the more complicated designs to be completed and some pics from the forge before posting on the other blog).

Plus, our long awaited collaboration with Ronin Katana, Project X is picking up momentum and I have just finished writing an official announcement that will be published in next months issue of the Sword Buyers Digest – very exciting stuff for higher end Katana enthusiasts around the corner indeed!

But in the meantime if you are bargain minded and weren’t able to pick up one of the Raptors from last years super sale don’t wait around on this one – while we will always try to bring you as many manufacturer direct discount deals as possible, special deals like this one are becoming rarer as the industry tightens up, so don’t miss out..

– Paul