We used to sell these years ago – but back in those days they had a strictly regulated minimum advertising price, so while excellent, crazy sharp swords they were – they were a tad overpriced.
But not anymore..
But price aside, the sword itself – how does it stack up? Lets take a look at it from a Pros and Cons Point of View.
PRO: The steep, wide blade angle cuts a lot like the Cheness SGC – but with a much lighter, faster (and extremely well balanced) cut (and, price again, at $40 or so less).
CON: Unlike the SGC, the blade is differentially hardened – so it is not a sword to “abuse” but rather a precision tool. And thus, not for everybody as it is considerably more breakable.
PRO: It IS DIFFERENTIALLY HARDENED and around $200! Woo-hoo!
CON: The hamon is covered over by an acid etch. I.e. it is not a natural hamon, but there is a hamon UNDER there. Crap.
PRO: Solid Iron fittings at this price point is a real plus, creating a very strong and reliable handle. Nice.
CON: The rayskin is synthetic and it is wrapped in a faux suede that cannot get quite as tight as cotton, leather, silk, etc (shifts slightly, but unlikely to come off. An annoyance, not a disaster).
PRO: On the bright side, no animals were harmed in the construction of this sword (but an ostrich got nervous).
SUMMARY:
The overall effect is that while it has an untraditional geometry, the overall effect is surprisingly close to how a real Japanese Nihonto feels in the hand and performs..
I don’t know if it was intentional or they just got lucky (probably, like how swords developed historically, it was a process of trial and error) – but at the end of the day, for the price, this is a hugely enjoyable sword and a fantastic base for customization.
Now where have I heard that before.. Looks like I messed up linking to SBG Sword Forums Global Moderator Marc Ridgeways original review (that to do list of mine just keeps on getting longer by the second! Lol)..
Better fix that up – in the meantime, to get the full scoop on this sword, check out Marc’s review here – it is actually super helpful as it is also a bit like a guide to Japanese terminology at the same time (actually, tell the truth, I added this later with Marcs blessing he freely used some advanced terminology without referencing it – and I decided it would be a good chance to introduce beginners to the meaning at the same time)..
In the meantime, here it is in all it’s glory.
Click here for more information
