It has been nearly a year since we last took orders on the official SBG Custom Katana 3.0 series – and despite running on increasingly thin profit margins, and experiencing many unexpected and lengthy delays – due to popular demand we are retooling this line which we have been running for the last 9-10 years and preparing to give it another run..
This pending batch, batch 41, is a critical turning point for this line. If we cannot reach our lofty goal of as close as possible to zero errors, zero QC fails and completed as close as possible to the 90 day turnaround time we aim for with this batch, this could quite possibly be the last batch we ever make..
The forge are aware of how strict we need to be this time around. And to meet our customer demands, we also added a few additional optional extras to create an even more authentic, truly personalized sword..
NEW OPTIONS
The first optional extras have to do with the construction of the blade itself. The standard SBG Custom Katana 3.0 is a Maru Blade, that is to say the blade is made from one type of steel (T10 tool steel) with the option to have it folded 6-7 times for a traditional look and attractive hada.
But we have added two additional lamination options – SanMai and Kobuse laminations – to create the most authentic blade ever (plus, you can combine the laminated blade with folding to get it as close as possible to the forging methods used to make a real Nihonto at just a fraction of the price you would expect to pay for a complete package like this)..
As you can see, the standard blade is made from a billet of pure T10 Tool Steel, while the SanMai is T10 sandwiched between two layers of ever so slightly softer 1095 carbon steel to create a stiff, forceful cutting blade with attractive lamination lines and the Kobuse has a soft core of iron enveloped on both sides of the cutting edge by a T10 tool steel Jacket.
The Kobuse lamination is perhaps the most practical of the two choices we offer, with the softer core acting as a shock absorber to further increase overall durability, while the SanMai is more visually striking – especially when combined with folding and the clay tempered hamon that each and every sword comes with as standard..
Clay Tempered with real hamon, real SanMai Lamination and Folding for the most traditional look
In addition to these optional extras on the blade, due to popular demand we were able to secure a limited supply of 4 extremely popular premium quality Koshirae sets – including the classic ‘Hobgoblin’, the Torakami configuration and more – available for an additional $25.
The only thing remaining now is a final price confirmation and check with the forge – as the base cost of all components has increased dramatically in the last few years. But more so, the cost of shipping (which we absorb – shipping is FREE to anywhere in North America/Canada) – as well as the cost of inspecting, repackaging and reshipping each sword – has skyrocketed to the point where the special base price of $429.99 may not even be enough to break even.. (In all honesty, the base price should be closer to $600 to cover costs if something goes wrong and to pay for all the time that goes into each order)..
But we will do our best to bring it back at the old price, or as close to it as humanly possible, because I consider the SBG Custom Katana to be something of a service to the sword community.. It is not a sword that sells enough pieces to be a threat to any other sword manufacturer, but it has been fine tuned over the years to offer the absolute best bang for your buck blade possible if you have the patience to wait it out..
So stay tuned folks, I know that many people have been waiting a LOOONG time for this line to come back, and to those of you who have been patiently waiting for your chance, it is just around the corner..
– Paul
