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.<\/p>\n
But not anymore..<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
PRO:<\/strong> The steep, wide\u00a0blade 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).<\/p>\n CON:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n PRO:<\/strong> It IS DIFFERENTIALLY HARDENED and around $200! Woo-hoo!<\/p>\n CON:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n PRO:<\/strong> Solid Iron fittings at this price point is a real plus, creating a very strong and reliable handle. Nice.<\/p>\n CON:<\/strong> The rayskin is synthetic and it is wrapped in a faux suede that cannot get quite as tight as cotton, leather, silk, etc\u00a0(shifts slightly, but unlikely to come off. An annoyance, not a disaster).<\/p>\n PRO:<\/strong> On the bright side, no animals were harmed in the construction of this sword (but an ostrich got nervous).<\/p>\n 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..<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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)..<\/p>\n Better fix that up – in the meantime, to get the full scoop on this sword, check out Marc’s review here<\/a> – 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)..<\/p>\n In the meantime, here it is in all it’s glory.<\/p>\n Click here for more information<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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? \u2026 Continue reading SUMMARY:<\/strong><\/h2>\n