#BUYING AUTHENTIC KATANA FULL#

Most people in the know agree they are worth it. And they aren't cheap, the average price is $1,500. The only drawback with Bugei swords is you often need to be patient when While their swords are made by the Hanwei Forge, what makes the Bugei Sword Company stand out is that their Katana are special ordered by Sensei James Williams of the Nami Ryu, who designs and stands behind the company.

#BUYING AUTHENTIC KATANA FULL#

$599.99Ĭlick here for the full review Bugei Sword Company Highly recommended for anyone making their first foray into high quality Katana. Excellent construction, handling and value for money. Hanwei's first sword and one of their finest. The blade was quite amazing - but it was fitted out on the cheap and as such, was something of a let down. My first experience with the higher end was with a sword called the 'Yasha' Katana which was made by a certified master smith, Chris Zhou. And yes, sometimes even certified master smiths (whatever you may think about swords made in China, there ARE highly skilled, and very proud, government certified smiths who make swords that their ancestors would be proud of). They are made with more attention to detail, use better quality steels, forging techniques and materials by more experienced smiths. Generally speaking, what we can define as true high quality Katana tend to start at around the $600 price point. While the general rule of thumb is 'you get what you pay for', price alone is not always the best indication of quality (though it is a good starting point). Time is money, and to make high quality Katana takes both to do it right. So if less than perfect is not acceptable and you want more than a dojo grade sword, you need to spend more.īut how much more? High quality Katana recommendations To produce perfect, high quality Katana swords at the sub US$300 price (and is met with silence if you try to contact them about getting aīut the moral of the story is, at the end of the day, it is simply impossible Through QC, or in the case of some sellers, is just sent out anyway Offenders out with scratch and dent sales - sometimes a lemon does sneak While the better brands and sellers take care to weed their worst Inspection but rapidly loosen over time (because of the way they areįitted in the first place) and other annoying or even potentially Issues with the handle, loose fittings that pass initial Indeed, at their worst, sub US$300 swords can have serious To a large degree, some of these issues are unavoidableĭue to the price point and largely to be expected (though hopefully notĪll at the same time on a single blade!). Other small imperfections that do not effect the swords overallįunctionality). Of sharpness and even some slight bends in the blade (and many (scabbard) that rattles when shaken, ugly kissaki (tip), varying levels

Looking rayskin offcuts (the raw materials for a full rayskin wrap isĪround US$70), cheap synthetic leather or 'shoelacy' cotton ito on Process or faint tool marks that are not polished out are largely to be Minor issues such as the odd scuff mark leftover from the shaping

If you have been ripped off or received a lemon and nothing was doneĪbout it, this is the page where you can share YOUR stories and

The spirit of the site - instead we concentrate on trying to find the Shame' bad Japanese sword makers and sellers. They are all made in China by blue collar workers or apprentices, usually using power hammers to assist them (not that there is anything wrong with that, they use power hammers do in Japan too). But none are made by a master smith, no matter what the description claims. True enough, all of the swords we have looked at to date (apart from the cheap collectibles, which are made by machine) are hand forged. But we have already examined these in detail as well.Ĭomparatively speaking, everything we have recommended so far can be classified as a high quality Katana when compared to the masses of cheap and nasty stuff out there.īut they aren't perfect - at the end of the day ALL sub US$300 Japanese swords, be they dojo level swords with real hamon, monotempered beaters or simply cheap machine made 1045 carbon steel knockoffs have one thing in common:ĭespite how well they might perform, they all have their issues because there is only so much that can be done when making a sword to a budget. The majority of sword buyers, and the area that we specialize in, tends to focus on swords between $100 to $300. These can be had for well under $100 and are discussed on the site elsewhere. To some people, a high quality katana is one that isn't made of stainless steel and can actually cut stuff in the backyard. Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA).Ultra Durable 'Beater' Katana under $400.

Affordable Traditional Blades with 'Hamon'.

Buying authentic katana