I received the sword in a very timely manner. Getting shipped from China and arriving on my doorstep in a little over a week is pretty dang good. The sword overall is really sturdy and everything fits well. The only two gripes that I have are that the the piece that fits on the bottom of the handel wasn't ornamented. The other is that the blade is dull,dull,dull! I've ordered a sword previously from True Katana and that blade was great! I will have to get this sword sharpened or I've just bought a very expensive butter knife. By the way.. I love the instruction booklet. Don't put the sword in your mouth lol!
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Handmade Ninjato Straight Japanese Sword Spring Steel With Black Blade |
I wanted a relatively cheap display piece I got what I ordered.
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Japanese Tachi Odachi Sword With Damascus Steel With Blue Scabbard |
I have purchased these three swords as samples to see if they would be a viable product line to offer in our businesses and martial art centers.
Here are my findings:
All three swords are aesthetically pleasing and the fittings are ornate. I feel these would be a pleasant addition to a display or collection or for a beginning practitioner.
For someone looking for a sword to practice or cut with regularly, the product we received may not be the best products. Here are some reasons for this.
Two of the three blades were noticeable sharpened on a belt grinder and the edge geometry was a bit inconsistent. 2 of the 3 passed a paper cut test.
The two "folded" blades (the katana and naginata) are not folded steel, even under magnification. We have also observed a few imperfections such as chipping, staining and rolled tips but those appear to only be cosmetic. While the folding is not critical with modern steel, the appearance it provides would help sell the product and was a reason we chose them. The unfolded T10 material would be functionally sufficient. Also note that the cost was higher for these "folded" versions.
The hamon on each blade was very light, though looks nice, does not carry the deep gray appearance despite the fine polish. I am concerned how sufficiently heat treated the edge may truly be.
The fitment of the habaki is fairly loose, only fitting the mune and ha properly.
The Tachi shares the same profile and curvature as the katana and is the same length despite being listed as a longer blade.
All three swords show some fitment issues where things are misaligned or roughly ground to fit. The koiguchi and shito-dome are prime examples of this on the naginata as they exhibit grinding or chisel marks of fitting the blade. The naginata Saya sticks at every insertion and retraction of the blade.
The tsuka profiles of each were a bit blocky and the tsuka-ito is fairly wide, adding bulk to the grip. Very much a factory made handle.
Each sword came with manual the states the blades should not be used for cutting. We were able to confirm with customer service that it was ok to perform tameshigiri with the blades. They expressed the manual was a meant to be more of a cautionary document than a disclaimer.
We completed testing the sample products. In short, they do cut but only ok. We performed 6 cuts with each blade on rolled tatami omote, mounted on a regulation stand, in a vertical fashion. The tatami was rolled tight with no center material such as bamboo to ensure consistency in each cut.
We observed some ha (edge) deformation and marks left on the hiraji and shinogi (angled blade body surface) but nothing substantial. This is likely due to the edge and blade geometry being fairly flat (vs more convex) and a maybe the blades not being heat treated as hard as they could be.
We also did notice the fuchi was loose on the katana after completing the cuts. This can be corrected easily but should not happen on a new blade.
For a newer practitioner, these swords would be fine.
I am a bit discouraged with the customer service when we provided similar feedback and asked about the katana and naginate not being folded. They were somewhat accusatory and reluctantly did provide an RMA stating that we could return the blades only if they were still in the original packaging and unused. In short, we opted not to return the swords due to the packaging being discarded and to continue our testing. Our intent is to keep these products as examples for our clients and students and to showcase features that may or may not be satisfactory.
For practitioners seeking a functional sword, there may be some value at investigating True Katana's performance line. My experience may not be inclusive to all their products but the customer service was disconcerting. I will recommend the hanwei product line before True Katana in the future.
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Handmade Japanese Tachi Odachi Sword High Manganese Steel Real Hamon Full Tang |
This is my second Purchase from True Katana and I am very happy. My Katana and Wakizashi are beautiful pieces of art. I will be purchasing a High Performance Katana in the near future.
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High-performance T10 Carbon Steel Real Hamon Japanese Wakizashi Sword With Green Scabbard |
Very satisfied. The color and overall size and weight are very nice.
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Handmade Japanese Blind Fury Zatoichi Stick Sword T10 Carbon Steel Real Hamon |
Extremely happy dealing with TrueKatana. The scabbard was damaged in shipping and the within 2 days of receiving the sword, customer service had a replacement getting shipped. The sword is beautiful, love the blue blade and the design of the hilt and scabbard. It adds a modern touch to a classic style.
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Handmade Japanese Blind Fury Zatoichi Stick Sword Spring Steel |
Item arrived on time very pleased with my purchase .just what I wanted a working man's sword.
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Handmade Japanese Tachi Odachi Sword High Manganese Steel Real Hamon Full Tang |
Loving this order. You can really tell it was made with the utmost attention to detail and craftsmanship. I have no complaints at all. Would recommend this site to anyone.
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Handmade Japanese Chokuto Ninjato Sword Pattern Steel |
The sword showed up even sooner than I expected with an oil wrap around the blade to keep it pristine and very high quality. The blade is every bit as magnificent as it appears in the photos
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Handmade Japanese Tachi Odachi Sword High Manganese Steel Real Hamon Full Tang |
5 Stars for perfection with first time buyer! The fast delivery and product is definitively great!
Very happy with this purchase!
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Japanese Tachi Odachi Sword 1045 Carbon Steel With Blue Scabbard |
This sword was as advertised. It’s very good quality and super sharp edge. The scabbard is surprisingly high quality as well.
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Handmade Ninjato Straight Japanese Sword Spring Steel With Black Blade |
Extremely great sword Shipping was faster than Expected Don't hesitate to buy one you won't be disappointed now I'm looking forward to buying 1 of high end swords call mom
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Japanese Tachi Odachi Sword With Damascus Steel With Blue Scabbard |
Nice blade. I've been ecstatic about everything I've gotten from True Katana.
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Handmade Japanese Blind Fury Zatoichi Stick Sword Spring Steel |
I love nagamaki and this is my third. The Longquan sword market is competitive and I could've possibly got it cheaper on Ebay etc. But I love Truekatana's prompt service and good customer support!
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Handmade Japanese Naginata Sword T10 Folded Clay Tempered Steel |
I’ve bought two swords from these guys so far and I’m not disappointed whatsoever they look and feel amazing
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Handmade Japanese Blind Fury Zatoichi Stick Sword Spring Steel |
I know this site might seem a little fishy at first but it is real. Really it is I was worried at first I can in in perfectly fine and is a good sword. Pineapple but is great
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Handmade Japanese Tachi Odachi Sword Damascus Steel With Brown Scabbard |
Great quality. Only complaint is the carrying handle on the scabbard was adhered with glue that broke loose immediately. I re-glued it with wood glue an it's fine now.
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Handmade Japanese Tachi Odachi Sword Damascus Steel With Brown Scabbard |
Really good quality, sharp enough to cut paper, i’ve already ordered 2 more katanas
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Japanese Tachi Odachi Sword With Damascus Steel With Blue Scabbard |
The very best sword I have an l have a lot good job
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Handmade Japanese Naginata Sword T10 Folded Clay Tempered Steel |
Sword quality is very good and so was the customer service. It was only about 3 weeks from the time I ordered the sword until I received it. This Tachi is the 19th sword I have purchased over the past 2 years and I will buy more from True Katana as I expand my collection.
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Japanese Tachi Odachi Sword 1045 Carbon Steel With Blue Scabbard |
