Website design By BotEap.comAuthentic Japanese swords can and often do cost a small fortune.
Website design By BotEap.comIn fact, many (but not all) sword collectors hold that to get a halfway decent sword, you need to spend around US$1000. And the max? Well, the sky is the limit (there are quite a few Japanese katanas that sell for around US$25,000).
Website design By BotEap.comSo what about all those $50 swords being sold on eBay and elsewhere?
Website design By BotEap.comWell, at the end of the day, these swords are often junk ornamental “sword-like objects.” They cannot be used as a martial arts weapon. Even turning them with moderate force risks the blade breaking at the handle…
Website design By BotEap.comBut if you know what to look for, it is quite possible to buy authentic Japanese swords at a reasonable price, for example, between US$150 and US$500. And in some cases, even for less than this amount of money, it is possible to get a good sword that is well balanced, sharp, strong, and a great buy.
Website design By BotEap.comFor starters though, let’s take a quick look at what separated authentic Japanese swords from ornamental ones:
- Japanese swords are slightly curved, sharp, and single-edged.
- Authentic Japanese swords are light and fast weapons and must not weigh more than 3 pounds maximum. They are also very well balanced.
- Real Japanese swords are not made of stainless steel, they are made of high carbon steel. They also have what is called a “differentially tempered blade”, which means the sharp edge of the sword is harder than the spine, giving the sword flexibility (so it doesn’t break on impact), but also an extreme cutting power.
- Authentic Japanese swords also have a tang (the part of the blade that goes into the handle) that is made as part of the blade, not a piece of steel welded on afterwards (called a “rat tail” tang).
Website design By BotEap.comThere are also some other factors to consider, such as traditional appearance and accessories…
Website design By BotEap.comNow, in our target price range of US$150 to $500, there are only a few swords that qualify, and you’d be surprised, they’re not necessarily the most expensive either…
Website design By BotEap.comThe first is the
Katana BWT Generation 2 (about US$329 + shipping)
Website design By BotEap.comWhile I really like the Gen2s line of European swords as high quality yet very affordable “beater” swords, their BWT Katana, while a good option, still has some major drawbacks. There are two versions of this sword: one more traditional but simple looking, and one that uses a lot of brown suede and has an almost surreal “cowboy” quality…
Website design By BotEap.comNeither is particularly attractive. But the biggest problem is structural failure, as the BWT Katana uses water buffalo horn for the small but critical band under the handguard (called the
fuchi) which has actually been known to occasionally crack on impact…
Website design By BotEap.comForward…
Website design By BotEap.coma lot of people like the
Nahuarra from Mexico Katana (RRP around US$200, but it’s almost impossible to buy them at this price and they tend to be over US$400)
Website design By BotEap.comUnfortunately, they’re too plain, too heavy (about 3.52 pounds), poorly balanced, sharp (but not as sharp as they should be), hard to find, and, well…
Website design By BotEap.comForward…
Website design By BotEap.comWhite weapon make a very durable “Katana” for just over US$300. These swords are sharp and extremely durable. But they are by no means traditional. They are not differentially tempered (they are a monosteel sword, like a European sword, all of uniform hardness) and they are not balanced correctly…
Website design By BotEap.comBUT, they are not a BAD choice… The only thing is that in my opinion (and in the opinion of many Japanese sword enthusiasts around the world) there is a better and even cheaper alternative.
Website design By BotEap.comIf you’re really looking for an affordable “entry level” Japanese sword, there’s really only one option, and that’s the
practical katana and the
Practical Plus Katana by Paul Chen’s Hanwei Forge.
Website design By BotEap.comThese swords have it all, and for an online price of around US$279 for the Practical Plus Katana and US$169 for the simple vanilla model, they offer excellent value for money.
Website design By BotEap.comThey are light (less than 3 pounds) and incredibly well balanced. They are made from premium quality high carbon steel. They have a “differently tempered” blade, a solidly built tang and boy – are these sharp babies! I’ve cut everything from cardboard boxes to pieces of rope, plastic bottles filled with water (of all shapes and sizes in a row and hanging), bamboo and traditional rolled up tatami mats, and it’s no exaggeration to say I’ve never felt a thing. resistance to my cuts. In fact, many of my friends who aren’t crazy about swords are able to effortlessly slice through a plastic water bottle filled with water so easily they swear they missed it (until the water gushes over their feet). .
Website design By BotEap.comI love these swords! And what’s so great about them is the price! NOTHING COMES CLOSE!
Website design By BotEap.comNow sure, they’re not the same as swords ten times the price. But I remember seeing on a website when I was first reviewing them a side by side comparison of quite a few different “entry level” Katana’s, and these were the only cheap Japanese swords that were even seen, and overall, they were just 33% behind spades TEN TIMES THE PRICE!
Website design By BotEap.comAnyway, at the end of the day, if you love authentic Japanese swords and don’t have (or don’t want to spend) a lot of money, you should seriously take a look at these swords! I guarantee you will join me and a small army of enthusiastic fans from all over the world…
Website design By BotEap.com🙂
