Katana Sword Help. Looking for a durable and well-balanced Katana.?
I'm looking to get my first Katana for backyard cutting on mostly light to medium targets with the ability for hard targets (which I'd rarely do). My budget is the sub-$300 range. I've started my research already on the SBG website and I have narrowed down my search to some options. I'd like to hear some recommendations and experience please.
For the most part, I think I would prefer the "spring steel" type of blade for durability (9120, 5120, and 1060 spring). Most of my options are thoroughly hardened (TH) blades for durability as well. I'd like something as light a possible for faster performance and balance without sacrificing too much in durability.
Here are my options:
1. Dynasty Forge (DF) Musha Class w/ Bo-Hi -- (1060 spring steel) 2. Ronin Dojo Pro (model 1 or 4) -- (1060 TH steel, no bo-hi option) 3. Hanwei Raptor (Shinogi Zukuri or Unokubi Zukuri) -- (5160 steel) 4. Cheness Kaze -- (this is deferentially hardened but has a great natural Hamon, however, not as durable).
2012-04-07T10:53:10Z
@Ymir Thank you for the response! Now that was something I was looking for. However, how come Dynasty Forge claims their metal is "1060 spring steel"? Their blades are forged by the same forge that produces the Cold Steel Warrior (which also claims spring steel 1050). Are they adding something to the steel (ie. Silicone or Chromium) which gives it the bending ratio and resilience as shown in the cold steel videos? If so, how are they still able to call it 1060 and spring steel in the same sentence?
Ymir2012-04-07T07:16:08Z
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For 9260 silicon spring steel, Cheness is the one to go to. They have the most experience working and heat treating such alloys.
5160 spring steel is very abundant in steel making industries and several manufacturers have worked with them. Hanwei Tactical Wakizashi recently released a 5160.
1060 is not spring steel. Whenever it starts with a "1" it means it is a pure steel, not an alloy.
http://www.nihonzashi.com/types_of_steel.aspx
For durability, spring steels have very good resistance. They don't use them as gun springs for nothing. Swords break because fracture lines begin forming when the sword "bends", causing metal fatigue. An impact then cuts the fracture line apart and now you have a helicopter rotating in the air. Because spring steel can bend and turn back and the metal fatigue is extremely resistant and rare, you can slice targets and if you meet unexpected resistance and the blade is jammed or twisted, it won't develop metal fatigue as much. Or even at all.
I would lean towards Cheness for 9260. I have no preference on manufacturer for 5160, unless it is Hanwei. They generally have a wide range of smith skills for various metals. Their new model productions have quality defects (lemons), but the old ones are pretty straight. Their aesthetics, apart from their Practical or Tactical line, tend to be very good as well.
The rule of thumb is that unless the manufacturer has a lot of experience with a certain metal and sword type/length, you should becareful buying any new production models off of them. Sword making, especially the mass production type done to supply modern demand, can have quality issues and they aren't fixed until the swords go out and they get checked then the reviews start coming back. L6 tool steels and other alloy steels that are hard to work with, tend to have these issues even more. For any pure steels, it is relatively simple to work with, but it gets more difficult the more impurities and alloys are present in the steel. None of this affects the 4 choices you have, since they are relatively old models from reputable manufacturers. I have no experience with 1/2, but have heard of Dynasty Forge.
EDIT: These issues you have to ask them personally. 5160 is the old and standard way to call spring steel. That's what the 5 is for. Maybe they heat treat it and add in vanadium or something and it has some spring like qualities, but no industrial manufacturer would ever accept 1060 as spring steel. There has to be specific impurity ratios in it to be labeled a spring steel. If their steel stat list describes it as spring steel, then the best option is to simply ask their sales rep directly. Or whoever is stocking it, it may not be the manufacturer's own website, but some other retailer.
You didn't provide any source links so I have nothing to look at. That means if you want to know, you'll have to ask them about it. I own and tested a 1060 differentially hardened katana from Musashi. Great value for the price and the hamon looks appropriate. I use an iaito to practice exhaustion and sword sheathing practices. It's nice to be able to swing a sword until you can barely lift it, and not worry about having an accident.
While I have not had an accident with using a shinken, there's a whole bunch of my fellow students that aren't even ready for iaitos yet. One girl hit her toe with a bo, twice, in the course of a semi new kata. Twice. The first one she even told the class about, and then just did it again. Keep these people away from steel or zinc alloy iaitos. Or make sure you're 10 feet away.
EDIT2: Destruction tests of Cheness 9260 swords is amazing. Cutting sheet metal and the sword doesn't even bend, even though it nicks. Cutting through tree limbs, etc. Nobody is going to test that with a 2k Hanwei sword. Except some billionaire or millionaire.
Dynasty Forge and Hanwei I have heard focus a lot on aesthetics and the furniture of a sword. Cheness usually doesn't pay attention to such things. Most people collect swords and customize them, and so it isn't much of an issue. disassemble, reassemble.
Put simply it is not, I would venture to say that it is the second best sword ever created. The best sword ever created is the long bladed/handled chinese Gim, or tai chi sword. This sword can be wielded either single handed or double handed which gives it an advantage over the katana in range of motion. The katana must be wielded with two hands which restricts reach and range of motion, to give an example: the one-handed lunge of the Gim has a longer reach than the two-handed lunge of the Katana. the Gim is also lighter AND it has a double-sided blade, so it has a speed advantage over the katana. When you make a cut with a Katana you have to twist the sword to make a second cut which wastes time, uses extra energy, and also restircts motion even more. The Gim still has equal power, however because you can use two hands for powerful slices and thrusts when needed.