1st Real Sword - Practical Katana?

[Mitchell Knives]

Hello everyone. Typically I just post in the knife forums but, I've become interested in swords recently. Please excuse my ignorance or if I'm asking something that has already been covered. I have a bunch of questions, so please bear with me.


A week or so ago, my friend and I took our very cheap katanas and proced to try and chop up some branches. Both of them broke.

So, I'm looking for functional sword that is inexpensive. I want something that could actually be used in combat.

From what I've gathered, the "Practical Katana" is probably my best bet. I beleive that it is made by Paul Chen and is about $200.00 or less. I think it said 1095 steel. I also read that it is supposed to have a real temper line and ray skin handle. The design is not supposed to be historically accurate but, that does not matter to me. Is all this correct?

My question is, is this really a good sword? I want something that I can really use hard and not worrying about it failing. I know that most cheap Katanas use plastic as the handle material...what kind of material does this one have?

I would really, really appreciate it if those who actually own this sword could give me some feedback and opinions.

Secondly, I have no idea of a good reputable company to buy the sword from. I see them on Ebay a lot but, I would rather order from a dealer. Who do you recommend? Also, I've seen a "Practical Katana Plus Model", what's the difference?


Thanks in advance.

 

[Robert Marotz]

Okie let me give you some background information...

The Hanwei Practical Katana was designed a few years ago to fulfill the niche of people wanting an inexpensive "real" katana to practice with. It DOES have a traditional design overall. Unless it changed recently, the samegawa (what is normally rayskin wrapping) is plastic. The core is still wood, and the tang is fairly securely fastened as far as I can recall. The habaki (little collar that seats the blade in the scabbard) started out as plastic, but in response to the sword community and market's requirements, they changed to metal.

The blades have been proven to be quite tough and most people are pleased with the PK.

The PK Plus is the step between the PK and the Shinto-level pieces. The differences are more traditional construction (removable tsuka I think), real rayskin same-gawa, and more aesthetically pleasing fittings (in my opinion) for your purposes, I would think there's no consideration for any of those improvements.

I don't want to chastize you for the use you put swords through, but hacking at trees is not conventional or very appropriate use for swords. It is unfortunate that your cheap swords broke, but most proper swords and even a lot of improper ones have limitations. For instance, You start using a Hanwei PK and hit trees a lot. While the blade will probably survive being beaten up, you may notice the handle loosening on you. This happens to many swords even in normal use (especially when bad technique is employed) but will be much more severe with the constant pounding shocks.

Do you or have you ever practiced a real form of swordsmanship? There is a lot more to cutting than just swinging the sword and hitting something with it. Poor cuts in a tough material can lead to damage even in very high quality swords.

However, I think some swords were more meant for abuse than others. You may want to consider a Himalayan Imports piece. Since you said authenticity means nothing, it should suit your purposes. I am not entirely sure specifically how tough this particular model of theirs is, but they have a lot of followers.

In addition, someone will probably mention Criswell swords. These are quite a bit more expensive than the PK, but are probably better designed for what you have in mind. I'd really like to test one sometime, because they may be pretty fun for real test cutting too.

A third commonly touted one is Kris Cutlery. They have a reputation for being tough, albeit their history has had a lot of problems with consistency and you may not necessarily get an optimal specimen of what they offer. On the other hand, most people do get them, and like them quite a bit.

As far as dealers, there are a lot of them. One that has had an overall good reputation is 888knivesrus, and that's what I point people to when they want to see something online. I won't suggest whether or not to purchase from them, so that decision is up to you.

I hope that helped a little bit.

 

[Mitchell Knives]

Yes, that did help a lot. I know that going around chopping fallen branches with a katana is not such a great idea but, we really didn't care as they were extremely cheap swords. Even so, we were only cutting branches that were maybe two finger widths thick. Well, you get what you pay for. I'm honestly not all that familiar with sword technique, I'm more of a knife combat type guy. Although I know that just slamming a sword into a target does absolutely nothing. Would a fencing class be of any use? They offer one here at the university that is supposed to be very good.


Hmmmmmmmmm. Well, if the Practical Katana Plus Model is only a bit more, I might opt for that. Being able to take it apart would be nice. Honestly, I'm not going to really take it out and test it a whole lot. I just want something that could be functional for combat. Plus, it would look nice on my wall.

 

[Triton]

I second the suggestion to check out Criswell or perhaps www.kriscutlery.com for the sort of stuff you are in the market for. Fencing is a sport and there is no cutting involved. If you want to learn how to cut things your only real option is a iado class I think.

 

[rrl]

I used to have the practical katana and I currently have the practical plus. The Practical plus is worth the extra money in my opinion. I totaly customized mine and I am really happy with it.

 

[jjcoolay]

So the only diff from the practical plus and the PK is fittings and your ability to customize? Hmmmm intresting.

I was planning to get a PK but I had never heard of this PK plus till today. Worth looking into.

 

[Ferrous Wheel]

Kris stuff has changed over the years, as they have different craftspeople doing their version of the model. I iwn multiple Kris knives, swords, and polearms, all sturdy and well made.

"very cheap katanas and proced to try and chop up some branches. Both of them broke." You are quite lucky you were not injured, do exercise some caution, my friend.

Keith

 

[Mitchell Knives]

Ferrous Wheel - Yes, caution is a good thing. We were being safe about it though...very light strokes. It dosn't take much to break a plastic handle. I'm sure if you did a full power stroke, the blade would snap out of the handle and end up seriously injuring someone.

The PK Plus sounds like the one for my needs. I can actually put it to use on occasion and it will look good on the wall too.

Question: Are the pins holding the blade made of metal?

 

[Robert Marotz]

I'm not entirely certain of the pins on the PK Plus but I would guess they're made of bamboo, like on most swords.

There's a few reasons for the use of bamboo in mekugi. First, it's very strong material...the tang should be fitted tightly so there is no free play and can almost be swung without the need for pins. The mekugi ensures the security of the blade by stopping any potential movement. So there's not *that* much kinetic energy that can be applied to the pin itself. In addition, while the pin goes through the entire handle, there is only a very short portion of it being exposed to the forces of the nakago's movement, so there's not much ability to really bend the pin.

Another issue is wood compression. Removable metal pins do not compress or "give" any, and thus force the wood around them to compress when making a tight fit. any shifting or movement can further deform the surrounding wood, and loosen the pin until it is no longer serviceable. A softer material like bamboo is a little more giving and doesn't force the wood to compress in the same way, so it can stay very tight.

There have been some folks making micarta mekugi, but I don't know enough about the physical properties of micarta to make any assumptions.

Addendum: And the fact that there are 2 mekugi means that the stresses on each one is dramatically reduced still...so it should be very solid and secure.