Cold Steel Chisa Katana

S

scottytoohotty74

Joined
Aug 5, 2008
Messages
82
Hi All,
I have been collecting Cold Steel for 20 years and I have always regarded their products as very tough. I also own some Paul Chen swords (Practical Katana ,Practical Ninja, etc. I am interested in buying a Cold Steel Chisa Katana ( I can get it at cost). I realize that it is not made in the traditional manner, and it does not have Clay Tempering like my Paul Chen. However, it is heat treated High Carbon Steel 5/16" thick! Can anyone tell me if it is as tough as it looks in their video?
Thanks,
Scott
 
Tough but overly built blade. Expensive for what it is. Likewise CS is notorious for tsuka failure as a result of overly dry brittle wood that is pounded onto the nakago. If you can get it at cost it's worth it, but don't be surprised if you have to have a new tsuka made.
 
I reviewed one of the other Cold Steel Katanas (I think it was the only one at the time) for KnifeForums Magazine several years ago. It was a very nicely made sword with good fit and finish, and very sharp, but it felt heavy compared to other katanas of similar length.
 
Thanks...my cost is like $256.00. Thats about all I want to spend (seeing as I am not a Samurai lol) For that money I dont think that I can get a better (tougher) blade (even at cost). I also like the blade length of 24" seeing as I am not a big guy.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Tough but overly built blade. Expensive for what it is. Likewise CS is notorious for tsuka failure as a result of overly dry brittle wood that is pounded onto the nakago. If you can get it at cost it's worth it, but don't be surprised if you have to have a new tsuka made.
Click to expand...


I have one and I agree.
 
I have owned three of them. The weight is very heavy. Thick stock steel. As already mentioned the tsuka is about the only thing I would be concerned about.

Check out the Cheness Tenchi series.
 
Thanks I checked out Cheness...Their swords look nice...same weight and blade thickness as Cold steel....but you get polished blades too for the $$$...I wonder how their value and strength holds up, as they are not as popular and as tested as CS.
 
There are many videos on youtube of people using Cheness swords for cutting. I'm quite sure they have been tested as equally as Cold Steel. They just don't have a "hype" video on the market showing their testing.
 
i just bough a cheness tenchi, no bo hi. and im very impressed. although i wouldnt say its a fancy sword it is very well made. tsuka is very tight. a very heavy duty sword. no complaints with craftmanship. and although i was looking at the CS chisa, ive read so much positve reports on the dynasty forge ko katana in the past couple of days (as well as talking to derrick who runs the company). im going with the dynasty forge ko instead.
 
I have two Cheness swords, I'm very satisfied with them. I had a saya break in shipping on one and after an email request, they sent a free replacement within a week. So good customer service, too.
 
I like the shorter sword blades so when i saw the Chisa katana at Museum Replicas I had to hold it.Ok my opinion but what a extra heavy poor balanced sword,it supprised the heck out of me.If anyone owns it and like it great but for me very unbalanced and just to thick.
 
DRider said:
I have two Cheness swords, I'm very satisfied with them. I had a saya break in shipping on one and after an email request, they sent a free replacement within a week. So good customer service, too.
Click to expand...

The problem being that a saya should be carved to match the individual blade. Even in production pieces there are slight variations from piece to piece that must be accounted for.
 
I have a warior series and a chisa katana. I would not recommend a chisa; it's not well balanced and a bit heavy.
 
Each sword has it's own personality based on the maker, design and intended purpose. Two swords with the same design and same purpose but from different makers can feel and handle differently. Balance and weight are very subjective and relative only to the user.

CS lists the Chisa's weight at 37.1oz. My Chisa tips my scale at ~45oz. The COG is ~4.5 inches before the guard. Compared to swords of similar size it is a bit heavy however, In reality it was designed to be a short katana not a scaled down one so the weight and balance are not a big surprise. In fact in order for it to perform on the same level as a full sized katana the weight and balance are necessary.

But many may not like how the sword feels. Migration and Viking swords are another example of swords that many don't like. I had a migration sword that tipped the scales at ~37oz but you would swear that it weighed 4-5lbs when you picked it up. This was due to the COG being ~6" before the guard. My current viking has a COG ~4.8 inches before the guard with a total weight of ~38.4oz. Swords balanced like this hit like sledge hammers but are also a bit slow and require a slightly different technique and different timing to use.

If you like swords on the heavy side both in feel and weight then you won't mind it however if you don't you will be disappointed. Best to handle first if you can, this holds for all swords unless your just buying to collect and then it doesn't matter.
 
I looked up real katanas on an auction site and they averaged over 7mm thick, thicker than the CS chisa described in this thread. Anyone handled authentic pieces? I would imagine they need to be thick as the unhardened back would result in a floppy blade.
 
wnease said:
I looked up real katanas on an auction site and they averaged over 7mm thick, thicker than the CS chisa described in this thread. Anyone handled authentic pieces? I would imagine they need to be thick as the unhardened back would result in a floppy blade.
Click to expand...


The CS Chisa Katana is "real" and is capable of inflecting serious injury. What it's not is "Traditional". To be traditional it must be made using traditional materials, methods and by a licensed smith. Traditional swords are not entirely fixed with respect to size , weight, thickness, blade design, handle design etc. They run the spectrum. Their are many different ways to forge a Katana, the smith that chooses to increase blade thickness to offset harmonics is not a good smith.....
 
good points, i wasn't suggesting that it wasn't a real sword...just that it wasn't a real katana;)

If you have handled traditional katanas i'd love some info on balance points, total weight, and harmonics (i make swords, and do serious cutting tests)
 
wnease said:
good points, i wasn't suggesting that it wasn't a real sword...just that it wasn't a real katana;)

If you have handled traditional katanas i'd love some info on balance points, total weight, and harmonics (i make swords, and do serious cutting tests)
Click to expand...



After posting I thought it might come across as a bit coarse which was not the intent. I have handled a few traditional swords over the years but don't have any stats on them. The sad thing is that much of this information is not published.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top