Criswell A2 Katana

C

caseyp

Joined
Dec 3, 2008
Messages
26
This is my first sword review-on one of my favorite swords.
I'd love to hear other people's experiences with Criswell blades.

Cutting: I bought this sword to be a fun backyard cutter, and it certainly qualifies. My Criswell is hollow ground A2 steel. The hollow ground blade gives mixed results when cutting. This sword easily cuts through watermelons, citrus, and pumpkins.
http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk36/bonzaitreep/?action=view&current=criswell1.flv

Cutting tatami was disappointing with the Criswell. Keep in mind, I don't practice kendo. I have no formal training with a katana, so I can only compare my results with myself. Using an overhead angled strike I cut about halfway through a rolled tatami mat with the Criswell.
http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk36/bonzaitreep/?action=view&current=100_2281.jpg
Using the same technique, I cut completely through a rolled tatami mat using my paul chen practical plus katana.
http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk36/bonzaitreep/?action=view&current=100_2272.jpg

Bottom line: The Criswell katana is very sharp, but the blade geometry doesn't lend itself well to cutting tatami mats.

Durability: I've cut watermelons, pumpkins, oranges, grapefruits, small tree branches, beach mats and tatami mats placed on a wooden stool. The most abuse the sword has seen was when a “baseball bat” style swing cut through a beach mat and into the stool. The blade has suffered no bending and no chipping. This sword is plenty tough for normal back yard cutting.

Feel: This sword is heavier in the hand than a Paul Chen katana and a Kawashima katana of comparable size. The cord wrapped handle provides a smooth grip and absorbs shock from cutting.

Price: I feel that the value of a sword depends largely on your purpose and expectations. I payed $460 usd + $15 for shipping. A2 steel is expensive, and it holds up well to normal cutting. For cutting soft targets and zombie defense-this is a great sword. Personally, I love it. I don't recommend this sword for those who intend to practice kendo, iado, and/or tameshigiri cutting. For cutting tatami at this price point, I'd recommend a Paul Chen, Dynasty Forge, or Cheness SGC.

Hope this is useful for some of you-
Casey
 
interesting, maybe it's the light but the finish on the Criswell looks coarse (even and attractive, but coarse). Maybe it's slowing down in the tatami. I would have thought something as soft as a grass mat would cut almost as well using a hollow grind as a flat or thin convex.

I do cord wraps a lot, is hand shock a factor in your other swords?
 
Wow I got the same, It is the geometry, I was using a prac. pro. I still love Criswell and buy 'um when I find 'um ..G.
 
you mean convex to zero? usually they are if i've sharpened them for cutting tests, but on the table at a show i prefer the micro-bevel.

Honestly i can't feel the difference yet between a very small micro bevel and zero grind but there is a difference in durability and ease of re-sharpening

a large microbevel (such as you normally see on most north american knives) definitely does not cut as well on dense fibrous materials like 4" nylon braid, ***other things being equal***

that would be why the "Banning" of Busse's, right?

i bet that if you assured Criswell that the blade would be used on nothing harder than tatami he would grind a more efficient edge, a bit thinner and more streamlined, but there are limits to the hollow grind
 
Yes, convex to zero.
Thanks for the explanation. When I can eventually acquire one of your swords, let's do that blade shape. ;)
 
I really think the issues on the tatami is technique. I know it's fun to cut things but i really think proper training is a good idea when cutting things with a live blade for safety.
 
The Criswell katana has a secondary sharpened edge and a concave ground profile. Part of the performance has to do with the sharpness of his edge which is always "just good enough" and rather rough (almost an afterthought). The other part of the problem is the concave profile. It sucks the mat into it as you are cutting, and thus slows down the cut by creating more drag. The convex shape of your Chen blade forces the mat to cleave away from the blade when cutting, so there is less resistance. By sharpening and polishing the secondary bevel edge, you will improve the cutting, but you will always have a disadvantage with the concave profile since there is nothing you can do about that. His blades are a great value, but are really more of a tactical thrasher blade as opposed to having surgical precision.
 
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