- Joined
- Sep 11, 2002
- Messages
- 3,548
I was bored, so I went out and chopped up a pool noodle[super]TM[/super] that I had picked up a while back. Usually for po' man's tameshigiri you use 3 pool noodles taped in a pyramid, but I only had one, so I hung it freely from a tree branch with 550 cord.
I had 3 weapons I wanted to test out.
#1. The Himalayan Imports Katana. "ugly" but a fine cutter, it's been said. A little shorter than the Cold Steel, certainly not even attempting to be traditional. I picked this up as a blem. It is made by Kumar, and has a very nice armored point. It doesn't have much curve, almost straight, there are hammer marks left in the steel. But let me let you this, it balances like nobody's business. It feels very light in the hand, especially compared to:
#2. Cold Steel's "88K" katana. This was before the "warrior" and "imperial" models, I think the imperial matches it now. It has a bohi, the lightening fuller down the spine, which I've never liked on katanas. It is well made, holds a good edge, has traditional style fittings, and feels like a club compared to the HI.
#3. A Wally Hayes TAC fighter. I bought this knife from Wally last week, it is a thick stock, deep ground fighter with a hollow ground main edge and a chisel ground top edge running back 7/8ths of the blade. It has a rayskin and silk handle wrap and a mirror polish. It is very quick and fits the hand well, and frankly, it scares me.
It scared the pool noodle too.
The noodle was 4" thick tactical turquoise foam designed for floatation in aquatic environments and for the gleeful battering of siblings into submission.
I gave the fighter first dibs because I wanted to play with it. It severed the mighty noodle in one swipe. The master smith blade sets the bar.
Next, ol' ugly. The HI. I love swinging this blade. It's wicked quick and despite the shorter blade and handle, suits me well. It dealt the noodle a swift, punishing blow, severing it in one slash.
Finally, Cold Steel. It also was able to sever the limp noodle once I get the angle correct. Less noodle = less resistance, so it had the disadvantage. It's bevel is also thicker than the HI's.
I picked up the HI and began snipping off bits of remaining noodle that the CS couldn't cut. Both blades had been given a few swipes on a HandAmerican ceramic rod a while back.
Winner: HI, at half the price.
Loser: Me, for having nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon
Now excuse me, I'm going to go watch some Japanese ghost stories set in the samurai era (Kwaidan, and Onibaba).
If I can help it, I won't order a Rob Criswell katana and a Bugei katana. This gets addictive.
Thankfully my neighbors don't mind me using the woods out back for katana, khukuri, and archery practice.
I had 3 weapons I wanted to test out.
#1. The Himalayan Imports Katana. "ugly" but a fine cutter, it's been said. A little shorter than the Cold Steel, certainly not even attempting to be traditional. I picked this up as a blem. It is made by Kumar, and has a very nice armored point. It doesn't have much curve, almost straight, there are hammer marks left in the steel. But let me let you this, it balances like nobody's business. It feels very light in the hand, especially compared to:
#2. Cold Steel's "88K" katana. This was before the "warrior" and "imperial" models, I think the imperial matches it now. It has a bohi, the lightening fuller down the spine, which I've never liked on katanas. It is well made, holds a good edge, has traditional style fittings, and feels like a club compared to the HI.
#3. A Wally Hayes TAC fighter. I bought this knife from Wally last week, it is a thick stock, deep ground fighter with a hollow ground main edge and a chisel ground top edge running back 7/8ths of the blade. It has a rayskin and silk handle wrap and a mirror polish. It is very quick and fits the hand well, and frankly, it scares me.
It scared the pool noodle too.
The noodle was 4" thick tactical turquoise foam designed for floatation in aquatic environments and for the gleeful battering of siblings into submission.
I gave the fighter first dibs because I wanted to play with it. It severed the mighty noodle in one swipe. The master smith blade sets the bar.
Next, ol' ugly. The HI. I love swinging this blade. It's wicked quick and despite the shorter blade and handle, suits me well. It dealt the noodle a swift, punishing blow, severing it in one slash.
Finally, Cold Steel. It also was able to sever the limp noodle once I get the angle correct. Less noodle = less resistance, so it had the disadvantage. It's bevel is also thicker than the HI's.
I picked up the HI and began snipping off bits of remaining noodle that the CS couldn't cut. Both blades had been given a few swipes on a HandAmerican ceramic rod a while back.
Winner: HI, at half the price.
Loser: Me, for having nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon
Now excuse me, I'm going to go watch some Japanese ghost stories set in the samurai era (Kwaidan, and Onibaba).
If I can help it, I won't order a Rob Criswell katana and a Bugei katana. This gets addictive.
Thankfully my neighbors don't mind me using the woods out back for katana, khukuri, and archery practice.
faces on them before we sliced them in half. good times
