Help me choose a "user" katana at a good price point, would you?

Phil Elmore

Phil Elmore

Joined
Feb 28, 2002
Messages
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I own a John Lundemo "ninja" style sword -- a straight single-edged sword with a relatively short blade and a nice plain leather-wrapped handle. I am thinking of purchasing a proper katana, however -- something meant to be used -- and I'm wondering what the best buy is. I reviewed the Cold Steel katana but am not keen on the high price; I've heard good things about the Chen Practical Plus Katana, by contrast, which is cheaper and more in keeping with what I would prefer to pay.

Any suggestions are most welcome.
 
Go for the Paul Chen. Awhile back someone had a Gen 4 for sale here for a good price -- I don't think it sold either. Might do a search and contact the guy about it.
 
Now, this is kind of cool. Just how many blade-fancying freelance professional writers can there be in the world? ;)
 
If there were just two of us, life would be a lot easier! :D
 
Originally posted by Sharp Phil
I own a John Lundemo "ninja" style sword -- a straight single-edged sword with a relatively short blade and a nice plain leather-wrapped handle. I am thinking of purchasing a proper katana, however -- something meant to be used -- and I'm wondering what the best buy is. I reviewed the Cold Steel katana but am not keen on the high price; I've heard good things about the Chen Practical Plus Katana, by contrast, which is cheaper and more in keeping with what I would prefer to pay.

Any suggestions are most welcome.
Click to expand...

They sometimes pop up at Himalayan Imports:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=250714&highlight=katana

and, more recently:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=260491&highlight=katana
 
I considered one of the Kris Cutlery beaters -- they have a great reputation for function -- but thought perhaps I would go with something a little more traditional (and nicer). The Cold Steel katana really was quite nice, but I didn't get to keep it (it was a loaner for purposes of the magazine review) and it's more than I want to pay.
 
I'm thinking of getting one of the new Cold Steel "Warrior" series. These Japanese swords are not as highly polished as the regular ones and are much cheaper but should function just as well. Not all the stores have them in stock yet.
 
Remember gentleman there can be only one...

Seriously Phil if you are really getting into this eventually you will plunk down the money on a higher end sword. My unsolicited advice is to just save the cash that you would spend on the ppk and eventually pick up one of the higher end Chen offerings or if you save for a long time get yourself something truly extraordinary. Trust me on this one. My first sword was a KC katana and I thought guys spending 800 dollars on a sword were nuts. Now I've got over 1000 dollars worth of sword ordered from Arms and Armor and another over 1000 dollars being paid to a custom smith in Canada. So who is the nut...
 
Who's the Canadian Smith? Don't leave us in suspense! Whaddareya gettin? Is it Wally? Parrell? Powning?
 
Benjamin already pointed out the newer cheaper Cold Steel versions, so other than that I'd go with a Chen PPK. It's the "upgraded" version of the Practical Kat, and it's reasonable for what you get.
 
I'll 2nd that you check out Himalayan Imports.

Zone hardened edge ~58-60 RC, hand forged.

They vary a bit as you can see
and they ain't Nihonto,
but they are sturdy fighting swords
made by skilled smiths.

Himalayan/Everest Katana
6133katana.JPG

sword25.jpg

sword29.jpg

sword28.jpg

1005518353782_standard_Everest_katana.JPG

full%20katana.jpg


www.himalayan-imports.com
www.himalayan-imports.com/sword.html
 
It's Powning, and as for what it is... well I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise... however I will send you and email HJK after all I do owe you one... :)
 
I was looking at the Odinblades site and it is clear that Lundemo can make a quality sword if he wants to do so, but he is much to much given to fantasy swords for my tastes. For example, his Roman Gladii would be much better if he used wood for the pommels and guards with a bronze plate set into the bottom of the guard, just atop the blade, and if he would get away from the damned chisel points. His Mainz style gladius shows almost no wasp waisting and little leaf shape, then going to an angled chisel point, on the whole looking more like a Fulham style blade than a Mainz (please see here http://www.albionarmorers.com/swords/albion/fulham.htm for an example of a Fulham gladius). And his Gladius Hispaniensis blade would be ok except for the angled chisel point. Both the Mainz and the Hispaniensis were noted for their long and gracefully tapering points. I also wonder what the scabbards for these things look like. He does pretty well with his version of the Spatha but for the bronze pommel and guard, for which see above. But he then says that, unlike the Gladii, it makes a good slasher as well as a thrusting weapon. It is obvious that he has not read Plybius' comment on how horrified the Greeks and Macedonians were when the first ran into the Romans using the Gladius Hispaniensis during the Macedonian Wars. He says that they saw the heads, arms, and legs lopped off by the Roman swords as if they were tree branches pruned by an axe. This sword was an excellent chopper, inheriting that from the Spanish falcata which was a part of its ancestry.

I won't even try to comment upon his Excalibur renditions because I recognize that the sword is mythological to begin with, although I do have a very clear vision of an historical Arthur and how he would have been equipped and armed.

Also, what in the Hell I am supposed to make of a knife- and swordsmith who calls a fuller (no kin of which I am aware) a "deep blood-gutter" as he does in the description of his Cavalry Sword here: http://www.odinblades.com/Pages/Cavalry.html?

But he did what appears to be a wonderful job on the Viking Sword that he made under a commission from Erick Alayon, apparently to Erick's design. That is a thing of beauty and of historical accuracy. http://www.odinblades.com/Pages/VikingSword.html
 
Rob Criswell? I own a Wakizashi(sp), and I would think the full size version would do you just fine. Certainly built for training and use with the vacuum heat treated A2 blade, titanium guard and micarta wrapped handle. Not traditional, but probably more functional than most and priced under $400.
 
Hugh,

The sheath for my Lundemo "ninja" sword is a nice plain brown leather affair that matches the brown leather-wrapped handle.
 
Mr. Lundemo certainly has talent although as Hugh said his work is a bit more fantasy oriented then I typically care for. I think most of his stuff could be said to be inspired by historical designs rather then actually being a sword of that particular design. You can't give him to much grief for his Excalibur Hugh, or at least not any more grief then you give any of the various and sundry others who turn out some version of that sword. After all pretty much every "Excalibur" that I have seen has been a high medieval sword usually a type XII or XVIIIa which we know can not be right. I think Mr. Lundemo could do reproductions of historical swords if he wished, but he doesn't seem to want to and apparently has a large and growing base of people that wish to buy his work. Now about that viking sword. Is it just me or is the grip rather a lot to long for it to be historically accurate... :)
 
Yes, Triton, and my Roman Riding Sword has one of those historically accurate short hilts that drives me crazy. I bought a very early Del Tin Viking Sword with a scabbard from somewhere from the widow of a re-enactor in the general area for the $200 that she asked. It has a slightly ahistorical hilt that is so because it is about one finger width too long and it is ever so much more pleasant for my modern paws.
 
I recently asked a bunch of questions over at SFI about this very thing. It seems that you/I were not holding the sword properly hence our angst about the grips. Apparently the way you do it is to allow that pommel to slide past the heal of your hand rather then holding it in a hammer grip.
 
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