High Quality Katana?

Eric Isaacson said:
I respectfully disagree with the above statement ;)
[youtube]zRnVY9qLCEE[/youtube]
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I respectfully will point out that the Rodent Waki is designed with heavier chopping in mind, and not as a dedicated weapon like a traditional sword. It's like comparing a carpentry hammer to a war hammer. Which one is better at driving nails and which one is better at breaking faces? ;)

Hammer_4926f26d96402.jpg


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Wow whats up with people wanting to use katana's for machete's lately.

A high quality Katana costs alot of money to much IMHO for a beater but it's your money have fun

They make great tomato stakes also

Get the Rodent Waki I believe it will serve you better
 
SShepherd said:
[/B]wrong
"green" bone isn't really all that hard. Try and cut a piece of dried bone and you're in for a rude awakeining. I wouldn't use any sword, differentially heat treated on anything but green bamboo or soaked tatami mats. Even with good technique you can have a "whups" moment and mess one up. A student at the dojo I attend recently did just that cutting tatami ,not only was it twisted but it also had a lateral bend in the blade--it's junk now.
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In this video they cut sheet metal and even metal pipe with a katana:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyO46RQhYkQ

Here at the 2 minute mark you can see a sword being testing by cutting into a metal barrel:
http://www.albion-swords.com/howitsmade.htm

I've also seen swords shot directly on the edge and they cut the bullet in half. There are numerous videos of this on youtube. I've seen swords slammed full strength into metal armor with no damage.

I readily admit I'm not a sword expert or even that I know very much about swords. What I do know is that if a sword I buy get's damaged doing something like chopping wood, then I wouldn't consider it a very good sword. As a matter of fact, here is a video of some guy using his sword to chop blocks of wood like you would do with an axe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUDjKpmoDZc&feature=channel
 
Be warned, it hurts like heck trying to chop with a sword. Those things aren't designed to stop dead at the end of a stroke, your arm will be numb after about five minutes.
 
ieraseu said:
I've also seen swords shot directly on the edge and they cut the bullet in half. There are numerous videos of this on youtube. I've seen swords slammed full strength into metal armor with no damage.

I readily admit I'm not a sword expert or even that I know very much about swords. What I do know is that if a sword I buy get's damaged doing something like chopping wood, then I wouldn't consider it a very good sword.
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Ohhhhhh, this is fun!:D

1. A bullet is lead and guilding metal(copper alloy) or similar...it isn't very hard, and if you hit the edge right, is not a big deal to cut. It could probably be done with a decent carbon steel kitchen knife.

2. There are swords that are like sharpened prybars....Japanese style configurations are not those swords, unless it is a Criswell.

3. A decent Japanese styled sword is not designed to cut wood....even if you successfully cut the wood, you have a very good chance of bending the blade, damaging the edge or seriously harming the handle...it is not a smart thing to do. Most decent Japanese styled swords are more akin to a sniper rifle than the bashers which are more akin to an AK-47, more finesse for the Japanese styled blade, less brute force....regardless of what you think you have seen or think you know.

4. Do yourself a favor and stick to European style bashers or machetes...you will have more fun, and minimize the risk of harming yourself or others doing something ill advised.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
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ieraseu said:
In this video they cut sheet metal and even metal pipe with a katana:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyO46RQhYkQ

Here at the 2 minute mark you can see a sword being testing by cutting into a metal barrel:
http://www.albion-swords.com/howitsmade.htm

I've also seen swords shot directly on the edge and they cut the bullet in half. There are numerous videos of this on youtube. I've seen swords slammed full strength into metal armor with no damage.

I readily admit I'm not a sword expert or even that I know very much about swords. What I do know is that if a sword I buy get's damaged doing something like chopping wood, then I wouldn't consider it a very good sword. As a matter of fact, here is a video of some guy using his sword to chop blocks of wood like you would do with an axe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUDjKpmoDZc&feature=channel
Click to expand...
You do know the sword that cut the bullet is made by a master blade smith and the $5000+ sword is most likely out of the OP's price range.
 
Roger999 said:
You do know the sword that cut the bullet is made by a master blade smith and the $5000+ sword is most likely out of the OP's price range.
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I saw a comparison between an American made sword and a Japanese hand made katana and they both cut a .45 bullet in half. The American made ones were not nearly as expensive as the Japanese ones. The Japanese ones are made in sort of a ceremonial way only using a certain metal and only certain people have access to that metal so it really inflates the price. From the comparison I saw, the American made sword looked as functional for a lot less money. The sword in that last youtube link is $250.

Edit: The show I saw comparing a modern made American sword vs. a handmade Japanese Katana was called Weapon Masters. Here is a link to a thread on Bladeforums discussing the results of the show:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=522859
 
ieraseu said:
I saw a comparison between an American made sword and a Japanese hand made katana and they both cut a .45 bullet in half. The American made ones were not nearly as expensive as the Japanese ones. The Japanese ones are made in sort of a ceremonial way only using a certain metal and only certain people have access to that metal so it really inflates the price. From the comparison I saw, the American made sword looked as functional for a lot less money. T
Click to expand...

The Japanese sword was probably around $18,000...a Howard Clark katana(what was used in the the show) in 1086m is $2,400 for the blade. The polish is going to be roughly $1,000. The handle mounting, furniture and scabbard will cost at least $1,400. The total for a basic mounted Howard Clark sword is then $4,800. Probably not what most people want to use for limbing trees, and not designed for it.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
ieraseu said:
In this video they cut sheet metal and even metal pipe with a katana:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyO46RQhYkQ

Here at the 2 minute mark you can see a sword being testing by cutting into a metal barrel:
http://www.albion-swords.com/howitsmade.htm

I've also seen swords shot directly on the edge and they cut the bullet in half. There are numerous videos of this on youtube. I've seen swords slammed full strength into metal armor with no damage.

I readily admit I'm not a sword expert or even that I know very much about swords. What I do know is that if a sword I buy get's damaged doing something like chopping wood, then I wouldn't consider it a very good sword. As a matter of fact, here is a video of some guy using his sword to chop blocks of wood like you would do with an axe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUDjKpmoDZc&feature=channel
Click to expand...

I believe you said it best yourself....:rolleyes:

even knights in the middle ages didn't use their swords to "chop wood". They used an axe because: Swords were expencive, and an axe works better- why take the risk of breaking a sword that you use to defend yourself with.

I'm waiting for some starwars or Matrix references to start popping up soon
 
ieraseu said:
I readily admit I'm not a sword expert or even that I know very much about swords. What I do know is that if a sword I buy get's damaged doing something like chopping wood, then I wouldn't consider it a very good sword.
Click to expand...

Good swords are precision tools. Technique matters. An untrue blow can chip or permanently bend a blade on wood that could easily cleave a man in half.


Take a hard Japanese chef's knife out and do some "light chopping" with it and you'll inevitably see big half-moon chips as a result. Does this mean it's a bad knife? No, it means that it's out of its element and what used to be its strengths are now its weaknesses.


Katanas are not made to chop. They are made to slice and are designed with that in mind. It's as simple as that.
 
Sword are romatized weapons. In lots of movies they use them tho chop heads with plate armors, while in "real" medieval or such war, all you get as final result is fucked up sword.

Yea a japanese guru found a sword that can cut metal pipe (whatever metal that is), good luck finding such sword.
Have you ever tried how soft lead is? You can cut that with knife.

In the nutshell: people watch too much ninja flicks (wich is not bad, but still..)
 
SShepherd said:
you're a little off base here...

Samurai only wore armor in battle. katana were a secondary weapon, the primary weapons usually being a polearm.
http://www.samurai-archives.com/sts.html.

A katana, with it's curvature (sori) is designed to cut or slice, not "chop"
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Agreed, if you try using a real Katana out in the wilderness your either going to shatter that blade or severly hurt yourself, Katanas are a weapon made for people that know how to use it, not for the average joe to go cut down some shrubs....Get a machete for the love of God before something happens. I know we are all addicted to Katanas, we all want one for Zombie killing etc...but if you do not know how to use it, something bad will happen.
 
Also, those Swamp Rats, and Black Winds, are no where near as complex as Katanas as far as steel materials, heat treating, sharpening and alot more, those Black Winds etc... are a simple design that look like a forum of Katana, but yet are a machete in disgiuse, so if you get something get them over a real Katana.
 
You'll notice that the pipe and plate used in that cutting demo are both really REALLY thin and soft. ;) If you MUST get a sword to chop stuff with get yourself a replica of the Conyers Falchion. Legend has it that it took the head of a poisonous dragon so it ought to handle wood just fine. :rolleyes: :D

weapons_conyers.jpg
 
How about a Filipino Bolo or ginunting? These are used well for chopping trees as well as people's heads. I think Kris Cutlery carries them too. Way stronger for the intended purpose than a katana. Just as deadly too.
 
knifenut848 said:
Ok guys I guess clearing brush and chopping trees with a Katana is not a good idea.
I would like to have a Busse Ak-47, but I am not willing to pay $1000 dollars for it.
What do you guys think of this knife? http://www.szaboinc.com/edged_detail.asp?offset=15&ID=14 It is expensive too, but I actually like it better than the AK.
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Dude, get a $15 machete from your local mil surplus store.. If you are dead set on spending a ton of money on a tree whacker, get the Swamp Rat Rodent Waki while they are still available (they will only appreciate in value once you can't get them from Swamp Rat anymore, which will be soon.) Its almost the same size as the Busse AK-47 and a lot cheaper that trying to find one of those on the exchange.
 
Eric Isaacson said:
I respectfully disagree with the above statement ;)
[youtube]zRnVY9qLCEE[/youtube]
Click to expand...

Well, this is not your ordinary sword.

Your ordinary sword is designed to look good and to cut people.

THIS sword looks good, can cut people, but can also be used on zombies, trees, trashcans, bricks, drywall, bricks, bushes, bricks ... stuff like that.:)
 
Kohai999 said:
Ohhhhhh, this is fun!:D

1. A bullet is lead and guilding metal(copper alloy) or similar...it isn't very hard, and if you hit the edge right, is not a big deal to cut. It could probably be done with a decent carbon steel kitchen knife.

2. There are swords that are like sharpened prybars....Japanese style configurations are not those swords, unless it is a Criswell.

3. A decent Japanese styled sword is not designed to cut wood....even if you successfully cut the wood, you have a very good chance of bending the blade, damaging the edge or seriously harming the handle...it is not a smart thing to do. Most decent Japanese styled swords are more akin to a sniper rifle than the bashers which are more akin to an AK-47, more finesse for the Japanese styled blade, less brute force....regardless of what you think you have seen or think you know.

4. Do yourself a favor and stick to European style bashers or machetes...you will have more fun, and minimize the risk of harming yourself or others doing something ill advised.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

All kidding aside, I'd endorse this knowledgeable post. There are a lot of decent machetes and goloks out there for very little money. If you want a custom, look at Dave Farmer's excellent stuff ... assuming you want to be frugal.

I know "from knives" ... a bit. Swords? That's much more complex and requires both specialized knowledge and actual experience. Mr. Garsson has more of both of these things than almost all the rest of us on BF.
 
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