katana for around 100 t0 150 bucks

Hanwei has a few around that price range. You can get the tactical series, practical series, and raptor series, at that price point. Maybe a Cheness too.

What are you looking to do with said katana? Do you need it to be functional or pretty?
 
IMHO the best value in the LOW END katana is the Musashi Bamboo Warrior. it has great construction, and is suitable for light cutting.

It is also the lowest cost katana with a genuine DH created Hamon line.

If you are looking for a hard use blade the Hanwei Tactical Katana is built like a tank and will stand up to pretty much anything a more expensive katana will
 
BePrepared said:
IMHO the best value in the LOW END katana is the Musashi Bamboo Warrior. it has great construction, and is suitable for light cutting.

It is also the lowest cost katana with a genuine DH created Hamon line.

If you are looking for a hard use blade the Hanwei Tactical Katana is built like a tank and will stand up to pretty much anything a more expensive katana will
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what do you base this on ?
 
the fact that i have used my hanwei tac katana as a machete and cleared brush, limbs and small trees with it... i have seen similar things done with more expensive katanas that resulted in set edges...

can't say what a VERY expensive katana would do, but i know that a 3 or 400 dollar DH katana will take damage using it as a garden tool... the Tac will not

of course, this is ONLY based on my experience. I have been known to be wrong in the past, so another occurrence of the same would not surprise me
 
It IS made out of 5160 steel, which is very durable. Also, since they aren't that expensive, they'll take a lot of abuse that you'd never put a "real" sword to.

That being said, they come with a so-so edge, and will never be able to compete with a well-made katana that's more expensive in terms of sheer cutting ability, even with a decent edge put on the blade. That's why I ask what you're looking for in the blade. But, for just a fun, durable katana-like-object, they're pretty darn cool. I have a pair of the Tac Waks, and I do love them.
 
BePrepared said:
the fact that i have used my hanwei tac katana as a machete and cleared brush, limbs and small trees with it... i have seen similar things done with more expensive katanas that resulted in set edges...

can't say what a VERY expensive katana would do, but i know that a 3 or 400 dollar DH katana will take damage using it as a garden tool... the Tac will not

of course, this is ONLY based on my experience. I have been known to be wrong in the past, so another occurrence of the same would not surprise me
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and thats the "sticky wicket" as they say

The shape is crap for clearing "clearing brush like a machete". The more you get away from the heavy SLO, $100 sword the more you get to what a sword should handle and feel like. The other Variable here is the user. Yes, the raptor series is made from 5160 to handle the abuse of crappy cuts and new users and for that reason the edge geometry is very robust and as some have said not as sharp as it should be.
 
crimsonfalcon07 said:
Hanwei has a few around that price range. You can get the tactical series, practical series, and raptor series, at that price point. Maybe a Cheness too.

What are you looking to do with said katana? Do you need it to be functional or pretty?
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If I'm looking for pretty and pretty damn sharp, what would you recommend? I have other knives/tools for hard use.
 
Personally for 150 dollars I'd recommend buying some books and studying what a katana is.
 
Triton said:
Personally for 150 dollars I'd recommend buying some books and studying what a katana is.
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Don't see this as being particularly helpful really. The guy want's a katana under 150... there are LOTS of S.L.O's out there that much satisfy that urge

Musashi makes a good dozen offerings in that price range that are at least marginally usable
 
You can't buy a katana for 150 dollars. If you think you can you could benefit from study. After that study I'd be surprised if a 150 dollar katana was still wanted.

You are correct however, I probably should have just kept that opinion to myself. For years there have been hundreds of questions about "what's the best katanaesque object that I can get for <insert ridiculously low dollar amount>. Perhaps the only way to learn is by experience. Sometimes it bothers me more than other times. I will try to rein in those instincts.
 
Triton said:
You can't buy a katana for 150 dollars. If you think you can you could benefit from study. After that study I'd be surprised if a 150 dollar katana was still wanted.

You are correct however, I probably should have just kept that opinion to myself. For years there have been hundreds of questions about "what's the best katanaesque object that I can get for <insert ridiculously low dollar amount>. Perhaps the only way to learn is by experience. Sometimes it bothers me more than other times. I will try to rein in those instincts.
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actually, I think you're spot on.
 
Triton said:
You can't buy a katana for 150 dollars. If you think you can you could benefit from study. After that study I'd be surprised if a 150 dollar katana was still wanted.

You are correct however, I probably should have just kept that opinion to myself. For years there have been hundreds of questions about "what's the best katanaesque object that I can get for <insert ridiculously low dollar amount>. Perhaps the only way to learn is by experience. Sometimes it bothers me more than other times. I will try to rein in those instincts.
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Hmm ok then. For what reason are "real" katanas so expensive? Material, labor, please educate me. I just started getting into them so I'm not too knowledgeable. Also, I am still looking to purchase one and I'm not trying to break the bank so what would you suggest?
 
dust. said:
Hmm ok then. For what reason are "real" katanas so expensive? Material, labor, please educate me. I just started getting into them so I'm not too knowledgeable. Also, I am still looking to purchase one and I'm not trying to break the bank so what would you suggest?
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This one is a big bag of worms... yes, material, labor, sheer value of experience... and a HUGE difference in overall quality

The cheaper swords are usually made by machines and finished (if at all) by unskilled workers on assembly lines

Top shelf katanas are made by individuals with decades of training and experience in a painstaking process of perfected art.

The difference between a machine made katana for $100 and a custom blade is the same as the difference between a poster of van goghs starry night, and the actual painting

That said, a poster of starry night on your wall is certainly not a bad thing to have if that's your bag
 
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BePrepared said:
This one is a big bag of worms... yes, material, labor, sheer value of experience... and a HUGE difference in overall quality

The cheaper swords are usually made by machines and finished (if at all) by unskilled workers on assembly lines

Top shelf katanas are made by individuals with decades of training and experience in a painstaking process of perfected art.

The difference between a machine made katana for $100 and a custom blade is the same as the difference between a poster of van goghs starry night, and the actual painting

That said, a poster of starry night on your wall is certainly not a bad thing to have if that's your bag
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Ok I hope that means that a lower end katana, let's say a Hanwei raptor, tactical, practical, etc., is just fine for a first timer. Right?
 
again, that's going to depend on what you want with it... if you want to learn tameshigiri, i'd MUCH rather use a Hanwei than a $3000 katana...

as i said above, there are plenty of lower end katanas that will do for a beginner. Don't let the elitists throw you off.

go to Sword Buyers Guide online and find something that has good reviews and is tested to do what YOU want to do.
 
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