katana for around 100 t0 150 bucks

BePrepared said:
Look into the bussekin swords.... if you want a sword that will take ANY abuse you can put it through and keep on going, look at the scrapyard knives scrapizashi.

It's not a traditional katana but it's MUCH tougher than any traditional katana in your price range
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The bulk of what you had been saying up to this point was a reasonable counterpoint to some of those that appreciate and promulgate traditionally constructed katana.

The bolded area recommendation was not reasonable and indicates that you may not entirely understand what you are writing.

The very nature of a katana handle is constructed to maximal practicality for doing what it was designed to do. A properly designed katana handle is a shock reliever.

Katana were designed to cut people, as an ideal, in half..that is how the blades were tested(by attempting to cut convicted criminals(often decapitation) and corpses(through the body)..as armor and battle evolved, so did the heft of the blade, and the edge make-up(heavier and thicker).

Bussekins are machetes, really good ones....very few people that truly appreciate good katana would ever cut trees, brush or water filled bottles with that katana.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
Bussekins are machetes, really good weaponized ones.
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Fixed that for ya'. They're sort of like modern-day cutachas. Not good utility machetes, but used as weapons and status symbols that also happen to be capable of chopping brush.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Fixed that for ya'. They're sort of like modern-day cutachas. Not good utility machetes, but used as weapons and status symbols that also happen to be capable of chopping brush.
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My qualifications are in JSA, not machete-do, so I defer....however, specifically in the case of the Ruck, seemed to be an EXCELLENT chopper in brush, to the point that I might have preferred it to an El Salvador Special, depending upon WHY I was in the brush.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
My qualifications are in JSA, not machete-do, so I defer....however, specifically in the case of the Ruck, seemed to be an EXCELLENT chopper in brush, to the point that I might have preferred it to an El Salvador Special, depending upon WHY I was in the brush.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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Based on the specs I suspect it would do fine for light to medium limbing work and moderate wood chopping. It doesn't seem as though it would fare as well on lighter targets like lush vegetation OR heavy chopping. I just about about guarantee you I could out-cut the the Ruck with a Condor El Salvador but that's using machete technique with a machete. Just like sword technique should be used with a sword. The Busse strikes me as neither fish nor fowl.
 
Never heard of plastic bottles damaging a katana, personally, but I'll take your word for it.
 
I wouldn't trust anything at that price point. Back in the 90's I bought a 100$ katana and first time I swung it the blade almost flew out of the handle and the handle basically fell apart.
 
gregorio said:
I wouldn't trust anything at that price point. Back in the 90's I bought a 100$ katana and first time I swung it the blade almost flew out of the handle and the handle basically fell apart.
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This is ony of many reasons why I recommend a bokuto if someone can't afford a real katana. A well-made bokuto will serve well for training (and SD in a pinch) and won't break the bank. For me, a katana starts in the $500 range and goes up from there.
 
A Bokken can be a wonderful thing and is what everyone should start wih hat has interest in any kind of swordsmanship.

Then a decent Iaido piece is a sound investment. Eventually moving up to live blades

After not using a sword for any length of time I will always warm up with one or the other. I have some very heavy Bokken that I use for strength training
 
JParanee said:
A Bokken can be a wonderful thing and is what everyone should start wih hat has interest in any kind of swordsmanship.

Then a decent Iaido piece is a sound investment. Eventually moving up to live blades

After not using a sword for any length of time I will always warm up with one or the other. I have some very heavy Bokken that I use for strength training
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Not to mention Miyamoto Musashi used a bokuto quite often during the latter part of his lifetime against enemies with live blades and still owned them. Granted, he was arguably the most skilled swordsman in Japan while he was alive, but it still shows what a bokuto is capable of in the right hands.
 
His philosophy was that the user needs to be more ready than the weapon does, so it makes sense. As the saying goes, "sticks and stones..." :D
 
I liked the suggestion to take classes with a practice unit. Then, you will decide if you really want a Katana.

I can't think of a Katana that would cost under $150 and be acceptable.

If you decide to go with Japanese appearing swords, then a good place to look is the Cold Steel offerings at the low end. If you do want a quality unit after taking some classes, then Barry Dawson might be the way to go.
 
gregorio said:
I wouldn't trust anything at that price point. Back in the 90's I bought a 100$ katana and first time I swung it the blade almost flew out of the handle and the handle basically fell apart.
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There are some out there that are very well built with competent heat treat and quality (if not high end) materials

The Musashi series runs around $100, and is constructed well. I can't say whether it is good enough to make a viable weapon, as i have done no significant cutting with it, but i can tell you that it's not going to break from doing forms or light cutting with it.

It is generally agreed that in that price range the Musashi is one of the best bets.
 
Kohai999 said:
The bulk of what you had been saying up to this point was a reasonable counterpoint to some of those that appreciate and promulgate traditionally constructed katana.

The bolded area recommendation was not reasonable and indicates that you may not entirely understand what you are writing.

The very nature of a katana handle is constructed to maximal practicality for doing what it was designed to do. A properly designed katana handle is a shock reliever.

Katana were designed to cut people, as an ideal, in half..that is how the blades were tested(by attempting to cut convicted criminals(often decapitation) and corpses(through the body)..as armor and battle evolved, so did the heft of the blade, and the edge make-up(heavier and thicker).

Bussekins are machetes, really good ones....very few people that truly appreciate good katana would ever cut trees, brush or water filled bottles with that katana.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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While your condescension is appreciated, i must disagree. I do not think that the Busse swords are katana, nor do i believe they fill the same niche, but they are quite competent as a weapon/survival tool, and many of the skills learned using a katana/wakizashi transfer quite well.

I am in no way, a cutter of your standing, and i respect your skills and experience. That said, i don't care about tradition.
 
The Hanwei Banshee interests me, Its not really a Katana either, but its Katana like, and seems to be well regarded by people who own one. Having said that, I personally do not own one.
I will agree though that Katana, are complicated, and Katana like objects are less so, so if you want a sword of Katana flavor, check out the good Katana like swords people have mentioned.
If you want a real Katana I would suggest a boken and a few books first, and save your pennies. True Katana were made for chopping up people, and were a bit finicky about anything wrong with your stroke.
Traditionally there were people who were specialized in cutting, who got paid to see if a katana cut properly, and if they managed to mess up, which happened, it often meant their lives were forfeit, because even a masters Katana could be ruined by a turn of the wrist, or a bad follow through.
There are Quite a few custom sword makers who could make you something very nice to look at, and very durable and functional, that isn't truly a Katana, but that you would probably be very very happy with, unless your a traditionalist.
Just my 17 cents. Take it for what it is.


Silverthorn
 
Kohai,
Could you provide some recommendations for reading material on Katanas? There is a lot out there and I would rather buy something that is worth my hard earned little bit of money versus wasting my money on trash.

Thank you,
 
What school are you training with (if any?)...

No point getting a book from another school (unless its for research and you have a strong base).

There are awesome books out there and heaps of good vids at budo videos...
 
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