I know a lot of people who aren't very fond of the KC's aesthetics. Being picky is not necessarily a bad thing, I mean look at me...I represent the tiny tiny minority of extreme pickiness.
One of the main reasons I don't like the Chen line very much is the distributors they went through (CAS Iberia for example). And even though the vast majority of the advertising BS has been cleared, that had put it into a negative light for me.
Nothing personal against the product or Hanwei in general, apart from it being "not my style" just that I think they made a very profitable mistake in choosing their distributors.
I did like the look of the KC Korean sword, but I'm not such a big fan of the "overall" package...I am looking forward to their higher end stuff though...
Also I would suggest even if you buy a POS sword, take a lot of precaution in handling and using. A lot of people think that they are "good enough" that they won't hurt themselves...and some people are fortunate enough not to hurt themselves, but I know a few who have, with anything from United Cutlery "decorative pizza cutters" to antique Nihonto. They are swords, they demand and deserve a very high level of respect.
As for the practical ninja (hah...what a name!), make sure you get one with a metal habaki...one of the newer ones as the older ones had habaki made of plastic. I'm unsure of the balancing and comfort of the "ninja" model, but I would not expect too much. I would also suggest doing cleanup of the blade's finish, which I can show you how to do. As I recall, the finish is rather wobbly in the lines, but you can make up for that a bit with the cleanup...
And as for eBay, if you're not bidding on crap...usually there will be other bids. On eBay, things tend to sell for a bit more than what they're worth, including the higher end stuff. I would suggest going through a good vendor and having them hand-inspect a sword for you if you choose to get the Hanwei "practical."
The key elements are...
To get what you want
To know what you got
And to not give up if you feel disappointed.
There's a number of options out there, and they aren't the best, but regardless of price bracket, we want ya to get whatever will make you happiest.
Shinryû.
Oh and by the way, if you want to make stars or spikes for throwing, I can show you how to make your own and how to customize them for yourself. It's not real hard but it does take some patience and elbow grease generally.
But the result is worthwhile and cheaper than just buying them.
Otherwise I don't know too many places to get real nice ones apart from semi-custom.
[This message has been edited by Robert Marotz (edited 10-14-2000).]
