- Joined
- Mar 12, 2012
- Messages
- 2,453
Ok, my SBG Katana finally came today, yay! So I thought I'd take some pics and give some first impressions of it compared to my other Katana (Cold Steel Warrior).
Ok, on arrival it came in a plain box with an inset of styrofoam. My impression of it was mixed when I unboxed it. I'll try and categorize everything so it doesn't run together.
Appearance:
The sword appeared to be covered in very fine dust when unpackaged, like it sat somewhere on a shelf for a while. The finish on the saya looks very nice. I like it much more than the gloss on my Warrior. The wrap is pretty neat with no major gaps or anything, it's more uniform than on the Warrior. The Same is kind of scrappy looking. The fittings don't look that great.
Saya:
While the finish on the Saya and its overall look is very nice- that's about where it ends for me. It is very flimsy feeling, very light weight. It also does not fit very well. It fell right off when I took the sword out of its bag. The Katana will not stay seated if turned upside down and held by the Saya.The sword also rattles some when in the Saya.
Tsuka, Ito and fittings:
The Tsuka looks so-so. It has double Mekugi, same as the Warrior. The fittings are VERY basic- glad I already bought a replacement set. They seem very lightweight as well. Not as detailed as on the Warrior. They are dragon themed. The Ito is very uniform but not as tight as the Cold Steel's. As I already mentioned, the Same is a little scrappy looking. The Tsuka is not as fat as the Cold Steel's, it feels good in the hand.
And now, the blade:
This is why I bought this Katana, the blade. It's made of T10 and differentially hardened and it's obviously where the bulk of the cost on this sword went, I'm very impressed with it. According to what I've read T10 is well suited to Katana use because it tends to be forgiving if you make a bad cut and is less likely to take a set. That's important for folks like me who, as of yet, have no formal training (Youtube Warriors). The Hamon is real and it's pretty bold with clearly visible Nioiguchi along its length. The Hamon is Gunome pattern. I got the Bo-hi version and it does indeed feel quicker in the hand than the Cold Steel, much faster and more controllable. The Bo-hi is very well cut, it is clearly and smoothly defined, moreso than the Cold Steel's. The Yokote line is also sharp and clearly defined. This blade features a Iorimune. The lines on the blade are all very straight and clean and crisp. Moreso than the Cold Steel.
Initial thoughts:
Ok, I expected to replace the fittings before I bought it. In fact I'll add a pic of the set I had waiting for this thing to arrive. I expected more from the Saya, I will likely see if it can be fitted better. For being so close to the Cold Steel in price (less than $50 depending where you look) I would like to see a little nicer fit and finish. So let's see- I paid $329 for the sword, the fitting set cost me $70 and it will be $130 to have the fittings installed and the Ito replaced with silk. So all said and done I will have $529 in the sword when it's finished and I think it will be a decent piece. If I had it to do over I would probably buy it again, though as a Shirasaya if possible.
My next sword will be either a Ronin Dojo Pro or a Bugei SB0050.
Ok, now for pics:
SBG on bottom
SBG on left, note how much thinner the SBG's tsuka is
SBG on bottom
And the beautiful Hamon!
This is the set that will go on it, with dark green silk Ito. The Tsuba is much heavier so we'll see how it affects balance.
If you have any specific questions or want specific pictures jus tlet me know and I'll do my best. These are my first impressions, I'll update this if they change.
Ok, on arrival it came in a plain box with an inset of styrofoam. My impression of it was mixed when I unboxed it. I'll try and categorize everything so it doesn't run together.
Appearance:
The sword appeared to be covered in very fine dust when unpackaged, like it sat somewhere on a shelf for a while. The finish on the saya looks very nice. I like it much more than the gloss on my Warrior. The wrap is pretty neat with no major gaps or anything, it's more uniform than on the Warrior. The Same is kind of scrappy looking. The fittings don't look that great.
Saya:
While the finish on the Saya and its overall look is very nice- that's about where it ends for me. It is very flimsy feeling, very light weight. It also does not fit very well. It fell right off when I took the sword out of its bag. The Katana will not stay seated if turned upside down and held by the Saya.The sword also rattles some when in the Saya.
Tsuka, Ito and fittings:
The Tsuka looks so-so. It has double Mekugi, same as the Warrior. The fittings are VERY basic- glad I already bought a replacement set. They seem very lightweight as well. Not as detailed as on the Warrior. They are dragon themed. The Ito is very uniform but not as tight as the Cold Steel's. As I already mentioned, the Same is a little scrappy looking. The Tsuka is not as fat as the Cold Steel's, it feels good in the hand.
And now, the blade:
This is why I bought this Katana, the blade. It's made of T10 and differentially hardened and it's obviously where the bulk of the cost on this sword went, I'm very impressed with it. According to what I've read T10 is well suited to Katana use because it tends to be forgiving if you make a bad cut and is less likely to take a set. That's important for folks like me who, as of yet, have no formal training (Youtube Warriors). The Hamon is real and it's pretty bold with clearly visible Nioiguchi along its length. The Hamon is Gunome pattern. I got the Bo-hi version and it does indeed feel quicker in the hand than the Cold Steel, much faster and more controllable. The Bo-hi is very well cut, it is clearly and smoothly defined, moreso than the Cold Steel's. The Yokote line is also sharp and clearly defined. This blade features a Iorimune. The lines on the blade are all very straight and clean and crisp. Moreso than the Cold Steel.
Initial thoughts:
Ok, I expected to replace the fittings before I bought it. In fact I'll add a pic of the set I had waiting for this thing to arrive. I expected more from the Saya, I will likely see if it can be fitted better. For being so close to the Cold Steel in price (less than $50 depending where you look) I would like to see a little nicer fit and finish. So let's see- I paid $329 for the sword, the fitting set cost me $70 and it will be $130 to have the fittings installed and the Ito replaced with silk. So all said and done I will have $529 in the sword when it's finished and I think it will be a decent piece. If I had it to do over I would probably buy it again, though as a Shirasaya if possible.
My next sword will be either a Ronin Dojo Pro or a Bugei SB0050.
Ok, now for pics:
SBG on bottom
SBG on left, note how much thinner the SBG's tsuka is
SBG on bottom
And the beautiful Hamon!
This is the set that will go on it, with dark green silk Ito. The Tsuba is much heavier so we'll see how it affects balance.
If you have any specific questions or want specific pictures jus tlet me know and I'll do my best. These are my first impressions, I'll update this if they change.
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