So, how are the HI katanas?

Hmmm...the words battle worthy come to mind.

They can be polished up and made to look all pretty and shiny, but they definitely are not scabbard queens (liberal interpolation of Mr. Koster's phrase).
 
im glad I dont really care about the looks of knifes and swords and such, the katanas arent the prettiest ones ive seen, but i think they must be very battle worthy comeing from HI and thats more important to me
 
Kind of hit hard with an ugly stick looking.

I don't mean to put them down, but they are made to be used. Like a good axe or shovel. Don't get one for it's looks if that is what's important to you.

On the other hand, if you want something that can be relied upon, get an HI kat and beat it sideways against a 4x4 or 4x6 until you get tired.

It will either break or it won't. If it does, send it back and you'll get another one by return mail.

If it doesn't break then go and even up the bevels and put an edge on it. Treat it well and kindly: it's showed you it's worthy of respect. Now it is your turn to live up to the blade's worthiness.

I've heard of swords being referred to as "munitions grade". I don't know if the HI katana's should be referred to that way. I'd rate them maybe a cut above that.

I had a Tarwar which I let go. I'd like to have another just becasuse it seemed so useful. I still have a katana, that I kind of like. However, I have3 Small Tibetan swords if that tells you anything. Their blades are almost an elongated Khyber knife. Course I'm short.
 
ms514 said:
scabbard queens (liberal interpolation of Mr. Koster's phrase)
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ROTFLMAO!!! :eek: :D :p :eek:


That is absolutely brilliant!


You've added to my vocabulary....."scabbard queen".....dang, that's good......!!



oh....what's this thread about? :footinmou






Oh yeah, katanas.....:D....love 'em - have worked on 2, but don't own myself....no good excuse really....just been so distracted with other purchases, projects, etc. It's on my must-get list.....as well as a tarwar...
 
They be good

only blade I have that wants to fly when I hold it

guard / 'tsuba' lousy
That's the -only- bad
thinking of making a wider heavier 'guard' at some point

got about 1/3 the way toward putting on a good convex bevel by hand
when I got distracted by other projects

a no-excuse slice & dice weapon
sometime I'd like to try some tatami-like cutting with it
maybe useful for clearing something like honeysuckle vines
fast sharp good reach

~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<>call me 'Dean' :)-FYI-FWIW-IIRC-JMO-M2C-YMMV-TIA-YW-GL-HH-HBD-IBSCUTWS-tWotBGUaDUaDUaD
<> Tips <> Baha'i Prayers Links --A--T--H--D
 
ddean said:
got about 1/3 the way toward putting on a good convex bevel by hand
when I got distracted by other projects

<>call me 'Dean' :)-
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Dean, you're always welcome to come over and use my Grizz for those big jobs, or the little ones if you're a mind too.;) :D
 
Head over to the Sword Forums and run a search on "Everest Katana"; you won't have to sign up to do so. The general gist over there is that they're decent cutters, built like the proverbial brick outhouse, and nontraditional in design - in other words, as advertised. If only all the other sword manufacturers in this world did so...

I've had my eye on one for a while; I keep setting aside the money for it, then blowing it on something else. (Usually something else HI.) I will get one eventually. I'm looking at one with a fancy scabbard; I don't swing swords for a living and most of the time, it will be on the wall...why not a fancy scabbard? I'm also planning on applying a quasi-traditional wrap to the handle, which is why I've passed on the specials thus far - the handles on the specials are usually too nice to cover up.

Of course, I'm not a JSA student and I wouldn't know a proper katana balance from a stick; I just like blades that can work and from what I've gathered, these do. That's good enough for me.
 
Yvsa said:
Dean, you're always welcome to come over
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I've been thinking it's been way too long

re equipment
I'm learning a lot more doing things manually
and it feels good
If i ever do the same thing twice :rolleyes:
the equip would be handy

also, like the Bri in Chi tagline
my mind can usually keep up with hand tools :D


~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<>call me 'Dean' :)-FYI-FWIW-IIRC-JMO-M2C-YMMV-TIA-YW-GL-HH-HBD-IBSCUTWS-tWotBGUaDUaDUaD
<> Tips <> Baha'i Prayers Links --A--T--H--D
 
ddean said:
I've been thinking it's been way too long

also, like the Bri in Chi tagline
my mind can usually keep up with hand tools :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<>call me 'Dean'
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Yes, it has been too long. :D

If you catch me on a good day or want to leave it for a month or so I'll put the convex edge on it for you, but like you say, "I can learn things doing them by hand." Hand work can and does teach you things about steel that no amount of hands on machine work can.
Some of those things are very subtle as well but really important when it comes down to certain applications! :cool:
 
There are many kinds of Japanese sword and many kinds of Japanese sword fittings.
Some have flat tsuba and some have more of a crossbar style guard.
some are balanced near the hilt and some are very point-heavy.
Mine is point heavy.

Really, the differences between the Japanese katana and the HI katana are not important enough to argue about because you may very well see a Japanese katana that looks very much like the HI katana and the only difference is where it was made.
 
Jebadiah_Smith said:
I think we might have the same grinder.
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Probably so. Got the through shaft with a buffer pad or whatever on the opposite end? :D
I bought the Grizz table for it too set on as well, actually two of 'em because I also bought the low horsepower buffer, have it on one end of a Grizz table and my little bench grinder on the opposite end. Works out pretty good.:D :cool: :D
 
Yep, thats it.

There are quite a few modifications for it on the internet, but I think it works fine as is. I think I have mine mounted on a Royobi base. For the price, it seems to hold its own against the real nice ones.
 
All I can say is that the Katana's with the full chiruwa tang (look for the 2 or sometimes 3 handle pins) handle far better than the swords with the standard tang. I have one kothimoda katana that has a nicely curved blade from tempering correctly and with the chiruwa tang balances like a dream. I have another standard katana by Bura that balances like a pig. Longer blade, less curve to it and traditional tang.

Regards,

Norm
 
I haven't used an Everest katana, but I do have a tarwar that I've been pleased with. It reminds me of some heavy Mexican bolos that I've seen on occasion. It's not the type of sword that you want to use to cut completely through a watermelon, without moving it. But, it will hold up to heavy abuse well and is a tireless chopper.
 
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