Ace Martial Arts Supply Handmade Carbon Steel Japanese Katana, Daito Samurai Katana Sharp Sword- Battle Ready

Being poor, but also a weapon loving nerd, this product was attractive to me. Upon arrival I noticed the nice sheath, the oiled up blade and the sharpness. I immediately went outside with it and slashed through a watermelon and the box it came in. It sliced nicely. Here is what all buyer's should be aware of: 1. The blade is full tang and of a decent steel. It comes sharp but not "cut a man in half with one slice sharp." Upon sharpening it I noticed that it was very easy to sharpen because of the type of steel and the blade shape. This is not an incredibly hard steel like some of my $400 blades that I bought when I wasn't poor, but it is hard enough for basic play. I sharpened it with a ceramic knife sharpener and it peeled off steel very quickly. That means this is great for cutting watermelons and playing real life fruit ninja but not great for hitting against other swords or armor. I currently have it scary sharp. 2. The balance isn't quite where I'd want it. It balances a bit farther up the blade than I consider ideal, but I'm no Samurai, so what do I know. Perhaps a longer, heavier haft would have made that better. 3. The blade is the perfect length and I'm 6'4" so unless you're name is Shaq or Sephiroth you won't need a longer blade length. 4. The brass looking piece that connects between the handle and blade seems a little cheap and says it's made in China. Buy some glue if it flies off at some point. 5. The handle feels nice and could be a bit longer but certainly is satisfactory. It isn't legendary quality but definitely surprised me in how good it feels and I believe that under light use, it will hold up just fine. Don't smack things with the handle, don't light it on fire, don't regularly soak it in swamp water, and don't fight walls 8 hours a day and the handle should be okay. 6. It came quickly, was secured with Styrofoam inside its sheath. The sheath was pretty good and the sword sits snugly within, requiring a slight tug to remove. I love it and the price made me skeptical but it exceeded expectations. Just buy it. You will feel like a bad ass, have a nice decoration, feel more secure with the knowledge that you could cut an intruder in half after a little sharpening, and you'll definitely be able to make your neighbors uncomfortable as you live your sword wielding fantasies.

Hello all. This is a thorough review for this sword. I bought this sword around a year ago and I still have it. I've decided to come back to give a thorough review for anyone considering this product. I'll say; it is a good sword for the price. Yes this is NOT a nihonto f"ú-{"f meaning it is not of true origin from Japan with authentic components. Nether less this sword is a great starter for anyone who is studying Kenjutsu or even Ninjutsu who is ready for a 'live blade' ^*f j. The blade in my opinion is not sharp... some people say "OH WOW OMG, its razor sharp!!! O_O!!!!" But razor sharp in my opinion means you can cut yourself and not notice it till feeling something wet slide down your skin through the hair of your legs or arm. Here is a break down of the sword.... Steel-1045 High carbon Full tang-Yes Tang signature-/Year/Month/Day- No Mekugi Ana- Two Mekugi- Two-Color-'Smoked' Ito-Cotton Tsuba-Brass...Faux crane design Saya-Matte black Material -Wood Kisakki-CHU i'j Tameshigiri-Lightweight.....Plastic bottle worthy 'Soaked' tatami worthy....dry tatami maybe.... Length-40-41 inches Samegawa-Faux...Fake Habaki-One...Brass Seppa-Two....Copper....Faux...Fake *CHINA PRINT* Fuchi-Brass...Faux...Fake Sageo-Cotton Kashira-Brass Tsuka-Wood Hamon-Notare...Faux....Fake Menuki-Dragon-Brass Kurigata-Plastic Faux...Fake BoHi-Double sided.......... All in all this sword is OK for the money Its good for a present...cossplay....display...or a new beginner to seek his or her form. If you are looking at this sword and you have experience with martial arts and you want a real blade I personally would get a better more expensive sword or wait if you simply don't have the funds thus looking at this. Thank you all for considering my review upon your purchase if you do! ^ê"Nã 1 YEAR LATER review... I've had this sword now for about a years time; now I would like to include pictures and also address all the problems I have run into with this sword, so new buyers can get a more thorough idea of what 'might' happen to them in the future. The ito has completely been shifted and is a pain to grip so I simply took it off... Upon taking the ito off I was able to observe the menuki and the fuchi as well. The menuki is ok nothing special but both fuchi easily came off I looked inside and there was old rotten glue keeping it together. The same-kawa is fake with panels. The tsuba has also began to rust. After the sword is completely re-assembled, I noticed with the factory mekugi that the tsuka is loose...to fix this problem I created my own d.i.y seppa. Other than these small problems there is nothing else to report...There are more problems however I myself created them by being careless such as rust spots from not cleaning it often. I do enjoy this sword and I have done months/days/and long hours worth of research and I think for the price this sword is the way to go. *I can not review the sharpess of the blade because I do not perform tameshigiri, I practice shinkenndo and iai but no tameshigiri.*

Hello. I'm anonymous. I bought this sword a few days ago and happened to conveniently get it a few days later, a mere exact timing that was given. It came in a big 3 foot long box, so you would kind of 'obviously' perceive what it is. Especially if it noted "Marshall Arts" on the company stamp.Of course, this was not a real big deal to me as I bought this for myself. As stated by other review[s], it slices through household objects easily, such as cardboard, and water bottles too.] When I first got it, it definitely had a bit of a dull edge on it; it was easy to tell that it was made in a factory. Some parts of the blade's edge was very sharp, others were very dull. Still, even without sharpening it, it managed to decapitate a poor innocent water bottle. The sword itself is very ornate, measuring 3 feet. The bottom of it did happen to snap off with my first swing at a brick wall [on accident], but with some hot-glue it was in marvelous shape once again. Speaking of hot glue, the cotton-ish raveling past the guard is hot glued on for mere decor, and doesn't take much of a beating to get something loose down there. Again, hot glue does the trick very well. Aside from minimal damage after a few water bottle beat-downs near the bottom past the guard, it held very well. PS: The blade was very oily when I got it and dull too. We're going to give it a sharper edge and a little bit of cleaning on the blade, and the thing would be as good as a semi-professional training blade. Best regards, An Amazon Customer.

I started collecting modern functional manufactured swords back in the 80's when the hit T.V. show "Highlander" showcased many of them under "Marto" or "Maruto" for Pro Cut. (Currently United Cutlery) Back then, swords were shiny.., and sharp.., they were functional, I mean, "You could use them..," but they were brittle. And you never knew if you had one that could take a few hits or if it was going to simply snap. Stainless Steel made for a decent blade, but it just wasn't right. Until 2003 and "Kill Bill." And while there are no licensed replica's from the Kill Bill franchise, the movie nevertheless influenced a number of "Hand forged," "Carbon Steel," "Custom Designed," sword houses to open up and start producing for the United States. This was the first time the commercial markets were offered the opportunity to own a "Modern Replica" created from semi-traditional metals and modern-traditional processes. And at such an inexpensive price! The point is, with Stainless Steel there was "nothing to look at." But a hand-hammered blade of Carbon Steel keeps a crystal clear record of the entire manufacturing process. You can view this record when you look down the length of your blade. In this case, the blade was great. I mean, for the price I paid, the swordsmith (hammer operator:) did a decent job. But what I was impressed with was it's edge. Out of the box, this sword was by far the sharpest blade I have ever held coming straight from the factory. (And I've held a lot.) I'm not really sure what happened, but I'm guessing that the sharpener had a really good morning that day. And to those of you who know the difference, this was a "Hollow Grind" not a factory edge. Because of this little extra, I am going to give this very nice entry level blade five stars. For the price, you absolutely can not beat it.

I teach iado, and other Japanese weaponry. I purchased this weapon hoping that it would be an option for students to purchase as an affordable sword for my students who cannot buy a more expensive sword. I was very pleased as I took the weapon from the package. the blade is not what I would call razor sharp, however it will cut quite nicely. a little loving on this blade, and you can make it very sharp. the hamon is fake, but what do you expect for a sword for less than 100.00 dollars, in this case less than 50.00. it is not spectacular in appearance, as you can buy one that is far more decorative, and you will pay for it too. the blade is a bit heavy, but I was pleased as to how straight it was, and for the quality of steel, it is really good. I cut a few matts with the sword, and it made good work of the matts, with clean strokes it cuts through a six inch diameter matt no problem. there were a few scratches in the blade after the cuts, but nothing that couldn't be fixed after a little loving. this sword is like a good chevy, it is affordable, dependable, and tuff. it's not a cadilac, like a dana abbott sword, or a true musashi hand made and folded. but if your looking for a good beginner sword to train in iado, or if your looking for a good weapon for home defense or zombie apocalypse, this thing is not matched for the money. if you want to go out in the back yard and be an ass clown and cut up milk jugs and fun noodles, then it will also be a good sword for you, although it makes me vomit to think of untrained idiots swinging around a fine weapon like this pretending to be backyard samurai. with years of training, you can become proficient with a weapon like this and appreciate the origons and rich culture. this sword is a good place to start if your on a budget. great weapon.

I love it. It's actually quite beautiful, and the blade is incredibly excellent for the price. I bought this mainly for decoration, though I do dabble in martial arts. So if I chose to take up iaido in the future, it's full tang seems well capable to withstand the rigors of combat movement. Came sharp, but not razor sharp, though I never expected it to be sharp at all. The ito is tight, uniform, and well done. The tsuba looks to be white plastic, but it seems solid and durable and does not look cheap. The mekugi are real bamboo pegs. Blade has a legit hamon. Came covered with a very thick oil coating, but can be wiped off and properly oiled. (People who buy new modern firearms have to do the same thing. Factory applied oil prevents rust from environments outside the control of the manufacturer, like random store owners who might not properly care for the item, thus protecting the brand name of the item). All I can say is, unless you're a pick curator or a super rich collector, buy this sword. Even if you are either of those, still buy the sword just to own the best valued sword in its price range. It's an excellent and proud craftsmanship at an unbelievably affordable price.

Pros: I don't believe there is a better beginner katana unless you double your budget. It was very sturdy and sharp. Cut just fine through jugs with no chipping or defamation. Balance was great Cons: In the product photos the Saya and kashira were different though I do prefer the ones that came with it. The tsuka wrap itself was fine though it did have some play in how tight it was. My biggest gripe is that it seems that when they drilled the holes for the mekugi it was while the tsuka and rayskin was already on the sword. That left the rayskin in really bad shape. The reason I bought this katana was to learn to take apart and replace/fix other more expensive katana tsukas. For this purpose it is fantastic. All in all I believe it is a great beginner sword that can be used to learn everything needed before moving onto better more expensive swords.

Ace Martial Arts Supply Classic Crane Tsuba Handmade Samurai Katana Sharp Sword-Musha It arrived today and it looks like the pictures. But beware, it came in one box with one piece of tape holding it shut and no inner box from Musha as the description shows it comes in. I don't know if its sharp or not. Gonna do a cutting test in a couple days and I'll update when I do. Overall it, for the price, it seems to be well worth the money. Updated: Now that I've had this for a few months, I am not overly impressed. For starters it only has one mekugi pin not two. I tried to remove the tsuka and couldn't get it to budge at all. The fittings were a tad lose and figured I would put in one more seppa to tighten it up. Then I went to remove the ito and it was glued down but also found out the kashira was also glued on and wasn't easy to remove. So I had to replace the ito with a new one. The blade was kinda sharp, but a little elbow grease and got it a little sharper. You don't want them over sharp, because it could actually damage the blade and bounce off what your trying to cut instead of going through it. Its a nice blade and thinking I'm going to replace the tsuka by hacking this one off carefully and putting a new one on. The saya is basic and is not lacquered like others. It is painted black and will most likely be refinished and lacquered. The segeo is actually on the short side for wearing. But hey, that is easily replaced with a new one that is a little longer. To my surprise, the fittings are all metal, a cheap metal, but metal. Will be looking at replacing with new fittings in the future. Like I said, nice blade, just the rest isn't. You are basically paying for the blade and the rest is an after thought. Its worth the money and decent for using or just hanging on the wall or stand.