Don't sweat it, Pete. I'm sure there'll be another Kothimanda Katana for $25 in no time at all. That is, never.
-- Dave
I'm happy to say that last week I received the "regular" katana with the koa wood handle, and it's a beauty. I've worked with koa before and I plan to polish this handle until it glows in the dark. (Not the best thing for "grippiness," perhaps, but this is not exactly a "user.")
Now all I need is a book or tutorial on how to handle a katana, or at least look like you know how. It seems so easy in the Toshiro Mifune movies. One thing immediately obvious is that you don't want to be swinging this 36" sword indoors. And you need to be aware of the location of all your limbs (and everyone else's limbs) when swinging it.
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