Hanwei Tactical Wak

Kohai999 said:
I'll order one tomorrow and let you know when it comes in, run it through the paces.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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Kaizen1 said:
Very cool:). I look forward to the review.
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+1 :thumbup:



Just sold my SRKW Waki and regret it every bit as much as I knew I would. I want to replace it with something less costly, and this is looking like a good option. It's between this and the Practical Plus Wakizashi for me.

ETA: Or the Raptor Wakizashi. Need to do more research....
 
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Just got notice yesterday that my Tatical Wak is shipping; it should get here next week :thumbup:
 
HikingMano said:
Just sold my SRKW Waki and regret it every bit as much as I knew I would. I want to replace it with something less costly . . .
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I assume you're aware that Scrap Yard is planning on releasing a Waki. It should run around $300 shipped. Here are a couple of links if you're interested:

http://www.scrapyardknives.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=412043

http://www.scrapyardknives.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=422147

I'm really not in the market for a sword right now. If I were, I'd probably buy the Tactical Wakizashi. Before I'd even consider it, however, I'd wait to hear some reviews from you guys. :)
 
Heard about it but hadn't seen the pics, so thanks :thumbup: $300 shipped (I'm assuming blade only?) is still a bit much for me right now though...Hanwei's $125 shipped works better for me. I hope I can still find SRKW or SY Waki's when my financial situation is a little more flush.

Interesting that the Scrapizashi is only 0.8oz lighter than the Hanwei even though it's shorter in OAL (27 1/4" vs 31") and blade length (17 3/8" vs 20"). Must be that .19" thickness and (based on pics) taller blade.
 
Yes. $300 shipped would be blade only. It's also worth noting that the handle wrap is not covered under warranty. If you need a re-wrap, the cost would be $49.00 plus shipping to the factory.
 
To the best of my knowledge, the Scrap Yard Scrapizashi (Waki) is the first blade in the history of the Busse Combat knife companies (Busse Combat, Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard) to be offered without the ironclad, stem-to-stern, Busse warranty. That doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the product . . . or at least it doesn't for me.

I'm invariably led back to the Tactical Waki. 5160 is extremely tough steel. With the proper heat treat, it will take and hold an edge admirably. I, for one, am looking forward to hearing some Tactical Waki reviews from those who know a lot more about Japanese-style swords than I do.
 
bld522 said:
I, for one, am looking forward to hearing some Tactical Waki reviews from those who know a lot more about Japanese-style swords than I do.
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Agreed. More importantly (to me, at least), I'm waiting to see a review by someone who decides to use it as a 'chopper':D! I want to know how tough this waki really is.
 
So I received my Tactical Wakizashi a few days ago, but haven't had time to take pics or really do anything with it yet.


Initial thoughts (keep in mind, I have no experience with swords):

The tsuka seems to be a bit long. I can easily get two hands on it, which is nice...but even then, there's quite a bit of room left over. Just seems a bit too long to me.

Overall, it seems durable and well constructed. The full tang provides more peace of mind. While not a fan of kraton in general, it seems to be well done here - grippy without chewing up your hand. The saya gets the job done.The edge definitely needs sharpening; it comes less than knife sharp. I haven't cut anything with it yet, so I don't know how well it holds an edge. I'm afraid I'm too inexperienced to comment on edge geometry and other factors that would affect cutting ability. I leave that to experts like Steven.

I've only noticed one possible issue so far: the habaki is pretty roughly finished. The seam is pretty much a jagged gap and it doesn't look to be sealed/finished in any way. I don't know enough about japanese swords to know if this goes beyond a mere Fit and Finish issue. As of right now, the habaki functions well with the koiguchi, and there isn't a problem with retention or koiguchi no kira kata. But I don't know if that will change over time/use.

I am at work right now and don't recall exactly, but the balance point is maybe a couple of inches forward of the habaki. And, in my inexperienced hands, the weight feels pretty good. It feels light enough to move quickly and precisely.


All in all, I'm pretty happy with it, especially at this price point. I don't have a reason to be otherwise, with my limited experience. I hope that doesn't change after I've used it.

I, too, am looking forward to Steven's review (or those of other more knowledgeable members). I was just too impatient to wait :eek:. Researching this sword has made me realize just how little I know about japanese swords and swordsmanship (and swords/swordsmanship in general). I think this is the beginning of a new hobby. I'm going to have to start a thread later on recommendations on books and how to go about gaining instruction and a little direct knowledge/experience. :thumbup:


Hope to get up pics tonight, but if not, then definitely by this weekend. Maybe I'll be able to clumsily chop/hack at something too :).
 
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Thanks for the review. Let us know what you think after you've done a little chopping/hacking with it. :)
 
I thought about taking mine out in the woods today for some chopping but I decided to wait until my "cheap-o" Cold Steel two-handed katana machete arrives next week for that. The Hanwei Tactical wakizashi is a nice piece for the money. Mine is well made for the price and seems to fit well in the Hanwei Raptor series line up. I personally like the longer handle on the Tactical Waki and the overall dimensions make this more of a ko-katana than a waki. I like being able to use two hands on this one and a shorter waki length handle would not serve the blade length very well.....in my opinion. The edge appears to be fine for cutting and some chopping but not quite as sharp as the Swamp Rat Rodent wakizashi. I think they could have left off the bo-hi on the Tactical waki which might have given it some increased durability but it appears to be a great value at its current price point.
 
I think I was a little overly critical in my previous post. I've been packing and moving to a new apartment over the past couple of weeks, so my initial impressions were really just that. I just got home and actually sat down to really go over the blade again.


A few things I'd like to amend:

The handle really isn't as long as I thought it was. When you space your hands out in a comfortable grip, there isn't really much of the handle left (1/2" - 1"). :thumbup:

The habaki isn't as rough as I envisioned it while typing out my earlier post at work. I've attached a picture below. There is a little scruffing on the flats as well from the koiguchi, but not as bad as I thought it was.

The edge is also sharper than I initially thought it was. I agree with Bimmer1 above that it's a decent working edge for a sword (in my limited big blade experience). I need to figure out the best method to sharpen this thing now....

The balance is approximately 2.5" from the tsuka (eyeballing it with a ruler).

And one last note, the circumference of the handle is great; it's nice and hand-filling :thumbup:.



I'm very pleased with it. It's a good buy, in my opinion :) :thumbup:


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(with Para2)
 
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I just tried to cut paper with mine and it slices right through paper just like my Swamp Rat Rodent. I didn't think it would because "in appearance" it doesn't seem quite that sharp. Overall I don't think the Tactical Wakizashi is going to be a heavy duty beater sword. I don't think it will hold up to super great punishment. I think the entire raptor series is made for light to medium target cutting. If you look at the tang they used stock steel that was just slightly thicker than 3/16" and not quite thick enough to be called 1/4". That's pretty thick but of course the ground blade thickness along the spine is not that thick.
I just received my two Raptor Series Katana (there is a two for the price of one special going on for a week) and I'm pretty happy with the Raptor series Kats as well.
 
For reference I have it straight from James Williams' mouth that (at least at their time of release) he was using a unokobi-zukuri raptor series katana for all of his test cuts on pig carcasses. I think that qualifies as pretty rough usage given that cutting dead bone is almost like cutting rock. :eek:
 
Excellent. All I need is to order two of these and a ninja costume and I'll be all set to fulfill my mall ninja fantasies...on Halloween.
 
Bimmer1 said:
[...]I just received my two Raptor Series Katana (there is a two for the price of one special going on for a week) and I'm pretty happy with the Raptor series Kats as well.
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I'd like to get a Katana down the line, and from what I've read, it seems like the Raptor series is a good place to start. Are you going to post a review thread on them later? It'd be nice to learn a little more about what exactly sets them apart from other Katanas.
 
HikingMano said:
I'd like to get a Katana down the line, and from what I've read, it seems like the Raptor series is a good place to start. Are you going to post a review thread on them later? It'd be nice to learn a little more about what exactly sets them apart from other Katanas.
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I don't know if much sets the Raptor series apart from some other offerings. The Raptor series was supposedly Hanwei's first sword that is through hardened and offered as tough and yet affordable. Much like the through hardened offerings from Cheness and Kris Cutlery and the cheaper series from Dynasty Forge. The through hardened blades are cheaper to produce and offer more durability in most cases for beginners and those who mishit their targets.
With the market the way it is it seemed like James Williams led Hanwei down the proper path on the Raptor Series. I just made multiple cuts through the elongated box that the Raptor Katanas were shipped in!!!!:D
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
For reference I have it straight from James Williams' mouth that (at least at their time of release) he was using a unokobi-zukuri raptor series katana for all of his test cuts on pig carcasses. I think that qualifies as pretty rough usage given that cutting dead bone is almost like cutting rock. :eek:
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this is intresting to hear because (other than riding shotgun), my SRKW Rodent serves two functions: (1) clearing brush (2) chopping up pig feet. the last time i was asked to chop a pig's foot into 3 pieces, i (instead) grabbed a bowie with a 9 1/2" blade (admittedly overdue for some sharpening) i gave a swing i swear would've taken a man's hand off and only got about half way through that darn thing. i got a little a touch of that "oh hell nah, we aint done" and went to grab the Rodent. my wife sees what's about to happen and gives me a little more room (we're in the kitchen), i take a 2 handed swing from the sky and this little piggy aint goin to marke no more :D you aint kiddin', them bones in that piggies foot are pretty tough.

also - is it just me, or is it a little inaccurate to compare things like the Rodent/Scrapizashi/CS 2 handed machette to Japanese style sword. i can totally understand the Tactical Wak with it's curved blade and semi traditional gaurd, but i've heard others mention JSA and the like when talking about the Rodent and other similar blades. i tend to think of these as being in a catagory all alone, they're not really small swords, they're not really big knives, they're not really machettes. it think it's kind of the way MMA became it's own thing after taking little bits of other pre-established things. anybodyelse think this way?

and a big THANK YOU to everyone telling us about their Tactical Wak, i really want to buy one of these, but already have my "ZC" (zombie chopper). so, i'm thinking about who i can gift one to and enjoy hearing as much about it as you guys'll write :)
 
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