Honshu Damascus Broadsword Review - BudK

[n2rockets]

Since nobody here has done a review of the Honshu Damascus Broadsword from BUDK.com I figured I would buy one, see for myself, and post the results.

https://www.budk.com/Honshu-Damascus-Broadsword-With-Sheath-Damascus-St-47731

BudK / United Cutlery makes a lot of reproductions and decorative swords, however their Honshu Line seems to have positive feedback as functional swords. There are positive reviews of their standard 1060 High Carbon Steel model, however I can't find anyone talking about their Damascus Version. So lets give it a try!

I purchased this for $349.99 Plus Shipping from BUDK.com and paid the extra $1 for shipping insurance (Thank God) and received it within several business days. The package was very long and seemed OK, but there were some creases in it from transport.

Upon opening the package, the Honshu product box was creased heavily in the middle as well as the sheath having a crack all the way around and all the way through.

The sword Damascus is nice and looks like the pictures. I contacted BUDK to ask the metal content or manufacturing information about the Damascus but never got an answer. The sword balance and weight is nice it looks very cool with the darker satin pommel and guard. I am a firearm guy so I actually like the black plastic grip as well. The one complaint I have is that the grip and guard moves around a little when manipulating the sword. It's not rock solid, but rattles slightly which is disappointing. It could probably be shimmed up, but I feel like it should be done correctly from the factory. I did not take the sword apart, because I am planning on returning it due to the damage from when I received it from BUDK.

 

[n2rockets]

I did notice the blade and Guard are not exactly on the same plane. What I mean is when the blade is perfectly vertical, the guard is rotated ever so slightly. When looking down the blade I also noticed that it didn't look exactly straight, but had a banana warp shape to it which is hard to photograph, but visible to the naked eye... So Lets See!

I used Rubber Vice pads and microfiber cloth to ensure the blade was secured without damaging or marking anything or causing warpage to the blade. I then used several dial indicators along the length to measure runout and make sure I was not causing warping due to pressure on the blade from indicators as the length increased from where I was holding it. Here is the basic setup.

Its a Banana Blade! The blade has a curvature in the middle of .035" over 15" which is visible to the naked eye. I only measured 1 side and it only affirmed what I could see with my eyes.

To be fair to BUDK, the package did have enough damage to crack the scabbard in the middle so this could have caused permanent deformation to the blade, however I feel it should have sprung back and the crack is not where the bend is. The blade is fairly sharp, but the point is definitely sharp.

Conclusion:

In this brief review I would say that I am overall disappointed in the sword from BUDK. I would not purchase it again, and likely not purchase from BUDK.
The blade looks nice, but isn't straight or very sharp. The Guard and grip look nice but rattle and aren't even straight. The Scabbard looks ok even though mine is cracked and the retention feels appropriate to me. Dealing with BUDK is another story and probably the biggest deterrent personally.

Their customer service is extremely lacking and although I paid the extra money for insurance (which I feel they should cover their own shipping insurances to guarantee customers receive items undamaged) it has been 2 weeks and I still have not received any replacement. I have gone from having to pay to return it, to getting a return label, to now waiting for UPS to call me and cannot get them to send me a replacement item while they figure out what they want to do on their end. I contact them every couple of days for a status update, but they are waiting for UPS to see if they will cover the package - but until then I am left waiting... At first BUDK even wanted me to pay for return shipping for their broken item I received! I am not sure what would happen if someone didn't spend the extra money and buy insurance! But that is a different rant for when they settle my return - I will let you know how it goes!

 

[Dergyll]

You're a brave man

 

[AR-Trvlr]

I'd ship it back and ask my CC company for a charge-back if you haven't received the credit.

 

[Triton]

Yep, I would definitely not pay the credit card bill on that thing. At the end of the day there is a reason that a 350 dollar sword is a 350 dollar sword. Some companies at that price point do a better job than others. MRL is a reasonable choice in that price range, Kris cutlery is another. BudK... er well I wouldn't think so. I've bought some cheap stuff from them but nothing over 100 dollars and there's a reason for that.

 

[Hanne762]

You can get a Hanwei Tinker blade blank and build your own, all the parts are out there. A longsword blade is about $120.

 

[n2rockets]

So after dealing with BUDK for over 2 weeks now I am going to initiate a chargeback with my credit card company.

I returned everything that I ordered and told BUDK to just refund me because their company has horrible customer service and I am sick of dealing with them.

They sent UPS to pick up the package in original box and return it. Now BUDK has a claim for damage with UPS and is refusing to refund my money until they get reimbursed from UPS for the claim!! SO they picked up the package, have my money, the package is held with UPS for investigation and they won't refund my money...

Does this seem like the kind of company anyone would want to do business with???

Warning to others considering ordering from them!!

BTW I paid the extra money for expedited shipping and their insurance plan which is supposed to take care of the customer... So much for that. BIG SCAM.

 

[Triton]

Good to know, I have only purchased cheap junk that I would not bother to return if there were issues. Sounds like that was a good plan.