How well built is the Cold Steel O Katana?

Zombie Zeke

Zombie Zeke

Joined
Nov 26, 2006
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This is on my short list for the Lot sale and I want to get as much info, positive or negative, as possible before spending the cheese.;)

Also recommendations for other Cold Steel Swords would be appreciated.


:thumbup:Thanks,

zeke
 
Zombie Zeke said:
This is on my short list for the Lot sale and I want to get as much info, positive or negative, as possible before spending the cheese.;)

Also recommendations for other Cold Steel Swords would be appreciated.


:thumbup:Thanks,

zeke
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Cold Steel swords are built "about" the same as the rest of the Chitana's available on the market.....BUT:

1. They are very heavy, and balance is not great. The last time I handled a few was in 2009, so this may have currently improved.

2. The blade would NOT hold an edge. Could get the blade razor sharp, go back to it the next day(this happened) and get thrown off the cutting floor for bringing a dull sword.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I owned a CS O-Katana for several years.

It's build like a friggin' tank. It's NOT balanced for practitioner's use, so if you plan on taking classes then you should wait and see what your Sensei says you should get.

If you're looking for a backyard cutter that can take abuse, this is it. It's big, pricey, and heavy, but it was a helluva sword. I miss it, and really wish I didn't trade it off.

I remember taking out 3" saplings like they were nothing. The sword had it's factory edge, which was scary sharp for its entire length, and never needed so much as a touch-up. I wasn't exactly dainty with this thing, either. I wasn't chopping into cured wood, but thick, live saplings were regular targets. The occasional botched cut would lodge the blade into a 2x4(part of cutting stand), with no damage to show for it.


I also owned a CS Chisa Katana. Same strong build, but in a shorter, easier to handle package. I liked it, but it just didn't have the same presence in the hand that the O-Katana did.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I would get the Hanwei Odachi personally. It's even got a real hamon.
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You need to read more, and maybe consider what you write.

The Hanwei Odachi is a massive blade, 48"...that is the blade ALONE. It weighs over 6 lbs. I know a handful of master practitioners that can wield it effectively.

The Cold Steel O-Katana is manageable, just about anyone who can swing a smaller sword CAN work with it, but it would not be optimal....it is affordable, and for those that want to abuse a sword, this would not be a crime against humanity.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
HolyRoller said:
I owned a CS O-Katana for several years.

It's build like a friggin' tank. It's NOT balanced for practitioner's use, so if you plan on taking classes then you should wait and see what your Sensei says you should get.

If you're looking for a backyard cutter that can take abuse, this is it. It's big, pricey, and heavy, but it was a helluva sword. I miss it, and really wish I didn't trade it off.

I remember taking out 3" saplings like they were nothing. The sword had it's factory edge, which was scary sharp for its entire length, and never needed so much as a touch-up. I wasn't exactly dainty with this thing, either. I wasn't chopping into cured wood, but thick, live saplings were regular targets. The occasional botched cut would lodge the blade into a 2x4(part of cutting stand), with no damage to show for it.


I also owned a CS Chisa Katana. Same strong build, but in a shorter, easier to handle package. I liked it, but it just didn't have the same presence in the hand that the O-Katana did.
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:thumbup:
Thank you, that is exactly what I am looking for in a sword, maybe I'll handle this one and the Grosse Messier.
 
Kohai999 said:
You need to read more, and maybe consider what you write.

The Hanwei Odachi is a massive blade, 48"...that is the blade ALONE. It weighs over 6 lbs. I know a handful of master practitioners that can wield it effectively.

The Cold Steel O-Katana is manageable, just about anyone who can swing a smaller sword CAN work with it, but it would not be optimal....it is affordable, and for those that want to abuse a sword, this would not be a crime against humanity.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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I've handled the Hanwei Odachi, so I'm aware of its massive size and weight. It's still not outrageously priced, though it's not inexpensive, and I trust a piece by Hanwei more than I do one by Cold Steel due to their notoriously poor tsuka cores. And I don't think that abusing a production sword is anything that could be considered a crime against humanity.

Telling me to read more and consider what I write strikes me as rude to say the least. I concede that you're very knowledgeable, but that's no excuse to respond in such a condescending manner.

Either way, I'm glad that the OP was able to arrive at a conclusion he thinks suitable.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Telling me to read more and consider what I write strikes me as rude to say the least. I concede that you're very knowledgeable, but that's no excuse to respond in such a condescending manner.
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At the very least, favorably comparing, and recommending a sword that weighs over 6 lbs with a sword that doesn't weigh over 4 is ill advised and less than helpful.

A sword that big requires advanced technique to use safely, otherwise, even if you can manage to swing and stop it cleanly, you could easily overstress your joints and tendons.

You can take that as rude if you want to, it really wasn't meant that way.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
At the very least, favorably comparing, and recommending a sword that weighs over 6 lbs with a sword that doesn't weigh over 4 is ill advised and less than helpful.

A sword that big requires advanced technique to use safely, otherwise, even if you can manage to swing and stop it cleanly, you could easily overstress your joints and tendons.

You can take that as rude if you want to, it really wasn't meant that way.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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As long as it wasn't intended that way, fine. :D:thumbup: Just understand that it came across that way. Between the two examples I happen to like the Hanwei piece. At the time the OP hadn't listed any real requirements other than info on the CS O Katana, and I simply stated that if it was me, I'd get the Hanwei. Oh well, I suppose we can agree to disagree at least, right? :o When I handled the Hanwei Odachi it felt heavy, for sure, but far from unmanageable.
 
masa said:
what is tsuka cores?
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That would be the wood used to surround the tang of the blade. The blade tang would slide into the wooden tsuka and then be pinned in order to keep it from sliding out. The tsuka would generally be covered with rayskin then have a Japanese style wrap over that to complete the handle. Some of the tsuka cores from some manufacturers have been known to crack easily or be cracked from the factory.

Cold Steel has been accused of having this problem a few years ago and I don't know if it has been corrected.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
At the time the OP hadn't listed any real requirements other than info on the CS O Katana, and I simply stated that if it was me, I'd get the Hanwei. Oh well, I suppose we can agree to disagree at least, right? :o When I handled the Hanwei Odachi it felt heavy, for sure, but far from unmanageable.
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We can agree to disagree with that.

Not sure what kind of suburi you did with it, but I'm pretty sure that I would need chiropractic and motrin after 15 minutes of drills.:)

I advocate heavily for CAS, as I have been using their stuff since my first year of training, and it was ok to start with and has gotten MUCH better....that said, before I looked at the o-dachi, I would take a serious look at the Raptor Nambokucho Zukuri, with a 30" blade and oal of almost 45" and an MSRP of $399.00 it is hard to pass up. Hamon generally only appeal to purists and enthusiasts, as hackers tend to use brillo pads and the like to clean the sap off the blade.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
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Kohai999 said:
We can agree to disagree with that.

Not sure what kind of suburi you did with it, but I'm pretty sure that I would need chiropractic and motrin after 15 minutes of drills.:)

I advocate heavily for CAS, as I have been using their stuff since my first year of training, and it was ok to start with and has gotten MUCH better....that said, before I looked at the o-dachi, I would take a serious look at the Raptor Nambokucho Zukuri, with a 30" blade and oal of almost 45" and an MSRP of $399.00 it is hard to pass up. Hamon generally only appeal to purists and enthusiasts, as hackers tend to use brillo pads and the like to clean the sap off the blade.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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The Nambokucho is a beast in its own right, that's for sure! :thumbup:
 
Bimmer1 said:
That would be the wood used to surround the tang of the blade. The blade tang would slide into the wooden tsuka and then be pinned in order to keep it from sliding out. The tsuka would generally be covered with rayskin then have a Japanese style wrap over that to complete the handle. Some of the tsuka cores from some manufacturers have been known to crack easily or be cracked from the factory.

Cold Steel has been accused of having this problem a few years ago and I don't know if it has been corrected.
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The reason that is important, as a side note, that if your handle comes apart in a swing, you can have a couple of results. The sharp sword flying through the air like a spinning pinwheel of death is one negative consequence.

You can also end up with a hand full of sharpish, vibrating steel if your handle disintegrates. (often the tangs are not what you would call "hand friendly"


Lots of things can go wrong when cutting anything with any kind of edged weapon.

Add in to that more momentum and tons more edge when you start using swords, and swinging them about. Then multiply that by having a handle construction that is absolutely not ideal for continued rough abuse. ( I know people will yell and scream that the handle design of the Japanese swords is really all held together with a bamboo pin, and a single bamboo pin at that.)


I have no doubt that a master sword smith, fitting a quality wood handle has enough skill to make a sword in this fashion that will last for generations.

Take that same traditional bamboo pin retention construction and have it made in a factory in the cheapest bidding factory in a third world county, and you may have problems.



Also, you have to be savvy enough to take the sword apart and make sure the pin is still in good shape after use.


That is why it is a great ask advice before spending the cash.

I have a European sword that I have no doubt will withstand years and years of stupid cutting abuse. It is also a bit heavier than a sword of that style should be for "combat".

It was designed as a "beater" It has a very heavy sturdy tang with a wood core handle under a leather wrap which is also held in place with cross leather straps and pins. A heavy ricasso and very stout guard and blade.

I would not hesitate to use it for cutting from a concern over the sturdiness of the construction. Now, it is a 5 lb piece of sharp double edged steel, so that alone would give me pause on using it for cutting. I am a big strong dude, but like I said, there is a whole list of things that can go wrong when cutting. Bad form can cost you the use of any of your appendages if you have a bad day.

Everything I have heard about the Cold steel line of swords indicates that they tend to be heavy for style (including the Grosse Messer). They should be sturdy enough for abuse. But be aware that a failure can mean disaster.

Watch your backdrop, footing, wear more protective clothing. Steel toed boots would not be out of line (I know that people who train in traditional cutting would laugh......but we are talking about people swinging sharp swords with no training).

Just use common sense.

In the price range of those CS swords, and if what you are looking for is out and out abusive use, I would recommend looking at the AK47 (Busse), the Swamprat Waki (Swamprat), and the Scrapyard Waki. Those family knives are not traditional designs of course, but they run from about 900 down to 200 and all have forever warranties.

The way they are built and heat treated, I have seen them bent 90 degrees without taking a set, and 180 with out breaking.

They are lighter, and easier to control as well.


If you are looking for a traditional design and appearance, others will have better advice than me.
 
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