Sub-$300 Katana (2014 edition)

S

Scotty2Hotty

Joined
Apr 29, 2014
Messages
269
Hello everyone! I am new to this forum. Seems like a bunch of great guys here with plenty of knowledge. I hate to beat a dead horse here, but I am interested in your opinions/recommendations. Someone posted a similar thread, but it started to get into machetes and what-not. I am not interested in what manufacturers you heard about. What I am looking for is personal experience, and owners of katanas. I have done much research, and have checked out just about every manufacturer there is. Been interested for awhile in katanas in particular. I would soon like to purchase one, in the $200-$300 range. I plan on test cutting with it and practicing iaido as well. Aesthetics aren't everything, a good functional katana is what I am looking for. I guess I want the most "bang for the buck," as does everyone. Most posts like these are dated, and I want current opinions. I am leaning toward the Ronin Katana Dojo Pro series, as this seems to fit my needs and budget. I have read all the old reviews both good and bad(very few bad). Has anyone had any experience with their new 2014 models? How do these differ from their previous offerings? I know there will be short-comings in this price range, but this will be my first katana. In time, I may upgrade to a better one, or maybe not need to. Hopefully, Mr. Ridgeway will chime in on this! But I look forward to any/all of your recommendations! Reviews would be awesome! "X vs. Y" would be great! I welcome links!(although if they are older, I've probably seem them) Please help me decide! Thank you, good sirs.
 
If you're interested in the ronin you should get it, I plan on getting one soon myself. If you are interested in the Shinto, you won't be disappointed. Whatever you do get put the pics up, I'm sure we'd all like to see what you pick up.
 
I have some time to decide. Plan on a purchase within a month or two. Of course there will be a full review! And pics as well, when I learn how to do that, LOL! I've read about the photobucket deal, yada yada. Cross that bridge when I get there... Who has a Hanwei Shinto in stock for this price range? SBG apparently had some for $300, but no more. My searches show $700-$1100 for the Shinto. TY for your input, sir.
 
I don't know about prices, but I shop at kult of Athena. They have a price guarantee and they fully inspect their stuff before they ship (as far as swords). You're welcome. Let me know if you have more questions.
Also, be sure to get a bokken and practice strikes with that on a tree, before using a live blade.
 
Absolutely. Got to walk before you can run. The Kult of Athena scares me a bit. They just seem too large to do adequate quality control. Plus, if there is an issue with the purchase, seems like I would have better luck with the customer service and what-not with the actual company making them. But I will check with the kult again. DAMN! what a plethora of katana... a lot to sift through. Thanks again!
 
Scotty2Hotty said:
Absolutely. Got to walk before you can run. The Kult of Athena scares me a bit. They just seem too large to do adequate quality control. Plus, if there is an issue with the purchase, seems like I would have better luck with the customer service and what-not with the actual company making them. But I will check with the kult again. DAMN! what a plethora of katana... a lot to sift through. Thanks again!
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Kult of Athena actually is kind of a mom and pops store. They have all their products in house and are very knowledgeable about their gear. They also have a great return policy too. I got my Katana in 3 days, so they only sell what they have on hand.
 
CPIO, it's a great blade but the Tsuka is MUCH bigger than a normal katana. It doesn't fit my hand comfortably
 
BePrepared said:
Cheness... pick the model (in 9260) that fits your personality best
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Cheness? Really? I thought I had this thing narrowed down a bit... Looks like I'm back to square one. I will check them out a bit more thoroughly. Also, you posted some great pics on a different thread. How do you compare the katanas you own? Thanks for your input!
 
After checking out the Kult a bit, I see some offerings from Skyjiro Forge. What is the general consensus on these guys? Quality stuff? I still like Ronin, but I'm giving Cheness and Hanwei another look, as well as these Skyjiro folks. TrueBlue, looking deeper into the Hanwei products, I have found that their Practical series "high carbon" is a 1566 steel. From what I gather, the "66" part is the carbon content(.66), and the other elements involved give it added flexibility. So is 1566~1065 or 1566>1065? The Skyjiro products im looking at are 1070. Everyone has differing opinions on this, but I previously thought 1060 was a good compromise between hardness/flexibility/edge retention.
 
BePrepared said:
Cheness... pick the model (in 9260) that fits your personality best
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I haven't heard the best things about this manufacturer. But all things aside, I took another look. Have you seen the disclaimer on Cheness on the Kult of Athena website? I think maybe I'll scratch out Cheness as one of my options. But thank you very much for your time.
 
I was about to stir the pot more and suggest you contact Dan Keffeler and have him make you a custom 3V katana, and then I realized there was a budget restriction. Oh well. I've got a fair amount of personal experience with Hanwei's cheaper offerings, among others, as well as with some of their mid-range and the Tiger Elite, which is the most expensive of theirs that I own. By and large, I've been pretty happy with the value per cost. What you may want may depend heavily on your experience/skill level and intended use, however. One thing to be said about some of the cheaper Hanwei offerings is that I've had some that came less than razor sharp. And there's always Kris in the cheap range too. Their stuff isn't bad. I've not tried Cheness, but Ronin also is quite competitive with other offerings. I'd avoid Cold Steel though. Balance and weight was terrible, in my estimation, and I didn't really feel the blade offered the same level of quality for the price as other offerings.
 
I don't plan on immediately re-wrapping the tsuka, or changing out the fittings. Therefor, its paramount that they get this part right from the get-go. Looking like Ronin is the deal here- options on tsuba, same, menuki, fittings made of iron. Anyone have any insight into Skyjiro Forge?
 
Scotty2Hotty said:
I haven't heard the best things about this manufacturer. But all things aside, I took another look. Have you seen the disclaimer on Cheness on the Kult of Athena website? I think maybe I'll scratch out Cheness as one of my options. But thank you very much for your time.
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the fit and finish on the ones i've owned were EXCELLENT. They had some QC issues a while back but they seem to have been resolved.
 
crimsonfalcon07 said:
I was about to stir the pot more and suggest you contact Dan Keffeler and have him make you a custom 3V katana, and then I realized there was a budget restriction. Oh well. I've got a fair amount of personal experience with Hanwei's cheaper offerings, among others, as well as with some of their mid-range and the Tiger Elite, which is the most expensive of theirs that I own. By and large, I've been pretty happy with the value per cost. What you may want may depend heavily on your experience/skill level and intended use, however. One thing to be said about some of the cheaper Hanwei offerings is that I've had some that came less than razor sharp. And there's always Kris in the cheap range too. Their stuff isn't bad. I've not tried Cheness, but Ronin also is quite competitive with other offerings. I'd avoid Cold Steel though. Balance and weight was terrible, in my estimation, and I didn't really feel the blade offered the same level of quality for the price as other offerings.
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I have read the same about Cold Steel, and their price is a bit prohibitive as well. I guess what I'm looking for is definitely an entry-level functional katana. Previously, I had just about settled on the Ronin Katana Dojo Pro's. Figured I would join the forum and find out more from the experts. Cheness and Hanwei both seem to fall short of Ronin. At least in this price range. Hanwei has some nicer mid-high range offerings though. My experience/skill level is low, intended use is some backyard test cutting and iaido. I will heed your advice and check into Kris Cutlery. Thanks Mr. Crimson!
 
Scotty2Hotty said:
After checking out the Kult a bit, I see some offerings from Skyjiro Forge. What is the general consensus on these guys? Quality stuff? I still like Ronin, but I'm giving Cheness and Hanwei another look, as well as these Skyjiro folks. TrueBlue, looking deeper into the Hanwei products, I have found that their Practical series "high carbon" is a 1566 steel. From what I gather, the "66" part is the carbon content(.66), and the other elements involved give it added flexibility. So is 1566~1065 or 1566>1065? The Skyjiro products im looking at are 1070. Everyone has differing opinions on this, but I previously thought 1060 was a good compromise between hardness/flexibility/edge retention.
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I think the normal practical is ok, but the practical pro was blade heavy to me.
 
OK. Kult of Athena seems to be a trusted seller. I'm going to go 1 by 1 on the manufacturers there(all 44) and check them all out. TrueBlue, you have been a huge help.
 
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