i'm interested in purchasing a katana for a souvenir when i go back home, just wondering a good price for a dragonhead katana, nothing super spectacular, just an average dragonhead. i saw one at about 399.99, is this a cheap rip-off, or pretty good deal?
if you wanna spend that much, i would get a hanwei. they are usually great, and that is the range they are in. about any katana wiht a dragon head is worth less than 100, from my experience. look for forged steel blade, full tang or 3/4 tang, and look it over to see that it is well built. other than that, you should see that it fits you, but if it's just a souvenir, its no big deal. most dragonhead ones go for 40-100 and look great. theyre crap, but they look cool.
oh yeah, and in that price range, ask about blade care. some, you have to break down and clean a lot. post a pic if you can. someone might recognize it. i probably will.
yes very insightful albert.... thx for the tips kagebushi. yea, i'm basically looking for a souvenir, and something to sort of practice with. nothing really intense, just get used to the feel, develop wrist manipulation, and a sort of grace... :Alien: yea, i also want it to look cool , do you have any idea about a katana that looks cool, (doesn't need to be "good"), has a good looking handle, and actually looks "real" ?
Talking about katanas...doesnt it bother anyone that they make most katanas now a days in China? Chinese samurai...hmmm... :love:
if youre planning on paying that much, get a hanwei ppk 4th gen (youll have to ask around) umm, other than that, youll have to find your own style. if you want to fit one, hold it at the handguard, and the blade should dangle 1 cm from the floor if you relax your arm. the rest is up to you. just dont take a salesman's word. sword salesmen lie a lot. a hanwei (or equivalent) isnt neccesary if you arent serious about training, and its a probably bad idea, since they have to be cleaned constantly. get a blade that doesnt bend at all if you shake it, and look for the pins in the handle. make sure they are secure, and that they end at halfway down the handle at least. i prefer the long handled, rayskin wrapped, wooden/laquer scabbard ones with smooth, lightweight, black handguards. thats just me though. if you like that, look for hanwei (a division of paul chen) blades.
Well, you've given us a pretty good indication of what you're looking for, so I'll give you the advice I've always given. If you want a katana that looks real, do not buy a dragonhead. The only weapons made in Japan with ivory/bone carved handles were crap, definitely not worthy of being called Katana. They were sold to foreigners, and had completely **** grade steel in them. If you want real, don't buy dragonheads, don't buy "Ninja swords", don't buy anything with a wooden unwrapped tsuka (grip). Basically, you only have one choice. It's the traditional, wrapped handle, lacquered wood Saya (scabbard) with no fancy metal decoration or hangers on it. Just a ring for the sageo (Cord). Get any color combination you want, any Saya you want, but stick to that if you want realistic. Hanwei's fine. You can buy Hanwei, but remember that you are buying the same Chinese-made, middle-ground steel that pretty much everyone else has in the world. There's nothing special about Hanwei swords. By the time you're buying their top-quality swords, you might as well be buying Japanese, and supporting the real industry there. For your price range though, they're probably what you're looking for. I'd suggest buying an Iaito, an unsharpened practise sword. They look good, they're strong enough for swinging around, and you won't cut yourself or others. And they're cheap. Check out www.swordstore.com and samuraistore.com for alternative sources for Iaito (Which I prefer to Hanwei). If you want something sharp, you have two choices. Buy something cheap, which will inevitably break, either hurting you or someone around you, or just leaving you with two swords, neither of which you want. Or, you could shell out and buy a real sword. I have a feeling you aren't looking in that price range though, especially for a souvenir, since they tend to range starting at $2000 CAD. This is why I suggest an Iaito. Cheap, good for light non-contact practise, safe, and look just as good as the real thing on your shelf.
Read This Before Buying!!! Hello... I apologise if I'm butting in on this convo, I'm a newbie to the forum Anyway, I deal in swords here in the UK - the dragon-head 'katana' you are talking about are Chinese mass-produced bachelor toys. I would advise against you spending any hard-earned cash on these. Here's why: 1. The tang is a rat-tail type... ie. it is simply a steel bolt which is welded to the blade and runs through the grip to the pommel. This is likely to cause someone serious injury when it finally decides to break (which it will if you intend to wave it around for long). 2. You will find the 'jewels' in the dragon eyes are plastic, or glass at best. And the handle will be a synthetic of some kind, if not simply ugly, cast plastic, with a paint-wash to try and imitate aged ivory. 3. $399.99!!! I don't know the exact exchange rate for Canadian dollars but you should be able to pick one up for... let's see... $50 USD... ebay 'traders' regularly unload this exact kind of sword. If you have that kind of money to swing around (hehe... like the pun?) either get a Paul Chen Practical Katana or resign yourself to keeping your dragon-head sword on the wall. 4. People will laugh at you. I will laugh at you. Only joking Hope this helps you before you spend your money, it would be unfortunate for someone to scam you. Davio - Shark-proof blades, UK
Hey Davio, Don't worry, and expert opinion is always welcome on MAP. I'm in total agreement with you here. In my opinion, any and all "Katana" with a dragon head handle are unrealistic crap. But hey, people are welcome to have their own tastes, just like people who like Camaros and Mullets. And yes, I will also laugh at you Nrv4Evr, especially if you try to use one of those for any legitimate training.
