I have a 440 stainless steel katana worth $500, but i'm not sure if its as sharp and hard as a katana that has been hand beaten. Also i recently bought the shingami costume for $96 and i'm curious if thats to much considering i bought it at the mall and so didnt have to pay shipping. Thoughts?
2007-01-29 18:11:01 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Martial Arts
So far though, in fairness, i've been doing alot of tameshigiri and it hasnt failed to cut anything.
2007-01-29 18:18:10 · update #1
A 440 stainless steel Katana is NEVER going to beat a traditionally made Katana... folded, pounded out, folded, pounded out, ad infinatum. A real Katana is a work of art. I have had the immense pleasure of handling one. It actually hurt to give it back to its owner.
I would think that $500 would be too much for any 440 stainless steel Katana.
Were I to purchase a new Katana it would be a very careful purchase. I shall include a link to the company I would buy it from in the sources section. Of course, I cannot afford such a thing so I do not have one.
2007-01-29 19:10:37 · answer #1 · answered by j 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You were seriously ripped off. I own a 440 stainless sword that I paid $29 for on eBay. It ain't a half bad sword actually, and like you said, I have never failed to cut straw mats with it. The 440 stainless is about as good as you can get without paying for a folded steel katana.
However, I also own a Bugei company folded steel katana and the difference is night and day. The balance is better, the edge is incredible (you could literally shave with it) and there's just something....ELSE. There's a different FEEL. It's like the difference between using a tool and a weapon.
As far as the shingami, again, you were ripped off. You can buy a traditional shingami from eBay and actually get it from a reputable company and not take your chances with the stuff you find at a mall. Even then, you will only pay maybe $50-$75 for a good set including shipping.
Generally speaking, nothing you get from a mall or COULD get from a mall will be as good as something from a reputable company like Bugei. However, like in the case of your katana, some things might be good ENOUGH for you. However, you do need to look around and do some price checking before you drop that much money for anything.
Hope this helps...
Sensei Cox
2007-01-30 01:12:42 · answer #2 · answered by hitman142002 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a difference between 440A and 440C. 440A is not good for anything other than decoration. Stainless is a misused word in layman terms and doesn't properly describe the metals make-up. All metals will "stain". 440C is used mostly for smaller knives since it is rather brittle but holds a decent edge. Either are NOT good for swords. I would not ever consider cutting anything with the sword you have. Dangerous! Do some searches on the web and you can find all the info you should need to pick a decent sword. (Cold Steel) uses 420C for some of their blades because of the carbon content and rust resistance but they do not make swords out any "stainless" steel. No one I know of does. A decent Paul Chen brand sword will cost around $300. Sorry but for any type of use you made a mistake buying that wall hanger. Don't get mad I, made the same mistake years ago. I feel your pain but live and learn as they say.
2016-03-29 09:18:59 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You were so totally ripped of it's unreal. You could have probably found the same sword for under $100 online. It's probably only really worth about $50 maximum. I sure wouldn't pay over $50 for one like it. It probably even has a plastic tsuka, or if you're blessed with a wooden one, then it has plastic same and cotton tsuka-ito instead of real same and silk.
Machine stamped stainless is ok for cutting practice but will never hold a sharp edge and never be as strong and flexible as a steel sword that is hand forged in the traditional Japanese technique. My sword that I always practice with hasn't been sharpened since WW2 and can still cut quite well. It is a hand forged steel sword made in WW2 and I paid $500 for it about 10 yeas ago.
2007-01-30 06:16:16 · answer #4 · answered by Jerry L 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You got ripped off. Big time. Stainless steel is great for cutlery, but crap for swords. However, it makes really nice shiny sword-like objects to hang on your wall.
Stainless steel is a very, very poor choice of steel when it comes to making swords. Because of its hardness, it doesn't have the flexibility of proper carbon- heat-treated steel, which is what good swords are made of. The moment it will bend, it will remain bent and not spring back to true. A good sword can easily bend to 30-40 degrees off of true and come back. Stainless never will. And becuase of it's hardness, the moment it hits something it doesn't like, it has very high chances of breaking or even shattering instead of just nicking.
I am even ready to be that the tang on that 500$ katana of yours is a rat-tail or partial tang, and that if you keep up cutting practice with it the blade will snap at the hilt fairly quickly.
You should have splurged and paid for shipping on a similarly-priced carbon or chrome-molybdenium steel replica if you couldn't afford the real thing.
2007-01-29 22:05:48 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you paid $500 for a stainless steel katana you can bet your *** that somewhere there is a thief still laughing at you every friday when he pays poker with his friends.
At least if you blew it in a strip club you would have had some ti ties rubbed in your face and had a memory to go home to beat off to.
What you bought is what is commonly referred to as a wallhanger, a sword-like object that is meant for decoration and to hang on your wall. it is not a real sword because it lacks the durability or sharpness of a real sword, or is poorly balanced and not meant for combat/sparring, etc.
Stainless steel is the absolute worst metal you can use for swords.
here is everyone's favorite video of what happens when you try to use a stainless steel "wallhanger".
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1s0dRcdyizU
Don't forget- if you use it- that will happen to you.
Here is an article discussing "sword misconceptions":
http://swordforum.com/sfu/primer/thebest.html
On heat treatment- stainless steel swords are NOT heat treated.
http://swordforum.com/sfu/primer/heattreatment.html
Steel used for japanese swords:
http://swordforum.com/sfu/japanese/modern-steels.html
I hope this helps you.
If you are training then your teacher should know of reputable dealers.
Unfortunately $500 is just below the "safe" range for katanas for the unwary. Expecting to pay at least $800 (more like $1000) for a real (not superior quality) katana is what you could expect. $500 in the range for a good european sword (more demand for katanas).
Hope this helps you and you are more carefull in the future.
2007-01-30 02:39:46 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
They break a lot. Paul says get carbon, spring or tool steel.
2015-05-18 16:20:19 · answer #7 · answered by Jonathan Casey aka Elgor John 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sorry but its likely you wasted your moneys if you're looking for usable katana.
2007-01-29 18:16:31 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
you got ripped off. stop buying martial weapons from the mall.
2007-01-30 04:19:54 · answer #9 · answered by Richard Bricker 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
That depends on the artisan who "beat" it. (no Michael Jackson or George Michael jokes please)
2007-01-29 18:57:39 · answer #10 · answered by Kinda_lonely 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋