Post by Marc Kaden Ridgeway on Mar 31, 2009 21:44:25 GMT -5
Red Dragonfly Sword Art: Kiku
There has been speculation about this seller on a few threads on both the forums I frequent. My opinion was that the swords look pretty good, but I'd not pay the prices for an unknown quantity. When the seller offered some pieces on eBay at a deeply discounted starting price, I jumped at the opportunity to check one out.
The one that caught my eye was the Kiku .
Specifications
The sword seller and I disagree on the specs for this sword. I assume this is a case of typical variation among hand forge pieces. I'll first list the manufacturers specs, then my own.
Sellers Specs[/color]
Nagasa : 28.5 in
Motohaba : 1.26 in
Sakihaba : .98 in
Motogasane : 7mm
Sakigasane : 5mm
Sori : .7 in.
My Specs
Nagasa : 29.25 in
Motohaba: 1.25 in
Sakihaba: 1 in
Motokasane: 7mm
Sakikasane: 5mm
Sori : .8 in
POB: 6.25 in
Tsuka : 11 in total length including fittings
Weight : 2.1 lbs
Aesthetics
Sugata is shinogi-zukuri .
The kissaki is counterpolished, and yokote is cosmetic. This is the weakest point of this katana, but hardly unexpected. This is par for the course with most production katana, and I knew what to expect whwn I purchased it. It is in this area that Hanwei has the advantage over their competitors in this price range.
The hamon is midare.
The tsuka is paneled with white samegawa and wrapped in navy cotton ito.
Fuchi-gashira is a pewter colored basket weave pattern .Menuki are also pewter colored, and look to be a pear or cherry blossom theme.
The Tsuba is blackened steel , cast in a kiku (sunflower) pattern within a mokko shaped frame.
Fit & Finish
It is in this area that the Kiku excels in my opinion.There is an attention to detail and a sense for design that seems to be lacking in many other Chinese production katana.
The upgraded fittings and ito completely make the mount and sets the sword apart from the mobs of Fred Chen varients flooding the market.
The Tsuka-maki is tight and well wrapped, and hishigame are apparent . The tsuka is secured with one mekugi... my preference. Evarything is tight and solid from kashira to kissaki.
The saya is black laquered with blue and white specked Japanese chemical silk sageo... more of that attention to detail. And speaking of attention to detail, the saya actually tapers in thickness ...from a 4.5 inch circumference at the mouth to a 3.75 inch circumference at the end... hows that for a production sword?The fit in the saya is snug and secure...and here's another suprise... there is ABSOLUTELY NO RATTLE at all in the saya. NONE... no matter how you shake it about. Me Likee.
The sori is deep and pleasing at .8 inch , and is tori but creeping towards koshi. The Tsuka-ho is slim and tapered and follows the sori well.
The whole package comes together nicely.
The polish is nice ,except for the kissaki. It should be noted however, that the blade seems to have a clear coat on it ala Windlass. The surfaces are smooth , and the ha is paper cutting sharp. Ji are satin and shinogi-ji are burnished to a mirror sheen.
Handling Characteristics
The point of balance is about 6.25 inches forward of the tsuba.. I know, because I have checked it several times. It feels deceptive in the hand. If I were to have to guess I'd put the balance at around 5 inches.
The sword is relatively light (2.1 lbs) for the POB to be so forward and this results in a very lively sword with good blade prescense. The sword is very comfortable in the grip, and in motion, with very little inertial drag.
Cutting
The Kiku is paper cutting sharp, and has a defined sori...these of course make for a good cutter.
I cut alot of empties (dry) , and haven't quite got the hang of them with the Kiku yet. The geometry is pretty traditional , without a wide haba , which makes the very light targets a bit difficult. On water filled bottles it excelled, and it tracked very nicely on the two pumpkins I had on hand.
All in all a very nice medium, all purpose cutter by initial trials...I'll update after a few more weeks of cutting with it.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
All in all my impressions of this sword are very favorable. The overall package is very pleasing.I'm not that fond of the poly coat, but that should be an easy fix. I did mention my thoughts on the kissaki... but as this is standard on most production kats I went searching for more things to dislike.
I had to get real nit-picky t6o find them... but i found two more points that were less than optimum.
In the following two pictures you will see a slight gap between the sepppa and the saya...and between the samegawa and the fuchi. Not really a problem... just nitpicking for imperfections... on a less remarkable sword I would have ignored them.
Conclusion
Red Dragonfly had excellent customer service. They responded after I won the auction. I requested a non-hi model even though a model with hi was auctioned , and they complied. They followed up with a tracking number after shipping.
The Thanksgiving holiday slowed the shipping down some, and Red Dragonfly followed up to see if I had recieved the sword... when they found out I had not, they followed up on tracking, located the package, and sent another email letting me know where it was and when to expect it. All of this without being asked. Superb in my opinion.
The Kiku retails for $820 on the website.I believe it compares very favorably with competitor models at the $600 price point...without considering the upgraded fittings , ito and sageo.
Considering those, I believe the sword is well worth $700 retail. Also considering that they are offering a free through hardened sword, and free shipping with the purchase this sword is well worth purchasing.
However... I got it for a steal on eBay... the auction was $299. I was lucky enough to have a 10% off coupon, and Red Dragonfly shipped the sword free , so the whole price came up to less than $280 .
WOW
Definitely the best sub $300 sword I've ever bought .
The sword is nice and teh customer service was excellent. The only thing that makes this sword fall short of exceptional,IMO, is the kissaki .
Th $820 price tag is a tad steep, but considering the bonuses it is well worth considering... but at the prices it is being offered for on eBay... it is without a doubt, 100% Buy it NOW!!!!!
Thanks for reading... I know I was a bit long winded.
There has been speculation about this seller on a few threads on both the forums I frequent. My opinion was that the swords look pretty good, but I'd not pay the prices for an unknown quantity. When the seller offered some pieces on eBay at a deeply discounted starting price, I jumped at the opportunity to check one out.
The one that caught my eye was the Kiku .
Specifications
The sword seller and I disagree on the specs for this sword. I assume this is a case of typical variation among hand forge pieces. I'll first list the manufacturers specs, then my own.
Sellers Specs[/color]
Nagasa : 28.5 in
Motohaba : 1.26 in
Sakihaba : .98 in
Motogasane : 7mm
Sakigasane : 5mm
Sori : .7 in.
My Specs
Nagasa : 29.25 in
Motohaba: 1.25 in
Sakihaba: 1 in
Motokasane: 7mm
Sakikasane: 5mm
Sori : .8 in
POB: 6.25 in
Tsuka : 11 in total length including fittings
Weight : 2.1 lbs
Aesthetics
Sugata is shinogi-zukuri .
The kissaki is counterpolished, and yokote is cosmetic. This is the weakest point of this katana, but hardly unexpected. This is par for the course with most production katana, and I knew what to expect whwn I purchased it. It is in this area that Hanwei has the advantage over their competitors in this price range.
The hamon is midare.
The tsuka is paneled with white samegawa and wrapped in navy cotton ito.
Fuchi-gashira is a pewter colored basket weave pattern .Menuki are also pewter colored, and look to be a pear or cherry blossom theme.
The Tsuba is blackened steel , cast in a kiku (sunflower) pattern within a mokko shaped frame.
Fit & Finish
It is in this area that the Kiku excels in my opinion.There is an attention to detail and a sense for design that seems to be lacking in many other Chinese production katana.
The upgraded fittings and ito completely make the mount and sets the sword apart from the mobs of Fred Chen varients flooding the market.
The Tsuka-maki is tight and well wrapped, and hishigame are apparent . The tsuka is secured with one mekugi... my preference. Evarything is tight and solid from kashira to kissaki.
The saya is black laquered with blue and white specked Japanese chemical silk sageo... more of that attention to detail. And speaking of attention to detail, the saya actually tapers in thickness ...from a 4.5 inch circumference at the mouth to a 3.75 inch circumference at the end... hows that for a production sword?The fit in the saya is snug and secure...and here's another suprise... there is ABSOLUTELY NO RATTLE at all in the saya. NONE... no matter how you shake it about. Me Likee.
The sori is deep and pleasing at .8 inch , and is tori but creeping towards koshi. The Tsuka-ho is slim and tapered and follows the sori well.
The whole package comes together nicely.
The polish is nice ,except for the kissaki. It should be noted however, that the blade seems to have a clear coat on it ala Windlass. The surfaces are smooth , and the ha is paper cutting sharp. Ji are satin and shinogi-ji are burnished to a mirror sheen.
Handling Characteristics
The point of balance is about 6.25 inches forward of the tsuba.. I know, because I have checked it several times. It feels deceptive in the hand. If I were to have to guess I'd put the balance at around 5 inches.
The sword is relatively light (2.1 lbs) for the POB to be so forward and this results in a very lively sword with good blade prescense. The sword is very comfortable in the grip, and in motion, with very little inertial drag.
Cutting
The Kiku is paper cutting sharp, and has a defined sori...these of course make for a good cutter.
I cut alot of empties (dry) , and haven't quite got the hang of them with the Kiku yet. The geometry is pretty traditional , without a wide haba , which makes the very light targets a bit difficult. On water filled bottles it excelled, and it tracked very nicely on the two pumpkins I had on hand.
All in all a very nice medium, all purpose cutter by initial trials...I'll update after a few more weeks of cutting with it.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
All in all my impressions of this sword are very favorable. The overall package is very pleasing.I'm not that fond of the poly coat, but that should be an easy fix. I did mention my thoughts on the kissaki... but as this is standard on most production kats I went searching for more things to dislike.
I had to get real nit-picky t6o find them... but i found two more points that were less than optimum.
In the following two pictures you will see a slight gap between the sepppa and the saya...and between the samegawa and the fuchi. Not really a problem... just nitpicking for imperfections... on a less remarkable sword I would have ignored them.
Conclusion
Red Dragonfly had excellent customer service. They responded after I won the auction. I requested a non-hi model even though a model with hi was auctioned , and they complied. They followed up with a tracking number after shipping.
The Thanksgiving holiday slowed the shipping down some, and Red Dragonfly followed up to see if I had recieved the sword... when they found out I had not, they followed up on tracking, located the package, and sent another email letting me know where it was and when to expect it. All of this without being asked. Superb in my opinion.
The Kiku retails for $820 on the website.I believe it compares very favorably with competitor models at the $600 price point...without considering the upgraded fittings , ito and sageo.
Considering those, I believe the sword is well worth $700 retail. Also considering that they are offering a free through hardened sword, and free shipping with the purchase this sword is well worth purchasing.
However... I got it for a steal on eBay... the auction was $299. I was lucky enough to have a 10% off coupon, and Red Dragonfly shipped the sword free , so the whole price came up to less than $280 .
WOW
Definitely the best sub $300 sword I've ever bought .
The sword is nice and teh customer service was excellent. The only thing that makes this sword fall short of exceptional,IMO, is the kissaki .
Th $820 price tag is a tad steep, but considering the bonuses it is well worth considering... but at the prices it is being offered for on eBay... it is without a doubt, 100% Buy it NOW!!!!!
Thanks for reading... I know I was a bit long winded.