Good but not exceptional

by Tom Davies
(Star Junction, PA, USA)

I purchased a Masahiro Katana kit from a reseller out of Philadelphia, PA. With a discount offer and free shipping, I managed to squeeze the price down to $82 after taxes (pretty good considering this sword retails for $109.99 + tax + shipping).

The sword arrived about 3 days after my initial order and looked great in the display box (these swords are all over the web, so it's easy to check out online).

The blade is made of 1045 Carbon Steel and is 'handmade', but no mention of heat treatment has ever been found in my research. However, I did feel inclined to buy this sword as I was comfortable with the reseller (AWMA).

The sword was assembled in under 15 minutes, but I had to use some force (even to the point of using a real hammer to get the handle on properly, then the bamboo pegs inserted, also. It does have 2 peg holes, which was a plus.

The makers markings are on the full tang.

The sword had some cosmetic issues: scratches on the blade, the blade collar, and an unremovable stain on the blade from where the oiled plastic wrap made contact with the blade, itself.

Handling is great for a blade-heavy katana.

It is not sharp, at all, which is upsetting, considering it was advertised as sharp.

The fit is exceptionally good and it feels solid, even after some practice slices into some pumpkins that were nearly frozen on my deck.

The pumpkins in question were of various sizes, in solid condition, with a ticket to the trash bins below, so I lined them up and made a solid cut through 2 of them without much effort. Even though the blade wasn't sharp, it bit into the targets with ease.

I made multiple cuts at various angles and made a few bad slices, expecting the blade to bend, but it just returned to center, without question.

This sword will never touch a tree limb, but I'm inclined to get it sharpened and try some backyard cutting.

The blade was scratched from all the slicing I did, but I have a feeling it will be fine.

All in all, I'd say this sword is good, but not exceptional. If you want a nice display piece that can take a minor beating for show, this is it. I am personally using it for forms and exercise (it's blade heavy, so I'm getting a nice workout from reacquainting myself to swordsmanship).

If I used a rating system, I'd rank it 3/5 (good), but only if you pay less than $100 for this blade.