Cheness Swords

Kris Cutleries Cecil Quirino

Kris Cutlery is a knife and sword making company based in the Philippines. It started in April of 1984 under "Cecil Quirino Imports" and at that point in time it was only selling butterfly knives.

The name was eventually changed to Kris Cutlery. Other knives were introduced and swords followed at a later date. They offer Japanese, Chinese, European and some Pilipino weapons. Most of their swords are well tempered, with most of the single-edged swords being differentially tempered.

Of their warranty, they state this on their website: "The blade is guaranteed for breakage (into two pieces) for a year unless it is abused beyond normal use (hitting non-movable objects - trees, post etcÂ…)." As most backyard cutters will avoid such practices, this seems to be a reasonable warranty standard.

Prices can range anywhere from around $50 for their lower end to $435 for their most expensive model.

MAIN PRODUCT LINES

KNOWN ISSUES

Kris Cutlery's reputation is for swords that are a bit on the unattractive side. The general consensus seems to be that the swords are slightly less than what you would expect for the price, with non-traditional fittings. There are typically some complaints about the finish of the blade as well.

Reports on their durability are mixed.

Some people, most notably on the Sword Forum International, swear by them as being extremely tough. However, there are also reports that they are a little on the soft side (a common complaint with Phillipino made swords in this price range) - such as in Sifu Scott Roddells review of the Kris Cutlery Gim Sword where he notes it would appear to have a HRC of around 45-50, and below is an image of their Celtic sword taking a set after a failed cut a water filled plastic bottle:

Not impossible, as they do state that this sword is differentially tempered (edges harder than the body)...

As such, Kris Cutlery seems to be a middle-of-the-road choice; you could likely do better for the price, but you could do a lot worse as well.

WHERE TO BUY

Cecil only sells Kris Cutlery swords by mail order and on the internet at Kris Cutlery.com. There are no other independent vendors for these swords.

What's YOUR experience with this brand?

Do you own one of the swords made by this company? Or know any good stories or information not covered here? Share it!

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