Shinwa swords the grandest fluff

by Ken Lively
(Bartlesville,Ok)

Now I'm not a man who enjoys ragging on people. But I must offer a word to the wise and not so wise who are just getting started, be it Martial Arts, collectors or the silly people who watch way to much T.v. A popular company in the south called BudK has in the last couple of years introduced a series of decent looking Japanese, historical, and or fantasy swords and weapons. Here's my warning!!! BudK sells some really impressive stuff but the catch is you get what you pay for. Most of their weapons above $150.00 dollars will hold up to some cutting practice with a lot of maintenance!

All of the weapons BudK sells are not sharp, most of the swords barely have a hone on the edge. Unless you just love trying to sharpen Chinese swords your money is better spent some were else.

Back to the cheaper weapons they sell...well a $30 dollar sword is just what it is, but on the upside a low value katana has it's merits. Without loosing a lot of money to start it's an inexpensive way to learn how to care for and handle that $1000 dollar custom sword you will get later on. Enjoy!!