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| Sword Reviews & Test Results If you have done performance testing and measurement of your production swords, feel free to post the details here. Posts will be pre-screened and if approved posted and incorporated into SFI's production sword knowledgebase. |
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Posts: 6,258
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Review of Kris Cutlery 26" Katana (new version) -
06-02-2002, 12:41 PM
Kris Cutlery 26” Katana.
Specs
Total Length in scabbard= 38 inches
Total Length of sword= 37 inches
Handle Length= 11 inches
Blade length (from the habaki to tip)= 25 inches
Blade width (at habaki)= 1 ¼ inches
Weight= 2.0-2.3 Lbs according to Kris’ catalog
P.O.B.= Aprox 5-5.5 inches from the tsuba
When I received the box in the mail, I was amazed at how lightweight it was. Upon unwrapping it, I realized it was REALLY light weight and extremely well balanced.
BLADE
Diamond cross sectioned , meaning the top ridge of the blade is beveled. This gives the blade a lot lighter feel and increases its ease of movement. This is a really agile blade. Very fast yet still has enough “beef” to assist with cuts so you don’t have to muscle though them.
HANDLE
The pictures do not do this justice. In a simple kind of way this handle is very beautiful. The flat braided cord gives fairly good grip during cuts. I haven’t cut with it enough to see if it becomes slippery when sweat hits it. The pommel is a well formed, polished buffalo horn and it compliments the black wrap nicely. Possibly the most understated part of the sword is the tsuba. Made in the classic “musashi” double ring style, it really adds something to the sword without seeming like decoration. Part of the improvement KC made to the katanas was that the tsubas have some taper to them as they reach the edge. Meaning they are thicker in the middle than the outside.
SCABBARD
The saya on this sword is what surprised me the most. In the pictures in the Kris catalog they sayas seem to be this orange colored wood that, honestly, looks cheap. Perhaps it’s the light, I don’t know but the saya on my sword has a hickory, or poplar look to it. A lot ligher colored wood than pictured. Very nice. And of course it is topped off with the brass band at the opening.
TEST CUTS
My first cut was the traditional maiming the shipping box. One swift diagonal stroke cleanly “decapitated” it. My next victim was a plastic light bulb tube used to cover flurescent light bulbs, again clean cut.
I will be performing future tests on straw mats and probably pool noodles.
Last edited by David Stokes; 06-02-2002 at 02:06 PM..
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test cutting pool noodles -
06-04-2002, 12:29 PM
it was a bundle of 3 pool noodles.....ill let the pictures do the talking....
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06-04-2002, 12:40 PM
and another...
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06-04-2002, 12:42 PM
and one of my 3L coke bottle cutting.........and a few "beauty" shots of the sword.
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06-05-2002, 08:58 AM
Haha... nice pics... good review...
I see the tell-tale "scoop" in the bottle pic... 
just a suggestion, but I use milk bottles instead of coke bottles... they are a little softer plastic and they're thicker... coke bottles I find kinda "break" instead of having a clean cut, unless your sword is razor sharp...
also, other reasons to use milk bottles.. you can hang them by the handle, when on a stand, its challenging to just cut the handle and not the whole jug for more depth control, and more important than anything else.... it does a body good!.. 
Best,
Brian
Everyones got a plan... till you smash 'em in the face
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06-07-2002, 05:15 AM
David,
nice looking sword. I see you cut so cleanly, the water was still in the bottom half of the bottle, good work!.
I was wondering are you planning to try polish it to bring out the hamon someday?. Just as I'm considering getting bare blade and I'm considering doing that  .
I was also wonderiong if its convenient could you post a pict of a close-up of the kissaki?. I'm just trying to see what the yoke looks like.
Keep cutting
Andy |
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06-07-2002, 07:20 PM
about polishing it, no. i bought this sword as one i will use. every sword i have i consider too "pretty" to use, so i wanted one that could get down and dirty. the hamon is fairly visable, more so than one on a PK.
i will soon get a pic of the Kissaki. i have to de-oil the blade and stick it in the scanner to do so. it has very very good shape to it. the bare blades are well worth the money, i will soon purchase a bare blade myself and give it a more traditional mount. but i will probably get the elite blade.
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kissaki and yokote -
06-07-2002, 10:45 PM
well the yokote is not that visible, but its there. i guess this is just a bad scan. if you look in the above "beauty" shot of the sword laying on the green background, you can get an idea of its definition. its not much, but its there.
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06-08-2002, 08:20 PM
Thanks David!,
you say the hamon is more viable than a PK?. I don't know about that. That is the reason why people etched it in the first place. But definatley its a really workhorse of a blade. The yokote doesn't show up that well in the photo  .
Still I could imagine one there. So I supose the yokote is still cosmetic, darn. Well its not that important, and its definatley there on the bingo blade
Andy |
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06-09-2002, 07:30 PM
the hamon.......well its more defined than the one on the PK.
THe yokote is cosmetic unfortunatly, but it looks alot better to me than the PKs..........
i am so impressed with KC's work that i plan on buying the Bingo bare blade and doing a nice fancy mount on it........i dont much care for the bronze plates simulating same
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10-13-2002, 11:06 AM
congrats on the new sword. i have a KC 26 kat owner for 4 yrs now and over all i am very happy with it. i use it for kumdo classes 2 times a week for 3 years now for forms and the tsuka and fittings remain tight. i know what you know mean by the rest of rest of your collection being to fancy to use. the only real swords swords i have are a antique japanse sword, a PK, and KC kat. i use the KC because the length suits me better. the only problems i have had with it have been the blade folding while test cutting against bamboo and the saya falling apart.
it puts the lotion on the skin or else it gets the hose again.
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10-14-2002, 10:34 PM
well i have had this sword for some months and its a really good cutter. i cant complain, and if you have the money to spend, id recommend this sword over all others in its class............although i have yet to handle the PK plus
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UPDATE! sept 24 03 -
09-24-2003, 09:55 PM
well i have had this sword for about a year now and it has held up great! A while back i DID polish it and re-etch it. and the blade looks better now than ever, well a few scratches from cutting of course....
I painted the saya as well. Its done by alternating coats of spray on rubber coating and clear laquer. the last coat was done with the laquer to give it a bit of gloss. That rubber offers a durable coating. Also i coated the kojiri end of the saya with some JB weld epoxy , which is black and offers a hard plastic like protection.
The sageo is from a Pratical katana.
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Re: UPDATE! sept 24 03 -
09-29-2003, 09:13 AM
Originally posted by David Stokes
well i have had this sword for about a year now and it has held up great! A while back i DID polish it and re-etch it. and the blade looks better now than ever, well a few scratches from cutting of course....
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[cut]
Nice job David!
I've looked at this thread with a bit of nostalgy, as this was the one which turned me into the dark side of placing an order to Kris Cutlery like a year ago.
Congratulations on the sword once again!
greetings!
Andrzej. |
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10-05-2003, 09:34 PM
yes, just thought id bring back the past and let everyone know how shes doing!
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10-12-2003, 01:42 PM
Originally posted by David Stokes
yes, just thought id bring back the past and let everyone know how shes doing!
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And while we're at it, how did you polish and etch the sword with non removable tsuka 'n stuff? As I get it, KC swords have non-removable koshirae, right?
cheers!
Andrzej. |
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10-12-2003, 08:23 PM
well i just started at the habaki, which i taped up and started polishing out. not the best way, but it worked,
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Friendly Forumite
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Posts: 62
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Location: Austin, TX
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10-29-2003, 02:07 PM
Hey David,
She's cute. What did you name her?
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11-13-2003, 03:39 PM
No name for this one.......... I just call it Kris....... I guess thats its name
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Kris?! -
12-06-2003, 07:35 PM
very, inventive... yeah
"Qui desiderat pacem praeparet bellum"
"Ne oublie"
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Hmm... -
12-21-2003, 01:00 PM
Might I suggest 'Krista'? I always figured that would be a fitting name for a cute petite like her...
Originally posted by David Stokes
No name for this one.......... I just call it Kris....... I guess thats its name
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"Suppose he's got a pointed stick!?!"
- Eric Idle, Monty Python's Flying Circus
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01-06-2004, 08:44 PM
eh too close to my EX GFs name........... lol............ ill just call it "the wife beater" lol
oops i mean the beater....... yeh thats what i meant...
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