need advice/suggestions on katanas

[CiNcO dOsE]

hello everyone, i need everyones advice on my dilema right now, well not really mine but my friends.

he is planning on buying a katana sword and couldnt decide which one to get between, paul chen's bushido or bugei's shobu zukuri.


bushido:
paul chen bushido

shobu:
bugei shobu zukuri


the main purpose for the sword is mainly aesthetics. he doesnt practise or train in any sword arts. he tries to teach himself and all from a book. and i dont think he'll be cutting with whichever sword he is gonna get. so basically, he jsut collects and admires them.

we've had our discussions over both swords and i have told him my suggestions and opinions. he is still undecided. so help peeps.

please check out the sites posted above to see some pictures and details about each katana.

thanks.

 

[ScottUK]

His choice is a simple one. Look at the two swords, and pick the one he likes the look of.

If he doesn't study under a sensei, his choice of sword should be ONLY aesthetic. If the guy wants it to practice with, he may be better off with a simple iaito...

 

[Kempo Guy]

First off, I would suggest for your friend to GET INSTRUCTION!
As I've mentioned previously on this thread shinken is NOT A TOY and can seriously injure someone or yourself...

If he's looking at it for asthetics he might as well get an iaito, they're shinier. There's also the Paul Chen steel iaito that may be a good option.


In any event, I'm curious, why the Shobu Zukuri? It is a pretty heavy sword (I've used this sword during practice). It's a pretty decent sword for the price though...

Haven't tried the Bushido sword, but I'd imagine it's similar in appearance and weight to the lighter Bugei swords (I've tried the Samurai and the Bamboo katana), although my experience with the non-bugei hanwei (Paul Chen) swords are that the fittings aren't as well done and the QC seems to be a little off.

BTW, I don't think either blade is folded steel... (not that it matters if it's going to be a wall hanger).

KG

 

[CiNcO dOsE]

theres no dojo that offers any sword arts here, besides the sword techniques in aikido. there used to be one but the instructor moved. so hes got no other choice but to learn from the book. hes been soooo desperate to get proper instructions, but his situation wouldnt let him.

both swords fall in the same price range, shobu is just a couple of hundreds more. bushid is folded, shobu isnt.

he likes the shobu because of the tip/kissaki. he is a fan of that kinda tip. and he also likes the simplicity of it and its jsut that shobu is shinier.

well, he likes both swords actually. on bushido side, he likes the grain on the blade and the whole copper brown theme. he also likes that fact that bushido has more aesthetics. but the shobu tip weighs a lot for him.

both blades are made by hanwei forge / paul chen company. shobu is designed by bugei and has a little better cutting ability than bushido.

im jsut trying to see what else i can suggest to him with other peoples views on the swords. he already has a couple of wall hangers and iatos. hes moving on to the next level of collecting.

 

[ScottUK]

Why does this sound like BS to me?

If your 'friend' is 'soooo desperate for instruction', he should move. I travel something like 300 miles every month for my MA tuition.

That's a lot for a little island like the UK...

 

[CiNcO dOsE]

why does it sound like bs to you?! i dunno, not everyones situation is the same.

it is not just easy moving, to get proper instruction. have you ever thought of the other factors involved?! we are from this little place called windsor, in ontario canada. they do have some decent dojos here for other martial arts. canadians national karate teams coach has his dojo here.

first let me tell you something about his situation, this applies to mine too as for my fma instructions. we are just students and we dont have our own car, which is a big factor on travelling although public transport is another option. he doesnt have the option of moving around/to another place.

you could travel 300miles every month for your ma instructions becasue you have the convenience of doing that. we dont. so if it does sound like bs to you, then so be it. just keep your mind open on other peoples situations/factors on why they cant do certain things.

i was just simply asking for suggestions on which sword is more worth the money, between paul chens bushido or bugeis shobu zukuri.

we are well aware of the factors involved with shinkens and proper instructions, thank you people for your concern, i appreciate them. :asian:




:asian:

 

[CiNcO dOsE]

kempo guy:

how is shobu's weight compared to some of paulchens swords?! which ones have you tried on chens sword line?! hes got pk and ppk.

 

[Charles Mahan]

Just a reminder. The swords you mentioned don't make very good display swords. They are made of real steel and will rust without proper care. I would suggest you consider an iaito. The fittings and laquer work will look as good, and in the case of the Swordstore iaito, potentially better than the two you mentioned. Best of all they are made of a zinc aluminum alloy and are better suited to a training weapon in case he ever decides to take up a sword art. Did I mention they are consideraly less expensive?

http://www.swordstore.com

 

[Kempo Guy]

I agree with Mr. Mahan. An iaito is much easier to care for and looks "prettier". Swordstore.com (nosyuiaido) and Tozando are two online resources for iaito. There's also the steel iaito (Paul Chen) available at classicblades.com.

FWIW, I used to travel 90 miles (one way) once or twice per week to train (these days I'm lucky as our dojo is only a half hour drive away). I also know several guys who have moved across the country (or out of the country for that matter) to train with specific teachers. So distance should not be an excuse for not finding a teacher... If you want it badly enough you'll find a way to find a teacher.

KG

 

[Michael Billings]

All things being equal, travel is not a bad thing. But not everyone has the luxury of being able to avail themselves of this. I was curious about the age of your friend. When you have no car, and live where ya'll do, the cost of travel could be prohibitivley expensive. Your friend should still try to avail him/herself of lessons from a qualified instructor, when and if possible.

In the meantime, a live blade is not the best to start training with. It, in fact, is a little bit scary. He was looking at functional blades, not just to hang on his wall. You can get both, but I would actively discourage his practice with a live blade, without appropriate instruction and time with a training blade, wooden or metal.

:asian:
-Michael

 

[Kempo Guy]

BTW, there is at least one iaido instructor in Windsor (I believe his name is Stephen Cruise and teaches out of the parks & rec system).

There's also some good teachers over the border in Detroit.

not everyone has the luxury of being able to avail themselves of this. I was curious about the age of your friend. When you have no car, and live where ya'll do, the cost of travel could be prohibitivley expensive

I agree about this to some extent. But if you really want it bad enough, there's always a way...

As a side note, when I was a teenager I used to take the bus & train for about an hour (one way) to go to Karate class twice per week...

KG

 

[Kempo Guy]

how is shobu's weight compared to some of paulchens swords?!

They are all from Hanwei forge (i.e. Paul Chen).
The Shobu seems to be a lot beefier than the other blades offered by Bugei, but then again I have only handled a couple of other swords from Bugei's line (the 'Bamboo' and the 'Crane').

which ones have you tried on chens sword line?! hes got pk and ppk.

From the "regular" Hanwei offerings, I have only handled the Golden Oriole (limited edition folded blade). As for the pk and the ppk, I've seen people use them, but have never handled them myself. They seem to be of much lower quality than the Bugei blades with poor fittings, wrap etc. As the saying goes: "you get what you pay for..."


Again, I'd like to reiterate that your friend should seek out instruction before handling any of these blades. Live blades are DANGEROUS and can seriously injure someone.

KG

 

[Bob D.]

I agree, an iaito is the way to go. Much cheaper and you won't cut yourself.

 

[ovampire]

As I mentioned to a member privately, I have heard really nice things about the Last Legend katanas. Supposedly great quality control and a more lively feel than Chen's. I found them for sale on the net at:

http://swordarmory.com/03kats/03dex.html

Has anyone had a chance to work with one? What is your impression?

I am considering picking one up, but they (like Chen's good swords) are not cheap.