Handmade SwordJapanese Samurai Katana Sword, Practical, Hand Forged, 1060 Carbon Steel, Heat Tempered, Full Tang, Sharp, Black Wooden Scabbard

Great blade + fit and finish for $130 katana. Nice saya, real cotton, real rayskin, 1060 is tough yet flexible, BEAUTIFUL hamon (looks like stormy waves), I got with no hi so it is slightly heavier which I like. Handmade isn't joking about these swords being tough and functional. The tang is very slightly loose inside the tsuka, other than that all fittings are very tight and sturdy feeling. I have used this to cut through tatami and homemade palm frond rolls with relative ease. The sword arrived decently sharp, but gets much sharper if you know how to sharpen one. Great starting point for someone wanting a real usable katana without breaking the bank and/or being obsessively concerned about damaging a $500+ blade. I LOVE that there is no brand name or other words engraved onto the seppa, blade, etc. Keep up the great work Handmade.

I had originally purchased the Cherry Blossom 1045 model (along with the matching wakizashi) because I liked the mitsutomoe theme, but when I realized that the thick, heavily-detailed brass tsuba was especially uncomfortable with a tight, high grip, I searched for a less-ostentatious alternative. I saw that this 1060 blade was somehow $20 less, and I jumped on the return, though it does puzzle me that the Musashi model lacking the bo-hi is $70 more. A more-thorough tempering on the other one, perhaps?Anyway: This sword arrived in a tube (in a box in an Amazon box) with a nice Japanese-themed design, compared to the plane brown paperboard tube of the lower-grade blade, but still no certificate as mentioned in reviews of other swords from the same company. I think such niceties may be reserved for the more expensive/higher-grade blades.The Musashi tsuba is aesthetic in its simplicity, and the blade is sharp enough to slice up bananas in my living room. The rayskin appears to be real (though from an ethical standpoint I would prefer a synthetic alternative) and the cotton ito is tightly-wrapped. There were some small rust spots on the spine of the blade and near the tip where the storage grease must have rubbed off inside the saya, but I can handle that. The saya itself has a mirror-like finish and looks great with the cotton sageo display knot.I also purchased the matching wakizashi and it's just as well-made (though I am again confused as to why the shoto was $20 more than the daito), along with a nice two-tier wall hanger, also from HMS, to display my daisho above the bureau in my living room. I am now seriously considering the purchase of the matching 1080 tanto to keep on my bedroom dresser, though there is also a lovely mistutomoe-themed tanto of the same grade and price which tempts me to break from the Musashi pattern. Dilemma!

I was pleasently suprised with this katana. I honestly had very little hope this would be an actual battle ready sword made of good quality because the price was so low and it being 1060 steel. But it is a beautiful sword that came quite sharp (not razor sharp). Everything was fitted together tightly. The saya is gorgeous and the katana fits it just snuggly enough to not fall out when tipped upside down. The handle and wrap are tight and comfortable when using.Also the packaging was very nice and secure. The katana was wrapped in a sword bag that had been slid down the middle of about 5-6 foam pieces, then placed inside a very thick cardboard tube with plastic end caps, that was in another long box that was then in a long Amazon box. By far the most secure packaging I've ever seen.

Mine had some damage to the scabbard and marks on the blade that won't clean off, also not very sharp

I will tell you for my result something excellent in definition the katana has the perfect balance and the finish on the edge and the polish is elegant, I can say that its handling and cutting are excellent a great quality in steel, maybe the only serious inconsistency In the Saya because the sheathing sheet is somewhat loose it does not happen with the katana that I bought earlier but in a detail I do not see more importance, I thank you for a product of a high standard and functional, certainly continue to buy more Katanas through you thanks