Musashi Demon and Musahi Black Bamboo review

[oni]

I'm going to leave out the specs of these two katanas as you can find them on here. The first sword I'll review is the Musashi Demon katana. The most striking feature of this katana is the tsuba, it's a demon alright, squatting with a huge blade protruding from the belly, or pelvic area.:-O
This sword comes complete with a sword bag, display box, and certificate of authenticity. You can find a video of this katana here on S.O.M.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana004.jpg
The hamon is cosmetic? I still have a hard time figuring out if the hamon is fake, the way the hamon fades in and out under certain light conditions really shows how well the polish is done on this blade. It is a hefty one, it feels like a weapon should.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana070.jpg
The kissaki is well done, it flares nicely on the mune by the cosmetic yokote, the very tip is needle sharp, hell, there isn't a dull spot anywhere on the blade, it's sharp throughout.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana071.jpg
The sword came with loose fittings, the tsuba and habaki were quite loose, but Jason here hooked me up some extra seppas and mekugi, all it took was one extra seppa to tighten everything up, you can see it here:http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana002.jpg
It's an all around good sword, the blade is thick and longer than most with 29 1/2 inches, also has a a nicely done ito and snug fitting saya, which I redone. This katana cuts very well, almost too well because of the weight, almost a 3 pounder!
The ito is of higher quality than most, none of that shoestring crap. The tsuka is single pegged like most traditional nihonto.
You can see more of the saya re-finish here: http://swordsofmightforum.com/showthread.php?t=1116
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana050-1.jpg
The menuki is of unknown material, appears to be brass. The tsuba is iron, and the seppas are copper along with the fuchi and kashira. The fuchi and kashira sport shi-shi lions, the casting is rather ok, but what can you expect for a sword for in this price range? The tsuka sports real same' though. I give it a 4/5 overall. The fittings are somewhat lacking, but the blade makes the cut.
(had to do it...ha ha)


On to the Musashi Black Bamboo a.k.a. Bamboo Warrior katana, paid $88.11 shipped.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana068.jpg
This sword is very well done for the money spent, is sports a REAL hamon! Not the most attractive, but it is real none the less, and comes very sharp.=P~
The tsuba has nice detail, but it's on the small side, probably to reduce cost. Here's some updated pics of the hamon...
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana084.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana083.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana073.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana072.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana062.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana063.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana065.jpg
I guess the hamon is a notare mixed? It is very irregular. I'm not a pro on hamon types...yet. The blade's polish is good, not mirrored but close enough. All the fittings are nice and tight, all metal construction. The tsuka does indeed sport real same'. I love real same'!! The nodes on the same' are larger than most I've seen in this price range.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana061.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana060.jpg
All the fittings match the bamboo theme, that's a good thing. The menuki is a bamboo shoot done in blackened copper I believe. This katana is very light and fast! Feels great in the hands. The kissaki is done nicely, not much "meat" to it compared to the Demon katana. The blade is only 27 1/2 inches, I guess that's standard. No need to capture the saya, it looks like all the rest of the black glossy ones out there...
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/ballbreaker1977/katana064.jpg
Another plus with this katana is that there is no huge Musashi logo on the habaki or blade, only a small one located on the seppa with some kanji on the other side. I also love the habaki on this sword, it's very uniform with the ha and mune, no gaps.
I give the Black Bamboo a 5/5! You can't go wrong spending under 100.00 for this sword. This is my first time doing a review about Japanese swords, so feel free to correct my review if I made any errors. I'll be cutting with this one real soon, so I will update how it performs then. Thanks for reading.:sumo:

[HeadCheese]

Thanks for the reviews! I'm especially happy to see the positive mentions on the Bamboo Warrior, particularly about the real hamon and understated logo treatment. Musashi's propensity to stamp their logo prominently all over the place has been a major turn-off for me in the past.

Good timing, too, as I have one due to arrive tomorrow to help tide me over until my S.O.M. Katana arrives. Mine was $80.99 shipped.

[oni]

$80.99? from where, here? you have coupons don't you. Hey man, post a review when you get the bamboo.

[69NINJA]

Great reviews, I'm glad about the info on that bamboo. Ive been thinking about getting my roomate his first sword for christmas and wanted to avoid wire brushed or fake same' and for that price Im sold!
Hes definately started collecting since the 2 years ive lived here, some nice fixed blades and med to high end folders so far but always talks about wanting a sword, I think that may just happen...

Come to think of it Ive given him almost all his nicer blades as gifts:-? I wish I lived with me! That colorblind son of a bitch better get me somthin nice or so help me god i'm gonna put a pool table in his room and he can live in the garage.


Edit: like the new avitar pic Oni=D>
could be you ate some bad sushi :flaming: <--- Dotanuki understands that joke, AKA asses of fire =))

[HeadCheese]

$80.99? from where, here? you have coupons don't you. Hey man, post a review when you get the bamboo.

Yes, there was a coupon involved. PM me if you want the details. I don't want to get in dutch for what might look like shilling or anything for a competitor, so I won't post anything unless Jason says it's OK.

[Taygrd]

Great reviews, Love both those swords. =D> Thanks for posting them up.

I am just a mod and in no way am I paid or compensated by SOM. So please do not take this as an advertisement or reproach, but I would like to point out Jason's price match policy in fairness to him. Always try to give him a chance to beat others pricing, he will do you right.

"If you ever find a lower price on one of our items at any reputable business (No Ebay!) we will match the new price and give you a 10% refund of the difference. (Example: We have an item for $110 "They" have it for $100 - You would be charged $99) Also, if within 30 days of your purchase, you find the same item for less we will honor this guarantee and refund you 10% of the difference. (This also applies to our site, but not sale, discount or closeout prices) You will never have to shop anywhere else to find the lowest prices again"

Now if he would throw in a set of Ginsu Knives and a Hilary Clinton nutcracker, that would be the best deal in town.=))

[oni]

Thanks for sharing that Taygrd, I'll keep that in mind in the future. I uploaded some more pics of the hamon also.

[Jason Moore]

No big deal Goose. I get calls all day asking me questions about swords that people bought elsewhere. I guess noone wants to pay for customer service!

[HeadCheese]

Great reviews, Love both those swords. =D> Thanks for posting them up.

I am just a mod and in no way am I paid or compensated by SOM. So please do not take this as an advertisement or reproach, but I would like to point out Jason's price match policy in fairness to him. Always try to give him a chance to beat others pricing, he will do you right.

"If you ever find a lower price on one of our items at any reputable business (No Ebay!) we will match the new price and give you a 10% refund of the difference. (Example: We have an item for $110 "They" have it for $100 - You would be charged $99) Also, if within 30 days of your purchase, you find the same item for less we will honor this guarantee and refund you 10% of the difference. (This also applies to our site, but not sale, discount or closeout prices) You will never have to shop anywhere else to find the lowest prices again"

Now if he would throw in a set of Ginsu Knives and a Hilary Clinton nutcracker, that would be the best deal in town.=))

Definitely thanks for letting me know that. I was unaware of the price-match policy and would definitely have taken advantage of it had I known before my order.

Even if it doesn't come with Ginsu knives...

[bobO]

Great reviews Oni! Just got to look at them! I like the black bamboo. Haven't bought anything from Jason in a while. Hilary nutcracker, there's a joke in there somewhere.

[Mako]

Great reviews Oni! Just got to look at them! I like the black bamboo.
I'll second that...thanks for taking the time to help others decide. ;)

Hilary nutcracker, there's a joke in there somewhere.
Not another lass that you've taken like a Viking? =))

[Nanshoji]

Hey, Oni, how much are you asking for the bamboo katana?