The Official SBG Professional Grade Katana line

"Hard core martial arts grade Katana based on what I would have wanted when I first started my own collection..."

Paul Southren (founder of sword-buyers-guide.com)

Since SBG started in early 2005, I've owned, seen, tested and reviewed a huge variety of entry level Katana. And while I've found a lot of very good quality swords, it's almost always been with the caveat 'for the price'...

The reality is that even the best entry level swords have something that is 'not quite right' with them... And my extensive search never found a sword that ticked ALL the boxes...

For example, Cheness swords have very tough blades, but many balk at the somewhat rough finish of the kissaki (tip). And of course the fittings are pretty plain, with low cost cotton ito and are often assembled so tightly that they can be hard to take apart (in one way a good thing, but not so great when you want to customize). Hanwei's Performance Series 'Plus' Katana range have decent quality (and well assembled) fittings, but the fake frosted hamon over the top of the real thing leave me and many others a little cold (pardon the pun). And the blades are often reported to be slightly on the delicate side...

Even the $330 SBG Custom Katana, while having good quality T10 tool steel blades, have fittings which - though customizable - are pretty 'generic' and only average quality.

Of course, all of the swords above are considered to be 'great bang for the buck' - and they are! But it doesn't factor in the 'horror stories' of cracked tsuka, loose components, unravelling ito wraps, kashira that pop off, and a whole heap of other issues that plague EVERY brand from time to time (and with some generic swords, these issues are almost standard fare!!).

GALLERY OF COMMON ISSUES WITH PRODUCTION KATANA...

All in all, in the past I've had to pretty much concede that a perfect all round 'good quality' sword is going to cost at least two or three times that of a half decent entry level martial arts grade Katana.

But my research into the manufacturing process indicated that if only a little more care and attention to detail would be paid to an entry level sword, there was really no reason why it would not be possible to make something that was truly 'issue free'...

So since no one else seemed interested (after all, there is a lot of money to be made telling people that you need to spend $1000 to get a decent Katana!), I set about seeing if I can come up with one myself: an issue free, martial arts grade 'perfect' entry level sword at a fraction of the market value that it COULD sell for that I would have wanted someone to recommend to me when I first got started buying Katana...

HOW IT ALL CAME TO BE...

My first attempts to create the perfect entry level Katana were pretty frustrating.. The gap between low cost, and quickly made Katana and high end, carefully made and assembled swords was a very hard one to bridge...

But then one day out of the blue in 2008, a Canadian gentleman (who was actually one of the SBG sword stores earliest customers back in 2005!) sent me an email telling me all about how he had found a micro-forge in China that was largely unknown, but had some really skilled smiths who were VERY serious about producing high end blades, but that their work ethic carried across to their entry level ones too.

This mysterious gentleman had spent around one year previously helping this forge to make their already good products EXCEPTIONAL by sending prototypes to a group of independent top ranking iaido sensei (ranging from 5th to 7th Dan) for critique and feedback. And over the course of the year, using this feedback to continually improve the swords until they met their strict requirements: every detail of these swords were heavily scrutinized by this group of sensei to eliminate the typical issues that plague most production swords.

Well, naturally, I was more than a little intrigued!

So I ordered my own prototype: a basic 1060 monotempered blade with iron and brass fittings. And apart from the pseudo hamon, which I did not like at all, this was one of the most comfortable to weild, well assembled and great handling blades that I had laid my hands upon!

Sure it wasn't a $1,000+ Bugei. But it was essentially '100% issue free'. And to be honest - the differences between this sword and those two or three times the price were actually pretty small...

Below is a pic of this prototype:

I was VERY happy with this sword. But there was just one element missing for me personally. I did not want to change the dynamics or basic build of the sword (which had already been perfected by the team of Canadian Sensei, who the heck am I to argue with them!). But what I really wanted was differentially hardened blade with a real hamon.

It took another 6+ months of going back and forth to create a couple of designs that were (selfishly I'll admit) designed to MY specs. And another couple of months to really try them out and ensure that I was 100% happy with them. But the project to create the perfect entry level Katana had taken on a life of its own, and with a few VERY interesting options added along the way, the final result was two 'perfected' designs...! My OWN swords that met my requirements, and that I could recommend to anyone who wanted just ONE sword that would last time a lifetime: a carefully pre-inspected, martial arts grade sword at a fraction of the normal price you'd pay for this kind of reliabiliy...

The flagship design is the Kuramono ('dark thing'), MY sword - made to suit my own personal tastes!

And the other is one of the limited edition 'bling blades' - the first one being a more attractive and ornate model called the Torakami ('Tiger Spirit') with more to come over the coming months...

So let's take a closer look at these two Katana, and see exactly how they are different from the usual fare of entry level Katana and why they are called 'Professional Grade'...

FITTINGS AND KOSHIRAE

Now as mentioned, one of the biggest problem with relatively low priced, entry level Katana is the fittings - and many people resort to building their own as a result (which not only costs time, but often quite a lot of money). But with the Official SBG Katana range - I wanted to make sure that the fittings received as much attention as the blade, because - quite frankly - you can have the best blade in the world, but if the fittings are crap - so is the sword...

With this in mind, let's take a look at the two official SBG Professional Grade Katana's Koshirae, starting with the most attractive of the two, the limited edition Torakami.

TORAKAMI FITTINGS

The Torakami's fittings are all 100% solid brass with, as the name suggests, a Tiger theme.

Above is a picture of the hilt. Note the tsuka wrapped with brown premium grade synthetic silk ito (we chose the premium grade synthetic silk ito because it is more affordable than real silk, but most importantly more durable and STRONGER. Otherwise, side by side, it is virtually indistinguishable and could easily be passed off as the real thing!).

We also used the same synth-silk (though thicker) on the Sageo as it does not stretch and is very (very) strong, allowing it to be tied on to the obi securely in a dojo setting.

The solid brass tsuba is both tough and yet extremely attractive, depicting two tigers stalking their prey in a bamboo jungle setting. The photos simply do not do it justice, it looks so much better in real life!

Moving down from the tsuba, we find the Tiger theme continues onto the Fuchi, which is perfectly form fitted to the tsuka.

Here you can also see one of the two high quality bamboo mekugi (not the cheap chopsticky stuff!), both of which are correctly tapered and go at a 90 degree angle straight into the tsuka assembly, having been placed BEFORE the tsuka is wrapped instead of afterwards like most other production swords (so no funny angles to avoid hitting the ito wrap).

Speaking of which, the ito wrap is EXTREMELY tight and quite hard to budge when trying to shift it the side to tap out the pegs. Purists will note that it is wrapped in the CORRECT alternating style - not the usual shortcut method...

The combination of using a tough wearing ito, tightly and correctly bound on the tsuka has seen previous prototypes using this configuration last indefinitely without having had the need to re-wrap them, even when used several times a week in a dojo setting over two years!

In other words, the ito wrap is build to last...! ;-)

Above you can see the uniform quality of the black rayskin - and while they are strips instead of a full wrap to keep the price down, they are one CONTINUOS piece of true quality rayskin with decent sized nodules, not the usual leftovers and scraps... It is a bit hard to see, but you may also be able to make out the golden Tiger Menuki ornament.

Finally, we come to the Kashira - which naturally enough is also of a Tiger.

Naturally enough, the Kashira is also very firmly attached and does not budge.

Indeed, the whole assembly is actually very carefully put together which is very apparent when disassembling this Katana.

The tsuka is carefully friction fitted to the nakago (tang) and all components are individually tailored to fit together instead of taking a one size fits all approach, resulting in zero jiggling, rattling or the need for shimming. Indeed, even the habaki comes off and is perfectly seated and centered in the middle of the blade as it should be (so often they are severely misaligned).

Being custom fitted to the tang, the tsuka integrity is preserved - and it is also made from high quality, cured wood to prevent cracking or shrinking in transit.

"All in all, the fittings alone - and how they are assembled - are a world apart from the typical production sword!"

KURAMONO FITTINGS

While the fittings of the Kuramono are more subdued, but otherwise the quality of assembly is exactly the same.

I actually designed this sword to reflect my own personal taste in a Katana: simple, functional and MEAN looking. And when I first laid eyes upon my completed design, I knew I had achieved my intended goal.

Kuramono means 'dark thing' - and with black same, black syth-silk ito, black fittings and saya - I think it is a very suitable name...!

The ONLY bit of color in the Kuramono's fittings is the silvered dragon menuki (which is not silver of course, but rather a silver colored alloy).

The choice of tsuba for this sword was quite easy for me. Out of the many components available to the forge, it was a black "Mitsugahsira Hidari Tomoe" (left rotating triple commas) style tsuba that jumped out at me - made of solid iron instead of the usual alloys for added durability.

Finally, the sword is set off at both ends with unadorned black Fuchi and Kashira. Both Fuchi and Kashira are actually made of solid brass, NOT alloy like most entry level Katana (this is very important for the overall structural integrity of the handle).

Naturally they are both powder coated black to match the Kuramono's dark theme.

Like the Torakami, all components are very carefully assembled to ensure a perfect fit, with no looseness, rattling or any other issues. And as you can see below, the tsuka is perfectly intact, with a great friction fit for the last couple of inches, and the same brass seppa used in the Torakami instead of those awful 'gear cog' seppa used on almost every other production sword.

Essentially, the main difference between the Torakami and the Kuramono is that the fittings of the Torakami are 100% brass and considerably more ornate, while the Kuramono is simpler looking and uses iron (tsuba) and brass (fuchi/kashira) - but is certainly no less functional (though there is also a difference in the blade, which I will get to very soon in the review, but first - a quick look at the saya of both these swords).

THE SAYA

The saya of both the Torakami and the Kuramono are essentially the same, apart from the color of the sageo (the Kuramono's saya is pictured above and the Torakami below).

Both have a nice 'textured' finish to minimize scratching and fingerprints (I'm such a klutz that within 5 mins of getting a new sword, I have usually banged the saya on something, and wiping off fingerprints is a serious pain. So I wanted a very sturdy and utilitarian finish for these saya).

Again, like the rest of these swords components, the saya and the sword fit together beautifully. Not too tight, not too loose - and with virtually NO saya rattle (another very common problem).

A fitting home indeed for the blade, speaking of which...

THE T10 STEEL BLADES

The blades of the official SBG Katana are both made from T10 tool steel, mostly because I fell in love with this steel when making the earlier $330 SBG Custom Katana as it is very strong, scratch resistant and does not dull easily.

Both the Torakami and the Kuramono both have straight as an arrow blades (a VERY important part of the QC process) that are 2.45 shaku long (29" from the Muromachi; the notch at the back of the habaki/blade collar) and both are differentially hardened with a REAL unetched, unenhanced natural hamon that is a world apart from all other hamon in this price range...

The hamon on these blades is actually quite striking and visible from just about every angle - essentially something that is UNHEARD of at this price point, as all others are very subtle and fade in and out depending on how you angle them...

VIDEO: Hamon Comparisons Comparing the SBG Official Line hamon with three others at the $250 to $350 price point... The difference is clear...

The hamon is not only prominent, but also very consistent - staying away from the edge and as you can see below, extends right to the tip of the kissaki - called 'Boshi' (sorry about the dirt on the kissaki, I should have cleaned it properly before taking the photo!).

While due to cost constraints we were not able to polish the kissaki in a traditional manner or give it a true geometric yokote, it was imperative that the final polish would at least be as close as possible to the rest of the blade, as almost all production swords in this price range have a pretty rough finished kissaki that may be functional, but often looks atrocious. And as you can see, I think that we have largely achieved this!

Speaking of polish, the overall level of polish on the blades is VERY consistent and smooth, taking care to avoid the kind of nasty scratches, pit marks or other blemishes common on production swords..

The attention to detail really shines through on these blades, and the Quality Control we apply on these swords ensures there is absolutely no chance of major blemishes, cracks or flaws that are common on other entry level production Katana.

Essentially, there are two main differences between the blades of the Torakami and the Kuramono. The first one is that the Torakami has a bo-hi (fuller) and the Kuramono does not. This was carefully calculated to get optimum performance from both blades based on the weight and distribution of their fittings, and as we will see when we get to their handling and performance in a moment, was right on the money.

But the other difference is the level of sharpness.

The Kuramono is subjected to a traditional 10 step sharpening process, with each step referring to how the blade is sharpened from coarse to increasingly fine polishing stones until it is paper cutting sharp.

However, the Torakami and other limited edition blades to follow have been subjected to a much higher end 12 step sharpening process, an additional two levels of sharpeness that go above and beyond any other sword in this price range.

As you will see soon enough, either one can handle every normal cutting target with ease. But for those who want something a 'cut above', the limited edition blades offer a level of sharpeness and refinement that goes well above and beyond the call of duty.

HANDLING

It is actually very hard to describe how these swords handle other than to say they handle 'extremely, extremely well'. After all, they are each the product of two years plus work and feedback from senior Canadian Japanese sword art sensei plus my own input to create blades that match my own personal tastes in a sword - i.e. a sword that is not too heavy and not too light, but just feels natural in the hand, tracks easily and is designed for optimum cutting performance!

The Kuramono's blade is without bo-hi (fuller/blood groove) and the Katana weighs 2lbs 7oz with a point of balance 6" from the tsuba, while the Torakami with brass fittings is some 5oz heavier, but has a point of balance 5.1" from the cross guard to compensate, meaning that the handling of both feels very similar (the Torakami's bo-hi though means that it makes more noise when it cuts the air, but they both feel pretty much perfect).

With a comfortable, waisted tsuka grip and optimized balance, both of these swords simply flow from one movement to the next and are designed with the serious martial artist or hard core backyard cutter in mind.

In short, they both feel like they are aching to cut something - so it is only fair at this point that I slake their desire accordingly...

TEST CUTTING

Naturally, before being completely satisfied with the official SBG Katana, it was extremely important to subject both blades to rigorous test cutting practices: both to ensure that the blades were up to par on the most common 'backyard cutting' and martial arts grade targets, but also that the fittings would hold up to prolonged and frequent usage without showing any signs of fatigue or damage.

Both swords cut the standard targets such as tatami mats, bamboo and water filled P.E.T. bottles out of the box without a problem.

VIDEO: Test Cutting Basic Cuts on a variety of targets including water bottles, bamboo and tatami

I also tested them on a few harder targets, such as some thick rose bush briars that were in need of a trim, and as expected the blade sliced through neatly without so much as a scratch on the blade.

Having completed tests on all normal targets, I picked out some very thick, and very dry hardened bamboo for what amounts to an abusive blade test.

Now usually, thick bamboo like this is only cut when it is FRESH. And it certainly proved very hard to cut all the way through in one go (mostly because my technique is crap). Indeed, my first attempted cut felt like it barely did anything at all, until I looked at the bamboo and was rather shocked at how deep the cut really was...

But more surprised than the depth of the cut was I to find that the blade itself was practically unscathed!

Naturally enough though, when it comes to putting my name to a new product, I REALLY want to ensure that it goes above and beyond the call of duty. And while this test was definitely considered to be abusive, I had to step it up several levels to really know the steel and its limitations before I was comfortable putting the SBG stamp of approval on it...

TEST TO DESTRUCTION

Unbeknownst to the forge, I had a third blade made for destructive testing purposes, with the same fittings as the Kuramono but the blade of the Torakami. In other words, a blade that would represent the weakest points of both swords combined into one.

"My goal here was to subject the blade to as much abuse as possible to break it open and have a look at the steel inside..!

So for my target, I selected something that was guaranteed to cause maximum damage: two steel poles back to back and fixed into the ground so they would not give, with one side having a smooth surface and the other a raised star shaped 0.3" 'sword breaker' edge of hardened steel guaranteed to cause maximum damage to ANY blade (sure, I could have tested them on bricks, steel drums, etc as usual - but I've been there, done that - and just wanted to cut right to the heart of it and bust one in half!).

Several full force blows were sent smashing into the side of the smooth, rounded steel, biting deep into the target.

Examination of the blade revealed only minor edge deformation that could have been polished out if so desired, while many other swords in this price range would have already either chipped, bent horribly or broken by this point.

But polishing the damage out was not an option, after all - I had donned heavy and hot armor for this test and really wanted to see a cross section of this blade. So I moved to the otherside, and proceeded to hit what is easily the most damaging target I have ever subjected a blade to...

Several full force blows directly to the edge did indeed cause some damage, chipping away into the hardened edge of the hamon, but this is what was SUPPOSED to happen: the integrity of the blade itself remained, and if this was a sword fight, I could have kept on going...

Knowing that the weakest point of a Katana was its side, I proceeded to smash it against the concentrated edge of the steel target until it broke - and as you can see from the video, it took a fair amount of work to break this sword...

VIDEO: Test to Destruction The ONLY way to know how good these swords REALLY were, was to see how hard they were to break...

"I must admit I was surprised how much effort it took to break this sword in half!"

It was only the weak points caused by the chips, plus two blows in rapid succession (the first which had the blade vibrating, and the second one that disrupted the vibration and found a weak point from the chips) that broke it, otherwise I would probably have been there all day... But I was happy - because not only was it hard to break, but now I could finally look inside at a cross section of the steel itself.

As you can clearly see, the grain of the steel was extremely consistent, and the martensite of the hamon line clearly separated from the milder steel body.

In short, this sword was structurally sound, with a very strong blade that under normal test cutting circumstances would be virtually unbreakable (though NOTHING could survive the test I subjected it to).

With this test, and having tested them on normal targets, looked carefully under the hood and inside the steel itself - I was satisfied..! The project was a Success!!!

CONCLUSION

To say that I am extremely pleased with how this project has turned out in an understatement.

By cutting costs ONLY on areas that do not effect either the functionality or the aesthetics of the swords (such as the Kissaki) - trimming my own margins to an unheard of level (after all, these swords could easily sell for close to double the price I am offering them, and give a lot of the market a run for their money) - and leveraging the previous work of my Canadian friend who will be storing them and shipping them on my behalf - I feel that I have achieved by goal of creating a truly high quality sword at a price that pretty much ANYONE can finally afford.

I must admit that I feel a bit cheeky rating these swords - after all, they are my own pet project and design and it could be argued that I am biased towards them. But when it comes to swords that were engineered to avoid all of the common flaws encountered with entry level production Katana - and having succeeded at my goal - how can I possibly rate them at anything less than full marks?

PROS

• Highest level of QC on a sword in this price range and free from all flaws that plague production level Katana

• No inferior components - either solid brass or solid iron, CAREFULLY assembled

• Beautifully tempered, traditionally differentially hardened blade with a REAL and very prominent hamon usually only seen on $600+ blades...

• Handling and performance refined by a team of high ranking Japanese Sword Art Sensei (5th to 7th Dan)

• Very strong and durable blades, ready to go without ANY modifications required straight out of the box

CONS

• Some people may not like the fact that the ito wrap is synthetic (but it is NOT the cheap stuff, and much better than cotton, being virtually indestinguishable from real silk ito and most importantly MORE DURABLE!)

• Yokote/Kissaki (tip) is not traditional to keep the price reasonable (normal for blades at this price range) but with a much higher level of polish than most others

WHERE TO BUY

As mentioned, the Official SBG Katana line are exclusively available right here at the SBG Sword Store.

Based on the quality of fittings, the care taken in assembly, prominent hamon on the beautifully hand forged blade, handling characteristics and following industry wide pricing formulas - these swords could (and probably should) sell for US$499 for the Kuramono and $589 for the limited edition blades. However, my goal in making these swords was to make a truly professional grade sword that pretty much ANYONE could afford - so with this in mind I've tightened my belt and am offering the Kuramono for a ridiculously low price of US$329.99 and the Torakami for just $399.99 - both SHIPPED FREE within the USA and Canada...

Each sword comes with a 100% quality control guarantee - and just to up the ante a little more, while these two designs were made to please my OWN specific needs, tastes and requirements in a sword, there is even a third design... YOURS! (our unique customization option!).

See the Official SBG Professional Grade Katana Line at the SBG Sword Store here (includes additional photos, information and specifications). If you are in the market for a sword engineered to perform, good to go straight out of the box and built to last, for these price it simply is not possible to do get anything better...!