Ryan Swords

by JohnnieD
(Boise, ID USA)

QUESTION: Anyone know anything about this guy?

Typical, "too good to be true" prices. A lot of time and money go into his auction descriptions, including quality pics and demonstration vids. Nearly 100 sales, with 100% positive feedback, and glowing comments. Cheap enough to try, if only for a wallhanger....just like to know if anyone knows any good or bad?

Ebay http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZryan_katana688
Website http://ryansword.com/

Not all show the bamboo cutting/paper slicing vid. The bamboo cutting appears to be a living plant. Not sure if this would be softer or harder than green bamboo mounted for cutting with a sword. Looks good but..............

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...E:B:SS:US:1123

Some of the more expensive (tho' still not expensive for "quality" swords" offer all kinds of exchanges for different parts of the sword:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...E:B:SS:US:1123

The even more expensive (still cheap, if quality) with more impressive vid demos, involving steel drums and flexibility tests. Looks good but, like Cold Steel video demos, makes one wonder how many knives/swords they went through until they got one that cut the mustard (if you'll excuse the expression) :

He also offers extremely cheap, nonsharpened models, in which most of the expense is the shipping (from Shanghai)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...E:B:SS:US:1123

Seems like a pretty large, fairly professional operation (which could be good.......or bad).

Would appreciate comments from those that may have purchased one of these swords and, especially, from the more experienced members of the forum. Thanks, John in Boise Idaho

ANSWER:Hi John,

I'll have to open up the floor on these ones. I have heard some things about these sellers, but I cannot recall exactly what it was or where, and I haven't bought from them personally, so I am not much use for info on these.. ;-)

I have to say though, I am very skeptical of these pieces. The general rule of buying on ebay is to avoid buying direct from China...

Anyway, let's see what others have to say. :-)

Cheers,

- Paul

Comments for Ryan Swords

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advice?
by: B.Miron

Please bear in mind that these are the impresssions of a gang of thugs relatively new to the beloved sport/art we all practice here. While it is true that this fella has some items that are not run of the mill, quite beautiful, & some of a historical design, he also has a range of furniture that goes from a split cast type that never really stays tight & might be considered visibly unattractive to quite lovely, high quality carved. We did not see any real hamons on the cheaper items we looked at (not really important from a point of view of function ) & there is, of course, the good stuff; beautiful. We think all this stuff comes from several different forges around Longquan, indicating that his selection of offerings was chosen obviously over other items or from a much larger resource base.
The tantos, among other things for example, are from a forge that we have never seen in the U.S, at least, we are not familiar with their manufacturers; they are of a good to high quality, the furniture is impressive & they are not made for any other big names that sell in the u.s. that we are aware of. They are not copies, as are others, of bigger name brands. It is interesting that he seems to stick almost exclusively to that one grade of steel (this could be a marketing issue implimented to take advantage of their particular expertise or to facilitate some sort of limitation of products) Everybody can't sell everything, you know? an indication that these guys are really chinese entrepreneurs in so far as it is not one of the grades of steel usually offered to us here (the U.S.)
We think that (& this was discussed at length) this is the stuff these guys are using to have their fun personally, in a local sense. It is clear they believe in their product; the videos are great, aren't they? Going through a legal money launderer like paypal takes the risk out of losing your money as well, more or less.
Having said all that, here is the bad news. Unless you have seen something you absolutely cannot live without (this has happened to us several times; swords, wives, cars, etc; not necessarily in that order) you must consider two things; support & shipping (how much is that gonna be plus the unknown sword? as opposed to a nice cheness with free shipping?) I know, I know, but consider that we are all old men & are over flowing to the point of ridiculousness with common sense except possibly when dealing with the wives.
First, they are far away; the swords, not the wives. Wwould they put any sort of warranty in writing? Again, the sword guys, not the wives. Can you get these swords through any sort of existing realationship with a more local wholesaler/retailer (ie swords of might, trueswords, etc. If you do not ask by the way, you shall never know)
The only other way to go, of course is to take a chance, buy something inexpensive (a tanto) & see how it goes. We sincerely hope there was a useful idea somewhere in all this. Good luck.
Bought the "Ninja" & 1 knife sword
by: Chris

I have to say after receiving the package (with some anxiety) I opened it to find a decent looking sword for around $40. It has a few cosmetic problems like rough finishing were the knife goes and around the seppa. The blade was coated in the usual grease so after wiping it off I was pleased to see a nice looking shine with very few scratches on it. It is well glued to the handle so you won't be taking this one apart. When looking down the spine of the sword I noticed the tell tale "hammer" marks that made the blade look as though it was doing the wave. It seems to be straight though and it fits exceptionally well into the scabbard even with the knife on the side. One of my biggest peeves is when the sword falls out by it's self and this one holds well! The biggest draw back was the kurikata that was supposed to be ornamental turned out to be just a typical wooden knob. I'm no professional sword critic, but I hope someone who is will be able to really decide if this is a good place to buy from!
rayan katana,for me it is over.
by: wiwingti(marc lecompte)

recently i discovered a new passion, katanas.
my wife and i, decided to change decoration and put asian decoration in our bedroom so, it was the time for me to buy katanas, ho my god i was happy.
i started looking around on ebay and found these kind of katanas, that look so good and do not cost a lot.
i said to myself that, it would be the best thing to do( because i was starting buying on ebay)
i ordered 4 katanas from this guy.
i would have long to say but i'll save it for when ill be accepted member lol.
one thing i can say for now.
take care all of ya,i was really but really disapointed of his katanas.:p
Love this Guy
by: Jeff

I have NEVER before posted on a sword forum or website. My knowledge in the make, design, display, and use of swords is rather limited to amateur at best, but I hope to expand in my knowledge and own more katana.

That being said, and of course you can take this with a grain of salt, I stand by Ryan's blades. My first katana (and still only katana) was one of his. At the time I knew I wanted my first katana to be more than a wall hanger, maybe around the "beater" area of quality, but not ridiculously expensive. So I spent quite a bit of time on this site and online, trying to find a seller that had relatively cheap (around the $100 or $200 range) katana that can actually be used to cut through some milk jugs or light branches.

My friend stumbled upon Ryan first on eBay and immediately pulled me to him. From looking on line I decided his swords looked of quite high quality for a relatively cheap price. The descriptions talked of full tang, real samasake, carbon steel swords. The pictures suggested high-quality blades as well, and the measurements provided seemed consistent with a good blade.

So I purchased one (Cyclone Tsuba) and waited eagerly for its arrival. And upon its arrival my friends and I grouped around it to inspect its quality.

Weight felt good; not overly heavy at all. The saya looked of great quality, with no damage. The tsuka and tsuka-ito seemed well crafted and very tightly wrapped, and there were two mekugi and (from what we could tell) real . The tsuba was heavy metal, well crafted, and very tight on the sword.

The blade, upon bring drawn, was fabulous. Very straight, very well made (again, by our amateur eyes), and resilient.

Everything, again, was snug and tight for my sword. At first it seemed lose when I sheathed it; then I realized I had been doing it INCORRECTLY the whole time. A quick change in technique produced a snug fit so the sword was in no danger of falling out of the saya but could still be drawn easily.

The sword performs amazingly well as well. Cuts through milk jugs and small branches like they aren't even there, producing very clean cuts. I could literally "tomato slice" a milk jug until I got uncomfortable with how close I was getting to the log.

So impressed were we with the quality-for-the-price that I got my friend a wakizashi for her birthday from the same guy, and she later got her boyfriend a katana from him as well. Both of these swords seem to be of the same high quality as mine. We are very pleased with Ryan and will likely buy from him again (his eBay store seems to be down, but his own website is still up http://www.ryansword.com/).

Again, my friends and I completely admit to being amateurs; our knowledge comes from the internet, some discussion with more knowledgeable people, and our so far limited experience with katana; but we are happy with our purchases.
Is not fair to leave comment for Ryan
by: Jason

I believe many of those who leave bad comments just want to make Ryansword.com business drop and want to increase traffic for their own.

I believe many of you bought from him in ebay.
Do you think ebay will let go if his swords really bad?

I already bought few swords from him, and so far I am satisfied for what I paid for.

You cant expect a perfect swords with little money.
I can only say, they really delivered much more than I paid and now I already become friend of them because of their good service.

I heard there are doing some revamption to their website soon.
www.ryansword.com/showroom/

Buying from his website can buy even cheaper price swords with the same quality.

They are currently doing On Sale now...
Is not fair to leave comment for Ryan
by: Jason

I believe many of those who leave bad comments just want to make Ryansword.com business drop and want to increase traffic for their own.

I believe many of you bought from him in ebay.
Do you think ebay will let go if his swords really bad?

I already bought few swords from him, and so far I am satisfied for what I paid for.

You cant expect a perfect swords with little money.
I can only say, they really delivered much more than I paid and now I already become friend of them because of their good service.

I heard there are doing some revamption to their website soon.
www.ryansword.com/showroom/

Buying from his website can buy even cheaper price swords with the same quality.

They are currently doing On Sale now...
Why not read from the testimonials?
by: George (US)

I had buy a few from his store. Overall, I think he is very passion in his business.

For example, I received a broken SAYA for my third sword. I contacted him. He didnt questioned me at all, or suspect me if I am telling lie, caused from my own.

He asked me to send back, and he re-ship the new one to me. I am not only impressed of his qualities of swords, but his attitude in serving clients.

Here, I have a link you can read for what others who bought from him are saying:
http://www.ryansword.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=11&products_id=226

Well, hope I did helped you in judging Ryansword.
Good luck,
hahaha
by: wiwingti

for those who are thinking that i just want to make some trouble to ryan sword.
the can chop iron sword that i bought from him get scratches each time i used it, and that was when i used water bottles.
so don't try to convince everyone that everything that ryan sword is selling is good.

maybe some of his swords are good, but,he sale his swords saying lies.
i would say that, the poeple that are living good feedbacks, are doing the same thing that i did at first,
living feedbacks without trying it.

when i wrote that guy that i wasn't satisfyied, after a couple of try, i never had news from him.
i bought a musashi that value half of the can chop iron and it is more solid and sharpened more than this can chop iron one.
Unfair Accusations
by: Jeff

The swords ARE good quality. I HAVE used mine, I have cut milk jugs, soda bottles, water bottles, etc. Nothing too difficult, but it cuts through every time. Scratches? With the soda bottles; yeah there are. But that's because soda bottle plastic is actually quite hard; it does quite a bit of damage to any sword. Scratches would be expected (also why I don't cut soda bottles anymore).

Plus, these are not meant to be amazing battle-ready swords that could cut through a tree without any damage; they are fairly cheap yet high-quality swords that can easily hold their own. Put it this way; I would have no qualms using this to defend myself if I had to (never would, never want to, as that's not why I bought my Ryan sword), as the sword would hold up.

They are good quality, well made, and Ryan seems to be a fair seller. Maybe he has stopped responding to you because you won't leave him alone.
I trust ryansword
by: Anonymous

I bought a ryansword on ebay and I tested it before I left a feedback. The sword I purchased is a 1060 high carbon steel blade, had it inspected by a machinist and a sword collector, he suggested it was for real. I am satisfied with the quality it is very strong, fit's in saya smoothly and even hold's up well to cutting medium hard target's. Everyone can see on youtube that wingwingti receives free swords for saying bad things about ryansword.com
Ryan from Ryansword.com
by: Ryan Cheng

Hello to all,

Thanks for everything for your support all these years.

We had gained a lot of good friends all around the world from customer to friend and some to buddy.

Thanks all who put comment here that speaks for my swords. I believe truth can be proved by times.
In Chinese, we always says,
"The Real Gold, will never fear of Mount of Fire"

I do my business very passion and I always do my best to satisfy my customers need. I always wanted to let my customer to buy their dream sword at the lowest price possible in the market.
The sword we are selling with same or higher qualities, are only priced 1/3 to 2/3 on the market.

I believe we cannot satisfy everyone, but I can say that my customers are very satisfied.
thanks to competitors for putting comment here.
Competitors are healthy.

Anyway, wish Merry Christmas.....to all..

Sincerely,
Ryan Cheng.
bravo clap clap clap
by: wiwingti

you make me laugh man,
are you saying that i am saying all that because i am a competitor?

i don't sell cheness and say that they have very good swords,
i don't sell SBG custom and say that ,,it is one of the best sword for the price.
i don't sale musashi and,,,for a 79.00 dollars sword it is better than your swords.

i have not been pleased with your swords since i tried them,
and,
the cutting iron sword cannot cut plastic bottles,,,can you explain how it would cut iron without having kinks on it,,if it cannot cut plastic?
nah,,you cannot explain it.

it is false publicity.

marc
Happy New Year 2009
by: Ryan :: Ryansword.com

Happy New Year to all and Thanks for all the comments here.....
I have 2
by: Anonymous

They are sharp stay sharp I wold rather buy from Ryan than masahiro any day of the week.
I Want to know about it
by: Herson

i want to buy one sword from this guy, i want it like my 18th birthday present, but i want to hear coments about the quality of yhis swords, are they good even whne the prices are low??
my e mail helopez_strider@hotmail.com thanks
Asking for...
by: Anonymous

Hello i want to buy one sword from this guy, i want it like my 18th birthday present, but i want to hear coments about the quality of yhis swords, are they good even whne the prices are low??
my e mail helopez_strider@hotmail.com thanks
the ryan swords
by: Dr.Q

testing sword cutting plastic bottles will get them scratched no matter the quality. For these tests it is better to cut leather, rope, or medium to thin metal sheet to wood.
Ryan makes a quality product for much less money from any equal crafter.
the butterfly strokes done with these pieces cut the air swiftly to gain a lot of speed by the time when the edge lands on its target.
The weight equals to none when the sharpest blade is not enough.
Cutting Mediums
by: Anonymous

I have always heard it the bane of swords to try and cut metal or wood. Especially metal; no matter how thin it is, metal on metal WILL leave more scratches than plastic.

Wood is dicey; I'd say anything an inch or thicker is asking for scratches and dents, though it also depends on WHAT kind of wood is being cut.

No, I'd say the best medium for testing a sword or practicing cutting is definitely a plastic bottle filled with water.

However, not all plastic is the same. I would personally (and do personally) AVOID any plastic soda bottles or the like; these are the hard plastics used for coke bottles and such.

I would DEFINITELY recommend you use PLASTIC MILK JUGS, the opaque JUGS that milk comes in. This plastic is soft and won't easily scratch your blade, and anything that LOOKS like a scratch can actually be wiped away with regular maintenance (this from personal experience).

I only cut milk jugs and the occasional pool noodle (also not a bad choice, if it is the softer kind of foam). The other kinds of plastics are fine, I suppose, but I personally try to avoid them. That's just me.
Ryan's folded sanmai blade vs. PPK
by: Anonymous

I just got a sword from Ryan's sword, and the other sword I have is PPK so I'm gonna do a comparison.

But since there are a lot of articles about PPK I will mainly focus on Ryan's sword.

The katana I got didn't have a harmon, which is ok for the sanmai type of blade as I understood it. Where as PPK had a fake harmon produced from acid. This is the most obvious difference.

Ryan's blade also had real engraving, I thought they would be very attractive when I ordered the blade, but now I think about it, because of the roughness of the engraving there's now more surface area for rust if not maintained properly.

The boshi/kissaki area on my blade from Ryan was finished poorly, like I took a piece of sand paper and could've done that.

The habaki is also pretty rough. Because it's a more elaborate design, so it's need more attention to detail which was lacking.

The rest are all positives. The blade is very sharp, and being sanmai construction it's very thick as well. Saya is well finished with real shark skin wrap. Folds in the steel are clearly visible.

The PPK I had, had a blade which wasn't very straight, not that it's bent but when you hold it high and examin the sides of it, you can see high points and low point, so I guess I should say it's not flat when it should be, whereas Ryan's blade was very straight and smooth, had completely flat surfaces.

Other difference is that Ryan's sword had a much shorter handle or tsuka than the PPK. Making it seem much shorter. The fittings on Ryan's sword was awesome. Very artistic, very attractive. PPK doesn't even come close. All in all Ryan's sword being cheaper than the PPK beats the PPK in both the blade and the fitting department.

And Ryan's sword comes with a stand & a very elaborate sword bag, which was nice.

So in conclusion my only complain about Ryan's sword was how the boshi was finished, and the habaki finishing, everything else is outstanding!
1/3 = 1/3 quality
by: Phillip

I've been cutting for years now, with different brands. What I can say about their katanas, as the general concensus of practitioners like myself, is that they suck.

I do recommend Ryan Sword as display pieces, for they do look pretty.
Ryan Sword
by: Shihan

After using a Ryan Sword I won't go to anything else. The price and quality beats about everything else I have seen out there. Unless you go for ultra high end $2,000.00 + but then again a Ryan sword might still compete in that range. I have used mine on numerous cutting demos and with the proper care of any instrument it has not let me down. You can't beat Ryan for looks, quality and cutting!
Quality For a price
by: White Musashi

Ryan sword, makes a blade for everyone, the avg Joe, who wants his pretty blade up on the wall, yet still able to pull it down and cut paper for his friends, yet if you want to caught up 700-1000$ you can have a sword that's trustworthy for ceremony, and battle, if i could ever get a hold of a Tanaka I would love to compare to two, yet one is available, the top end Ryan sword, beat all prices and availability of any top end anyone on here can find. I cut with my swords Regularly, and have plowed and destroyed many companies mid grade sword's, some are softer then others, some bend easy, some are hard and cut through 28 water bottles single swing i have a video on youtube, of a Mushshi company doing such a feet. The fact remains if you want a good blade for a good price, Ryansword is the place to go, if you want a High end sword, for a good price Ryan Sword is the place to go, I cant complain.
Take it from someone who uses there blades like its a way of life, Ryansword is a good sword.
Price,quality,presentation
by: Xadion

The main things we want in a sword- Price, Quality and Presentation.

Throughout many well 'trusted' vendors offer great sturdy and sharp swords- many of them lack in presentation....and then when you find one that has the look you want, it fails in quality etc... Then you get the sword you want to look at AND use - and it may as well be used to chop off your own arm and leg for payment...

Ryansword offers you an excelent compromise between all factors - they look great, have higher than avarage quality, fir and finish and are the best in price- and in value secont to none.

Shipping was fast and direct from china, pre oiled and sharp as hell. Ryan contacts you directly and can be reaced easy with quck responce- I was surprized! Also very willing to discuss custom changes etc.

I bought his Chinese HAN sword 99$+ shipping - love it, will be getting a katana style for more use-use later on down the road.

Satisified With Purchase
by: Glenville86

I have purchased 3 swords from Ryan Sword and am pleased. I have swords from over 2K all the way down to Ryan Swords. The swords purchased from Ryan are as nice and cut as well as the other swords I purchased in the 300-500 dollar range. As with any lower budget and mass produced sword company - there will always be a few lemons in the mix. This is also true of the more expensive and higher rated sword companies out there. For the price and quality - I recommend Ryan Sword.
Buyer Beware
by: Anonymous

You pay 100 u get 100 dollars worth of sword.
You pay the sub 300-600 mark you get a good sword.
How do i know.. cos ive compared two..one cheap one and got a medium ranged sword..

In short.. medium priced sword performed very well.
So you get what you pay for so buyer BEWARE!!!!!

Other from that service is pretty good shipping could be a little lower tho his blades are good with in the medium to high end swords.
Not the worst. Certainly not the best
by: Sword3454

Well i have but two swords from ryan swords. After first reading around and checking everyones comments on the swords i thought they might be worth their metal. The first one was a decent light cutter, cost of the sword being $89 with shipping. But once used on half mats it was never the same again. The sword was bent, i straightened it back out and guess what it bent but worse. The sword would have been great if i only used it on jugs and pop bottles. The second sword costing $267 with shipping a excellent cutter. But after cutting something harder than bottles and plain half mats. Than i decided to try it out on 5 gallon water jug, rolled up magazines about 4 inches thick, and hard bamboo. Sorry to say that everyone chipped the blade but an upside it didnt bend. So all in all if your buying for a sword to cut with you will get it but you will not get a sword with even slight durability unless you buy high and even than from my experience with anything harder than light or medium targets you will chip the blade. So maybe i just got jipped twice and their swords are amazing but i cant afford to keep trying. So by my results if your like me and you cant afford to just keep spending money hopeing for something good than ryan swords aint for you. Hope this helps and so everyone knows im not some idiot trying to boost someone else i just think its fair that people know the quality of what ryan swords are and i just dont think there worth it from my experience with the 2 pieces of junk ive recieved from them. Hopefully this will help some one else
the BEST
by: Adrian

i have a decently sized sword collection and decided that i was going to go out on a limb and buy from ryan sword becouse i was tired of the same old sword from larger manufacturers. (although musashu and hanwei are very nice.) so i ordered one of there ninja-to's , a katana and tanto's and i have to say that these are among the finest blades ive seen since i bought a pair of katanas when i was in japan. there extreemly good looking with very nice hamons. although the ninja-to wasent as sharp as the tanto they both were still able to take the hair off my arm. best of all was that these swords have a very distinctive artsy feel to them. and thats basicly what we want in a sword. cutting power , and art. oh and oh course price. i got both of these swords for around $50 usd each. although with shipping they came out to about 179 dollors, but thats incredable due to the overall quality of these swords. and another thing to add is somthing people forget these days. the customer service was better then anywhere ive ever seen, online or off. they have an online chat 24/7 just incase you have any imediate questions. although some people say the blades bend thats not the case with my swords. you see they have a cutting video of them curring a manufacurers sword and i hade to try it, so i tried with the tanto and it basicly turned my manufactured blade into a serated edge, without putting a scrach in the sword. the onley bad thing i can say about ryan sword is that there loated in china and shipping cost as much as the swords. but its definatly worth it. basicly yould be crazy not to buy from ryan sword. and im not buying from anyone else for a long time.
Dont know what u are talking about
by: Anonymous

Stop cutting pet bottles, those things may bend but are tougher then even bamboo, leave your sword or use it on the air or burglar trying to steal ur dvd collection, of Bruce Lee, and Jacky Chan, why the fuck are u cocksmokers cutting shit in half for? If it can cut trough flesh and fabric, it is good.
questionable
by: Anonymous

I haven't bought anything from ryansword. but I am also suspicious about the pricing compared with the descriptions of the products.
If its coming directly from china, then I think everyone knows that the chinese don't give away anything for free.
They are all about 'selling a nickel for a dollar' (if you know what I mean).
As one said to me, "you get what you pay for" there.
So, if they have cheap prices, you can bet your ass they cut some corners to make those swords.


cheap chinese price = cheap chinese crap
Ryanswords
by: xXwes997Xx

i currently own 1 ryan sword and am waiting for another to bbe shipped. the first sword is a folded steel katana. the blade showed no flaws whatsoever and had a perfectly smooth mirror finish. the grains from the folds were very beautiful and the custom gueard fittings and handle were amazing. as for sharpness. i cut myself deep just by thumbing the blade gently and to put it to the real test i used it on a recently killed deer from deer season. the end result was the deers head flying thru the air perfectly severed as some anime would show happening to a person. upon close examination of the cut it was flawless. it cut flesh bone blood skin and fur like a lightsaber would if it existed. the blade when whiped clean showed no marks whatsoever and you would never know it had been used for anything. there was no damage to the edge and its still just as sharp. im currently waiting on my 2nd sword from them, a nodachi before i can fully say all their swords are elite. however if you want a folded steel katana for 99$ theirs is awesome. the nodach iwas only 80$ so ill post more once i recieve it. i give their folded steel katanas 6 out of 5 stars. "if in your journey you encounter God, God will be cut."
lack of experience
by: Anonymous

I think about 95 percent of all the Ryan sword fans on here have no experience of what makes a decent sword ,

" your mileage may vary "

If you only have experience of low end chinatana then thats all you have to use as a reference point ,

comparing ryansword to masahiro is like comparing big macs - they are sword like objects , nothing more.

and before you all bash Marc from Wingwiti - saying he is trying to harm another dealer, well I ask whats your agenda as some of you fanboys are handing out praise like your getting a real masamune daito for your 70 bucks.

Ryan sword sold you a wallhanger - not a howard clarke L6 - he's an ebay trader - not your long lost brother.

so if you want to keep being a ryansword fanboy - do real sword people a big favour and rent a room ,

I am sure you will both very cosy together.
katana sword
by: carbonsteelblade..yeah im back...

these are all around good blades,for cutting,home coolnes,etc...like some random dude said you get what you pay for,don`t go with a hundreds bucks thinking you are going to get a hand made 100% japanese sword by masamune Okazaki himself,i mean there good looking pieces for the money,but some people like to take it over the head IF you know what i mean.
your all a bunch of posers
by: Anonymous

i practice, and teach kenjutsu and i use some of his swords for my demonstrations all the time and ive never had a problem with them. but if you retards at home who are probably fat and think your all ninja's want to rate a sword get some experience first. i hate watching you cock bags on youtube swinging your shity swords around thinking your cool.
Ponderings on Anonymous
by: Jeff

Ouch. I mean, I'm not fat, nor do I think I'm a ninja, and I haven't posted any videos of "swinging swords around" on Youtube.

Also, most importantly, I have great respect for those people (such as yourself) who have received formal training with a katana and could easily kill me with one if I were foolish enough to take them on. So.... yeah. Shitsurishimasu.
"your all a bunch of posers"
by: Anonymous

Wow! For someone who claims they have had "formal" training you sure don't show it! I've had training of my own and I would not respond to people in such a way. Not everyone can accomplish or sometimes afford training in the arts. Maybe you should go back and study more and learn a little integrity.
what you get
by: Anonymous

taking kendo and iaido for a few years now...i gotta say ive been looking around for "that one" for a while now.( the search continues) ive ran into all sorts... i got one sword in vegas at a pawn shop and it turned out to be a better cutter than the one i paid 3000 bucks for, ya dig? i got a couple "ryans" for gifts but at those prices ya get what ya pay for...theyre something id probably use for practice but i wouldnt show it for my testing.
Ryan Swords
by: Justin

Having been a collector for more than 20 years i thought i would give a few ebay sellers a chance to prove themselves and their claims,After all in 20 years you get some idea of a good sword and a bad one.
One of those that i tried was Ryan Swords.
Now, i did not buy one of the cheap swords but rather one of the high price ones.
I thought that when you get up into the hundreds of dollars you might just get something that not only looks good but may actually work ok.
WRONG !!!!!
The sword was not full tang
The sword was not sharp
The hamon was acid etched badly and the metal was made of old tin cans by the weight of it.
The fittings were held together with bits of scrap metal pushed in to stop parts falling off.
After two days of email fighting and being told that a half tang was to help with the balance and other such rubbish they gave me most but not all of my the money back to stop negative feedback.
At no time did i expect a perfect Nihonto sword but i did not expect such rubbish for such a price.
If you like Ryan swords and they work for you then good luck to you but if you have the money and know what a sword is than go past Ryan very fast.
WOW!
by: Anonymous

I am 41 years in the Martial Art of jujutsu which includes Iaido and kenjutsu. I have to say for the price the quality and workmanship is beyond exceptional.I have to laugh at these 20+ year sword experts, first off this is a sword that is very inexpensive, you are not dealing with a sword that was hsand forged 2000 years ago in Feudal Japan. So don't try to compare it to that. it is a great product for what it is. Its beautiful in presentation and has an edge good enough to do some very extensive damage if used in that manner, what more can you ask from a sword. No sword was ever designed to chop don trees thats called an axe, no sword was ever designed to cut plastic water bottles thats called a utility knife. Its not even designed to cut bamboo thats called a Machete. The Katan had only one purpose to remove an enemies had, without question the Ryan sword can do this very easily. so with that, those of you who call yourselves practitioners, masters etc think about that when you talk like a 15 year old with a filthy mouth not a gentleman of honor and integrity. That is what the Katana stands for. So next time you call yourself a expert , master etc try acting like one then maybe we'll believe you and listen to your words of wisdom. To Ryan, sir you mke beautiful swords thank you for your gift to the world, you are truly a craftsman and a master.
Shihan T H
EBAYER CAN CUT VIDS PART 1
by: Anonymous

I have recently purchased two swords from an ebay seller using the videos of the can cutting and blade flexing while someone stands on it.

The swords I purchased ad read-
"40"Fully Hand Forged Clay Temper Katana Samurai Sword"

Description read-
"Blade: steel, clay tempered;
Edge: Razor sharp;
Hamon: Real hamon, Clay tempered on;
Hi(Blood groove): Long Hi on each side;
Condition: Brand new & can be fully disassembled and assembled;
Blade Thickness: 0.3"
Blade Length (with Habaki): 40"
Handle Length: 10.2"
Overall Length (with Saya): 50.2"

I have talked back and forth extensively with some one working with this site. Mainly because I have dealt with bad sword sellers before So I had questions for this seller about the product he was selling. Basically because he is selling these swords for about $40.00. I understand how cheap this is, and so is to why I wonder about the hole thing. A blade this impressive for 40 bucks? Naa.

So when asked is the videos really featured the swords that he was selling here he responded to me by stating-

"Frankly speaking, not the same one. While most of our swords are with the nearly same quality. Anyway, just check the swords when you get them, if any complaints, I will refund your money. Thank you".

He also said roughly that those swords were in fact his higher grade swords selling for around $200.00. THESE SWORDS ($200.00) HAD NOT EVEN BEN LISTED YET.

Naturally this has me really wondering about every detail of the swords being B.S. When asked what it was that I was exactly getting and if they were really clay tempered, and what metals etc. He gave very weak and unknowing answer. ALthough replied again with-



EBAYER CAN CUT VIDS PART2
by: Anonymous

"Thay are sharp as the video shows, while of course they can not be compared with $200 swords. They are made of 1045 steel really clay tempered REAL hammon" and also "other guys sell the same swords at around $100. Anyway, they are very nice swords. Of couse, not the best."

As for if the videos are there swords I was sold it was said that-

"I just contact with our "Mr.Smith" dont worry, he confirmed yes, the cutting picture is the material the swords used which you bought, if any bent or any out of shape, I will refund your full money. Thank you"

He did only speak of the cutting in an early response he had already said-

"nearly same material with the swords you just bought. Sharp, but not so durable"

In closing I will say I think they will most likely be very good swords for price but I will for sure test them before leaving his feedback. I hope this helps somebody. I also hope we are talking about same swords from youtube with site ad to ryanswords.com/showroom after it. All I know is that the swords I bought featured these same videos. So if I can help answer anyone's questions about these swords you can email me @ nitrota81@yahoo.com title 40.00 ebay sword and I will try to reply to you. I should receive my swords in a couple of weeks I imagine coming from china.

I have not disclosed name of seller because frankly I don't know if it is appropriate at this time but all info in quotes has been cut directly from this gentleman's emails.

GOOD LUCK
sword
by: Anonymous

musashi refused to use the blade at the end it was never the blade u people so highly regard, it is fencing skill if you chose to worship musashi and his acheivements worship the stick he would cut from a tree to beat his opponent ryans swords are some of the best i have seen for the price
REAL FOLDED STEEL!
by: Slick

Yep! Real folded steel katana! I paid about 75 cents for the sword and $40 shipping and handling. I chopped it in half with my Cold Steel Chisa and , viola! It seems to be folded steel!
Review
by: Eddie

Current Aiki Ten Shin Sho Kai Battojutsu student, 4th Kyu.

Firstly, for those bagging out the 'ryan swords' you bought from ebay. With all due respect, congratulations, 10millions fail points to you, doesn't matter if its got a ryan sword stamp on the listing its from ebay, anyone who can edit html can put that up and a lot of people do.

I bought my "Ryan Sword" from their website.

The Ryan Sword "unsharp" series was my first and is my current training sword.

The PROs:

- Ryan Swords are solid, not fickle and well enough made for training and practice for beginners.
- Low Cost. Excellent beginner sword.
- Carbon Steel. Again Excellent beginner sword. Why? Because it has weight to it, it will build your arms properly. Again Why? Because it will rust, it'll make you have to clean it. (This is normal curriculum for any Iai/Batto ryu).
- The blade IS as a blade should be. Full tang, solidly made. At first I thought the tsuka was glued onto the blade (mixed reviews here, a few gumdo masters have told me that I should just glue it on anyway... anyway not my point). After elbow grease however, I realied it was NOT glued on but very firmly put in. The mekugi are good bamboo (you should replace it with denrin if you get the chance tho).

The CONs (but maybe pro also?)
- The swords aren't all the same, I bought two of the same model and they weighed a little different. This really doesn't matter for most beginners,
- You can customize the swords any which way you want with any other model in the site, just email the guys (bit a patience here folks, they seem to be quite busy.. but they'll get back to you eventually) and they'll quote you prices if extra is required and they'll do it for you. Customer service is A+ in effectiveness B+ in speed, but thats all good.

Once I reach nidan, I will try to purchase a shinken from them and test it out, but in so far as the company as a whole and the sword, well.. it has become the standard shop to purchase all teh swords for my dojo, and everyone is satisfied, from dan ranks to beginners.

This is not an anonymous review: I stand by what I say and I like to believe as I am training as a swordsman I should speak each word with honor.

My email address is scarletnightingale@gmail.com. If you have a serious query for more information or more insight, please don't hesitate to send me a line.
Amazing to See so Much
by: Ryo Asuka

I am Literally amazed to see the amount of crap some people in her can chat. All talking as if they they where master sword smiths, It is only one point to state, When i see bed wetters like "Slick" and co pumping out their mediocre ignorance whilst pissing their pants in excitement it makes me laugh so hard..

Cold steel is nothing more that your average garden beater, Nothing More nothing less, Unless you are willing to Spend upto and beyond $10,000 for a hand crafted sword by a Toshi like Gassan Sadatoshi, then please feel free to Speak,

Ryan Swords even the cheap ones are equal to any $100-$300 swords out in the market place, And if you are trying to use the sword to create a convertible from your redneck papas pickup and the sword breaks then please do us all a favour and just S..t the Fcuk UP,

Most of use our swords to cut Tatami, And so far all the Ryan Sword swords i have used can do this without any issues, 3 tatami with raw bamboo core is not an issue, I have been cutting this with my Ryan Musashi Wakizashi for two years, the blade is Aisi1060, And holds edge well and is easy to sharpen and fitting are solid, and it cost me a measly $49+Postage for 2 years of cutting pleasure.

So all you bed wetters out there who think you know, I will quietly refer you to youtube and facebook where your like minded ignorants can compare their piss stained pants... But in a Forum relating to Swords.. keep it to your self..

If you like a cheap, easy to sharpen, solid fittings,Cutter, then you could not do any worse than by Buying Ryan swords.

He who Knows does not Talk, and He who Talks Does not Know
Buy a Ryansword
by: Austin

I bought my first Ryansword a few months ago, and trust me I have bought a lot of swords and I mean A LOT. When I got my Ryansword it was amazing it is the BEST sword I have ever bought and this sword was only $46USD+S&H and it was of very good quality, I bought a wakizashi and it came razor sharp, full tang, polished to a mirror's shine, and can hold an edge very well. The sword was made out of carbon steel and when I got it I tested it against one of my other swords that was 440 stainless steel and when I hit my sword with it, the Ryansword did not have a single nick in it and my other sword had a visible nick in it...if anyone is thinking about getting a Ryansword I would not hesitate to get one.

I RECCOMEND Ryansword, and anything you hear that says that Ryansword is a horrible site it is not true because it is probably just another sword making competitor trying to steal buisness from Ryansword.
quite a bit about ryan swords .....
by: Lairofsmoke

hello all ,
i purchased a sword from this seller and i think they seem to be good people ion general , the village he mentions in his item descrip. is accurate
i know im not a "senior forum member" ,
(whatevv) LOL >: p
but i have had many letters drilling these people on their knowledge asking questions about the rockwell scale hardness results, the number of folds performed (i already know the answers lol) for instance if i asked if they folded it 13 times , and he said "of course we did , and it yielded 6,000 layers", i would know he's full of crap because the amount of layers is wrong , those kind of half cocked trick questions of the sort.
my sword is due to arrive in the next day or two, so i will post again on the results , but at the moment i am prob going to trust them with my order of twin blades that will eventually become family heirlooms.
my customer questions have been answered quick ,
and accurate , also when ordering somehow 2 swords were ordered , and they didn't give me the run around or even complain when i asked to cancel one of the 2.
overall i would think that given no matter were you buy from its a stranger , and the goods prob came from china anyway , then you might as well go with these people , as i said wait until i hold and use the product , if your ordering , give me time to test and use the blade received , will post in the next 3 or 4 days , blade could take up to 2 more days to get here.
well thats all i got on ryansswords lol,
hope it helps you out bro , i like to be helpful WHENEVER POSSIBLE : )
everyone thanks for listening ,
-LAIROFSMOKE
quite a bit about ryan swords .....
by: Lairofsmoke

hello all ,
i purchased a sword from this seller and i think they seem to be good people ion general , the village he mentions in his item descrip. is accurate
i know im not a "senior forum member" ,
(whatevv) LOL >: p
but i have had many letters drilling these people on their knowledge asking questions about the rockwell scale hardness results, the number of folds performed (i already know the answers lol) for instance if i asked if they folded it 13 times , and he said "of course we did , and it yielded 6,000 layers", i would know he's full of crap because the amount of layers is wrong , those kind of half cocked trick questions of the sort.
my sword is due to arrive in the next day or two, so i will post again on the results , but at the moment i am prob going to trust them with my order of twin blades that will eventually become family heirlooms.
my customer questions have been answered quick ,
and accurate , also when ordering somehow 2 swords were ordered , and they didn't give me the run around or even complain when i asked to cancel one of the 2.
overall i would think that given no matter were you buy from its a stranger , and the goods prob came from china anyway , then you might as well go with these people , as i said wait until i hold and use the product , if your ordering , give me time to test and use the blade received , will post in the next 3 or 4 days , blade could take up to 2 more days to get here.
well thats all i got on ryansswords lol,
hope it helps you out bro , i like to be helpful WHENEVER POSSIBLE : )
everyone thanks for listening ,
-LAIROFSMOKE
Ryan swords Shirasaya
by: Andrewj

Hi i bought a Shirasaya from them and it is sharp and short with a heavy blade and made with good wood and i would buy swords from them
read
by: LairOfSmoke

yes sorry for the delay in response i finally received sword from seller it is very light leading me to beleive it is not folded when asked i got the response that it was because of the very larg. blood groves the carbon markings are very nice inshape but exremely thin when i stated to seller that i would cut down to check foldmarkings seller stated he KNEW it was folded seems to be cosmetically a nice blade i cut a bush andjust scrapping occured i will cut again ..........I think its ROLLED STEEL NOT FOLDED I wouod assume that if it was not hammered and worked between layers would end with a mutch lighter
And less durable sword but could still claim it to be genuine folded steel
also probally low quality steel low carbon levels, in all I would say a very nicelooking sword but as I was wanting not a family eirloom......
So if it helps I got a 130.00 sword. for 130.00 .
I do not feel scammed or misled people were good and responded fast
good starter swords , price is fair but as with everything you get what upay 4.

3 Swords
by: Anonymous

I ordered the ryan493 for $136 and two of the $46 swords. These are the first "real" swords I've ever had. The 493 sword is very nice and noticeably lighter than the other two. The blade is also very smooth! When running a finger over the other two, you can feel a slight ripple in the metal. Especially along the mune. Not really visible by eye though.

The HuaLee saya had a 10" crack in it though. Ryan said they'd be sending a replacement, but the email suggested it was my error, when it arrived in that condition. Looking into the saya you can see the cut veers off to one side, so the sword binds up when all but about 6" is sheathed. So, we'll see if the customer service claims are accurate. So far communication has been acceptable. I feel I paid a very fair price for what I received. All are solid with no rattles whatsoever.
RyanSwords Model ryan412 review
by: Nick2017

I recently bought a ryan sword for 96$ and I just received it so far so good its a very beautiful sword its very solid no rattle what so ever and the blade is very sharp it came already lubed. I did not have the chance to try it out yet but as soon i can find oil for it i will post back with the results but I do not see any problems as of now.
3 swords - follow up.
by: Anonymous

Just wanted to let everyone know. The replacement saya was received. It seems he has some problems with email getting out. I had to give them my hotmail account before we could start communicating again. The only issue is the new saya didn't come with the sageo, and when trying to transfer it over, it came undone. Now I have no idea how to tie this particular style. It's the ryan337 sword. It uses 2 lengths of sageo, with the shorter one forming the diamond pattern at the mouth of the saya. The longer forms the lower diamond pattern and the decorative knot. I can do the individual parts, I'm just not sure how to tie everything together... no pun intended!!
Question
by: Anonymous

I wanna ask a question to the people who have bought from Ryan. Look i live in Spain.The money we use here is Euro.Does he accept payment in a different value, such as the Euro? If yes I may some day buy gladly from his shop. Thanks!
Get one now!
by: Jimmy

These swords are real. You will not believe what you get. I bought the $230.00 model with the 1095 steel blade. It came with real silk everything and a blade that is so polished and so sharp It can cut paper with a gentle draw.
I put it to the torture test on my farm cutting small pine trees, large pine trees, and super hard water oaks. I also cut barbed wire on cedar posts!

My son who is 6'2" 205 lbs suggested that we place the blade on two small logs and jump up and down on it like they do on the video.

Afer all of this the swors is as it was when we took it out of the box. We had to clean the blade up and gently polish it with 1500 wet or dry paper. And it looks new, it perfectly straight, and it is still razor sharp. It still cuts copy paper as it did out of the box!

Buy one of these swords before the prices go up. As soon as these guys get well known these swords will go way up in price!!!
I am buying 2 more of these. They are way better than cold steel swords with their 1060 carbon steel.

But with anything there id a trade off. 1095 carbon steel has less chromeium in it so it is harder, hold an edge better, but it will rust easier than say a 1060 steel which has more chrome and resists rust better but does not hold an edge well compared to 1095.

If you want a real Katana that you could really fight a person with any kind of weapon (Bat, machete, crow bar, etc. with buy a Ryan sword.

Tsuba
by: Anonymous

Could you help me!?
I want to buy wakizashi on Ebay. Where is note: We can do customize swords by your request. You can pick one of the following tsuba instead of this sword's original tsuba!!! So, I want to change original tsuba on iron 201. But I did not find how to do it.
Thank you!
Nice swords, buy directly from ryansword.com!
by: Tim, the Netherlands

Hello fellow sword lovers,

Since about 2 or 3 years now I am the happy owner of a Ryan Sword katana. I bought this directly from http://www.ryansword.com/ . So I don't know why everyone is going on about ebay??? These guys have a great website with good pictures and lots of possibilitys, so use it.

The one I own is the ryan171, a $46,88 katana ( http://www.ryansword.com/high-quality-musashi-tusba-japanese-sword-katana-black-p-44.html ), and it hasn't disapointed me yet. It can cut clean trough 2" thick young pine trees, and it hold its edge quite nice.

The down sides on my ryan171 katana after 2 or 3 years of use are:
1. the cotton wrapping, though from good quality, it tends to crawl a little up (only a few millimeters, yet still it moves). So the original wrapping could be done tighter if you intend to use the sword for cutting exercises.
2. after some time and use the fittings, especially the tsuba, gets a little loose. This problem was
fixed when I disassembled, cleaned, and assembled the sword.
3. the same is nice, but after some time the sageo wrapping moves in such a way that the wood from the handle is a tiny bit visible along the sides of the same in some places. So an other issue with the loose wrapping basicly.

In general not a bad sword at all, especially when you consider the bargain price ($46,88!!!). For this price you get a handmade, flexible, carbonsteel, sharp, well balanced and live blade with good looks.

I would recomend anyone interested in buying from ryansword.com, to start of with an regular katana in the $40-$50 price range to try it out for your self before buying a toprange sword from them straight away. Ow, and they except paypal :-D. I am planning on buying a folded steel blade katana from these guys next month, and a few cheap ones as pressents for friends. I hope this review is of some use for you folks.

Greets Tim
Good Sword
by: Roscoe

Recently bought a 33.1" Japanese Sword Wakizashi Musashi Tsuba, 1060 carbon steel. From Ryan Swords. Upgraded the Ito to silk. Very tightly wrapped, all fittings are tight. Ultra sharp. Cuts through green 2-3 inch bambo like butter. Shipping was fast 7 days from China to FL. Very well packed. Yes I would buy again. Buy one and see for yourself. I like the fact you can cutomize the sword, takes a few days longer, but you get what you want. Thumbs up for Ryan Swords.
hmmm
by: Anonymous

I bought ryan sword and it was not good the blade was not straight it was very curved to the left .And it was so sharp. I e-mail Ryan and he refund me all costs.
The cheap swords are not made in his factory he only
decorates it.
I think i wont buy anymore from him not god........
Very Happy
by: Kirk

My second Katana came in about a week ago. Shipping time is fast. Sword quality is excellent. I like the fact you can customize, have it made the way you want. Beautiful craftsmanship. Try one and see for yourself. I wish SBG would do a full review on Ryan Swords.
Read
by:

The proof is in the pudding. I actually baught one of these ryan swords and I must say it's a great sword. I payed 250 for a 500 dollar sword. Enough said. All you nerds need to check yo self fo you wrigity wreck yoself! Boom! D block samuri
My Review
by: Eddie

I have read more positive reviews about Ryan Swords than bad reviews. I figure why not try one of the $68 Katana 1060 Carbon Steel. Yes that is $68 with shipping. Shipping time about 9 days with 3 of those days in US Customs. Sword was very well packed and wrapped. Blade was well oiled, straight. All fittings were tight. I did take it apart to be sure it was full tang. Easy to put back together. For a cutting test I found a palm tree branch about 3 inches thick, cut through it like butter. Cut several of these. More fun than using the chain saw. 4 one gallon water jugs all clean cuts. Blade still looks new.

And this was a bottom of the line Ryan Sword Katana. Next I will buy a Katana of higher cost.
I wouldn't be surprised to see these swords jump in price. I still can't belive how well made this sword is.
An answer regarding Ryan Swords
by: Frank Belmares

Hello fellow Katana enthusiasts. I figured I'd give some personal critique regarding Ryan Swords. I bid on one on Ebay not expecting much since the bid started EXTREMELY low. As far as their descriptions regarding their products I'd say they're right on the money. Now regarding quality. Well, they really look as good as they do in the pictures they posted.
I checked the various components of the sword starting with the blade or "business end" if you pardon the humor. The Kissaki was forged perfectly. No flaws in angle of perpendicular lines and no signs of uneven level graduating from the Boshi to the Yokote. The Hamon wasn't clay tempered so I'd say its your basic inexpensive 1060 blade. the Habaki and mating seppa were well fitted with no obvious wiggle. The Tsuba was alloy with a cherry blossom design and glossy black with the blossoms being gold. The Fuchi, Kashira and Menuki were very acceptable and astetically pleasing as well as being metal NOT plastic. The Tsuka is double pegged not a rat tail and the real ray skin Same was perfectly laid over the wood with perfection. the down side of the sword was the Saya. It has a small paint blemish and a slight divit about an inch from the Kijiri. So in essence I'd rate their products at a 4.95 on a scale of 5.0. you really DO get a lot of cut for your buck! I hope this info will be helpful.
good swords
by: Michael

im so happy with my sword! truly excellent quality! how ever i do wish that there were some more historically accurate ninja swords or Shinobi-Katanas smiler to the Oni Yuri by Cheness Cutlery but that sword doesn't really fit my budget... :/
Ryan sword
by: Edward

Ryan sword is one of them longquan sword, as there are thousands of other longquan blacksmiths who would call themselves "The master smith". It's more of a business competition now.

Longquan swords(including ryan swords) tent to have a very hard edge, and they roll/chip easily, and also the sheaths are mostly put together with glues.Don't get me wrong, but most of their sub 300 dollars swords are like that. Unless you want the very high end sword, the low sub 300 dollars are pretty and well fitted, but whats beneath the fancy fitting is very ugly.

Good news is that high end longquan swords are pretty cheap in dollars...in China they would cost around 10,20 thousands of RMB, but in dollars, I'd say around 900$ or so.

-Hope this helps, from some asian guy:D
Good sword
by: Paul

I bought a cheap $96-88 US (plus shipping $50-00 US) sword from Ryan Swords (www.ryansword.com) (Ryan 400). 73cm blade, overall length 103cm etc.
I received an order confirmation almost straightaway and eventually (after about 4 days) I received an email telling me that the sword had been shipped, sorry for the delay and they gave me the tracking number.
The package arrived in UK about 1 week after sending from Longquan.
I ordered a sword from RyanSword because of some positive reviews on this and other forums. There are also some negative reviews and so I thought I would give it a go with a cheaper sword and if everything went well, I will order a more expensive one at a later date.
The sword arrived well packaged in a pre-formed Styrofoam carrier, all wrapped with waterproofing? transit tape. When I opened the package, the sword looked beautiful and was in excellent condition, being nestled in the cut-out Styrofoam and wrapped in plastic. The very sharp blade was well oiled and again wrapped in plastic. It looked as good as it did in their website pictures and the blade showed all the layers, enhanced by the grinding and polishing. I stripped the Tsuka to check the tang - all good there. If I have to make a negative comment it would be that the Saya is a little bit loose against the blade and that allows the blade to rattle, not really a great problem. Also the Sageo is a bit flimsy. Again not a problem as I was easily able to change it for one from my Budo suppliers.
One thing that I thought might have been a large problem was that the blade length, instead of being 73cms, was too short and in fact was a tiny fraction over 70cms. I bought this sword for Iaido practice and so it has to be fairly close to my requirement.
I thought that there might be a problem with getting the blade replaced but I could not have been more wrong.
I emailed Ryan and told them of the problem. They replied rapidly and said for me to send some pictures of the sword, which I did.
They quickly replied and after a couple of emails back and forth to check exactly what I wanted, they replied that the replacement blade was ordered, which they informed me would take 15 days (because I didn't want any Mekugi holes drilled so that I could match the tang to the Tsuka that I had received on the original blade and then drill the holes myself). After 15 days I hadn’t heard from Ryan so I sent an email to which he replied and gave me a tracking number. The blade duly arrived, again without any holdups and I have to say that it is as good looking as the original, just longer. In fact the perfect length for me.
When I drilled the Mekugi holes I can confirm that the steel is most definitely folded steel and it is very hard.
My sword is still beautiful, just a bit longer, and I love it!

Have I had a generally good experience? Yes, most certainly.
Would I recommend Ryan Swords? Yes, most definitely.
Would I buy another sword from Ryan Swords? Yes without any doubt whatsoever.
Great sword - excellent service
by: Jeff

I read a number of unfavorable comments about Ryan-Swords on this site. Most concern swords in the $50 to $100 range. I'm pleased with the Katana ordered ($270+ship). Excellent workmenship Specs: Blade length tsuba to sword tip = 26.5" Handle = 8" Total blade length = 34.5 inches. The blade is made of 1095 steel & isn't tappered/rat tailed under the handle. Saya and Ito/sageo are purple, white ray skin. Balance=2' forward of tsuba. Everything is straight, tight, no rattles Customer service is excellent. Questions answered promptly The sword is ideal for practice/cutting bambo. I haven't destructive tested it: stand on it, cut metal barrels etc. however it will seriously injure someone if misused. Overall it exceeded my expectations & the quality is right for the price.
Excellent and worth my money
by: Trung

The sheath's colorful shell in the wood was real and so was the craftmanship. It did not look like machine made sheath.

The blade was razor sharp as I requested. The hamon is imperfect, and I could see the haze where the pearlite turned to martensite from the clay tempering. The oil smelled like WD 40 so I removed it using degreaser then reapplied sewing machine oil because that type of oil tend to not grime up. The kissaki wasn't too far from the yokote so they got that part right. I don't think there is a wax seal for the sheath to keep the air out but oh well, it's not top of the line what I bought.

Even if it took them a day or less to make this sword of 300 usd, it is a very satisfying buy.
I am new here (Ryan）
by: Ryan

I am ryan.Some of my friends who ever bought swords from me recommonded me to visit this great forum. Thank you for all the friends who give me their advise, they are very helpful.I am new here,looking forward to discuss with all the friends here, I can learn more.I am not sure if i will violate the forum rules because I am a vendor.
false advertising
by: michael

I just got a new Ryan sword that i ordered and it was supposed to be a "high quality Ryan312" any way its supposed to be a clay tempered, folded steel and combined material blade. But upon inspection of the blade i noticed the the fuller and the temper-line was completely different then that of whats on the site, then i notices that the steel was not folded! I'm very displeased with the quality of my sword and i a sure you i will not be buying from the company again. it feels like they tried to con a man because they assumed that i wouldn't know the difference in sword quality. I'm lucky Ive done my research.

this what i ordered: http://www.ryansword.com/high-quality-clay-temperedcombined-material-japanese-katana-sword-ryan312-p-57.html

1/10
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Ryan Sword
by: TheTexan

First for the poster below who was not pleased with his purchase I encourage you to get back with them and they will make it right (IMHO)

I have to say what a spectacular customer service experience I had with Ryan Sword.

I started looking at a lower end practice sword, nothing too much, just for forms but after multiple emails and conversations where all my questions were answered I wound up ordering three blades. Two practice unsharpened and one sharpened blade.

I have had them now about a month and my sword master at our dojo has handled and inspected them and was so impressed he will be using Ryan for all the presentation and practical swords in the future.

Excellent quality, craftsmanship and customer service.

Believe me when I say that I research any purchase far too long for most and read everything I could find and then went to the company to see what they had to say about the good and the bad. I found that any issues were quickly resolved and I was confident in our communications enough to order several.

I will be buying more and recommending them to anyone who wants a quality blade, custom made to your specifications and budget.
Ryan get's a bad rap
by: shawn0615

I have talked to ALOT of sword dealers from China, and most of them are decent hard working folks trying to earn a living in a very competitive market, but one maker in particular gets a bad rap and he is a really good guy, and thats Ryan Cheng from Ryan Swords, ebay sellers all over used to buy Ryan's cheap decorative line and at a large mark up pass them off as battle ready and still use Ryans name while the same exact swords were listed on Ryans site as decorative, Ryan would not even attach the word sword with them. If you go to www.ryanswords.com and look at his site, you will not see these SLO's there any more, he quit manufacturing them so his name would not be associated with them any longer, Ryan truely cares about his customers and wants return business, but please don't take my word for it, he is very happy to talk with his customers or anyone that loves swords for that matter, ask him for yourself and you will see that Ryan swords not only makes cheaper beaters they make some of the most beautiful functional swords there are, and he will customize one to your specs at a fair price. He speaks english very well and is easy to reach, just talk to him and judge for yourself, the guys that you have to watch are the ones on ebay that say a 40 dollar sword is battle ready, you won't hear Ryan say that.
bad luck or...
by: mirko

I saw a lot of of good comments all over the internet so I wanted to get one as well.
And imagine my disappointing when sword came, I've unwrapped it like couple hours ago and it is broken!
Ad I ordererd $270 model + $83 shipment.
Coupe months ago I;ve got delivered an computer monitor from Amazon from US to Bosnia and it got ok, and sword is broken.. What happened?
I;ve sent images and description to RyanSword and now expecting answer. I hope that he can help me out. So I guess I can provide some feedback on customer relationship after this as well.
By the way it took a whole month to come here. Everything looked as other explained, wrapping, plastic etc but.. broken.
ryan sword purchase
by: Anonymous

I just received my shipment of a Ryan 218. It came nestled in styrofoam, sealed with a coating of shipping tape. Inside of it was the cloth sword bag, with the sword inside. The Tsuka was covered in a plastic shrink wrap, the blade inside the saya was covered in plastic as well. The blade was well oiled. It looked just like the pictures at the website, http://www.ryansword.com/1095-high-carbon-steel-clay-tempered-japanese-samurai-katana-swordryan218-p-515.html
with the only exception is that the hamon is not as pronounced, but that may change after its cleaned. The sword is solidly built and the most time it took to receive it was the 8 days it was in NY customs. All in all I will be purchasing more swords from Ryans. Thanks for your time.
ryan sword purchase
by: Anonymous

I just received my shipment of a Ryan 218. It came nestled in styrofoam, sealed with a coating of shipping tape. Inside of it was the cloth sword bag, with the sword inside. The Tsuka was covered in a plastic shrink wrap, the blade inside the saya was covered in plastic as well. The blade was well oiled. It looked just like the pictures at the website, http://www.ryansword.com/1095-high-carbon-steel-clay-tempered-japanese-samurai-katana-swordryan218-p-515.html
with the only exception is that the hamon is not as pronounced, but that may change after its cleaned. The sword is solidly built and the most time it took to receive it was the 8 days it was in NY customs. All in all I will be purchasing more swords from Ryans. Thanks for your time.
Ryan Swords
by: Anonymous

Over the past 2 months I have purchased 7 swords from Ryan Swords on ebay. All have come in better than the pictures. Thier customer sevice is GREAT. They have answered all my questions on a timely maner and have shipped quickly with an email and tracking number. I have purchased a range of prices 405--295--120--and won a few bids for the 1060 steal at 65 and all are great. I will be purchasing more in the future.
Sword useage
by: Jeff

I have read a number of pros and cons about Ryan swords. The one I purchased more than exceeded my expectations and needs.

Having said this I would appreciate person or persons explaining to me what they intend to use their swords for?

I have watched videos showing people using swords trying to cut through five gallon plactic jugs-filled with water. Cut through thesteel of a 55 gallon drum, try to cut through trees, jump up ad down on a sword attempting to bend or break it.

I'm not sure what these "destructive testings" prove. Although these swords can be used in ofensively/defensively. there are weapons better suited for these purposes. Additionally, has anyone seen someone openly carry a sword in public? I have worked as a paramedic in a large metropolitan area for over 30 years. I have treated gunshot and stab wunds on a regular basis. I have yet to see a fight using swords or treat a sword related injury.

In my opinion there are three issues to consider when thinking of purchasing a sword. 1) what isit going to be used for? a display piece or used practicing one of the martial arts. 2) Is the sword appealing to you and is it within your prce range? 3) I would be hesitant to accept the word of an "anoymous" person. If you feel strongly to write something, put your name on your work.

Last but certainly not least, Katana's and other have taken on "mythical abilities". Todays metals undeniably surpass the metalury used hundreds if not tousands of years ago. Consider the following, how would a "real" katana, folded and made centuries ago stand up to the metal used in todays Abram's tanks. Before you cry fowl, Abrams metal can me shaped into a sword. Additionally, it can be be made to the same specifications. Basd on this hypothetical situation, which sword do you believe would be the winner.

Accept the fact that swords are an out moded weapon that has been replaced by more effective and efficient weapons. That in today's society they are primarily used for displays and practicing.

Having said this I have found that a quality Ryan sword exceeds these requirements.


Sword useage
by: Jeff

I have read a number of pros and cons about Ryan swords. The one I purchased more than exceeded my expectations and needs.

Having said this I would appreciate person or persons explaining to me what they intend to use their swords for?

I have watched videos showing people using swords trying to cut through five gallon plactic jugs-filled with water. Cut through thesteel of a 55 gallon drum, try to cut through trees, jump up ad down on a sword attempting to bend or break it.

I'm not sure what these "destructive testings" prove. Although these swords can be used in ofensively/defensively. there are weapons better suited for these purposes. Additionally, has anyone seen someone openly carry a sword in public? I have worked as a paramedic in a large metropolitan area for over 30 years. I have treated gunshot and stab wunds on a regular basis. I have yet to see a fight using swords or treat a sword related injury.

In my opinion there are three issues to consider when thinking of purchasing a sword. 1) what isit going to be used for? a display piece or used practicing one of the martial arts. 2) Is the sword appealing to you and is it within your prce range? 3) I would be hesitant to accept the word of an "anoymous" person. If you feel strongly to write something, put your name on your work.

Last but certainly not least, Katana's and other have taken on "mythical abilities". Todays metals undeniably surpass the metalury used hundreds if not tousands of years ago. Consider the following, how would a "real" katana, folded and made centuries ago stand up to the metal used in todays Abram's tanks. Before you cry fowl, Abrams metal can me shaped into a sword. Additionally, it can be be made to the same specifications. Basd on this hypothetical situation, which sword do you believe would be the winner.

Accept the fact that swords are an out moded weapon that has been replaced by more effective and efficient weapons. That in today's society they are primarily used for displays and practicing.

Having said this I have found that a quality Ryan sword exceeds these requirements.


follow up on broken one
by: mirko

after receiving broken sword, which was obviously damaged in transport I've contacted Ryan swords and they sent me another one free of charge. I even replaced model and paid only for price difference as I ordered a bit more expensive model instead the one form first time. Now new one is on the way and I'm waiting to see if I will be better luck this time. All in all great customer service and will see how is it with new one.
So for now thanks Ryansword :)
Ryan sword
by: George

Just got my sword delivered that I bought on ebay. Had the fitting changed and inspected the sword that I paid $265.00 U.S. after checking the sword I ordered another sword from him. Like what I bought and found the craftmanship outstanding. You get what you pay for. Will always use Ryan Swords home page instead of ebay because of the amount of swords on the home page.
Ryan Sword #716
by: George

Just received my second sword from Ryan Sword. A #716 Ninja sword. Love it. No problems with the order and the quality is great. #265.00 U.S. Asked Ryan if I could get a Wakizashi and Tanto to match my first sword and customized to match it. He sent me the information and a great deal compaired to buying them seperate. Just ordered my third and forth blades from him. Thanks Ryan. I look forwar to doing more biusness in the future. George. Portage Indiana.
Finely crafted sword.
by: timebridge

I have a ryansword 347 and a Cold Steel Gim Sword. Both of these swords are very specific in their usage and have very different properties in practice and workmanship.

The Ryan sword handles very well, it is a well crafted item. It is well balanced. I do not feel fatigued after practice sessions. The blade is solid, and has very few blemishes after use with bamboo mat and cardboard tube. After use, the bosshi will need to be honed, and the ha shows little wear. It is rugged, but I would not use it on thick hard plastic or steel with the ha, it is not suited for such applications with the shinogi zukuri sans niku angle.

The ryansword Kissaki is much sharper to the touch than the the Cold Steel Gim, and the Gim is much heavier. However the Gim is a purpose built thrusting weapon and makes a much cleaner entrypoint than the 347 katana with less effort. The Gim edge feels razor sharp, but does not cut mat or cardboard tube nearly as well as the katana. The gim is meant to cut after entry, the katana is meant to slice in one stroke with thrusting as a parry.

I am very satisfied with the quality of both swords. The rayskin of ryan is functional to keep the ito in place. The kashira does come loose over time, and will need to be re-set. I have fixed this by tightening the cord, added half dowell pin and cyanoacrilyte glue, and have have no more problems. This is not a 'traditional' fix.

The cold steel Gim pommell will need to be tightened, it will loosen with slicing use. Loctite helps with this issue. I do not like the fact that the Cold Steel gim is 'rat-tailed' at the pommell, and only a half-tang, but I have had no issues with it considering it's use is precision thrusting, then cutting. It is *not* a slicing weapon.

I will be purchasing more swords from ryan, I am very pleased with the quality and look foward to other ryan products, especially the composite and clay tempered blades to practice my arts.
Ryansword
by: AlexMotter

Hello everyone. This is my very first post on a forum about swords. I train every day, (w/o a master) with a ronin dojo pro 5. I have been pretty happy with it until the tsuka ho had a critical failure. I have just placed and order with ryansword and am hoping that it comes as marketed. the sword is $332.00 and is 1095 clay hardened.{
http://www.ryansword.com/high-quality-1095-carbon-steel-clay-temperedabrasivejapanese-samurai-katana-sword-ryan466-p-221.html
}
I also have a $130 waki on the way also.
I truly have no idea what to expect. The picture shows the tang to look like a real shinken style full tang. I am greatly awaiting the delivery, but It could be up to 20 days before they finally arrive.
On a side note, based on the ryansword karket value, this sword could be valued at around $1500-2500. I really cant expect that of course, but wouldn't that be great? pay ~350, get a $2500 skinken style blade? I will return to this forum when it gets here along with the wakizashi.
Excellent Service
by: David in SF

First of all let me say that my Daisho Set arrived on time after sending emails back and forth until we were in total agreement( all which happened in a timely manner) RYAN 706.
True the price was the upper end so I wanted to be sure I was going to be happy right off, I am. I had no expectations of a 30k-100k sword(and I have held some) as some seem to be thinking one would find for pennies- these for the price are a very fine value.
All in all mine arrived and are a pleasure to practice Iaido with! I got these with the katana and the wakizashi with a balanced sharpening and the Tanto with the finer edge. All of them feel and appear better than expected, customized to my specs.
I did find 2 Dents on the katana saya and was missing the alternate tsuba I had ordered- they were immediately shipped to me with a replacement saya at no extra cost.
I did do some cutting tests (not on cans or water bottles-sigh*)and they are just what I need for practice. I highly recommend Ryan Swords and will look forward to buying from them again!
Well made swords.
by: James G-Ludlow, MA

Yesterday I received my ryan331 sword. I was not expecting too much since it was one of his low end 100$ folded swords. I never expect perfection when I receive a sword. And dont expect perfection unless your spending 1000$ or more. What I got was a great ninja-to for the price I paid. All fittings were tight and the sword was made with care. The 1060 folded steel looked absolutely beautiful. I tried to find a nick or scratch which usually at this price there are always negligible small imperfections with any blade. I couldn't find any. The blade is beautiful. Well polished also. I am amazed. This man genuinely cares about his customers and he wants to make them happy for repeat business. Will I buy more of ryan swords? Absolutely. I have 2 more on the way. I encourage everyone to read his sword guide on his website to get a complete understanding on sharpness and what exactly are the materials used in these swords. I strongly encourage anyone who likes ninja-to to visit his site and buy one. He has a LARGE assortment of them and they all look great. Over all I am a very happy customer. I have called 2 other vendors and canceled my orders just so I could buy the other 2 swords from ryan which will be coming. Thank you ryan for your great customer service and great products.
Fantastical surprised
by: Katana freak

I received Ryan Swords Kill Bill Bride remake a few months ago, shihozume lamination, 14 stage polish, beautifully polished and gorgeous folded layers on the sides of the sword. The balance is amazing! One of the quickest swords I own but with enough niku to be a truly balanced cutter. Unbelievably sharp beautiful blade. Habaki is form fitting, saya is beautifully carved saya is gorgeous and true to the movie design. Saya slides straight on and seems to LOCK in, the only thing I would have preferred is maybe a nicely tapered handle, but at least the one they sent was solid, strong, nicely wrapped and with a decent piece of ray skin on either side. These guys know what they are doing of definitely buy another.
Awesome accidental Ebay Purchase
by: Sickel

One night in an ebay opening-bid click-in-fest, I bid on a Ryan-Swords entry level sword then another ... I liked each items orange colour ... but honestly did not expect to win either ... but I did.

# 40.6 Handmade Japanes Samurai Katana Sword Yellow Saya Full Tang Blade Sharp

# 1060 Carbon SteelJapanese Samurai Katana Sword Sharp Blade Orchid Tsuba.

Oops I won both ebay sales; that was 2x$30 sword + 2x$40 postage. ... So for $140 delivered I had purchased two almost identical katanas (AISI 1060 Carbon Steel). I email Ryan-swords and asked if I could please have both of these swords ray-skin changed to black instead of the advertised white and could one please be battle-wrapped. Now both of these swords were supposed to be sold as is without customization allowed, but Ryan-swords gladly modified both swords handles.

A couple of weeks later the two swords arrived together, and I was honestly not expecting much for the price paid. ... ... ... but the quality of both swords were ... ... ... awesome, solidly constructed, snap locks perfectly into the Saya with no rattling, well balanced in the hand and for swinging, and polished blades without a sign of blemish. I definitely did not expect such quality for a pair of $70 each swords ($30 sales plus $40 postage). Actually better quality then some of the other katanas that I have purchased at a lot greater price.

So now, when I want to practice swinging, or workout the co-ordination of a sword-fight scene I am writing for a novel, it is not the more expensive blades that I pick up first, but instead this $70 battle-wrapped orange Ryan-sword.

Hence, my next custom sword will be a Ryan-sword ... and we have already discuss the customization of.
Did Not Expect Much For Price Paid ... Awesome Surprise
by: Sickel

One night in an ebay opening-bid click-in-fest, I bid on a Ryan-Swords entry level sword then another ... I liked each items orange colour ... but honestly did not expect to win either ... but I did.

# 40.6 Handmade Japanes Samurai Katana Sword Yellow Saya Full Tang Blade Sharp

# 1060 Carbon SteelJapanese Samurai Katana Sword Sharp Blade Orchid Tsuba.

Oops I won both ebay sales; that was 2x$30 sword + 2x$40 postage. ... So for $140 delivered I had purchased two almost identical katanas (AISI 1060 Carbon Steel). I email Ryan-swords and asked if I could please have both of these swords ray-skin changed to black instead of the advertised white and could one please be battle-wrapped. Now both of these swords were supposed to be sold as is without customization allowed, but Ryan-swords gladly modified both swords handles.

A couple of weeks later the two swords arrived together, and I was honestly not expecting much for the price paid. ... ... ... but the quality of both swords were ... ... ... awesome, solidly constructed, snap locks perfectly into the Saya with no rattling, well balanced in the hand and for swinging, and polished blades without a sign of blemish. I definitely did not expect such quality for a pair of $70 each swords ($30 sales plus $40 postage). Actually better quality then some of the other katanas that I have purchased at a lot greater price.

So now, when I want to practice swinging, or workout the co-ordination of a sword-fight scene I am writing for a novel, it is not the more expensive blades that I pick up first, but instead this $70 battle-wrapped orange Ryan-sword.

Hence, my next custom sword will be a Ryan-sword ... and we have already discuss the customization of.
Ryan swords
by: Donn

Hello all, eBay sent me a message for a one day sale on Ryan swords the one on sale was a 1095 hand forged Katana get this for $157.00 plus shipping unbelievable but it was a nice looking blade so I look a little deeper and found that I could pick all my own parts with quite a few to choose from and colors at no extra cost also after talking with "Wong" he said he'd build the sword of my specs and then send me pictures and if I wasn't happy with that I could change it again at that point. A few days later I had some pretty darn nice picture Covering every angle the sword.So liking it I stuck with my first choice and ask Wong to mail it to me on 7-22-13 a few days he wrote back and said that they were having problems with the post office as to delivery of weapons through the postal service! Anyway its been 3 weeks and its going to be a couple more...Wongs kept me updated but they're not shipping pending a new policy. After hearing about all the happy Ryan sword owners out there I'm looking forward to seeing it.... Hopefully
Misunderstanding corrected
by: Ddog

I'm late in writing this review, I bought 2 katanas this time last year. After paying and ordering I waited the usual time for shipping and was dismayed when my swords arrived. Instead of two finished katanas, I had two katana blades and two tsuba, and not even the tsuba that should have been on the katana I ordered!

Needless to say I was not pleased and emailed Ryansword. Time to put their famous customer service to the test. I will unashamedly admit I was pissed off and communicated that emphatically in my email, but despite this, I received calm and reassuring response, claiming that they will endeavor to correct the order and send me the swords I wanted. I ended up with the two beautiful swords I originally wanted- great quality and at a lovely price too, AND was told to keep the wrongly sent blades and fittings of equally great fittings.

I was skeptical, but I am impressed with the customer service- they genuinely seem to care about building a good reputation, and also the quality of their swords. I'd love to see a spring steel range introduced if they get round to it. Although I still buy elsewhere, I will definitely be a return customer!
Ryansword review + full demonstration @youtube
by: youtube.com/motterboy20

Hello everyone, I mentioned a long while ago that I was going to review the Ryanswords that I had sent to me. Well it it time for my final and overall review for the 4 Ryanswords I have experienced. please feel free to watch the review on my YouTube channel here @
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=777_Xj91vqA
My YouTube is motterboy20

This is a full review and demonstration of the swords use. Sorry about the length, its a bit long at like 12 min, but should be informative as well as entertaining.
Ryan swords purchase
by: Kevin

Hi guys, I have just completed a purchase of a folded steel Katana, Wakasishi, Tanto set from Ryan swords. The first thing I did was to analyse the steel of the blade at work, it is 1090 carbon tool steel as promised although it generally lacks the fold lines which will normally be present on acid treatment of a folded steel blade. My thought is though that this is due to speed of manufacture rather than any dishonesty. The blades have a good weight, and are greatly thickened at the backs which is correct for a single edged blade.The balance of the blades is near perfect which is rare. The Tsuba is Heavy copper and properly gilded as well as very artistically wrought. The Saya is a tiny bit disappointing as it is genuine wood, and quite well constructed, but poorly fitted to the blade hasp. Mine needed to have about 1/32 taken off the inside frame of the hardwood. Not a lot, but it causes the blade to freeze into the Saya and could have been better fitted at the factory. Menuki and Kajiri are moderate quality and in fact a little below what I was expecting. Kissaki is not well machined although, it could still be refinished to leave no prominent angle change. In general though, well worth what I paid and I have no real complaints
A Good Seller
by: Anonymous

Hey guys I have actually bought more than one sword from "Ryan Swords" and I have to say the swords that I have are awesome. I do everything from cutting green bamboo, to chopping 2/4's. I have done everything to bend the blades into an "L" and betting them out, to using as a chisel. The swords are not "A" quality but these swords are better than anything I've gotten my hands on.
Best yet
by: Kirk

Back in Jan 2014. I bought a 1095 Carbon steel folded clay tempered Honsanmia Katana. Weight and balance is perfect. Brown leather ito. Steel Tsuba. Thought I would never find a Katana that cuts better than my CAS Hanwei Raptor Katana. This Ryan katana is top of the line. For cutting 3 inch bamboo, 2.5 palm tree branches, 4 inch rolled news paper and even the thicker plasctic juice bottles. This Ryan Katana is pure awesome.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321205732731?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649
Chinese Han sword
by: Anonymous

I ordered one years ago when Ryan Sword was first showing up- the sword is no longer listed on their site- I just happen to be looking for swords again and decided to check on Ryan sword- I am glad to find it still in business, and still getting good reviews.

My sword is awesome, and still in great shape- but I haven't really used it- but the steel is still nice and I have not oiled it for...well... I need to oil and clean it, lets just say that.

I am glad to see they are getting great reviews still as I would not hesitate to order from them- also shoot them an email and ask for best ebay price etc etc- after my first sword I wanted them to make me a eruo style long sword- total custom work is something they used to do- I got an insanely nice quote- I didn't buy it but I may revisit that idea. Talk with them, you will still get a good deal via email/website and you can get little changes etc.. My sword already was sent when I asked for the Chinese symb on my blade to be changed- they would have- if it was not already shipped.
Australian recent purchaser of 4 Ryan swords
by: Tom

I ordered two separate deliveries each being a Katana and a Wakazashi; I paid by Pay Pal no problem. Delivery to Australia and my front door was very swift. Each sword is excellent with superb finish , presentation and sharp.I had several questions of Ryan swords and they answered all satisfactorily and speedily and provided info that allowed me to track the deliveries every step of the way from China to Sydney Australia and then another 1500 kilometers to where I live in the bush.I will buy from Ryan swords again as a presentation gift to an important official and do so with complete confidence in their product,price and service. G,day mate, Tom
I buy a sword from this store
by: Anonymous

I can see the ryansword logo on the this store .

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/836205

But the price is real good . you can save at 20% at this store . also free shipping

Cheers ,cool
Ryan Swords
by: Nick McDaniel

Hi all,
I saw this post and wanted to share that I personally have bought several swords(katanas) from Ryan Swords and have been completely satisfied with my purchases! Ryan Swords are put together nice and snug. Blades fit great in sayas and there are no loose fittings nor is anything misaligned. I recently just got a wakizashi from Ryan Swords that'll I'll do a review on. I'll post a video on YouTube of it. It's a tactical outdoor survival wakisazhi made from 1095 carbon steel. I have been cutting and chopping everything from bottles to chunks of wood to see if it would make for a useful tool as well as a camping companion weapon. I can tell you right now that I am very impressed with it's durability and how great it cuts! It still slices paper so the edge retention is holding up great! I would tell anyone to buy from Ryan Swords with confidence knowing that you'll get a quality handcrafted sword at a great price! You'll know they care about what they do when you receive your sword cause it shows in craftsmanship! Hope this helps! And keep an eye out for my YouTube video of the tactical outdoor wakisazhi from Ryan Swords so you can see how well this sword performs!
sharing my experience with Ryan Swords
by: Nick McDaniel

Hi all,
I saw this post and wanted to share that I personally have bought several swords(katanas) from Ryan Swords and have been completely satisfied with my purchases! Ryan Swords are put together nice and snug. Blades fit great in sayas and there are no loose fittings nor is anything misaligned. I recently just got a wakizashi from Ryan Swords that'll I'll do a review on. I'll post a video on YouTube of it. It's a tactical outdoor survival wakisazhi made from 1095 carbon steel. I have been cutting and chopping everything from bottles to chunks of wood to see if it would make for a useful tool as well as a camping companion weapon. I can tell you right now that I am very impressed with it's durability and how great it cuts! It still slices paper so the edge retention is holding up great! I would tell anyone to buy from Ryan Swords with confidence knowing that you'll get a quality handcrafted sword at a great price! You'll know they care about what they do when you receive your sword cause it shows in craftsmanship! Hope this helps! And keep an eye out for my YouTube video of the tactical outdoor wakisazhi from Ryan Swords so you can see how well this sword performs!
tactical outdoor survival wakizashi review video
by: Nick McDaniel

Ryan Sword ReviewTactical Outdoor Survival Wakiza…: http://youtu.be/qXWuWo6cLzQ

Thanks for watching!
very satisfied customer of Ryan Sword
by: Sjt279

Hi all, just wanted to put my 2 cents in. I recently got married and actually ordered 4 1060 carbon steel custom katanas and 1 1095 for my groomsmen as gifts, all customized to their tastes and colors and custom engraved as well. the swords are beautiful, they are works of art and very good in quality, i also ordered myself a 1095 carbon steel katana and a 1060. they are both great. i've cut pool noodles and tree branches and even hacked away at a 2x4 with the 1060 just to test its durability and it doesnt have a single chip or any edge roll. the level of customization they offer is insane, 50 different tsubas 20 different color scabards and ito wraps, 10 different hamons, 5 different bo-hi options and a few different blade shapes as well as length customization. they have so many options that in addition to the 7 swords ive already purchased i have 2 more on the way right now ;)
pros and cons of ryanswords
by: Anonymous

i have a couple of their products. one was kind of a peice of junk but what do you expect for $100 rite. for the price i would say it was pretty good though. but then i kept hearing bad things about their cheaper swords by the beginer collecters so i decided to purchase one of their expensive katanas, its called the green mantis or soemthing like that and its a shihozume and its really wonderful. it cuts beautifully and handles heavy targets with ease. however i paid $750 for it happily until a few years later i find it on their sight for $450 wich kind of makes me angry. but all in all its pretty good. the 1095 high carbon edge isnt as brittle as you would expect but i have had some chipping damage but thats from stupidity on my part
Ryan Swords Compared to.
by: AKBAN

Greetings, I have been doing a variety of martial arts for 15 yrs and have trained with the katana for 11 years through Kenjutsu, Kobudo, and the AKBAN. I am no expert or master but I do have extensive hands on training with different katanas from many manufactures.
Let's start of with some basic facts though:
1. A katana was not made to chop down trees.
2. A katana was not made to cut other very hard items.
3. The katana is not "the best sword in the world". It's a great sword ay, and served it's function well on the battlefield... as did other swords.

The first Katana I ever bought was a Cheness Cutlery 9260 Spring Steel Tenchi Katana. It was a hell of a sword for the money. It cut very well, maintained an edge, and was surprisingly durable. I was once cutting some tameshigiri and placed the tameshigiri on an old B.O.B. base (body opponent bag). The base is made of thick plastic.
Well, I let my brother try a go at it, he slipped, completely missed, and lopped off the top of the BOB base. Cleanly off and there wasn't even a scratch or a knick in the blade. Not even a scuff. Luckily he wasn't hurt in the process.
It was an excellent sword for the money. Probably one of the best out there for that price and it served me faithfully until I sold it.

I also have a Tamahagane katana as a gift and though the blade is beautiful, built strong, and can cut, it's fittings are old, and it would be unwise to use.

So... I've been katana-less for sometime now and it has started to grow on me.

As for Ryan Swords... the main topic of my post.
1. As other users have mentioned you get what you pay for.
- A friend of mine came over with his new sword bought from Ryan's. It was a nice enough looking blade, but a red flag went up when he mentioned the price. He wanted to cut something, so we found an old milk jug, filled it up, and let him go at it.
He hit it, didn't even cut it, and bent the hell out of his sword. Completely ruined it and was very unhappy.
2. Sometime later he bought another sword from Ryan's and it's most excellent. It cut's well and is decently durable. It has lasted him a-lot of times, and he has been invited to our dojo to slice tameshigiri and it has done so well. But he payed close to $400 for it.
3. So like almost any sword you buy off the internet you will get what you pay for and most good starter katanas start at $250 up. You simply cannot expect to pay $100 and get a good katana.
4. Ryan swords also has mixed reviews. Some buyers are happy with their products, stand by them, and say they cut very well. Others say they are cheap garbage. Made to hang on a wall, look pretty, and gather dust or are simply "Not as good as they said they were". False advertising per se.
So what's a man to do with all these mixed reviews? Research. I did months of research before I bought my first katana, looking at prices, reputation, reviews of the sword, etc.
With Ryan swords they have an odd reputation. Not good and not super bad either. And this brings up a point.
"Why risk buying a sword here when so many other manufactures have a better and proven reputation"?
Do your research to the letter before you make any sort of purchase is my only advice.
5. In my OPINION if you are looking for a quality katana that is affordable, durable, and comes from a company with a good reputation, try Cheness Cutlery's 9260 line.
Ronin, Kaneie, Dynasty Forge, and others sell great katanas for affordable prices and they have good and not shady reputations.
But as mentioned when I buy a sword I do three things:
Research and Review
Buy from a good company with a proven reputation
And as always, I get what I pay for.

Just my opinion. I have nothing against Ryan Swords, and I'm sure they have some more than functional weapons. But with so many mixed reviews I would be hesitant before buying anything from their line.
Ryanswords...= AWESOME
by: Robert

I bought my 1st sword from them a few years ago, It has more then proved itself to me.

I have since bought a wazikashi and The Conan sword they offer, which is bloody awesome.

I am very impressed, the quality is great and I think if your looking for quality and service you just cant go wrong.

I made a short review of my Ryansword experience so far, check it out and if you have any questions Ill answer.

Buy a solid ryansword katana and save your money for gold and silver ;)

http://youtu.be/1VyN5BcQ9tQ
Hard to beat for the price
by: Roscoe

I started off with the first purchase of a plain jane 1060 katana back in 2011. I have cut many milk jugs with it. No problems. Since then I have bought several more better grades. 1095 clay tempered, 1095 folded clay tempered honsanmai set. I love the fact you can select your own fittings and colors.
And now Ryan is offering 9260 spring steel.
Rayan Swords
by: JustinH

Hi, I have dealt with Ryan Swords for a little while. I had Ryan Swords make me a blade to my specifications. I received their sword and it was good. It was good quality blade.

That being said, from the Habaki back is where the price breaks are. The wrap is loose, some of the fittings are ok, The handle core is kinda poor quality. Saya fits well. and the blade came sharp. Not sharp enough to make poor skill look great, but pretty sharp.
I bought a 1060 carbon steel ryan sword
by: Joseph Vice

While the the only thing is the rap on the handle could have been a nicer material, this $65 sword ryan 873 is so much nicer than my cold steel warrior katana that I find it ridiculous how much more cold steel charges. Personally I would stay away from ryan swords 1090 carbon swords but o can vouch for the 1060's. I have been formally trained in iaido for 11 years. It is the best value i've seen so far. The packaging was impeccable. The blade is full tang. The sword was properly oiled and arrived rust free. My recommendation is to order direct from ryansword.com. the customer service was excellent and if there is a problem it is better to deal with them than a 3rd party reseller.
Hmmm..
by: Hira Zukuri

Almost every time i see discussions like these i get quite irritated cause of "Experienced Sword Guys" writing down on these cheap blades.

As if a youngster went to a car forum asking if a VW Golf 2002 is a valid choice for his budget... Then beeing bombarded with criticism because it is noway near the hotness and handmade quality of a Bugatti Veyron, which the car pro obviously would have bought for the same money.

Of course you can spend massive dollars on these. But except for the work of true japanese sword masters, they are all replicas though.. kit cars, a true collector wouldn´t touch them. The method of making it is the big deal.

A non japanese Katana is a like a chinese Rolex, a replica... Just don´t pay to much for them. They will work, they may look awesome, you might love it and it will be cheap, which replicas should be. whack it against a million dollar sword and who knows, it might win...

Just avoid fake Folding/Hamon. Better to go with plain steel... Or... even that doesn´t really matter, if you like the look of the fake ones... And don´t compare them to expensive stuff, that´s just geeks being bullies online... A sub 300$ carbon steel sword is a bargain no matter what. you might find the same blade for 100, but... that´s irrelevant.
U get.what you pay for
by: NmH

Except from an alloy replica i got as a present in the 80's i've only got experience from "real" swords. 1500$+, rugged japanese antiques. Of course these are concidered as used, old and unusable. Everything else but japanese items is to be concidered as replicas, no matter how accurate they seem. Lets say you pay 200 for a chinese sword, money that could buy you a good genuine pair of menuki, that is' you will get a replica, it might look great and it will chop stuff. Thats what they are for, potential useage. You may collect them, of course. But in the same way as collecting fake watches. 200$ gives you an worn out iphone6. Not a genuine katana. So, take it for what it is.. impressively cheap replicas.
A few questions
by: Richard

I have been wondering for awhile If I should buy from RyanSwords, I really want this sword

http://www.ryansword.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=11&products_id=226

The price Isn't the problem It's the shipping, I'm afraid to spend that amount of money on a sword only for the damn borderpolice to con vacate, and then poof there goes $712.00CAD down the drain, CAD because I live In Canada British Columbia Vancouver Island.

All I ask Is for someone to please tell me honestly! should I buy that sword from this site or buy from that site at all..?

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