Infused Titanium Swords by Global Gear

Titanium swords.

The very word conjures up images of indestructible swords that can cut through a steel pole, cement supports in a carpark or practically anything else you care to put in front of it. Indeed, ever since starting SBG back in 2005, I have had countless emails from people asking for a Katana made from Titanium or a Titanium alloy sword - but there has never been anything on the market...

Until Now That Is!

Introducing the G-1000 Katana by Global Gear - a High Carbon Steel blade with Blood Red titanium infusion!

In this review, we will see whether or not Titanium is REALLY the miracle steel many people think it is and if not - if a titanium infused sword has any REAL benefits - other than it's radical and obvious cosmetic point of difference..!

Enough pre-amble, let's get straight into it!

Global Gear G-1000 Titanium infused Katana

Steel	1060 Carbon Steel
Weight	2lbs 7oz
Point of Balance	6"
Price Range	US$300 to $499

Now before we examine global gears G-1000 Katana; a Titanium infused blade with a distinct, blood red appearance and stunning natural hamon - we need to dispel a few myths and answer the question, "are titanium REALLY swords the 'miracle steel' that every sword enthusiast has been waiting for?"

Everyone knows that Titanium has a superior strength to weight ratio than normal steel. But then again, so does aluminium, and I don't know about you but an aluminium sword is not high on my list of 'must have' items..! (Indeed, many movie sets use aluminium swords because they are lightweight, but after each scene they need to be replaced because they have chewed great big chunks out of each other!).

In truth, pure or alloy titanium swords would need to be around 3 times BIGGER than a normal sword to be of any practical benefit, or if you make them the normal way, you might as well make them out of aluminium... (for more detailed analysis and information on titanium swords, check out this article at the SFI university site.

However, there is one technique that held out some hope for adding titanium to a sword - and that is titanium coating, which it would seem is what Global Gear has done with the G-1000 sword...

And while this technique does not result in a 'miracle sword' either, it does have some interesting side benefits...

QUICK OVERVIEW

Now it is obvious that the main sellig point and point of interest on this particular Katana is the titanium infused blade, so I will not spend too much time talking about the fittings, etc other than to give you a basic overview - because overall, as with all other Global Gear exclusive swords I have encountered thus far from their 'G' series, it's all pretty good...

The presentation of this sword is excellent - a nice protective wooden box, and a whole heap of extras such as a silken sword bag, stand, cleaning kit, certificate of authenticity, etc - and a nice 'textured' (as opposed to glossy) saya - which is my preferred choice as it does not show fingerprints or minor scratches as much as a glossy finish does.

While all the extras are not really necessary in my opinion, as what really counts is the blade and the fittings, but the extras do make it a decent 'package deal' if you know what I mean.

The tsuka of the G-1000 sword is double pegged and wrapped with light golden brown colored cotton ito. The ito is a little 'shoelacey' but tight, snug and comfortable on the hands.

The tsuba is non-magetic, and close examination tends to suggest that it is probably powder coated brass rather than an alloy. Overall, it is quite attractive - though has a little flash left over from the casting here and there.

Everything is very tightly assembled, with no looseness or rattles (the sword does rattle slightly when shaken inside the saya, but this is quite normal for production swords - but otherwise, the fit of the blade in the sheathe is good - not too tight and not too loose).

Anyway, so far I would say that the presentation of the sword and the fittings are quite good - nothing amazing - and certainly nothing bad either. But as you already know, it is the BLADE that we are most interested in, so let's move on and take a closer look...

EXAMINING THE BLADE

As you can plainly see, the blade of the G-1000 is like no other Katana you have seen before, and with a blood red hue, looks like it has been through someone already..!

The reddish hue is a result of the titanium infusion, and adds a depth and a richness to the detail of the natural, differentially hardened, clay tempered edge that you simply cannot see on a normal Katana.

In the picture above you can see the grain of the steel is extremely even and attractive, and the hamon temper line stands out extremely prominently - dark beyond the borders and light towards the ha (edge).

From a purely cosmetic point of view, this blade really does look quite stunning.

But what about functionality? How does the titanium infusion effect the swords performance?

While Global Gear are fairly hush-hush about the exact process used to create this unique finish, if I am right in assuming it is a titanium coating - then the coated finish, which has been used on drill bits (the 'gold' ones you see at the hardware store) should make the swords edge harder than what is normally possible on a Katana without making it overly brittle...

And while this obviously does not result in the kind of 'super titanium swords' that are conjured up in movies such as blade, it is still - at least theoretically, an improvement over traditional Katana making techniques! So let's see how it holds up...

PUTTING IT TO THE TEST

Now before I get to my test cutting results with these Titanium swords, the other extremely important point to consider is the swords handling and the sharpness of its edge straight out of the box.

With a 28" blade, balanced 6" from the tsuba and weighing in at 2lbs 7oz, this sword feels quite neautral in the hand - not blade heavy and not super light and fast - but somewhere in between these two extremes.

The edge is nicely honed, and combined with its handling, I had little doubt that it would perform its intended function - though I did worry that the coating may scratch off targets such as cardboard, tatami, saplings, briars and water filled bottles..

I need not have worried - because after several months of useage, the worst of the damage were a few very minor surface scratches and discolorations that are significantly less than you would expect on a normal high carbon steel Katana!

As far as edge retention goes, I really did not notice anything one way or the other. While in theory coated titanium swords are supposed to keep a sharper edge than normal steel blades, previous tests conducted on titanium coated knives revealed that "upon microscopic examination, it was discovered that due to its extreme hardness, the carbide/nitride layer was wearing away at the edge, and in so doing many micro-serrations were forming, which in turn were aiding the cutting ability of the blades" (Source, SFI University) - which suggests that from a practical point of view, these coated blades do not hold an edge better than a normal carbon steel blade, but do seem to be more somewhat more scratch resistant.

After all is said and done - there are really three main things that set these titanium swords apart from any other on the market, the first being the strking appearance of the blood red blade - the second, it's seemingly higher than normal resistance to abrasive targets scratching the surface - and the other is that the titanium coating prevents rust and corrosion - so there are definitely two quite practical benefits!

CONCLUSION

Titanium swords are not the miracle blades that are alluded to in the movies and in futuristic fantasies, and provide no real benefit to the sword other than to make it slightly more scratch resistent and proof against rust and corrosion - though the striking blood red blade also makes the natural hamon and the grain structure of the steel really stand out more than on a neutral 'steel colored' surface.

While these infused titanium swords may not appeal to everyone, this is definitely an extremely interesting piece to add to any Katana collection - both as a practical no maintenance cutter and as talking piece to discuss, and dispel, the myths surrounding the invincible 'titanium sword' myth...

PROS

• Extremely unique and attractive blade with prominent natural hamon

• Titanium infusion results in a rust and corrosion proof, scratch resistent, low maintenenace blade

• Well balanced and nicely honed edge

• Well assembled fittings

CONS

• Does not exhibit any special 'miracle' edge retention, durability or cutting properties (though this should be expected, and global gear makes no claim that it does!)

• Cotton ito a little 'shoelacey' (though it is nice and tight)

WHERE TO BUY

The G-1000 Katana is exclusively available from Australian based sword sellers here at Global Gear.com where it sells for AU$590 (Australian Dollars)

Of course, this is one of those deals where Australian’s finally get access to a fantastic sword at a lower price than in the USA! ;-)

However, North American (and especially European) enthusiasts should not be despondent – the shipping cost is generally around the AU$100 mark, making the total cost of the sword somewhere in the US$550 ball park (they only charge the actual shipping costs and will verify after you place your order to make sure that the costs are acceptable).

At US$550, I personally feel that this is a good deal for a very unique sword that is simply not available anywhere else.

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I hope this review of the G-1000 infused Titanium swords has been helpful. To return to A Beginners Guide to Authentic Japanese Swords from Infused Titanium Swords by Global Gear, click here