Ronin Katana

FULL DISCLOSURE: Sword Buyers Guide Previously did business with Ronin Katana over many years, however due to the discovery of certain previously unknown business practices that we cannot disclose for legal reasons, severed all ties to this company as per this post on our Official Store blog HERE

While we no longer officially endorse their products, we have done our best to preserve the neutrality of this dossier in the directory with only minor edits.

Ronin Katana was started in 2005 by Texan Chris Scoggin, who got sick and tired of buying Katana on eBay only to be continually disappointed and decided to do something about it.

They make a bold claim that they have the "has grown into one of the worlds largest sword brands with almost 200 unique models" is inaccurate as all their RK Line, Dojo Pro Line and Elite Line all have the exact same blades, only slightly different fittings so they have 3 unique models with a lot of tsuba, saya, etc choices. Picking fittings out of a catalog doesn't really qualify as sword design in my book. Hanwei had 84 totally different models from blade to fittings at their peak. And there are millions of possible combinations in our custom Katana series, does that count too?

Manufactured in: Hand Forged in Longquan, China

Steels Used: 1060 Carbon Steel and Complex Laminates

Price Range: US$150 – $150,000

Official Website: http://www.roninkatana.com/

It all started when Chris traveled to the Mecca of Chinese sword manufacturing, Longquan city, met the owners of the major sword forges and spent many years working with them back and forth to create a line of Japanese swords based on the Dotanuki style of sword-smithing – swords with thick and powerful cutting blades that were so brutally effective that the style was actually banned during the peaceful Edo period of Japanese history!

However, what was truly revolutionary about these 1060 monotempered swords was not just their durability and cutting power – it was also the use of unheard of, high quality materials in the overall construction – such as real (turns out it was false) silk ito wrap instead of cheap cotton, all iron fittings with tsubas copied from actual historical antiques and buffalo horn fittings on the saya – all for under the $300 price point.

Their warranty states:

All Ronin katana have a 30 day return guarantee You must obtain a Return Authorization number (RA) and write the RA number on the box. Returns sent back which are not inside a shipping box will be refused. You must ship the katana back in the same type of packaging you received it. Returns that do not have a RA number will be refused.

Important: There is a 20% restocking fee on all returns for a refund. The sword must be in the same condition it was received. If you have used it or taken it apart, you own it. I do not reimburse shipping costs.

Damaged katana: Ronin must be notified via email within 3 days of receipt that a problem exists. A RA number will be issued, and an even exchange will be provided.

Some customers have had issues arise from these policies, discovering issues only when they strip the sword down, but doing so voids their warranty - so caveat emptor (buyer beware)..

In addition to their sub US$300 Dojo Pro line, they also have some basic cutters made from 1045 carbon steel with real hamon and an Elite line of laminated, one off designs made by certified Master Sword Smiths forged once per year with prices starting at US$800 and some swords apparently made from meteoric ore that can be as expensive as $150,000..

MAIN PRODUCT LINES

ENTRY LEVEL CUTTERS

These are basic, 1045 carbon steel swords, tempered to produce a real hamon line. Fittings are quite basic but serviceable and they are primarily designed for light backyard cutting practices. Extremely well heat treated and a more serious choice than any other similar entry level swords made from the same materials. Price is $149 plus shipping.

DOJO PRO KATANA

These are the so called 'Dotanuki' swords they are best known for. The blades are made from monotempered 1060 carbon steel with a reputation for durability. They have over 30 blades including O-Katana, Ko Katana, Wakizashi and a line with bo-hi (fuller) that are hand carved in the traditional manner rather than machine lathed. Price is from $294 to a maximum of $345 for the longer bladed models.

EUROPEAN SWORD LINE

Made from through hardened 1075 carbon steel, Ronin Katana began introducing a line of medieval and Viking age European swords around 2015 and have not looked back. Expertly tempered, solidly constructed and ready to cut straight out of the box, this series has caused quite a stir and continues to expand adding even more new models, positioning them as one of the best suppliers of affordable cutting swords on the market for medieval sword enthusiasts.

LAMINATED BLADES

Each sword in this line up is hand forged by certified Master Sword Smiths in various complex lamination styles, the most popular and common being Soshu Kitae. Each sword is stated to be a one of a kind design in terms of appearance and fittings and are forged once per year. Price is $899 plus shipping.

METEORITE & MASTER WORK SWORDS

In recent years Ronin Katana has experimented with so called 'Meteorite Swords' priced around the $10,000 mark up to a whopping $150,000 for the 'Cracked Ice' sword. Unfortunately, these swords are hard to verify as Chinese forges are notorious for 'stretching the truth' and the price does seem somewhat excessive and audacious for what they are.. Buyer beware.

HOW THEY ARE MADE

In conjunction with Sword Buyers Guide, the owner and editor of SBG traveled to the Forge in Longquan to shoot videos detailing how the swords are made and providing the sword buying public a rare behind the scenes glimpse into what goes into making their products.

KNOWN ISSUES

Occasionally an issue arises when a buyer, unaware that Dotanuki swords are SUPPOSED to be power cutters, find them too heavy for their personal taste (many sub $300 swords do not have a lot of steel in the blade, and while light, are incapable of heavy cutting). Not truly an issue per-se, but rather the result of impulse buying without reading the details. Blade coplaits tend t do with polihs, shrpnees and twists and bends.

Other issues tend to do with the saya. The first is that the swords are coated in lithium grease to protect the blades while in storage, and the first few draws will often have this residue appear on the blade. This does go away with time or can be removed with a gun cleaning rod, and is certainly not isolated to Ronin Katana – just they use more grease as they prefer a slightly waxy blade for the first few draws than a rusty sword sent to a customer.

The second issue with the saya has to do with the use of buffalo horn “Kurigata” (the knob on the scabbard where the sageo cord is tied). While other swords at this price point just use wood, they commonly pop off during summer months as they are fixed in place with barbain basement glue.

A third (And the WORST ISSUE) is their customer service, or rater complete lack of it - often the sword just shows up with no tracking info and no communication or after service care, with requests for refunds or replacements on defective items seemingly ignored or deleted.

Furthermore, many people have reported buying 'scratch and dent' items that appear quite flawless, and full price swords are sometimes reported coming in with serious defects - suggesting that the swords are not inspected before shipping and that the scratch and dent prices are the fair sale price which is used to generate sales and has no bearing on QC standards or fair market value.

WHERE TO BUY RONIN KATANA

While you can buy direct from their website, some of their policies are quite harsh and customer service can be problematic to deal with (if they even respond at all). As such we recommend you purchase them HERE at Kult of Athena, as they have faster shipping, kinder return policies, better customer service and even prices can be lower depending on their in house QC checks!

Deleted Reviews: Previously we had several reviews for Ronin Katana products, however these have all been deleted as we no longer wish to endorse or support this company due to it's questionable ethics and business practices.

I hope this information on Ronin Katana has been helpful. To return to the SBG Sword Manufacturers Dossier from Ronin Katana, click here