stuck on which to get

by prabs
(uk )

QUESTION: First of all i like to say thank you for past advice on questions i had regarding swords. Its been a year since last pruchase , and since the uk sword ban has now allowed handforged katanas back into the market , im looking for a second.

im stuck between , two blades which i want to use strictly for functional use practice , for kata tameishigiri.

the two are - paul chen practical plus , and the practical xl katana

the site im lookin at sells me the paul chen plus for
£199 and the elite/xl for £170

i read both your reviews for them however, viweing other reviews i am stuck on which to get . the practical plus looks very nice aswell , however the xl elite seems to better in performance , i wud go for the practical plus if im certain it can handle heavy duty cutting , otherwise the practical xl. I already own a bamboo masahiro katana , and a masashiro shingen katana .

could you please give personnal advice.

my budget is 250 or below .. thanks

ANSWER: Definitely the XL Elite - it really is one of the best cutters I have seen, especially on traditional targets. It isn't the kind of sword you'd want to use on harder or unconventional targets, but if you use it for training and proper cutting, I think you will be quite shocked by how easy it goes through the target...

Hope this helps.

- Paul

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kata should outweigh tameshigiri IMHO
by: Caleb

You mentioned that its use is primarily for kata AND tameshigiri. Correct me if I'm wrong, but heavier swords are generally better for tameshigiri, but a reasonably light-enough sword is essential for kata. Tameshigiri doesn't tend to be something you do a hundred times a day whereas kata can easily be. Heavier swords tend to create bad habits, and even if its weight is already right, you can benefit from an even lighter sword to REALLY refine your technique...until you're at the point where weight no longer really matter; you will know how and how much to adjust to execute correct technique even when you progress to heavier swords.

THe bad news is, if you're like me, cutting soft targets like small branches or bottles will quickly become boring because they cannot really put your technique to the test. Beach noodles are fun, but that IMHO is REALLY much more about sharpness, whereas tatami can also be cut with a slightly blunt sword, but strongly requires both the sharp AND blunt swords to be swung straight. That stuff easily "catches" off-angles and punishes for it...

Unfortunately, for tatami, a heavier swords will REALLY help. It's all relative, of course, don't expect major difference with only slight increase in weight. But...i can't really explain it. If you've handled a heavier sword (something that's advertised as 2.9 lbs. I use advertised figures, not real ones from my kitchen scale to be consistent) you will notice 2 things. 1) It feels a LOT heavier than something advertised as 2.2 lbs. because swords are held from an end and not the middle so gravity/torque/etc are multiplied. 2) It cuts thicker branches (.66 -1.0 inches) so well.

I'm having a sudden amnesia here and forgot which swords you were talking about...(sorry) but get the lighter one is my suggestion. If they are both the same weight, get the wider one for a steeper angle.