Less flair than some of the other excellent reviews on this site. Reviews, so this may read a bit more straight forward and have a little That said, I'm not very skilled at writing There is no information or reviews on it so I can't trust it, so todayīoys and girls I am here to shed some light on what looks to be a very Of my big struggles has been finding something that looks good, yet Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA).Ultra Durable 'Beater' Katana under $400.Affordable Traditional Blades with 'Hamon'.The full gallery of photos I took of this blade can be viewed here. If you really like the overall design of the blade (as I do), don't hesitate to buy it. That's not to say this is a bad sword, just that I think there's better swords available that perform better and are cheaper than this one. I also think the Hanwei Albrecht II Hand-and-a-Half Sword is a much better deal, and I would recommend it over this one. It doesn't come with an actual scabbard, however. Their two-handed saber is $250, cuts and handles better. You can also do better, for cheaper, while still sticking to Ronin Katana. If you're looking for a budget longsword, you can do much worse than the RK #1. The fit between grip and crossguard is not as tight as it should be. Ěttractive design – crossguard embellishments and the dual fullers create a striking appearance. It's a well-made blade that has a few fit and finish issues, but still a very solid sword for the price. I consider the price of this sword ($350) to be the upper end of budget swords. One of the reasons I consider this loosely based on a Type XXa is the taper to an acute point, which makes this sword a cut and thrust focused blade. There is something resembling a ricasso on the blade, but I hesitate to actually call it that, as it's a little sharper than I would prefer for an actual ricasso. I tried to capture it in the pictures, but it was hard to tell in person, and I imagine the pictures won't really be able to show it. The blade has a rather rare hexagonal cross-section after the fullers. The fullers end nice and evenly on both sides. This is not even remotely a concern, however, as you really have to look for it to notice. They're not perfectly symmetrical on both sides – on one side the fullers are about 1/4" longer than the other side. They're well-ground and the lines don't wander. The dual fullers on this blade are what immediately catch the eye. Weight (with scabbard): 4.7 lbs (2.13 kg)ġ075 High carbon steel, monotempered, factory sharpened. It's much better looking in person, fortunately.ĭistal taper: 0.285" (7.2 mm) at guard, 0.203" (5.2 mm) at end of fullers, 0.165" (4.2 mm) near tip I had been hesitant to order one of RK's Euro lines because the handle wrap looks unattractive in the pictures I've seen. The sword shipped from KoA's warehouse in Indiana promptly via FedEx and arrived in California about a week later, which is very typical of KoA orders for me. I bought this sword with my own money ($350, or $315 after 10% holiday discount) from Kult of Athena. I'm calling it a very loose XX-family based on the fact that it has multiple fullers, which no other type does, and a (again, very loose) XXa because the profile of the blade narrows to an acute point, rather than the rounder tip of a XX. Suffice to say, the fullering on this sword is not based on a historical find or Oakeshott typology. I've found one reference to Type XX/XXa swords potentially only having two fullers, but I can't remember where I saw it at this point. The RK Euro #1 has two even fullers running down 2/3 of the blade, very different than the type XX's and XXa's long central fuller and two short, flanking fullers. Type XXa: "the fullering in this sub-type is the same, but the edges run very sharply to an acute point." (Records of the Medieval Sword pg 207) Type XX: "Here it is characterized by a central fuller running over half-way down the blade, flanked by two shorter ones, generally of the same width as the central one, in the upper quarter of the blade's length." (Records of the Medieval Sword pg 207) This sword does not adhere to any specific Oakeshott type, nor does it appear to be based off any historical find. Ronin Katana has developed quite a strong reputation for budget European swords, so when Kult of Athena held their 2020 holiday sale (10% off), I sprung for a few RK swords to judge for myself.
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