I've said it before & I'll say it again - "Mini Katana are absoloulty great at marketing, but they're just a wall hanger company that sells sharps." Love that you've broken down exactly what Mini Katana is as a business, and the research you put into this by scouring their socials & etc is amazing! ** And thank you for the safety notice regarding what they said about cutting - omg, that's just a series of lawsuits waiting to happen. ** Cheers IPostSwords, great video as always!
That'd be very bad business practice. I have very rarely bought from them so I can't confirm or deny it, but no modern sword should ship bent. It's not acceptable.
@IPostSwords it literally happened to me. It wasn't bent as badly as the examples shown here but still immediately noticeable and definitely a manufacturing flaw, not damage. That was quite some time ago but I've heard numerous stories of similar experiences. Glaring manufacturing flaws, some so bad they structurely weaken the blade or otherwise impede functionality, and KoA dismissing them all as "cosmetic flaws".
That's concerning for sure. KOA is a reseller, so hypothetically there should be two layers of QC occurring. Once from the manufacturer (eg cold steel, windlass etc) and once at KOAs warehouses. If that isn't happening, something has gone very wrong.
Can confirm KOA is still bad about sending out damaged swords. Just received one a week ago, the handle was only half finished & the blade shifts around when swung making an audible click & the blade stays shifted until swung the other direction. This was labeled as "battle ready" as well. Lol
Not sure if you've found anything yet, but this novice put his word out on both of the swords. ua-cam.com/video/UOqJH2wlykc/v-deo.htmlsi=DPpqgyWhcvCGZvKj
3:14 I've been to their website. It has different categories. They have cheaper "display only" swords and then slightly more expensive "Battle Ready" Katanas. The Battle Ready Katanas are rated, on the website, of being full tang and to be used for display and light cutting. On their website, they only advertise swords that are full tang for light cutting. I'm no expert, but I do think you sort of slipped up here. I'd also like to see someone review their 1000$ Katana which they say is the real deal. Because really good Katanas usually cost that much.
I specifically mentioned their website categorises it properly. Their lack of consistently comes from the claims of "team members" on their official discord. Try rewatching the relevant section.
They are all junk swords from longquan.. The $1000 sword is about 40-50 us $ wholesale in longquan. There is no "longquan forges" as he says. A licence to make swords has always exsisted since the middle ages when swords started being made there, the towns main business is ceramics. There is assemblers who.. Ushally.. have licences and there is peicework workshops That make 1 process. Forging, grinding, sharpening ect. There is several large ceramics factories who have proper permits to make swords and police registration, they have machines to work cheaper untapered stainless blades. They are big factories, generally they buy the blades externally from the peice work illegal workshops and finish them in the factory and then assemble the swords fir sale to export agents. There has NEVER been "sword masters" in china (well not since the mongol invasions at least) .. Swords were made by components assembled from peicework, very similarly to europe, a blade forger, a blade scraper and filer a blade sharpener. The final assembler and seller would put his mark on better peices.. Just like europe.. (and many times japan too) but its almost guaranteed that no one person made an entire sword and if they did it was highly unusual... Thsts why in china you cant go and say "make me this" and draw a sword and expect somebody make it.. No you coukd give an agent samples, they go to each workshop and make counter samples and have it assembled.. Its one reason why so many chinese swords even antique ones fit badly togeather.. If they agent the seller was bad the whole sword will be rattling in the first dry season. By comparison i have seen among the bonan people or tibet the whole sword, sheath and fittings was and is always made by hand by either a single person or by a family working from one workshop. Just as in indonesia. One craftsman manytimes compleats the entire weapon. The was chinese swords are done as peiceword is a more common senario. Hence its unlikely you will ever get a very good sword in modetn china.. The seller doesnt control every step and the craftsmen dont exsist for many years, the chinese are very skilled at sharpening by hand the blades and applying a good edge geometry.. Because of this you can buy a very finely sharpened blade for a few dollars.. But nobody has been chiseling copper, Iron or bass or casting by hsnd for 80 years there.. All the fittings are lost wax castings that dont fit at all.. Not a single person can make the fittings by hand. The handles are very badly fitted as there is no wood carvers there for 70 years. Ect ect.. Every part is machine done In a factory. The chinese cannot make a chinese sword. The best reproductions they can make are japanese swords because its what they got money for in the 1970s and 1980s from taiwanese buyers.... You cant get a great swrod from chinese in this era no matter what you try. You can buy a good sharp blade though. Traditional sword making has died silently around the world. The last places were tibet and places like sudan and parts of indonesia. In tibet due to illegality and a decline in people buying swords its going to vanish pretty soon. In sudan its mostly wedding swords. In indonesia its still strong in borneo and some isolated islands but most regions the skill is greatly reduced and on close inspection every corner that could be cut has been..... Modetn sword maker in europe, russia ect csn make nice swords but all their techniques have departed from the original methods
What he is saying is 100% accurate. If I was you I would go to eBay as you will find the same sword (many you can customize) for a fraction of what Mini sells for.
He doesn't differentiate between replicas and sharp anime Katanas. You can find cheap dull replicas anywhere but finding them sharp is a different story
It's the same way with many mechanics tools. I'll just name Matco as they are one of the big three American tool companies but short from a line of ratchets and some toolboxes they hardly make a thing, they just resell.
All valid points. I think the biggest issue is the lack of clarity on these objects being decorative rather than functional, this is truly dangerous, and at some point someone is bound to get hurt. Another thing that concerns me is the "sanitization" of weapons. Flashy colors, connections to popular media, and a fast fashion-like approach, contribute to cloud conversations around safety, materials and care. I'm afraid that as these toy-but-not-really products grow in popularity, we will see more and more restrictive policies around swords, and this may end up negatively affecting collectors, martial artists and reenactors
@@RapiersdelightI'm not entirely sure where you are suggesting these restrictions will come from. In the US I find this unlikely, considering the new push in arms rights.
I have no idea who made my reverse blade my wife got me but it's one of my favorites however I'm extremely picky about the swords I buy if I'm in person and I'm able to examine it I will if it has anything that says stainless steel I pass high carbon or modern damascus is really all I'm okay with on top of it needing to be very well made
Hear hear! If I want a wallhanger of my favorite anime katana, sure I'll buy a minikat. But if I want a decent katana *to use*, I'll stick with one of the functional ones I've already got.
@@Watchinchemtrailz looks like they also resell at least a few swords. For example the Giyu Tomioka sword they sell has legit the exact same pictures and description of Hanbon Forge for 100 usd more, and you dont get free worldwide shipping.
I feel like you're missed the point here. Sure, if you get a good one, it will be fine. About as good as any mass produced longquan sword - which is what they resell. You just pay more for essentially the same product.
@IPostSwords oh all of them are good ronin katana is more traditional but mini katana has beautiful swords for display.. an they can still cut your head off. I can't by swords like that anywhere else and money isn't a problem for me
@IPostSwords where bruh ?????? Since you know everyone and everything that has ever existed.... I know ronin katana and sword of northshire are the best but the swords at mini katana look cool and they are made pretty good
Related community post: ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxkGPoONTlcn4SjUHCsJ9BNomnLWmD0YJ9 To Reiterate: There is nothing inherently wrong with being an importer who has swords made overseas and then warehouses and sells them from the USA, nor is there anything wrong with making a profit. It is necessary for a company to remain sustainable. But it does have consequences, particularly in the difficulty of quality control, and in (as evidenced) in-depth product knowledge, which can lead to potentially dangerous statements being made on their official channels. If you own a mini-katana product, particularly one of their dull swords, make sure think critically about its quality before trusting the word of their staff members and attempt light cutting with a stainless steel display sword. If you do not own a mini-katana product and were thinking of purchasing one, consider that their quality control may not be ideal due to the fact they do not make the products themselves.
From what I can tell, Mini Katana does have a few legit products. Primarily, their stainless steel dull swords for display and cosplay ONLY, their sword pens which are quite cool, and their actual miniature swords/letter openers. I definitely wouldn't buy any of their sharp swords due to both the mark-up and the poor QC. The biggest issue, especially in regards to that one staff member's comment on dull swords for "light cutting," is that MiniKatana markets itself not to sword enthusiasts like you and I, but rather to their demographic of anime fans that don't know much about the nuances of swords.
@WedoNotmakeBabies I think you deleted your other comment, but I'd love some clarification here. The QR code to their discord is included with their swords in shipment, and yet you say it is a community run discord. Can you clarify which is the case? You said that they are not staff, and yet they have the role "team member", on a discord server which is included on a QR code sent with the swords.
@@IPostSwords i think you deleted my comment but yea that discord is community run And that "team member" is actually just a volunteer mod Their website says dull swords are display & cosplay only
@WedoNotmakeBabies very strange for a brand to have a community run discord included on cards sent with their product. Like, truly bizarre. So bizarre, that it isn't actually the case. It's run by staff.
We spoke on the Reddit trail and did not expect this to turn into a video. Great video and endeavor. You have a new subscriber with me. Keep it up. 🙏🏻🤘🏻
Sorry if I am sticking my nose in where it doesn’t belong but I would buy directly from EBay, as you would be getting the same as what mini is putting out there at a fraction of the cost. Most have a good return policy on there as well. If you are looking for a reputable seller in the states, RVC katana are great to their customers!
I always wondered what would happen when the sword store at the mall learned about social media 😊 Thanks for trying to keep all of us consumers educated IPS!
I have to say that I am a little shocked at how “controversial “ your video turned out to be. In my opinion it is spot on. It looks like MK have some die hard fans. Strange how out of context things were taken. I have been studying martial arts , including Japanese and Korean sword arts since 1982. I forge my own swords but once in a while I will buy something off the web. There are some reputable companies with great return policies right from eBay. That is where I would suggest going for someone to look. They are a fraction of the price of MK and probably made in the same forge. Anyhow, I Agree with you pal!
It’s controversial since the people most likely to use them are anime enthusiasts or people who will just put it on display and never actually use the katana. He makes a big deal over discord servers when the people who will go to the length of following them there are the same crowd. The typical customer of theirs are just looking for the latest release of the sword used by Tanjiro or Zoro etc. So it feels like he did not understand who is the customer base. It’s like someone complaining that the vehicles sold at Toys R Us are not even close to being real and some people are getting fooled if they go there to buy a real car.
Yeah, there are very few reviews considering their sales volume. I would say a large part of that is probably because the average buyer of their products isnt actually a sword person, so they're not overly concerned with the quality. If your only concern is how well is displays on a wall, things like the fit, finish, construction and material quality doesnt matter to you much.
Exactly what held me from buying one of their swords. Usually, replicas look nice but are awful in quality and you never find a single review about them where someone talks about the actual quality.
I bought one the enma zoros kantana before I watched this I wish I watched this before I have been waiting 4 months for it and it never arrived at my house
this is the ONLY video that review these guys and it isn't even a sword quality review, kinda suggest how good of a company they are if noone really bother making video about them
Most of their customers arent buying swords to get a sword, but as a form of anime fandom merch. I suspect this is a major reason there aren't unsponsored reviews of their products, because the people buying them arent really in the sword reviewing community
i believe you got your facts wrong about the anime replicas, not all of their anime replicas are dull, and there is a section for anime replicas that have a sharp edge and a full tang, meaning they could be used for light cutting, though many of their painted anime replicas are much duller than their non replica katanas due to the paint covering the edge.
While they do have full tang anime swords, the discord "team member" was replying to a question specifically about "dull" sword, i.e their rat-tail stainless swords.
@@IPostSwords hmm, that is odd, though i do still wonder if maybe there was a misunderstanding, as it doesn't seem logical for anyone to say that a dull cosplay katana would cut anything with any effectiveness
you are right but... mini katana katanas arent of course real katanas. the original stuff is minimum $2k . so you kinda get what you are paying for. They have that stingray skin, average metal, and sharp blades only for cosplays and just to say you have a katana. i belive they are kinda valid
One point and a question; (1) Similar to Swords of Northshire. Although I believe SoN is more hands-on when it comes to quality control through whomever they contract with to make their offerings. I would certainly trust them over MK. But I've been with HanBon Forge for 2 years and 11 swords now. As far as budget Katana go I'm very happy with them. In fact you can see a blade they just did for me on their UA-cam channel and their Facebook page. (2) Good information and nice to know, but I was curious as to the impetus that inspired this video. Was there a particular incident or complaints from people or some such?
From deduction, it's from that Reddit post of the grossly bent katana from MK and one of his friend's (Shad) reaction streams where they reacted and cringed at MiniKatana's shorts.
tis from the reddit post and someone on the /swords/ discord posting that moderators comment they saw in the minikatana discord. i completely forgot shad did a video on minikatanas shorts, I assume i only watched like, the end of it.
1:43 I strongly suspect that Solingen or Chatellerault produced and passed through rigorous inspection similar amounts of blades back in the day without any major complications, and that's before the advent of modern QC methods. The difference here lies in the fact that a reseller relies on the manufacturer's QC first and foremost, and might not even bother with checking anything themselves. 3:50 Now that's rich!
The fact that we have entire lists of the stamps of inspectors from Chatellerault is exactly why they were better at this than modern companies. They actually hired inspectors. I agree, though. The first point of QC is the manufacturer, and in an ideal world, the have someone whos job it is to actually inspect every sword. IF the sword is then sold through a reseller, like here, it SHOULD be a second QC step. In Minikatana's case, it feels like neither manufacturer or reseller is doing enough QC. Every single review ive seen says they have loose ito wrap, and that is not an exaggeration.
@@IPostSwords I suspect that with Chinese characters you can theoretically have a shorter distinguishable inspector stamp, which would be a benefit if some of your products are knife-sized. I agree that a decent reseller should have a QC department of its own, but that implies larger outfit, experts to hire and most of all, a pitifull dent into the 45% profit margin. 😁It's one thing when you're a single person like Matt Easton, cleaning the swords and establishing their provenance before reselling, and quite another when you're pushing entire containers around and bragging on social media. The taste of easy money, as far as I hear, is one hell of a drug. Well, for now let's just be happy with the Kult of Athena's business model. As for the loose wraps, isn't it a more widespread problem on modern replicas? I believe I've heard it mentioned in the reviews of swords from more respectable makers.
For below 1k their „battle ready“ ones are actually fine. In japan 3k is the bare minimum for Meh quality Katanas, but there they are Hand made from Smiths so… anyways for cosplays, great choice, for Slicing Meh.
It blows my mind that you consider yourself an academic and you’d make click bait like this. As other commentators have pointed out, you got your facts wrong. For shame. And it adds even more layers of questionable that you’d use discord ‘screenshots’ as your evidence of product quality.
What facts do you believe I got wrong? The discord is run by the company. The profit margins come from the founders tweets. The bent swords are photos from customers. Those commenters make statements that are not supported by the evidence - so they don't hold weight. Everything I'm saying I back up, yes, with screenshots. Screenshots from the social media platforms of the company and its employees.
@@IPostSwords it seems so unapologetically stupid to advertise dull swords as ‘sharp’ that I didn’t believe it. So I went on their website. Their cheaper swords are clearly labeled at ‘dull’ in specs. They don’t advertise them as sharp. There’s also a huge price difference between sharp and dull. So basically you made a whole video out of a discord screenshot.
@@LighterHarmony you've misheard me. I stated that their website correctly differentiates - the issue is that people who had roles listing them as "team members" said dulls can be used to cut things. Re-watch it. I am quite specific with my wording.
As a person who have been practicing kenjutsu for almost a decade, I'd say that judging by the appearance and their attitude towards their swords according to their channel, their swords are presumably far from sutiable for any cutting or swordsmanship practicing attempts
Thank you, I am glad you (who reaches all of my subs, as well as countless more) tackled this issue. Their marketing in the shorts reel is downright appalling and dangerous. Like their "bolt 2 nakago together" or "katana ice skates". I checked them out, they only had one model in stock I would even consider cutting with. Thanks for taking the weight off of my shoulders.
Unfortunately I am not entirely sure I have the reach to actually be seen by their core audience, which are the people most at risk of their dangerous and laissez-faire attitude
@IPostSwords right. What we need to find an anime enthusiast, who is also a proficient swordsperson, to tackle the subject. Could maybe do a little deeper dive (aka Google search) into the most popular animes' names, and add those to the tags. If you can save just one anime kid from severely lacerating themselves, it would be worth it.
For a sec even I thought Why would they give us real sharp katanas and fancy katanas that can slice for 200 dollars instead of 2 thousand dollars Katanas made by swordsmiths atleast cost 2000 dollars And besides u shouldn't by American made katanas 😂
I mean, the screenshots included in the video are from the Twitter account of the owner / founder of mini.katana, so... that should act as its own proof as to their business methods.
But he did not do that at all! He was merely trying to explain that they are not “Mini katanas” products at all. And the quality control gets lost in the fray.
Have you ever run a business? You took the tweets so wildly out of context that I have to question your motivations behind this video. Also I read some comments here and it looks like there’s a reasonable case for defamation given that you basically failed to provide accurate facts. - from a lawyer and a fellow sword collector. Also, I would never buy from them (mostly because I prefer buying real nihonto).
If you believe I have been inaccurate, please check my recent community post. I have provided evidence to indicate that the discord server is indeed run by minikatana, and is not community run. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxkGPoONTlcn4SjUHCsJ9BNomnLWmD0YJ9
Business experience is irrelevant to video so that question is pointless. I watched the video and it basically boils down to hey, this company mass ordered from China so watch out as it's impossible to do quality control so manage your expectations, they cannot promote cutting with stainless steel sword as it is dangerous and irresponsible, also you can buy anime sword for cheaper somewhere else. All of which are true. There's so much precedent to this type of videos that it's literally impossible for a proper lawsuit to be made. If someone file a lawsuit to this person, that person filing the lawsuit will lose the case. You know what, I don't think you're a lawyer at all. 😅
I've said it before & I'll say it again - "Mini Katana are absoloulty great at marketing, but they're just a wall hanger company that sells sharps."
Love that you've broken down exactly what Mini Katana is as a business, and the research you put into this by scouring their socials & etc is amazing!
** And thank you for the safety notice regarding what they said about cutting - omg, that's just a series of lawsuits waiting to happen. **
Cheers IPostSwords, great video as always!
Fancy seeing you here Mr. Nate V.
they do great marketing, but sadly with tons of misinformation. You'd think they'd hire real sword enthusiasts to fact check their videos.
Kult of Athena would declare those bent blades as "minor cosmetic flaws" and say they're within normal tolerances.
That'd be very bad business practice. I have very rarely bought from them so I can't confirm or deny it, but no modern sword should ship bent. It's not acceptable.
@IPostSwords it literally happened to me. It wasn't bent as badly as the examples shown here but still immediately noticeable and definitely a manufacturing flaw, not damage. That was quite some time ago but I've heard numerous stories of similar experiences. Glaring manufacturing flaws, some so bad they structurely weaken the blade or otherwise impede functionality, and KoA dismissing them all as "cosmetic flaws".
That's concerning for sure. KOA is a reseller, so hypothetically there should be two layers of QC occurring. Once from the manufacturer (eg cold steel, windlass etc) and once at KOAs warehouses.
If that isn't happening, something has gone very wrong.
Thanks for your opinion. I appreciate it
Can confirm KOA is still bad about sending out damaged swords. Just received one a week ago, the handle was only half finished & the blade shifts around when swung making an audible click & the blade stays shifted until swung the other direction. This was labeled as "battle ready" as well. Lol
Hi, can i have your opinion on tameshigiri series katanas on minikatana site? They seem to me good products
Not sure if you've found anything yet, but this novice put his word out on both of the swords.
ua-cam.com/video/UOqJH2wlykc/v-deo.htmlsi=DPpqgyWhcvCGZvKj
3:14
I've been to their website. It has different categories. They have cheaper "display only" swords and then slightly more expensive "Battle Ready" Katanas. The Battle Ready Katanas are rated, on the website, of being full tang and to be used for display and light cutting. On their website, they only advertise swords that are full tang for light cutting.
I'm no expert, but I do think you sort of slipped up here.
I'd also like to see someone review their 1000$ Katana which they say is the real deal. Because really good Katanas usually cost that much.
I specifically mentioned their website categorises it properly. Their lack of consistently comes from the claims of "team members" on their official discord.
Try rewatching the relevant section.
They are all junk swords from longquan.. The $1000 sword is about 40-50 us $ wholesale in longquan. There is no "longquan forges" as he says. A licence to make swords has always exsisted since the middle ages when swords started being made there, the towns main business is ceramics.
There is assemblers who.. Ushally.. have licences and there is peicework workshops
That make 1 process. Forging, grinding, sharpening ect. There is several large ceramics factories who have proper permits to make swords and police registration, they have machines to work cheaper untapered stainless blades. They are big factories, generally they buy the blades externally from the peice work illegal workshops and finish them in the factory and then assemble the swords fir sale to export agents.
There has NEVER been "sword masters" in china (well not since the mongol invasions at least) .. Swords were made by components assembled from peicework, very similarly to europe, a blade forger, a blade scraper and filer a blade sharpener.
The final assembler and seller would put his mark on better peices.. Just like europe.. (and many times japan too) but its almost guaranteed that no one person made an entire sword and if they did it was highly unusual...
Thsts why in china you cant go and say "make me this" and draw a sword and expect somebody make it.. No you coukd give an agent samples, they go to each workshop and make counter samples and have it assembled.. Its one reason why so many chinese swords even antique ones fit badly togeather.. If they agent the seller was bad the whole sword will be rattling in the first dry season.
By comparison i have seen among the bonan people or tibet the whole sword, sheath and fittings was and is always made by hand by either a single person or by a family working from one workshop.
Just as in indonesia. One craftsman manytimes compleats the entire weapon.
The was chinese swords are done as peiceword is a more common senario. Hence its unlikely you will ever get a very good sword in modetn china.. The seller doesnt control every step and the craftsmen dont exsist for many years, the chinese are very skilled at sharpening by hand the blades and applying a good edge geometry.. Because of this you can buy a very finely sharpened blade for a few dollars..
But nobody has been chiseling copper,
Iron or bass or casting by hsnd for 80 years there.. All the fittings are lost wax castings that dont fit at all.. Not a single person can make the fittings by hand.
The handles are very badly fitted as there is no wood carvers there for 70 years.
Ect ect..
Every part is machine done
In a factory.
The chinese cannot make a chinese sword.
The best reproductions they can make are japanese swords because its what they got money for in the 1970s and 1980s from taiwanese buyers....
You cant get a great swrod from chinese in this era no matter what you try. You can buy a good sharp blade though.
Traditional sword making has died silently around the world.
The last places were tibet and places like sudan and parts of indonesia. In tibet due to illegality and a decline in people buying swords its going to vanish pretty soon. In sudan its mostly wedding swords.
In indonesia its still strong in borneo and some isolated islands but most regions the skill is greatly reduced and on close inspection every corner that could be cut has been.....
Modetn sword maker in europe, russia ect csn make nice swords but all their techniques have departed from the original methods
I'm not gonna buy a 1000 $ sword that it's real price is probably around 200 - 300 $ 💀💀💀
so this means they are resellers? (if yes is there a website where i can get the saame ones cheaper)
Well he shows no proff of what he says and he was only talking about the blunt swords? Idk tho
What he is saying is 100% accurate. If I was you I would go to eBay as you will find the same sword (many you can customize) for a fraction of what Mini sells for.
He doesn't differentiate between replicas and sharp anime Katanas. You can find cheap dull replicas anywhere but finding them sharp is a different story
It's the same way with many mechanics tools. I'll just name Matco as they are one of the big three American tool companies but short from a line of ratchets and some toolboxes they hardly make a thing, they just resell.
Thank you
I wasn’t planning on buying from them but was interested in what there business was
All valid points.
I think the biggest issue is the lack of clarity on these objects being decorative rather than functional, this is truly dangerous, and at some point someone is bound to get hurt.
Another thing that concerns me is the "sanitization" of weapons. Flashy colors, connections to popular media, and a fast fashion-like approach, contribute to cloud conversations around safety, materials and care.
I'm afraid that as these toy-but-not-really products grow in popularity, we will see more and more restrictive policies around swords, and this may end up negatively affecting collectors, martial artists and reenactors
*_Will_* - not may unfortunately... 😢
edit: words are hard.
@@NateV-SwordSavvy Optimism overcame realism in my wording :)
@@RapiersdelightI'm not entirely sure where you are suggesting these restrictions will come from. In the US I find this unlikely, considering the new push in arms rights.
Brilliant video
I have no idea who made my reverse blade my wife got me but it's one of my favorites however I'm extremely picky about the swords I buy if I'm in person and I'm able to examine it I will if it has anything that says stainless steel I pass high carbon or modern damascus is really all I'm okay with on top of it needing to be very well made
Hear hear!
If I want a wallhanger of my favorite anime katana, sure I'll buy a minikat. But if I want a decent katana *to use*, I'll stick with one of the functional ones I've already got.
I would order from Ali or Makoto forge for anime wall hanger
@@Watchinchemtrailz looks like they also resell at least a few swords. For example the Giyu Tomioka sword they sell has legit the exact same pictures and description of Hanbon Forge for 100 usd more, and you dont get free worldwide shipping.
I have enma from the site it’s still sharp till this day I practice with it as well I haven’t had a problem at all.
Everything i got from their was sharp and durability was good
I feel like you're missed the point here. Sure, if you get a good one, it will be fine. About as good as any mass produced longquan sword - which is what they resell. You just pay more for essentially the same product.
@IPostSwords oh all of them are good ronin katana is more traditional but mini katana has beautiful swords for display.. an they can still cut your head off. I can't by swords like that anywhere else and money isn't a problem for me
@@Papajohn6954 "can't buy swords like that anywhere else"
Really?
Sounds like you haven't even looked.
@IPostSwords where bruh ?????? Since you know everyone and everything that has ever existed.... I know ronin katana and sword of northshire are the best but the swords at mini katana look cool and they are made pretty good
@IPostSwords I feel like you missing the point..
Related community post: ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxkGPoONTlcn4SjUHCsJ9BNomnLWmD0YJ9
To Reiterate: There is nothing inherently wrong with being an importer who has swords made overseas and then warehouses and sells them from the USA, nor is there anything wrong with making a profit. It is necessary for a company to remain sustainable.
But it does have consequences, particularly in the difficulty of quality control, and in (as evidenced) in-depth product knowledge, which can lead to potentially dangerous statements being made on their official channels.
If you own a mini-katana product, particularly one of their dull swords, make sure think critically about its quality before trusting the word of their staff members and attempt light cutting with a stainless steel display sword.
If you do not own a mini-katana product and were thinking of purchasing one, consider that their quality control may not be ideal due to the fact they do not make the products themselves.
From what I can tell, Mini Katana does have a few legit products. Primarily, their stainless steel dull swords for display and cosplay ONLY, their sword pens which are quite cool, and their actual miniature swords/letter openers. I definitely wouldn't buy any of their sharp swords due to both the mark-up and the poor QC.
The biggest issue, especially in regards to that one staff member's comment on dull swords for "light cutting," is that MiniKatana markets itself not to sword enthusiasts like you and I, but rather to their demographic of anime fans that don't know much about the nuances of swords.
@@TheSteam02 That wasn't a staff member that made the video and the guy who posted this video lied lol
@WedoNotmakeBabies I think you deleted your other comment, but I'd love some clarification here.
The QR code to their discord is included with their swords in shipment, and yet you say it is a community run discord. Can you clarify which is the case?
You said that they are not staff, and yet they have the role "team member", on a discord server which is included on a QR code sent with the swords.
@@IPostSwords i think you deleted my comment but yea that discord is community run
And that "team member" is actually just a volunteer mod Their website says dull swords are display & cosplay only
@WedoNotmakeBabies very strange for a brand to have a community run discord included on cards sent with their product.
Like, truly bizarre.
So bizarre, that it isn't actually the case. It's run by staff.
We spoke on the Reddit trail and did not expect this to turn into a video. Great video and endeavor. You have a new subscriber with me. Keep it up. 🙏🏻🤘🏻
Welcome to the channel, I don't post often so don't hold your breath for more.
Were can I buy Anime Replicas instead ?
Sorry if I am sticking my nose in where it doesn’t belong but I would buy directly from EBay, as you would be getting the same as what mini is putting out there at a fraction of the cost. Most have a good return policy on there as well. If you are looking for a reputable seller in the states, RVC katana are great to their customers!
Hanbon Forge is really good for their prices
I always wondered what would happen when the sword store at the mall learned about social media 😊
Thanks for trying to keep all of us consumers educated IPS!
LOL
Does anybody know a cheap website where I can get cheap swords?
Mini Katana apparently sells some really good ones! :)
@@ToxicityAssuredno they don't
They are just drop shippers supporting Chinese mass producers
@@yomofo3504blah blah
the cheap swords ur gonna find are probably made of cardboard or plastic
Best site to get the best quality anime swords??
I have to say that I am a little shocked at how “controversial “ your video turned out to be. In my opinion it is spot on. It looks like MK have some die hard fans. Strange how out of context things were taken. I have been studying martial arts , including Japanese and Korean sword arts since 1982. I forge my own swords but once in a while I will buy something off the web. There are some reputable companies with great return policies right from eBay. That is where I would suggest going for someone to look. They are a fraction of the price of MK and probably made in the same forge. Anyhow, I Agree with you pal!
It’s controversial since the people most likely to use them are anime enthusiasts or people who will just put it on display and never actually use the katana. He makes a big deal over discord servers when the people who will go to the length of following them there are the same crowd. The typical customer of theirs are just looking for the latest release of the sword used by Tanjiro or Zoro etc. So it feels like he did not understand who is the customer base. It’s like someone complaining that the vehicles sold at Toys R Us are not even close to being real and some people are getting fooled if they go there to buy a real car.
Never expected to find my own picture 2:03 to appear on your video. So yeah, don't buy from minikatana, don't make the same mistake I did. Cheers
Where would you recommend a starter katana that is durable as fuck for many swings and slicing tatami Matt
I would recommend checking out Matthew Jensens channel, I am pretty sure they did a video on that topic recently
Mine was a rattle trap. Loose ito, fake samegawa, loose tsuba and habaki. The blade wasn't sharp either.
I do find it strange they have so much marketing but I don’t see any real reviews of people who bought one.
Yeah, there are very few reviews considering their sales volume. I would say a large part of that is probably because the average buyer of their products isnt actually a sword person, so they're not overly concerned with the quality. If your only concern is how well is displays on a wall, things like the fit, finish, construction and material quality doesnt matter to you much.
Exactly what held me from buying one of their swords. Usually, replicas look nice but are awful in quality and you never find a single review about them where someone talks about the actual quality.
I actually made a review talking about the quality but it never made it to the website. Guess they didn’t want a negative review.
I bought one the enma zoros kantana before I watched this I wish I watched this before I have been waiting 4 months for it and it never arrived at my house
this is the ONLY video that review these guys and it isn't even a sword quality review, kinda suggest how good of a company they are if noone really bother making video about them
Most of their customers arent buying swords to get a sword, but as a form of anime fandom merch. I suspect this is a major reason there aren't unsponsored reviews of their products, because the people buying them arent really in the sword reviewing community
@@IPostSwords that explains it well, thank for your reply
Mini katana is not the same as a Japanese made sword. But if you wanna a sick anime sword....
i believe you got your facts wrong about the anime replicas, not all of their anime replicas are dull, and there is a section for anime replicas that have a sharp edge and a full tang, meaning they could be used for light cutting, though many of their painted anime replicas are much duller than their non replica katanas due to the paint covering the edge.
While they do have full tang anime swords, the discord "team member" was replying to a question specifically about "dull" sword, i.e their rat-tail stainless swords.
@@IPostSwords while i believe that is mainly the discord team members fault, and not so much the company's, I am sorry for the misunderstanding.
@@FeatureGUI the discord is owned by the company. They had the "team member" role
This screenshot should clear things up.
i.imgur.com/20HrueI.jpeg
@@IPostSwords hmm, that is odd, though i do still wonder if maybe there was a misunderstanding, as it doesn't seem logical for anyone to say that a dull cosplay katana would cut anything with any effectiveness
China dropshippers
you are right but... mini katana katanas arent of course real katanas. the original stuff is minimum $2k . so you kinda get what you are paying for. They have that stingray skin, average metal, and sharp blades only for cosplays and just to say you have a katana. i belive they are kinda valid
One point and a question;
(1) Similar to Swords of Northshire. Although I believe SoN is more hands-on when it comes to quality control through whomever they contract with to make their offerings. I would certainly trust them over MK. But I've been with HanBon Forge for 2 years and 11 swords now. As far as budget Katana go I'm very happy with them. In fact you can see a blade they just did for me on their UA-cam channel and their Facebook page.
(2) Good information and nice to know, but I was curious as to the impetus that inspired this video. Was there a particular incident or complaints from people or some such?
From deduction, it's from that Reddit post of the grossly bent katana from MK and one of his friend's (Shad) reaction streams where they reacted and cringed at MiniKatana's shorts.
tis from the reddit post and someone on the /swords/ discord posting that moderators comment they saw in the minikatana discord. i completely forgot shad did a video on minikatanas shorts, I assume i only watched like, the end of it.
@@IPostSwords thanks for the answer
FYI, Michael posts this comment on so many YT vids and all over the forums... I've seen it all over the web! He's persistent for sure.
1:43 I strongly suspect that Solingen or Chatellerault produced and passed through rigorous inspection similar amounts of blades back in the day without any major complications, and that's before the advent of modern QC methods. The difference here lies in the fact that a reseller relies on the manufacturer's QC first and foremost, and might not even bother with checking anything themselves.
3:50 Now that's rich!
The fact that we have entire lists of the stamps of inspectors from Chatellerault is exactly why they were better at this than modern companies.
They actually hired inspectors.
I agree, though. The first point of QC is the manufacturer, and in an ideal world, the have someone whos job it is to actually inspect every sword. IF the sword is then sold through a reseller, like here, it SHOULD be a second QC step. In Minikatana's case, it feels like neither manufacturer or reseller is doing enough QC. Every single review ive seen says they have loose ito wrap, and that is not an exaggeration.
@@IPostSwords I suspect that with Chinese characters you can theoretically have a shorter distinguishable inspector stamp, which would be a benefit if some of your products are knife-sized.
I agree that a decent reseller should have a QC department of its own, but that implies larger outfit, experts to hire and most of all, a pitifull dent into the 45% profit margin. 😁It's one thing when you're a single person like Matt Easton, cleaning the swords and establishing their provenance before reselling, and quite another when you're pushing entire containers around and bragging on social media. The taste of easy money, as far as I hear, is one hell of a drug.
Well, for now let's just be happy with the Kult of Athena's business model.
As for the loose wraps, isn't it a more widespread problem on modern replicas? I believe I've heard it mentioned in the reviews of swords from more respectable makers.
For below 1k their „battle ready“ ones are actually fine. In japan 3k is the bare minimum for Meh quality Katanas, but there they are Hand made from Smiths so… anyways for cosplays, great choice, for Slicing Meh.
It blows my mind that you consider yourself an academic and you’d make click bait like this. As other commentators have pointed out, you got your facts wrong. For shame. And it adds even more layers of questionable that you’d use discord ‘screenshots’ as your evidence of product quality.
What facts do you believe I got wrong?
The discord is run by the company.
The profit margins come from the founders tweets.
The bent swords are photos from customers.
Those commenters make statements that are not supported by the evidence - so they don't hold weight. Everything I'm saying I back up, yes, with screenshots. Screenshots from the social media platforms of the company and its employees.
@@IPostSwords
it seems so unapologetically stupid to advertise dull swords as ‘sharp’ that I didn’t believe it. So I went on their website. Their cheaper swords are clearly labeled at ‘dull’ in specs. They don’t advertise them as sharp. There’s also a huge price difference between sharp and dull. So basically you made a whole video out of a discord screenshot.
@@LighterHarmony you've misheard me. I stated that their website correctly differentiates - the issue is that people who had roles listing them as "team members" said dulls can be used to cut things.
Re-watch it. I am quite specific with my wording.
It’s funny because in their UA-cam videos they call them “battle ready” when they’re clearly not at all meant for battle
As a person who have been practicing kenjutsu for almost a decade, I'd say that judging by the appearance and their attitude towards their swords according to their channel, their swords are presumably far from sutiable for any cutting or swordsmanship practicing attempts
Thank you, I am glad you (who reaches all of my subs, as well as countless more) tackled this issue. Their marketing in the shorts reel is downright appalling and dangerous. Like their "bolt 2 nakago together" or "katana ice skates". I checked them out, they only had one model in stock I would even consider cutting with. Thanks for taking the weight off of my shoulders.
Unfortunately I am not entirely sure I have the reach to actually be seen by their core audience, which are the people most at risk of their dangerous and laissez-faire attitude
@IPostSwords right. What we need to find an anime enthusiast, who is also a proficient swordsperson, to tackle the subject. Could maybe do a little deeper dive (aka Google search) into the most popular animes' names, and add those to the tags. If you can save just one anime kid from severely lacerating themselves, it would be worth it.
redddit
Was about to buy a sword from them, but luckily I saw this video. I saw far better options than Mini.Katana.
which other options have you found?
Like what? 🤔
@@dmsgrdthey buy from chinese mass producers
literally amazon
amazon is worse
Thank you for this disclaimer! So, are they actually miniature, or does the "mini" in their name imply something else?
I believe they started with miniatures then moved to full size
@@IPostSwords , Ahh, ok. Thank you for getting back!
@@andreweden9405 Their miniature swords/letter openers are fine as they are and can make a cheap gift. Also their pens are pretty cool.
For a sec even I thought
Why would they give us real sharp katanas and fancy katanas that can slice for 200 dollars instead of 2 thousand dollars
Katanas made by swordsmiths atleast cost 2000 dollars
And besides u shouldn't by American made katanas
😂
Idk u haven’t showen any proff of what u say? So know i don’t know anymore….
I mean, the screenshots included in the video are from the Twitter account of the owner / founder of mini.katana, so... that should act as its own proof as to their business methods.
I don’t understand why you have to make mini katana seem like their products are bad
But he did not do that at all! He was merely trying to explain that they are not “Mini katanas” products at all. And the quality control gets lost in the fray.
Bro did you even watch the entire video 💀💀💀
of course you play Roblox that explains everything wrong with this comment
@@LeoClark-us5rz I fucking hate Roblox, I left this comment a year ago and I didn’t know shit about drop shipping. Sorry for my stupidity.
@@Tmmylovesfort very obviously 🧢
Have you ever run a business? You took the tweets so wildly out of context that I have to question your motivations behind this video. Also I read some comments here and it looks like there’s a reasonable case for defamation given that you basically failed to provide accurate facts. - from a lawyer and a fellow sword collector.
Also, I would never buy from them (mostly because I prefer buying real nihonto).
If you believe I have been inaccurate, please check my recent community post. I have provided evidence to indicate that the discord server is indeed run by minikatana, and is not community run. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxkGPoONTlcn4SjUHCsJ9BNomnLWmD0YJ9
Business experience is irrelevant to video so that question is pointless.
I watched the video and it basically boils down to hey, this company mass ordered from China so watch out as it's impossible to do quality control so manage your expectations, they cannot promote cutting with stainless steel sword as it is dangerous and irresponsible, also you can buy anime sword for cheaper somewhere else. All of which are true.
There's so much precedent to this type of videos that it's literally impossible for a proper lawsuit to be made. If someone file a lawsuit to this person, that person filing the lawsuit will lose the case.
You know what, I don't think you're a lawyer at all. 😅
Chinese supporters
@yomofo3504 that 🍆 must really taste good.
You joined the day you posted this comment. Sus
They arent meant to be used🤦🏽🤷🏼♂️ if you buy a mini katana and expect to use it, you are very short sighted in your thought process.
A bunch of misinformation and 15k subscribers. Sounds about right. Regret clicking on this.