Sword Review - Swords of Northshire Custom Katana
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- Опубліковано 9 вер 2024
- #katana #swordreview #samurai
Thanks for watching!
I tried out some different photography with this review. Let me know what you think.
Swords of Northshire: www.swordsofno...
HuaWei Swords: www.huaweisword...
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That’s not Kanji it’s Katakana that says カイル or “Kairu” or “Kyle” in Japanese
I 2nd what Brad has written. Good job 👍.
I 3rd
I ordered a custom 1095 clay tempered carbon steel katana with sharp niku for heavily cutting and a leather tsuka and its honestly perfect, the diamond shaped are exactly the same size, the blade itself is beautiful, overall it costed me $490, I would recommend buying from this company for sure
Nice! Glad you got a worthy katana. I need to try one with a leather ito sometime to compare how it feels to the cotton and artificial silk I've held on other katanas. And, of course, one with real silk sometime.
I'll be damned. I used the Lens feature on my phone. That straight up says "Kyle". That's wild.
I’m glad I clicked on this video because the sword I was making is similar and I appreciate seeing itn
Glad it was helpful!
I own Northshire custom katana and I can help add additional info (took mine apart to fix/replace a few things).
- The ito wrap is most definitely synthetic silk. Can actually test this by using a torch. Real silk will burn but leave behind a dark ash/soot (also smells quite bad), but synthetic silk will melt and sorta ball up into harder bead(s).
- The wooden handle/core didn't have any noticeable cracks or defects, but they did use sticky tape on the sides to probably better hold the ito whilst wrapping.
- My rayskin on my custom wasn't real rayskin. Was a very brittle plastic which ended up cracking over use (yours looks sorta the same, so might want to double check)
- My fittings (tsuba, fuchi, menuki, and kashira) I ordered all had that darker copper look. I was actually pleasantly surprised to find all my fittings were solid brass, and took upon it to sand/polish some of the accents so the brass shows through.
- The Koiguchi, koiguchi and kurikata are indeed made of a different material (horn). I was able to test this when my first saya I ordered came cracked, so they shipped me another one for free. Fit on both sayas I got were overly tight, and I did end up having to do some light sanding to get them to fit right.
- The tang/nakago was about what I'd expect. It's pretty rough, but solid. Did have the makers mark, as well as a machine stamp of "Ryan Swords" so seems Ryan Swords interchanges with Northshire (take that as you will).
One last lil tidbit for ya;
The "kanji" on your blade isn't Kanji, but Katakana (which is normally used for non-traditional words/names), and when romanized it spells out "Ka-i-ru" which is about right. Since usually converting English to Japanese words are more based on sound/pronunciation than the letters themselves, it'd sound closest to the word. Like how "aisukuriimu" is ice cream in Japanese, as (when spelt out) sounds like the word.
It's been many years since I've learned Japanese, so anyone more versed can probably offer you more info on this, but (to me) your name seems correct.
Wow, lots of great info here, thanks! You pretty much confirm to me that while Swords of Northshire offers a decentish katana for the price, I think HuaWei is just overall a better buy. Especially for me, since I don't really like 99% of the koshirae options anyway - most are too blinged out for my taste.
@@alientude Yeah that's fair, and no problem.
As you already pointed out; Northshire shines for it's customization. They've always been able to accommodate my requests whenever I'd email them.
However in terms of fit/finish you'd probably be better off with HuaWei for sure.
Thanks for the good info.
Good thorough review!
Thanks!
Man, that sword looks dope. I just subscribed to your channel. I hope to see more of your content
Thank you, I really appreciate that!
@@alientude no problem
I have three from them. I have no problems with any of my blades. I don't abuse them either though. I treat them with respect.
U deprive them from the meaning of their existence...
“A samurai will use a toothpick even though he has not eaten. Inside the skin of a dog, outside the hide of a tiger.” Yamamoto Tsunetomo
I would never set my blades on rocks like that, but otherwise, great video.
Well composed, man. Congrats, good workable sword
Thanks!
can confirm that is the name "Kyle" in katakana engraved on the blade
That is definitely real buffalo horn on your saya sir.
Thank you for the info!
great review!
Thanks!
Good detailed fair review. Thanks for taking the time to do this review.
The bohi termination at kissaki is bad, typical of low quality blades along with lack of mount-details that would be covered by a better brand like Huawei.
If blade, component, and build quality is more important than cheap koshirae aesthetics, once the budget hits $200, going with Huawei is a no-brainer.
Thank you! I didn't know that about the bohi - always something more to learn.
@@alientude For bohi termination comparison at kissaki, here's link to a $199 TH Huawei; $41 cheaper than the SoN.
www.huaweiswords.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=20_27&product_id=54&sort=p.price&order=ASC
@@garrettmarshall9740 I'm also a fan of the fuller termination that way. Have one of their swords (huawei unokubi 9260) and like it a lot.
Just my opinion- to call the center termination style "bad" is a stretch of the word. Just goes to show how good we have it as sword buyers when this detail doesn't impact the function of the sword in the slightest.
Still agree it's more appealing to have the pointed termination, but hey, we're spoiled at this point.
Had the same issues you had, as I had much experience with SON...picking the pieces is troublesome as you never get exactly what is pictured...that tsuba is not a katana size tsuba, the Minuki is terribly loose, has nothing to do with the battle wrap style, poor craftsmanship, ito too loose, yes imitation silk on all these swords real Japanese silk or cotton very expensive...although the 1060 blade looks sleek and an overall nice looking show piece, SON swords are good cutters but things may rattle after heavy cutting, overall general good experience with SON...You should enjoy this sword...good review...you could still remove the Mekugi peg just move the ito to the side a bit as you hammer it up...
I forgot to mention that my wife was not particularly keen on the idea of a katana she ordered being disassembled, so when I noticed the mekugi placement, I decided it was better to follow her wishes.
Daisho ("big-little") means pair of Katana , Uchigatana-Edo Katana & Wakazashi (along w Tanto&Tessen)
Excellent review. Wow. Did you write this on a script first? Very eloquently spoken!
Man those menuki are so loose that I would probably glue them to the ito with some clear non-foaming gorilla glue. Otherwise it seems possible that they might tug the ito and cause it to get so loose that they fall out completely.
It’s a beautiful sword. Nice!
Thanks for the compliment! Yes, I do write scripts for my reviews to avoid umms and uhs, and to help me collect and order my thoughts.
The writing is actually katakana engraving means “Kyle.”
A real good sword. I like where the no-hi ends about an inch or two b4 the yakote and kissaki.
Looks like Hanbon Forge swords with a mark up. A good business no doubt.
The katakana カイル “Kairu” does mean Kyle
Bro which sword would you recommend I am looking for something that can cut tatami mat with ease
Custom with heavy cutting sharpening
When u pick “custom symbol engraving” which is $25 extra does that mean having the chance to use Celtic symbols or other types symbol engravings???? If so how would I describe what the symbol looks like for their knowledge????
Simply type in the box "Celtic Symbol."
When you place an order, you should get into contact with SoN and tell them your order number and the detailed engraving you want. In the emails, you can send them the image/symbol you want engraved.
nice
Thanks
As a swordsman I cringe when I hear the smack of the handguard hitting scabbard
cry about it
@@TheSteam02 im straight , GET OFF MY DICC YA 304
Can second and verify the name is in Katakana " Ka - E - Ru". Thank you for this review :)
Thanks!
good to meet you again BRO 👌👌 you are doing great keeep goig👌 and just asking... you started training?
Thanks! Yes, I have started - two HEMA classes so far, one on grappling and one on longsword.
@@alientude cool man keep going we see each other on the top👌
I have wanted a Samurai for years but my pocket says $300.00 tops for a useable one any suggestions?
So far, of the different katana I've had (Ryujin, HuaWei, Musha, Yomikuni, and Swords of Northshire), the one by HuaWei is far and away the best sword. You can find them at www.huaweiswords.com/.
Be aware that they seem to be having problems with prompt fulfillment of orders, even if the katana shows in stock on their website. And there's been reports that if you contact them about the status of your order, they'll cancel it and refund your money without asking. But if you can wait them out, they really have the best reputation for budget katana in the market, and my experience so far matches that.
I do plan on doing reviews of other custom katana makers. I have an order in now with JKOO/Sinosword, and will eventually be ordering something from HanBon Forge and RyanSword. Those will be a ways in the future, however.
@@alientude Thanks I know little about swords but have wanted one for years but now being in my 60's I am buying things I want.I have looked at many sites but it is hard to know who has a good deal for the money.
@@kygent508 many decent swords there, I got two recently, both T10 steel, "heavy tool steel" a $165 one and a $200 one, I like heavy swords that give u the feel of rare cutting power, being a weight lifter it doesn't slow me down much either. I really want a Musashi sword from there like a 1045, 1065 carbon steel but that's at $265 but still within ur budget. Honshu swords are also great reviewed swords, also $200 ball part, I got one Wakasashi (30in) 1045 steel at $96 (not counting shipping $15 standard). Seriously man BudK, whole world of wants there, a must see for all sword enthusiasts.
I can confirm that says kyle
nice
Are they delivering at the Philippines?
I don't know, sorry.
I have had a somewhat negative experience with Swords of Northshire. I have ordered a custom-modified "1095 High Carbon Steel Blade Tai Chi Miaodao Kung Fu Chinese Martial Arts Miao Dao Sword", with a 72 cm blade and shortened grip, hand-sharpened. The information on the web page says that the sword comes at 800 g with an 80 cm blade. Well, mine came at 850 g with a 72 cm blade and shortened grip. Also, the sharpening was the worse of all I ever had on my blades. It looks almost as if it was deliberately poorly sharpened, so bad it is. Will I order from them again? Definitely, no.
How long did it take for you to receive the order?
@@jayd5354 About a couple of months. The communication was good, I must say. And I was always, in every message, saying them to take time... However, as I mentioned, the quality of the sword (weight and sharpening) I received was not very impressive.
@@ernestolynch1926 Thank you very much for the quick response. I ordered my very first custom katana with them mid January. I have yet to receive a progress report.
@@jayd5354 Good luck with that. And I hope your exprience will be better than mine.
Did you receive the full catalog and place the order through email? I noticed a sword with all of the fittings I like but the blade itself is more than I'm willing to pay and I would rather just have the matching fitting on the 1060/1095.
@Sleep Peep Yes, I requested their fittings catalog, and with it they gave me an Excel order form. Filled the Excel form out, sent it back to them, and they got me a quote quickly, then an invoice via Paypal. Went pretty smoothly.
how long did it take to get it
Good review I have two swords coming from them and can't wait to use them but they take to long to craft and ship the swords I have been waiting since March and we are coming up on June but that just might be covid times
Thanks! Our order took just under 3 months from time of order to blades in hand.
They just finished mine yesterday and sent pictures, took about 5 weeks. Just waiting for shipping
I’ve ordered one from them too,...it’s taking 5mos and 4 e-mails so far (pandemic and all) but I feel we’re entering the final stretch on this,...Brice is a good man who’s doing the best he can and won’t rest until I’m happy with my blade,...the other “Chitana” makers may be good,.....but they don’t have a Brice.
@@armoredsweatpants3997 From what I understand, Swords of Northshire is pretty much a reseller of RyanSword, with a markup to pay for US-based customer service (aka Bryce). This could be just hearsay, but it's something I've heard in multiple places.
@@alientude I have heard that Ryansword is one of the mfgs.they work with, they work with a variety of mfgs.and if you request not to use Ryanswod, they will get your blade elsewhere, Mathew Jensen mentioned that in his “Northshire” review and I confirmed it with them before ordering,...good for everyone to know though, others might not think to ask.
You got the Niku sharp did’t you?
Yes.
เจ้าเฮ็ดหยั่งพ่อใหญ่ ท่าฟันคือบ่ได้กินข้าวนิ
I'm sorry, I don't speak or read this language, and Google translate isn't helping.
カイル？ 落書きか？ 酷いなこれは。
I don't speak or read Japanese, but Google translate implies you're asking if the katakana is graffiti, and that it's terrible. I believe the katakana roughly translates to my name, which is what my wife wanted when we ordered this sword, so I certainly wouldn't consider it graffiti. If you think it's terrible, you're welcome to your opinion.
@@alientude 私はあなたより刀（Katana）をよく知っている。
刀身に名前を掘る行為は間違っている。
刀（Katana）とするならばもっと知識を得るべきだ。
@@user-he7gg6cy5x Well as I said, you are certainly welcome to your opinion. Have a nice day.