Shikoto Hand Forged Katana Damascus Sword

This was my first real sword. While the sword looks good and seems sturdy I wasn't as blown away by this as other posters. It wasn't razor sharp like I would have like and construction is good not great. Although for the price and as a first sword it works nicely.

Just picked this sword up, it's my second katana and 5th sword overall. The blade was very nice on mine, no rust and very straight, edge is also good. Out of the box it can cut paper, but not super cleanly - sharp enough for most cutting, but you may want to sharpen it a bit more if you are a serious cutter.Fittings were all tight, no rattle or anything loose on it. After cleaning and oiling the blade, the damascus-pattern really shows up beautifully, and it does go to the edge of the blade, so I believe it is good steel, not just acid etching.My only real issue is the pegs in the handle weren't really straight on mine, so I haven't been able to remove the handle to verify the tang. The pegs are fine the way they are right now, just a bit tricky to remove. The leather wrap is well done, no issues there. The leather does give it a larger handle grip, so watch out for that. The handle feels large compared to my other katana's cotton-wrapped handle.This katana is also light, it moves very fast. My other katana (the other one I have is also a cutting katana, in the $500 range) feels more solid overall, but I think that's also due to my other one being heavier and having a thicker blade overall.Bottom line, I think this is a great katana for the price, and it really is beautiful. It looks great in or out of the saya. This is my first sword from United Cutlery, so I was pretty nervous about what I would end up with, but happy with the result.One note, the katana is shipped with only the katana and saya. It does not come with a cleaning kit, so make sure you have stuff already to clean it with. It will need to be well cleaned soon as you get it. Personally, I use Kleenix tissues (no lotion kind!), 99% alcohol (gets the old oil off the blade nicely), and then oil it (gun oil or sewing machine oil).

made in china! worst amazon purchase to date.

Cheap quality of steel I could make one myself that is stronger. Using it as a prop for a movie it got snapped in half. Aside from that it now makes a great prop for being in 3 pieces that fit perfectly together. Like a 10,000 dollar piece of art I put it on display at our office.

Love it! Doesn't come hair splitting sharp, but that's the beauty of being able to sharpen it yourself! Would give 5/5 but it came late.

Mostly a collectors blade, its sharp but not razor sharp, has a double blood grove, and the leathers decent. Its fairly heavy which is not unusual for damascus steel but its unique wrapping on the sheath makes it kinda hard to use for real iaido practitioners

Received sword before estimated delivery date, awesome job there. The Katana is very well made and also very sharp. I enjoy the leather wrap over the cotton since it provides a better grip. The tsuba is a little small but that doesn't bother me to much, and you can just replace it with a different one if you want to. the United Cutlery logo on the blade is small and insignificant, and has some nice inscriptions on the opposite side which make up for the logo. Blade is straight with minor, and when I say minor its like barely noticeable unless you really examine every inch of the blade, as I was saying...minor wave on the Mune. Don't take this as that the blade is not straight, blade is perfectly straight. the forge line is slightly waved toward the center of the blade, that is all.It has a double Hi, which is kinda cool since I haven't seen many Katanas with 2 grooves.Have done some test swings with the sword, the results were more than awesome. Cut through 1 tatami without any issues, have not tried more yet as that was my last one.Update: measured sword after I received a different one I had ordered. Sword measures 43.5"!?!? Not complaining about this, I was just seeing how close the 41.25" measurement in the description was.5 stars, and would highly recommend this katana for the price it is offered for and basically for any price it goes for. well worth it.

This is the second katana I've purchased. I have to say, it is really beautiful. It's very solid, feels great in your hands and looks/feels like a very good quality blade. I should be able to get around to some cut tests this weekend. Will try and update after that, but so far I'm impressed. The quality of the finish is great all around. The tsuba, although very simple, looks really great. Much nicer than in the photos. I purchased a lower priced katana by Musashi. That cut well and looks nice and is probably a good buy for the price of about $60-70 but this United Cutlery katana is much much nicer. I hope all goes well with the cut test and nothing becomes loose. Worth the money and I would recommend this. I already ordered the matching tanto and will be ordering the wakizashi as well.