Although I understand that many HDGD practioners use Federation jingum, I thought you may be interested in a review I posted on SFI.

Thanks

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For those interested, here is a performance review I recorded for the Last Legend Shinryu Katana.

I. Clip
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afuU6enWg0M#GU5U2spHI_4
II. Sword Specs...
- http://swordarmory.com/05kat/shinryu/shinryu.html
III. Materials
A. Mantis Goza
- Single rolls soaked for approximately 8 hrs.
B. Bamboo
- Green bamboo harvested same day
- 5' tall, 1.25" to 1.5" diameter poles
IV. Results
A. Opinion
- Over all good cutter, fantastic for the price
B. Appearance
- Aesthetics are subjective so I'll let you decide
- Fittings are strong & safe
- The tsuka maki "battle wrap" was strange at first but I soon acclimated
C. Performance
- Smooth draw & sheath
- Cut goza well
- Cut bamboo well
- Has Last Legend's "legendary" balance (though not a thin blade, feels light due to the balance point being near the tsuba).
V. Final Remarks
- For $297.95 out the door, you get a strong & safe differentially tempered blade suitable for normal tameshigiri.
- Though it did cut bamboo surprisingly well, I personally would not risk it on thicker poles (2" diameter & over). As you can see in the last cut of the clip, the blade somewhat dragged & this was the thickest pole. It may be possible that the bo-hi was detrimental to the cut; however, there was no damage to the ha.
- So, in my humble opinion, the Shinryu is a strong, safe & inexpensive sword which I would have no issue with using for day to day training. Though I would not put in the same class as MAS or Bugei, IMO it is a step above other swords in its price range.

Thank you for your time.

PS - Sorry for the poor framing. I recorded it all by myself & did the best that I could. Also, for those wondering about the dog, it was safely fenced in another yard about 200 feet way.

That is the best PS I have ever read.
I want to put the part about the dog on a T-shirt. Can you imagine the reactions Casey would get wearing such an item?


Frivolity aside, thanks for the review, Tom.

I might resent that if I knew what it meant.

Thanks for the review, Tom.

Thanks Anthony & Casey.

IMO, if you are looking for a quality blade, safe for jipdan & up to single 1.5" diameter bamboo, the Shinryu fits the bill. I could not see any safety issues that you may find with other like priced swords. Is it in the same class as a Federation or MAS blade, no, but its not intended for serious hard target cutting. Basically, if I put the Shinryu through the same test that I did with the MAS Sunflower, I fear I would have either chipped the edge or made a set.

For me, it would be an excellent dojang sword for students learning to cut jipdan or a sword that you aren't too worried about damaging.

Thanks

Has anyone tested or use other brands besides the Federation?

I recall someone was using a Cheness but that's about it. Most of the stuff on Ebay are not suitable but there are IMO several good companies around. MAS, Last Legend, Bugei/Hanwei, Dyansty Forge, Kris Cutlery & Citadel Forge are all production companies that have positive marks from JSA/KSA practiioners. MAS has my highest regard & it is the closest to a Federation jingum that I have found so far. On SFI, the people who don't like them have never used them. Kind of hard to critque how a product performs if you've never even picked it up .

Thanks

This is a summary after a couple years’ worth of periodic cutting with my two katanas. I say katanas because that’s what they officially are, rather than jingums. Primary differences being: they both have grooves, and the handles are secured with two pegs rather than one peg and a bolt, as jingums are. I have also included some comments about my ko katana. A ko katana is a short katana, about the right length for what would have been a Yedo jingum.

Specs:
Cold Steel Warrior
2 lb, 8 oz. (website says 2b 9 oz.)
28.75" blade 1050 monosteel (latest version is 1055)
blade depth 1.25" at habaki to 15/16" at start of kissaki
blade width 5/16" at habaki
11" tsuka
MSRP about $539 You can get them for maybe $300 on ebay.

Cheness Mokko (2d gen)
2 lb, 2.5 oz (Cheness site says new Mokko is 2lb, 6 oz.- could be my scale is off)
27.75" blade 1060 monosteel
blade depth 1.2" at habaki to 7/8" at start of kissaki
blade width .3"
12" tsuka
MSRP about $379 You can get the new version of this sword for $200. New version has different fittings.

Cheness Mokko Ko katana
21" blade 1060 monosteel
blade depth 1.2" at habaki to 7/8" at start of kissaki
blade width .3"
10.25" tsuka
MSRP about $299 You can get these for $169

Materials cut: Double rolled beach mats, soaked overnight.
Also 1” to 2” bamboo, harvested within 24 hours. Many more cuts against bamboo than mats over two and a half years.

Overall impressions:
Cold Steel Warrior: Good reliable cutter; but read on for the issue I had with it.
I always use this sword at the beginning of the cutting season, as I am confident it will go thru anything with a properly executed cut, bamboo joints included. Not as manuverable a sword as the Cheness Mokko due to the extra weight. If i had to do forms with it, it would be tiring.

I have cut a lot of poles with the Warrior, and it’s durable. I have inspected the blade with a magnifying glass after each cutting session; it has yet to show any damage at all from any bamboo, regardless of how bad the cut, including joints. Tough sword. Balance is kind of heavy compared to a WHDGDF jingum, as the blade is thicker and the weight is more forward. Only real complaint I have with it is that the ito started to untie and unravel at the end cap. I fixed it, and it’s fine now; but with this sword you need to inspect the ito closely. Perhaps the new model (just out) has a better ito.

Cheness Mokko: Good reliable cutter. Everyone who has tried this sword liked it.
Good reliable sword for cutting. Inch longer grip was liked by the taller guys who tried it. Examination of the blade with a magnifying glass after cutting sessions yielded no visible damage to the blade, regardless of how bad a cut, joints and all. Tough blade. All the fittings were still as tight as they had started. More maneuverable than the Warrior, as it’s lighter.

Cheness Mokko Ko Katana: Reliable cutter if you have good cut geometry.
This would be true of any ko katana, I would think. The balance is two to three inches closer to the guard; the relative lack of mass in the blade compared to the katana means that it is not very forgiving of a poor cut, unless the bamboo is pretty thin. If your geometry is good, it cuts just fine, both uppercuts and down cuts. Great sword for speed cuts on the draw, as long as the cut geometry is good and you remember the sword is seven inches shorter. Tough blade, just like the Mokko katana, no damage yet due to any poor cuts.

Overall, I've been very happy with my Mokkos; the owner of Cheness (Paul Chen but not the Hanwei Paul Chen) is very responsive to his customers' reviews and comments, and is constantly improving his line.