Have held up so far.
"I have had both the Katana and Wakizashi for a few years, the grips feel great and the blade are beautifully crafted. Now I'm just hoping for a Tanto blade version to make my collection complete."
Overall rating: 4.633333 / 5 from 30 reviews.
The Shinwa Makaku Katana is celebrated for its exceptional craftsmanship and quality, embodying traditional Japanese sword-making. The hand-forged Damascus steel blade, with over 1,000 layers, is both visually stunning and functional. The katana's elegant design, featuring a genuine black ray skin handle and brass menuki, makes it a cherished heirloom.
Review topics: ["quality","shipping","looks","fits","grip","pattern","box","problem","price","feels","sword","blade","katana","buy","handle","habaki","deal","steel","budk","edge","weapon"].
"I have had both the Katana and Wakizashi for a few years, the grips feel great and the blade are beautifully crafted. Now I'm just hoping for a Tanto blade version to make my collection complete."
"This Katana and the matching Wakizashi are great cutting practice weapons. Both stay sharp and handle well. There is no "Bling" to worry about, just a very basic, durable weapon. Shinwa Damascus blades have been around for a while now and they have been very dependable."
"I was really impressed with this sword. It's exactly how it was described on the site and even came with a cool display box. It was super sharp right out the box and fits very snug in the scabbard. A very traditional looking samurai sword but not too fancy that I want to keep It in wraps all the time. I will get some use out of this bad boy for sure. Definitely will be ordering more items from BudK seeing how they hold true to what they advertise. Thanks guys very satisfied."
"Bought these on a BOGO for my son, he LOVES them. Nicely packaged, weighted and detail. Wrap looks more like cotton shoelace than "ray" skin, but overall great quality, feels very sturdy. I would recommend for beginners and for form practice and competition. Can't say yet how they hold up in sparring."
"This is a great katana for the price. Since it’s only $70, don’t expect high end quality and nitpick every little thing. There were some little things wrong with the sword obviously but the katana fittings were tight and feels pretty solid in your hands. A great buy to have a blade that looks pretty cool!"
"Really cool box/Great bogo deal!! sharp as he!! right out of the case /nice fittings/ Thanks again!!!!!!"
"Extremely nice high quality katana to go with my matching Wakazashi."
"This is my first Shinwa and my first damascus steel blade. The blade is beautiful! I cut up the cardboard box it came in and none of the damascus pattern came off. Which means it's real damascus steel. It's very light weight as well. The handle is tight and well made. The only con is that the habaki is slightly loose, but it doesn't affect its functionality. The sword came in a beautiful red wine colored storage box. Looking forward to purchasing more Shinwas. Thanks BudK!"
"I purchased one as part of Budk's BOGO sale so mine came to be $50 after splitting the tab. At even $70, this is one hell of a damascus katana. It is real 1024 layer damascus due to the fine patterns that are ingrained and NOT etched (1045 & 1060 high carbon steel from what I've researched.) The ha rests close to the handle, indicative of genuine, ancient, traditional crafting methods from Longquan, China. Mine came with a sori of 1". This is desireable for me because extreme curvature swords are usually custom-made. Tsuka: 10.75". Nagasa (blade): 29". Overall in saya: 40.625". The tsukaito is somewhat loose, the saya secures inclined towards the ha, and the tsuba is 1 degree from sitting straight but I didn't pay for the furnishings I paid for the traditionally forged blade! The blade is straight but a little front heavy. Passes the paper test. Cuts sugar cane easily. For a future sword such as this, I recommend an 11.5" or even 11.75" tsuka tang for improved balanced. Final thought: 4.4 stars at normal price but I paid $50 so 5 stars all the way YES!"
"Came in excellent condition, except the box it was a bit damaged and the blade was a bit dirty"