Assemble Yourself Mantis Katana

For those who do practice Iaito this is a great piece. The weight is good, the blade is not so long the draw is hindered; the furniture is solid and easy to grip. Being a build it your self aids in the knowledge of how to assemble and what is involved in the whole weapon, not just focusing on the blade and edge. Some more expensive Iaido swords are aluminum or other alloys to build up the weight and still be hardy enough for daily Iaido, but the weight and action of a true carbon steel blade cannot be matched. I give this a thumbs up for quality and solid construction; the service is great and shipping fast. The price is just right; there is really no good reason to pay more unless it makes you feel like you are getting something better, but in the long run, for a practical and useful piece this is the best deal. This piece is great for the beginner, but is suggested for the advanced student as it has the capability to be polished to have a very sharp and long lasting edge.

I shouldn't gripe for less than 40 bucks, but I guess I was hoping for more. It took a bit of thumping to seat the tsuka,and the blade was a bit light and unsharp, but waddya want for $40?

i ordered one of these and in less than 24 hours it was at my door...was very leary of buying this sword, but once I got it and put it together it shocked me on how tight everything was. Still leary, I got a few water filled jugs and it cut through them like nothing ..it couldnt cut through the more solid jugs like 2 liter soda but after I sharpened her up a bit it should with ease...was imprssed on how it held together after not being able to cut though. It didnt come loose or anything! Great buy for beginners and... well everyone!

$40.00 eh! Not bad. The blade is not too sharp with an etched hamon and knife edge. Don't know if edge can be knocked down to resemble the edge of a true Katana? Will find out when sharpening kit arrives. The saya was a thing of beauty and fits like it grew there. The tsuka was another aspect of this blade that I found of very nice quality. Although the same is fake, the ito wrapping was done tight and the diamonds are uniform and very well crafted. the furniture is subtle and very tastefull! Thanks SOM

Not bad for 40 bucks, too bad about the china stamp on the blade, and could be sharper but if you want to learn how to sharpen a katana this is the sword to get.