Paul Chen Practical Elite Katana

I would like to comment on how well this sword is put together for the price point. I have been studying and teaching martial arts for 20 years and have used and restored many production blades as well as real nihonto. This blade although considered a low end cutter is very great in many aspects. The blade shape of the Elite is wonderful in that it is the best of both worlds. It has traditional shape of shinogi-zukuri but has more thickness in dimensions than the standard offerings with a tapering from habaki to kissaki. The wide gunome/midare hamon with bright nio an the satin finish blade is very well done, and not over ecthed like some of the other offerings. The fittings while plain jane are aesthetically traditional for a utilitarian samurai work horse. The fit of the habaki and saya are the best I have seen for production blades but this may be hit or miss as it is a production blade. The tsuka and it faux same and plastic menuki are not the best but for the price but could always be changed out. And the ito is very tight with a nice tight finishing knot, although I do not like the feel of the ito for training. I made a new tsuka core with full same and japanese silk ito and made the PK Elite a better sword for the price it cant be beat. This blade cuts very good with as I cut through 3 tatami with no problem, although this blade could sustain a bend due to bad cutting it is a better choice to me than the PK XL. The PK XL with its wide thin cutting edge is more prone to be botched by bad cutting than the elite in my opinion.

After searching for a good diferentially hardened katana and getting a lot of advice i settled on the baisic elite series katana. Fit and Finish 4/5 The fit of this katana is great its tight and and feels good in my hands. the only graw back is the plastic menuki and the fake same but the simple tsuba was suprisingly attractive when i held it in my hand. the blade has a great hamon and the spine has an amazing miror polish. Handling 5/5 this sword was made to amaze. it has a balance point that makes it feel light in the hands and is a quick cutter. i was able to go through beach matts with ease leaving a perfect line. even through double matts with a pice of river cane in the middle it went with great ease. structural integrity 4/5 this sword is strong the edge is rock hard and can handle bamboo with ease. the only draw back is it is very thin and could be bent with an incomplete cut. value 6/5 this is the best cutter i have and cost 100 dollars less than my most expensive.

i have had this sword for almost 2 years now. during which i went through about 7 other lesser(i.e. stainless steel) swords which all compleatly fell apart, and even the blades could not hold up to the constant momentum of training. however this blade has not only held up striking a steel plate(oops^_^), blocking anuther sword, being thrust into thick materials 1000's of times, and cuting through; tatami, straw, cardboard, mailtubes, and wooden dowl enforced mats, but it has outlasted its handle!! the swords handle has bin streched out so much even the flower inlay fell out. the wood is discolored from all the sweat and dirt its absorbed, and the faux raskin even started peeling. the bottem of the tsuba has lost all its polish, and even the sheath has fallen apart from so much drawing practice. but even so, the blade is still firmly secured in the handle, still razor sharp(not inc the few chips from accedents) and perfictly strait. the fact that this blade has outlasted all its fitings is the ultimate testmint to its durability, and exquisite for its price. my only sugjestion is that you make sure you know someone that can re-wrap your handle for you.