Cold Steel Warrior Series Katana

This review is on 02-03-15. People have given unfavorable reviews on this Katana, perhaps Cold Steel Quality has improved. Either way, here we go. The only Con I have was that the sword was delivered in a box (which was bent) and it was wrapped in a bubble bag. A thicker cloth black bag was folded inside. There was no warranty or any paperwork. Perhaps this is why it cost only 289.48 instead of 500.00. Out of the box, I was impressed. The blade is quality steel and flawless, no bumps or scratches and the blade is straight. Finish on the blade is satin not a high gloss mirror finish. No Hamon (since these are usually fake on most swords anyway). All fittings and handle are tight, no rattle. The Ito is wrapped perfect as if by hand and the braids are centered perfect. The Menuki (decorative pieces beneath the Ito) is bright with a gold finish and centered perfectly. So far so good. The blade is sharp and well balanced Some say its heavy but for me the weight is fine. Actually its kind of light (I am 5'11" and 53) Cuts halfway through the shipping box without scratching the blade. Laugh if you will but one of my test is the "swoosh". If the blade makes a fairly audible swoosh or whip sound it tells me the blade is straight and the cutting edge is consistent. Paper test. Cutting through a sheet of paper was little rough. A few passes over the cutting edge with a AccuSharp tool and "Holy ____" cut like a hot knife through butter. (if you try one of these sharpeners, start on a cheap sword first to get the hang of it. you will notice the difference) When passing the sharpener over the edge there was almost no steel shreds removed (another test of a quality steel as opposed to a blade made of pig iron that would leave large shards of metal flakes behind. To sum it up. Someone said this is a utilitarian blade. That's a great definition. She is not ugly but beautiful (in a bulldog kind of way)This Cold Steel Katana is a no BS no frills cutter and cutting is what is does! Use it for Iai kata practice, cutting Tami mats and Yes this can be used for self defense! Definitely a mans sword! Good Job Cold Steel!

When I orderes the sword, I already had a sharp pebble brand wetstone 1000/6000. I know some of you have seen youtube reviews by wannabe martial artists and decided NO on this sword. Think again. It doesnt come hand sharpened, duh. put the small effort in and sharpen it. I even watched a guy with his review on YT wearing a gimmick mask and using sloppy technique to try to cut water bottles! Man! sharpen this sword properly, its slick. its front heavy? well, it iss off by 4 inches on my 2 thousand dollar sword from japan circa 1979! this thing is built to last and is battle ready with a stone and stropped. at under 300 i'll take it over all the rest. I dont know lynn thompson but we need to thank this man for his service to the blade industry. cold steel always delivers and has a great warranty, and I wont need warranties with this sword! sliced tatami, sliced rope ( I used 2 inch marine rope) and was a pleasure to practice drawing and sheathing with. so many reviews way off the mark here. all because your hanwei swings well on tatami doesnt mean it will do well in a shtf situation or cut modern day kevlar through a car door.

I'm going to echo a lot of what has already been said. if you are a "traditionalist", I would recommend that you look elsewhere. This blade is heavy, for what it is, and will definitely take some time getting use to. Due to it's balance and weight it can be slow on the follow through. I read one review that compared it to a cross between a katana and a viking sword...I can see that...This sword is definitely designed for hacking. It will take strong arms to wield it properly. The "sharpened crowbar" review had it right on this one. Now, having said all that, this is a well built sword. The one I received was tight in all the right places...no loose parts or shimming needed. It is sharp but not razor sharp...more tearing paper than slicing through it. It is a thing of beauty in it's own right...I will continue to use it for katas and iaido to build my arm and back muscles, but will probably move to a lighter, more balanced sword in the future. Kudos to The Blade Shop for a good price and good packing as sword arrived without a scratch...would purchase from again. As for purchasing this product, I would have to say, ask yourself, what is your purpose with the sword?

Supposed to be a Katana not a butter knife! Decent quality but not great. Mainly dull & the edge is choppy. Not worthy of Cold Steel. Made in Japan (???) but its a factory; with a half attempt to put an edge on it. These blades should come with a leather Sheath that has a hard insert. I'm not confident with the durability of the wooden saya-sheath.. I had purchased to take on a work assignment. (Not sure if I'll do that now).. The blue pouch would is rough and looks cheap. I don't recommend or discourage anyone from getting one but this is a $159 blade at most. No indication of origin or where its made on the original packaging or on the blade itself. The blade was really dirty & the original box came in damaged. (I usually hold onto the original box especially for such a unique size). The handle with the crisscross supposedly ray skin weave feels uncomfortable. I cannot say it enough about how cheap the saya-sheath feels & looks. The inside breaks apart in crumbles. This is a really overpriced & underwhelming Katana Sword. I'm really really disappointed in how dull the blade is. Also quite skeptical with the lack of metal stamping to identify the blade & where it's manufactured. The videos from the manufacturer showcasing it's use by some dudes who may work for the company are just really lame & they look like the type of guys I don't want to associate with this blade. It's just my opinion on that.

Do not believe the negative ratings. Well balanced. Sharpened appropriately it is a way above average cutter. Priced way below its actual value. I am sick of people acting like traditional katanas had some sort of manual or specs. They did not and anyone who has seriously studied them knows this. This is a great real world use katana. Period.

Sword came in and, ready to exact justice on some old bottles and cardboard boxes, I ripped it open expecting something mind blowing after watching the cold steel videos online. Initially it looked great sitting in there with it's glossy black scabbard and awesome shoelace looking handle. I then ripped the scabbard from the blade and BEHOLD: oh crap what the hell is that one the blade? Maybe some kind of black goo? Nope. Blade looked to have either had some kind of imperfection. I'm guessing some form of corrosion from being handled and not cleaned/oiled. Not to be dissuaded I grabbed a small patch of very fine sand paper and began polishing. In a few minutes the blade looked healthier though some of it was deep enough to probably need grinding. None was on the cutting edge so I carried on. What's a battle ready sword without a few imperfections right? So on to the paper test. Does it really slice through paper like the video? I find a piece of paper and sliding the blade along it more tears the paper than finely cutting it. Whatever, it's not a letter opener. Let's do karate in the garage! I line up a few water bottles and using some techniques I learned from my extensive YouTube research I slash away....oh man. First cut the 1 liter bottle just gets stuck to the blade....no clean cut and now I'm covered in water and I sent the bottle right into my poor cat. Second cut just knocks the bottle down.....not feeling confident into taking this finely tuned killing machine into combat at this point. So I grab a cardboard box and WHAM. Finally a result! Cut that damn box right in half (box the sword came in) In all seriousness the sword itself is ok, not as razor sharp as everything the manufacturer claims. Came with some corrosion that was able to be mostly removed. Of course looking at the other reviews it is entirely possible I got shipped something that didn't pass quality control somehow. It should be noted that actually sharpening a katana properly is not exactly easy. Do some research online for how to do it and you'll understand why getting a dull blade is bad. Gets 3 stars because everything else looked well put together and I'm sure you could quickly dismember someone, but you'd expect something labeled battle ready wouldn't have imperfections and would have a decently sharp blade. I regret now not purchase from Kult of Athena as they seem to check each one prior to shipping and the swords are usually covered in an oil for shipping purposes.

I have a iaido sword which has a dull blade and have been wanting a katana with a live/sharp blade just in case of zombies, Highlander/Quickening, ninja attacks etc. I've been watching this sword for years and finally bought it. I am NOT disappointed. Everything about it is awesome. Design, feel, weight, craftsmanship, and sturdiness. The packaging was terrible, and the tsuba had beaten it's way through the cardboard box. A strip of foam may have prevented it, but oh well. This sword is not a "safe queen" nor a display item. This is for cutting, slashing, stabbing, dinosaur hunting, bullet-splitting... You name it. Is it a REAL katana? No. It wasn't forged in Japan by a swordsmith. It may or may not have its own name. It's not balanced, it's not polished, it's not perfect. I have held NBTHK certified katanas in Japan, those are REAL. This sword... This will hold up and do the job. It's more of a meat cleaver disguised as a katana, but still functions the same. Just like the Cold Steel videos... go stab metal drums, cut mats down and defend yourself against the hood of a car. If you're ballin on a budget and want a sword capable of surviving a swordfight or apocalypse, this would be your best bet.

Well, After laying down $300.00 it arrived. The Warrior Katana is in my hands at last. The warrior is built with quality and parts which equals a katana in that price range. By the way,,,,it is built by the Huanuo forge in china. They supply katanas for dynasty and cold steel. It is really over built, awkward, and nose heavy. The point of balance is 6.75 from the tsuba. But the parts are tight and of good quality and attention to detail good. The blade is heavy and made for cutting and although it did not come razor sharp. But even after honing it up nice it is not a decent backyard cutter like some of the better balanced and just as tough katanas in the same price range or cheaper. Can you say Hanwei practical katana? If not,,,look them up. Buy one of them also and see which one you enjoy cutting with. Comparing it to my other low end sort of cutters but not durable katanas, I see the better quality put into this. They do say it is ray skin but does not look it to me. As for some people and the issue with balance and weight. It is a slow one and hard to recover as some of the balanced katanas. The Hanwei practical XL I use the most has a point of balance of 5 inches from the tsuba. Compared to the 6.75 of the warrior...well you get my point. It does not have a hamon and not true to an actual katana. The Hanwei has a true hamon even though it is enhanced. It is dependable and much better than some of my faux hamon swords but I am also comparing it to full tang not as good of steel. Compare it to same price katanas and the warrior is like a sharp crowbar. If this is something you want then fine. it will work for you. But if you want something that is a katana and cuts like a katana, you can spend the same amount of money and get a better sword. And trust me...once you cut with this one and some of the better ones...it is like a driving a tank and a sports cars. As for my Hanwei practical XL, I have been cutting with it for a few months now and it does an awesome job on the water bottles of any size or containers of thick plastic. It balances well and is a joy to use. I had been cutting for awhile with a warrior katana from the Huanuo forge that supplies cold steel. Cold steel did not make this or make anything they sell....Other people make it and lynn thompson puts cold steel on it. Both are tough but the Hanwei is much better in cutting and balance. If you have doubts....buy one of each like I did and see for yourself. I am rewriting this review since I am a little smarter and have something to compare it to. I am also lowering my rating. The warrior is just not worth the price. But then again...much of what cold steel sells is not worth the price.

This is a very nice sword, great balance and feels very reliable. Have not done any serious cutting tests, but the blade is extremely sharp without looking flimsy. It will not be a good tool in practical cutting scenarios (unlike rougher machete katanas from cold steel), but as a weapon it is definitely worthy.

So also jetzt nach einigen Tagen meine Kundenbewertung! Ich muss sagen ich bin hell auf begeistert, sowohl von dem Artikel als auch vom Shop! Zum Artikel: Ich war erst sehr Skeptisch, wegen des Schwertes und hatte mich schon ausgiebig vorher mit dem Thema "Katana" befasst. Ich hatte bei mehrere Shops andere hochwertige Schwerter in der Auswahl und bin letztlich wirklich froh mich für dieses Cold Steel Katana entschieden zu haben! Es ist zwar nicht so schön verziert wie einige andere Modelle die ich in der Auswahl hatte, jedoch ist es sehr Praxis orientiert, was mir sehr gefällt! (nähere Infos dazu findet ihr wenn ihr "Cold Steel Warrior Katana" mal bei Youtube nachschlagt!) Das Schwert ist top verarbeitet und macht einen soliden Eindruck. Es liegt schwer in der Hand, so dass ich wohl noch etwas Übung benötigen werde um perfekt damit um zu gehen. Das Schwert wird scharf ausgeliefert (ohne Probleme ein Blattpapier damit zerteilt) und ist bereits eingeölt. Allerdings sollte man sich ein Pflegeset mit Nelkenöl zu legen, da Schwerter aus Kohlenstoffstahl alle 2-3 Monate eine Pflege brauchen um nicht zu rosten! Soviel zum Schwert! Der Laden.. Ja was soll ich sagen, ich habe sofort meine Daten hin versandt (Perso) und sofort eine Bestätigung erhalten! Der Versandt ging razfaz und ich wusste immer wo mein Paket gerade war (wegen dieses Verfolgungslinks). Also kp wie das bei anderen Artikeln dieses Ladens ist, aber in dem Fall war ich positiv überrascht, hoffe dass ist immer so! Weiter so! An alle die Interesse an einem Soliden Kampftüchtigen Schwert haben.. Kauft es!!

Genuine new Cold Steel 88BKW purchased for $310 CAD. From guard to tip the blade measures exactly 75cm long. Thickness is 7mm at the base, 6.5mm at the middle, and 6mm at its thinnest just before the blade flares back to 7mm thickness for a reinforced tip. Weight 1,218g (45g heavier than manufacturer spec). PoB is 19cm from the guard, very blade heavy. Handle construction is solid, no hint of wobble after moderate test cutting on stiff cardboard. The handle wrap looks very nice although on close inspection there are some gaps around the rayskin inserts exposing the wooden handle core. The sheath is VERY tight, that being the case blade retention in the sheath is excellent. The cutting profile of the blade is excellent, nearly perfect. The edge is both VERY sharp and a bit unpolished, let me explain. The edge angle is very acute and the cutting geometry is basically perfect, the blade will separate solid material with ease. The apex of the edge is however not polished, cutting soft targets using the factory edge this sword will behave more like a chainsaw than a razor, that being said a chainsaw will cut your fingers off like a lightsaber and this blade demands the same respect. Receiving a practice sword with a coarse edge is just fine by me because you will need to sharpen it yourself anyway. Hand polishing costs BIG $$$ and all that polish goes away on your first slice. A word of caution for practice cuts, the edge profile is SO acute that it did ripple a bit when cutting extra high density cardboard (not normal boxes, this was super tough e.g. mailing tubes), the edge did not "roll" and there is no visible edge damage, only mild waves can be felt while sharpening. By my consideration this is only a good thing because such a thin edge makes this a HIGHLY proficient cutter, but the edge WILL take damage easily if abused. Contact with wood is a no-no unless you want to spend a few hours re-grinding your Katana into an axe. BTW forget the messy water stones, use cheap medium grit diamond plates for setting a new edge and to polish the edge just use the largest fine ceramic stone you can find (lasts forever). If there is one thing for me to complain about it's the angle of the blade protruding from the handle is swept back slightly more than you'd expect, this does not affect the function of the blade at all but aesthetically it's just a slight bit off. And in agreement with all other reviews the far forward balance makes this blade feel very heavy, which is fine for a Katana but if you like the nimble feel of European swords this is a bit of a shock.

Verarbeitung wie ich es mir vorgestellt habe 1A. Verpackung bei B-M war sehr gut. Nun zur Schärfe: - Wenn man sich im Foren ein wenig erkundigt, dann weis man auch, dass diese Schwerter robust, aber nur selten richtig scharf sind - Teilweise leicht scharf - Muss selbst geschärft werden um es für Cuts verwenden zu können ( Was ca. 10€ für Korkblock und Nassschleifpapier kostet ) Gibt dafür aber ein gutes Video auf Youtube, von Thomas Ari Link: [...]

Das Schwert ist gut angekommen. Erster Eindruck: die Verarbeitung ist sehr gut und sauber, der 1060er Karbonstahl verspricht Schnitthaltigkeit und gleichzeitig genug Flexibilität um keinen Schaden zu nehmen. Das Schwert ist sauber geschliffen und sehr scharf. Aber: die Mune (Klingenrücken) ist sehr dick und das Schwert ist kopflastig. Trotz des mit europäischen Schwertern vergleichbaren eigentlich sehr geringen Gewichts von 1117 Gramm wirkt es, als ob man eine Schnecke schieben wollte.