Re: United Cutlery: Hiro Nakamura Katana review?
Ok the UC Hiro sword arrived yesterday. I really like it. It seems to be really well made. The steel on the blade is in fact carbon steel, not stainless, therefore it arrived caked in thick greasy oil. Was easy enough to clean off.
The Blade:
Had to be very careful when cleaning the sword, the sword is VERY sharp. Im not talking sharp as in a kitchen knife, its sharp as in razor sharp, but almost 3 feet long. However it is not tempered so it can not be used as a real sword as it would eventually bend. The downside the having a real carbon steel blade is that you cannot touch it with your skin, as the oils from your skin will cause it to tarnish very quickly, and eventually rust. The shape and size look similar to the screen used one, as is the tsuba (hand guard). I do not know what material the tsuba is made of though. The hamon line on the blade is acid etched of course, since the blade isn't tempered. attempting to polish the blade would erase the hamon line so don't do it.
The Tsuka (handle):
Looks better than the screen used version. The Ito (braid) is real leather and is wrapped in the traditional manner, except for the middle part which was obviously removed. The screen used prop (at least from the screengrabs I have) is a real mess in this area with the Ito twisted in some parts and flat on others, very loosely wrapped. So although it is not screen accurate, I prefer it over the mess the prop guy did on the original. I cannot tell if the Same (rayskin under the braid) is real or not, but it look good enough
*edit* correction. I was just watching the series on DVD and noticed that the Tsukamaki on the hero prop is well done, unlike what I stated above. The one that is a mess is the one that they steal from the Museum, which is not a real sword but a reproduction. that is good news , because that means that the UC is actually accurate. The only thing I did notice is that the Chen is double pegged (the little bamboo pin that holds the handle to the tang) and the UC has a single peg. Just a nitpick really, as it is barely visible. Its just a little black bump about an inch below the Godsend symbol.
The Saya (scabbard)
Well made and a good representation of the movie prop. holds the sword firmly enough with a nicely wrapped Sageo. It is finished in a semigloss/flat black which will not display fingerprints.
When the Paul Chen arrives Ill write a full review with some pictures of both.
