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!

I have several Katanas made by different manufacturers and also many Cold Steel products but this has been my first Cold Steel sword purchase. I was pretty impressed with the quality and craftsmanship. It came well packaged and no damage. It was razor sharp right out the box. I know some people have complained about the Chisa being too heavy. I find it about the same in weight as my Cheness Tenchi Wakazashi. The Chisa is actually a Ko Katana, right in between a regular size Katana and a Wakazashi. The Chisa does not have much of a curve, which is something I wanted as I wanted to be able to carry it on my back and be able to draw from that position as well. This sword serves that purpose very well. The sword cuts like a beast and will make a very good all day heavy cutter. I like to train with heavier swords because when I go to a lighter sword I am lightening fast, this is something people may want to consider if their goal is to gain speed. I am 6’1 and 210 lbs, so someone of a smaller stature may have some difficulty with this sword. I remember an old Cold Steel video from years back that they stated that they made their swords heavier than traditional swords because people in the West have become bigger and stronger and able to wield a heavier sword. This makes sense. With all the weight of this sword which is not uncomfortable to me at all and it’s razor sharpness, it makes a devastating cutting weapon. If you are looking for a good quality battle ready sword, that is heavy, sharp and well made that can stand up to abuse, this is it. You won’t be disappointed. I’m surely not, and will be adding more Cold Steel Japanese swords to my collection.

Let me start by saying I bought this sword with the intention of changing out a lot of the parts to customize it, so its basic construction wasn't of particular concern to me. That said, I will review the build for people who are concerned with the basic model. The good: -The blade is straight and strong, and I'm sure it'll hold a fine edge once I've polished it. The curve and grind are great. (This model does not come polished. It's meant to be a budget option, and I intended to polish it myself.) The Bad: -The sword is definitely budget quality. It will cut, but it's not $500 worth of sharp. -The tsuka ito (handle wrapping) started to slip and the diamond folds began to expand and separate after swinging it a single time, so you'll need to take great care not to tear it apart just by using it. The Ugly: I noticed the handle was bulging once I started to deconstruct it, and found that under the ray skin there's a gnarly crack. I figured I would just glue it together, but it went straight through to the tang. THIS IS UNSALVIGABLE. I'm going to have to replace the unusually long 12" tsuka entirely. I suspect this would be a catastrophic defect for anyone who isn't ready to fix it, or even identify it. !!!It might even be unsafe considering this is supposed to be a fully functional sword!!! There are things I like, but mostly because all I really care about is the sword blank and the sheath, but I cannot recommend the purchase. For the price you're better off buying something else.

Beautiful sword, this thing is well built and solid Great product

Super verarbeitet, sehr schwer was ich gut finde. Alles in allem ein solides, gutes kampftaugliches Schwert!

so I've had it for about 4 months now. I looked at it quickly when I got and was just inspired to have the thing but it was covered in dust and whatnot. I cleaned it off and put the blade back in the scabbard and wrap and back in the box and procrastinated on getting some oil for it until recently. When I took it out of the box again, I notice that the blade just falls out of the scabbard and there's no tightness to the sheath at all. The hilt has a couple of wooden pegs that stuck into it, I dunno maybe to hold it together or something, but those two wooden pegs are covered in powdery mold. The weapon is made in china and the part of the blade that's touching the hilt is covered in rust.... The rest of the blade is fine but there's rust on the sword guard and on the circumference of the blade connected to it. I don't want to attempt to take the thing apart but unless I do I can't see how I'm supposed to remove that rust to prevent the thing from getting worse. I cleaned off the mold from the pegs, cleaned the blade and oiled it but I'm not really pleased. How does it just start rusting so quickly in such an inaccessible place? sigh... Hopefully when the zombies come and I chop them with this thing, the whole blade doesn't just snap off. >.<

It is a sword and it is reasonably tough, razor sharp can shave hairs, did buy a lansky turnbox to polish it. Bottom of handle has a slight play. At first i wasnt sure of it but it is pretty cool, likey could get one with better finish for price but it is a real sword and is pretty tight and wont break easily, although i think a genuine japanese sword would likely go thru it but that would be a given. Fittings have a rough ground finish, blade is satin brushed, the steel seems nice but not really hard. Overall it is what it said it is and I do like it for 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.