Cold Steel Warrior Series Katana Samurai Sword with Ray Skin Handle, Black Lacquered Wood Scabbard, Black Braid Cord and Brass Menuki, Wakizashi

I ordered this knowing that the warrior series IS NOT high-end, fancy, perfectionistic sword. Rather, they are practical "battle ready" swords. This has please me entirely. It arrived with oil dripping out of the plastic that covered the blade, good job! Carbon steel can rust quickly, but no rust here. It's sharp enough to cut a limb off, but it's a jagged edge, it will need some honing to become razor sharp. Cosmetic imperfections aside, this is a great PRACTICAL sword.Bear in mind, this is NOT a Katana, it is a Wakizashi. A samurai may carry both, but Wakizashi is for peasant merchants to fight off bandits (historically speaking) .... It is shorter than a traditional Katana, and may not perform the same swings as well.

Recieved in a large box and could hear the sword box moving around. Opened it up and sword box was crushed and damaged. Opened up box and after spending close to an hour looking over it I could see no damage to any part of the sword. Sword was covered in oil and blade was sharp so I was happy about that. But someone needs to have some training on basic packaging.

Great fit in the hands. Has a very nice weight to it, not to mention a razor sharp edge. I found this item through randsriders and I’m pretty impressed by the craftsmanship. Especially when you take into consideration the price tag. Fairly priced for such a great short sword

Sword wise: Great sword, very sharp, cuts mailing tubes like a dream.Sheath/saya & Finish wise: Lots of minor imperfections, and a few larger issues. See photos of all of them. But here's a few of the larger ones to point out:- Sword don't seat well in saya (sheath/scabbard), had to take the handle off and sand the living daylights out of the habaki (guard ring - the little brass part). Still don't fit perfectly, but will break in after time.- The mekugis (the wooden dowels that keep the handle on) are easy to get out, but a pain to hammer back in, deformed both of them but at least they're in. There's some play in the tsuba (guard) after it's all put together, it rattles rather annoyingly.- There's a big gouge hidden under the sageo (string/strap) right under the kurikata (the knob that the sageo goes through).Overall, $270, $300 after tax, I was expecting a lot more from this sword. Lots of the sub-$200 swords from cheaper brands have better details than this. Cold Steel really fell off it's game after it got sold, at least it didn't fall as far as Gerber & SOG.Final judgement, 5 stars for the sharpness and integrity of the sword; 1 star for the fit & finish, the attempt to hide a defect, and all the alignment issues the sword has. I'll keep this as a user, for practicing using a real sword, and for slicing tubes and what not.

Was missing the scabbard and the box was badly damaged. Now I am forced to go through the hassle of returning and buying again, meanwhile I will miss my event where this was to be a gift. Thanks for nothing…

I discovered Cold Steel while randomly searching you tube awhile back. I love their videos! It’s rare to see a company actually stand behind their products and make customized videos showing how effective they are. Most of the products they sell have videos where you can actually see what you are buying in action. The owner of the company is the man. You can actually feel the love, attention to details and emotion that this guys puts into the making of each deadly battle ready weapon or knife they create.So onto this sword. It has the right feel and is very sharp. High quality cold steel for sure. This is a classic and would make a great addition to anyone’s weapon room. Def recommend getting yourself one of these.

So this was a gift for a Family member graduating from College. So Review of ECop first. They shipped the item. Although shipped out quickly, I am disappointed in ECop method of service. Firstly they shipped an expensive item in the Item box. No outer box. Just slapped a label on the Cokd steel box. Not Cool Dude.Secondly the item could be Identified by potential nefarious actors and or damaged. The box was beat up and cracked in, n a few spots… It should have been put inside a tubular square style box with some packing at the ends Then it went USPS Priority. Considering a Glock only costs a little more if purchased online it is shipped Overnight UPS for expediency sake… Waited a full week to get it too. Poor choices on ECop thus the weak ratings I suspect.Ok now for the item. Roughly made no doubt but for the cost of a pocker knife, I had to see my bro freak out after opening it. After inspecting the blade, wife n I were stoked.I polished the brass and rust treated the menuki. Stropped the blade. It needed it badly. Once stropped the edge looked great and was still very sharp. This will now go in a beautiful acrylic desk case for my Brother at his Office. Considering the item the make the steel, etc, we are impressed with Cold Steel.

Just received mine after being concerned about quality based on reviews. I've owned a few Cold Steel knives and really liked their quality. I own many more expensive knives, but was always impressed by the Cold Steel value. The sword seems very much up to Cold Steel standards. Re-reading the reviews, it seems like it might be important to buy from a reputable seller. This thing is awesome. Solid feel, nothing loose, grease packed so steel is flawless. Fits the sheath great. In some review, I saw that someone complained about the tip of the sheath being plastic. The sheath is wood with a different material at the tip. That material seems to be metal to me. Good to protect the bottom of the sheath. Very happy with the purchase. Just be careful who you're buying from.