转贴美国刀友msmalik.对于汉威水鸟长刀的品鉴

汉威

原文地址：http://sbgswordforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=8188

汉威

Paul Chen Hanwei Tori Elite Review.

I have always admired the beauty of this blade. Everything about this blade is so unique, from the fittings to even the saya. This would make a very nice addition to anyone抯 collection, and for most people it could definitely be the best piece in your collection. But all I was able to do is just look at pictures. The msrp of this is around 1400, and most vendors have them for sale around 1200.

That was the case, until I found out about our friendly forum member wiwingti. I have bought from two different forum members and my experience with both of them has been excellent. Wiwingti sells Hanwei blades. You can see them here at his site

Let me just say, if I ever need a hanwei I won抰 even think twice and buy it from Marc, also know as wiwingti on this forum. His shipping was fast, his responses were quick! I swear it抯 like he is on the computer 24/7. A few times I just sent him a message and by the time I got to my inbox again a reply was there. Asides from the fast responses, and fast shipping with a tracking number, his prices are VERY good. You can pick up any hanwei blade FAR cheaper than any other vendor. And his specials of the week, they are just stupid cheap! If you need something and it is in his specials, you better buy it quick because you will not find that price anywhere. That is exactly what I did with the Tori Elite. His regular price for the Tori Elite is 850, with is at least 300 dollars cheaper than the cheapest price you can find. And his special was a deal that I could not pass up no matter what. If you would like to be updated on specials, you can subscribe to the forum on his website that I mentioned above. Quite a big paragraph praising wiwingti, but trust me he deserves it. I would never be able to purchase this sword if it wasn抰 for him, so THANKS MARC!!

Let抯 me show you all some more pictures and let them do the talking. So here it is in all its glory.





The sword was packaged very well and arrived in 3 days via UPS ground. I had the tracking number that Marc had sent me. The day that I knew the sword was coming, I had tons of school work to do. I moved my study table next to the door, got my pathophysiology text book and started studying right in front of door waiting for the UPS guy. And 3 hours later it came!

The sword was packaged well. I opened the box to find lots of papers and foam. After pulling all those out, what do you know another box. I was getting impatient, but was still being very gentle with the package. I opened up the 2nd box to finally reveal the sword. I had my camera on my study table so I took a picture of how it looked in the box, shown below. It was held in place with plenty of Styrofoam spacers, and was wrapped in a very nice silk sword bag. There was also a cleaning kit in the box.









Let抯 look at some information from hanwei and statistics

The Tori katana is an all-new design from CAS/Hanwei that incorporates truly elegant furniture with the functionality of our performance series. The K120C powder steel blade is differentially tempered using the traditional claying method which produces a HRC60 edge and HRC40 back. This allows for superior edge holding and cutting ability while allowing the blade to absorb the shock of a blow. The hamon (temper line) and hada (folding pattern) are very prominent. Featuring a flying crane tsuba, brown leather tsuka-ito over black same and a dark brown/black saya, the Tori is available in three folded steel cutting blade profiles and three Iaito blade lengths. This is undoubtedly one of the most elegant mounts ever crafted by CAS/Hanwei. This katana was designed and built specifically for martial artists.
?Forged and folded high carbon steel blade
?Differentially tempered
?Brown leather Tsuka Ito (wrap)
?Black lacquered same' (ray skin)
?War helmet theme menuki
?Gloss black ribbed / dark brown textured saya with horn fittings
?Brown segao cord
?This katana is hand made and each is unique - size and weight will vary
?Blade length: 28"
?Handle length: 11"
?Overall length: 40"
?Weight: 2lb 7oz
?Point of Balance: 5"
?Width at Guard: 1.34"
?Width at Tip: 1.03"
?Thickness at Guard: .25"
?Thickness at Tip: .16"
?Sori: 3/4"
DESIGN, FIT, & FINISH

Blade: As I unsheathed the blade slowly, my smile grew wider. The blade was beautiful. The polish glistened and I could see myself smiling in the blade. The hada and hamon are prominent. The finish on the blade was excellent all the way to the kissaki. The hamon is real of course, but acid enhanced. The blade is very well balance and easy to handle. Though I have not done any cutting with it, I know it would be a SUPER cutter. Although I抦 not sure if I can bring myself to actually cut with this blade, I would be terrified about a bad cut and doing any sort of damage to the blade. This was a lot of money, especially for me since I am a student as of now. Enough of my comments, here are some pictures and close ups of the blade.































Tsuka and Tsuba: The second I grabbed the tsuka, I knew this was the best feeling ito I had ever held. The ito is brown leather and it has a lot of grip. It is wrapped very tightly and feels good in your hands. The tsuka has genuine black ray skin that looks nice. The menuki has a war helmet theme. The kashira looks great and is finished nicely as well. The Fuchi is on tightly and doesn抰 move at all.

What can I say, the tsuba is elegant and simple. I love the flying crane theme. Pictures of Tsuka and Tsuba below.



















Saya: I can easily say is the best saya out of all production katana抯 that exist. It has black lacquered rings at the top and the rest of it has a brown textured finish. That black lacquered rings on top make it unique, and the brown textured finish ensures you don抰 spend forever wiping off finger prints. The sageo is thick and brown and comes untied. The fit in the saya is just right, tight enough so it doesn't come out when turned upside down, but not too tight.











Cutting: I have not done cutting with it, and I refuse to do cutting until I have perfected my cutting form. However there are other reviews out there on the cutting performance, and as you can see below the Tori elite was the 2nd best, beaten only by 2 XL blades. See link below.


CONCLUSION and SBG Ratings

Historical Accuracy: 4/5 (? Not too sure, it is folded and differentially hardened, but not tamahagne)
Fit and Finish: 5/5
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5
Value for Money: 5/5 (get it from wiwingti, and this category gets a 5)

OVERALL: 5/5

This sword will be appreciated by katana enthusiasts and martial art practitioners. I wouldn抰 pay the MSRP for it, but I would buy it at Marc抯 prices. In my opinion, the Tori is the best hanwei out right now. Unless you want the L6 blades, but I wouldn抰 get an L6 from hanwei, so that makes the Tori the best in my opinion. Thanks for reading.