TEKIIOO Katana Sword, Fully Handmade Real Japanese Sword 1040 High Carbon Steel Samurai Sword with Wooden Scabbard Alloy Guard (Red)

This is a good, cheap sword. What I mean is not that it's cheaply made, just that it's not very expensive. $100 is about as low as I would go and still call the sword "fully functional." By that term I mean you can take this sword in your back yard and cut up some water bottles, bamboo or rolled tatami mats without worrying about it breaking or flying apart. The blade is indeed carbon steel with quite a bit of spring to it (that's a good thing) and it is full tang. The first thing I do when I get a katana is disassemble it to make sure it's full tang as claimed. The blade is a purplish-blue (or a blueish-purple) depending on if you rub it down with choji oil; dry it's more blue, and oiled it's more purple. It's razor sharp and holds an edge well. As long as you take care of it, the blade can give both years of fun use and also make an impressive and beautiful decorative piece.The saya (scabbard) is solid red and pretty average, with red sageo. It has a wooden tsuka with black faux ray skin same, brass-colored alloy menuki, and red synthetic ito wrap. One thing I really like is the red alloy tsuba and the gold and red habaki (blade collar)...it's not the same old white metal tsuba they seem to use over and over again for low-end katanas. It's a cool metallic red and looks like anodized aluminum, but I'm not really sure. All the fittings are nice and tight and nothing rattles, even after extensive use.For around $100 USD this makes a great starter katana for someone just getting into sword collecting, as well as a backyard sword to play around with if you don't want to swing around your more expensive swords. It's also visually stunning and just plain looks awesome as a display katana. The carbon steel blade is the same one found on more expensive swords, it's just the other parts that keep the cost down. The great thing is that it can be disassembled like any other well-made katana, and you can always upgrade by swapping out for more expensive parts later on. That's not something you should need to do, but it's definitely an option to keep in mind.The manufacturer calls it "battle ready" but I wouldn't take that to mean it's okay to abuse the blade by smashing it against something metal (like another sword). If you spar with it, aside from being extremely dangerous, it's going to wreck the edge. Which is something that would happen even with a $1000 katana. Also, the purple-blue coloring is only on the surface, so if you scratch it or it wears off, there's no fixing it. Dry it off after you're done using it and keep it well oiled to protect the coloring.

Looks beautiful, but is light of weight

Received my Katana earlier than expected!! Amazing price and quality. I love every Inch of the blade, not to mention it's very sharp..no burglar better mess with this guy swinging a katana in his direction around the house

Love the Katana! The Blade and handle look great! The Guard is a little bland.

excellent!

Beautiful