Cold Steel 88BKW Katana, Ray Skin Handle, Wood Scabbard, One Size

When I orderes the sword, I already had a sharp pebble brand wetstone 1000/6000. I know some of you have seen youtube reviews by wannabe martial artists and decided NO on this sword. Think again. It doesnt come hand sharpened, duh. put the small effort in and sharpen it. I even watched a guy with his review on YT wearing a gimmick mask and using sloppy technique to try to cut water bottles! Man! sharpen this sword properly, its slick. its front heavy? well, it iss off by 4 inches on my 2 thousand dollar sword from japan circa 1979! this thing is built to last and is battle ready with a stone and stropped. at under 300 i'll take it over all the rest. I dont know lynn thompson but we need to thank this man for his service to the blade industry. cold steel always delivers and has a great warranty, and I wont need warranties with this sword! sliced tatami, sliced rope ( I used 2 inch marine rope) and was a pleasure to practice drawing and sheathing with. so many reviews way off the mark here. all because your hanwei swings well on tatami doesnt mean it will do well in a shtf situation or cut modern day kevlar through a car door.

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 watched product reviews on YouTube and read the ones provided on Sword Buyers Guide (SBG). The reviews were all very consistent and I can affirm after removing from the box and holding for five minutes; It does feel like a "sharpened crowbar". After a quick exam and the feel for the blade, I let my wife (who is not a sword enthusiast, just married to one) hold it and her comments were less positive than mine. She said it didn't even feel like a katana. She has held most if not all the swords in my collection. She stated the Cold Steel Warrior Katana was not light, maneuverable or refined. The only positives were, the sword was sharp and it had decent fittings that were of above average quality and fit. If this is the entry-level katana sword from Cold Steel, I will have to pass on the rest of the line up. It's like BMW making a bad 3-series car. It's the bread and butter of the companies offerings and if the 3-Series which they sell the most is poor quality, reliability, and design, one would never imagine buying the 4, 5, 6 or 7 series cars. I'll stick to Hanwei, Musashi, Ryujin, Dragon King (Hanwei subsidiary), Ronin and Dragon Sword..., great quality and value and I have never had a bad product from them.

I'm going to echo a lot of what has already been said. if you are a "traditionalist", I would recommend that you look elsewhere. This blade is heavy, for what it is, and will definitely take some time getting use to. Due to it's balance and weight it can be slow on the follow through. I read one review that compared it to a cross between a katana and a viking sword...I can see that...This sword is definitely designed for hacking. It will take strong arms to wield it properly. The "sharpened crowbar" review had it right on this one. Now, having said all that, this is a well built sword. The one I received was tight in all the right places...no loose parts or shimming needed. It is sharp but not razor sharp...more tearing paper than slicing through it. It is a thing of beauty in it's own right...I will continue to use it for katas and iaido to build my arm and back muscles, but will probably move to a lighter, more balanced sword in the future. Kudos to The Blade Shop for a good price and good packing as sword arrived without a scratch...would purchase from again. As for purchasing this product, I would have to say, ask yourself, what is your purpose with the sword?

Sword came in and, ready to exact justice on some old bottles and cardboard boxes, I ripped it open expecting something mind blowing after watching the cold steel videos online. Initially it looked great sitting in there with it's glossy black scabbard and awesome shoelace looking handle. I then ripped the scabbard from the blade and BEHOLD: oh crap what the hell is that one the blade? Maybe some kind of black goo? Nope. Blade looked to have either had some kind of imperfection. I'm guessing some form of corrosion from being handled and not cleaned/oiled. Not to be dissuaded I grabbed a small patch of very fine sand paper and began polishing. In a few minutes the blade looked healthier though some of it was deep enough to probably need grinding. None was on the cutting edge so I carried on. What's a battle ready sword without a few imperfections right? So on to the paper test. Does it really slice through paper like the video? I find a piece of paper and sliding the blade along it more tears the paper than finely cutting it. Whatever, it's not a letter opener. Let's do karate in the garage! I line up a few water bottles and using some techniques I learned from my extensive YouTube research I slash away....oh man. First cut the 1 liter bottle just gets stuck to the blade....no clean cut and now I'm covered in water and I sent the bottle right into my poor cat. Second cut just knocks the bottle down.....not feeling confident into taking this finely tuned killing machine into combat at this point. So I grab a cardboard box and WHAM. Finally a result! Cut that damn box right in half (box the sword came in) In all seriousness the sword itself is ok, not as razor sharp as everything the manufacturer claims. Came with some corrosion that was able to be mostly removed. Of course looking at the other reviews it is entirely possible I got shipped something that didn't pass quality control somehow. It should be noted that actually sharpening a katana properly is not exactly easy. Do some research online for how to do it and you'll understand why getting a dull blade is bad. Gets 3 stars because everything else looked well put together and I'm sure you could quickly dismember someone, but you'd expect something labeled battle ready wouldn't have imperfections and would have a decently sharp blade. I regret now not purchase from Kult of Athena as they seem to check each one prior to shipping and the swords are usually covered in an oil for shipping purposes.

Well, After laying down $300.00 it arrived. The Warrior Katana is in my hands at last. The warrior is built with quality and parts which equals a katana in that price range. By the way,,,,it is built by the Huanuo forge in china. They supply katanas for dynasty and cold steel. It is really over built, awkward, and nose heavy. The point of balance is 6.75 from the tsuba. But the parts are tight and of good quality and attention to detail good. The blade is heavy and made for cutting and although it did not come razor sharp. But even after honing it up nice it is not a decent backyard cutter like some of the better balanced and just as tough katanas in the same price range or cheaper. Can you say Hanwei practical katana? If not,,,look them up. Buy one of them also and see which one you enjoy cutting with. Comparing it to my other low end sort of cutters but not durable katanas, I see the better quality put into this. They do say it is ray skin but does not look it to me. As for some people and the issue with balance and weight. It is a slow one and hard to recover as some of the balanced katanas. The Hanwei practical XL I use the most has a point of balance of 5 inches from the tsuba. Compared to the 6.75 of the warrior...well you get my point. It does not have a hamon and not true to an actual katana. The Hanwei has a true hamon even though it is enhanced. It is dependable and much better than some of my faux hamon swords but I am also comparing it to full tang not as good of steel. Compare it to same price katanas and the warrior is like a sharp crowbar. If this is something you want then fine. it will work for you. But if you want something that is a katana and cuts like a katana, you can spend the same amount of money and get a better sword. And trust me...once you cut with this one and some of the better ones...it is like a driving a tank and a sports cars. As for my Hanwei practical XL, I have been cutting with it for a few months now and it does an awesome job on the water bottles of any size or containers of thick plastic. It balances well and is a joy to use. I had been cutting for awhile with a warrior katana from the Huanuo forge that supplies cold steel. Cold steel did not make this or make anything they sell....Other people make it and lynn thompson puts cold steel on it. Both are tough but the Hanwei is much better in cutting and balance. If you have doubts....buy one of each like I did and see for yourself. I am rewriting this review since I am a little smarter and have something to compare it to. I am also lowering my rating. The warrior is just not worth the price. But then again...much of what cold steel sells is not worth the price.

I have a iaido sword which has a dull blade and have been wanting a katana with a live/sharp blade just in case of zombies, Highlander/Quickening, ninja attacks etc. I've been watching this sword for years and finally bought it. I am NOT disappointed. Everything about it is awesome. Design, feel, weight, craftsmanship, and sturdiness. The packaging was terrible, and the tsuba had beaten it's way through the cardboard box. A strip of foam may have prevented it, but oh well. This sword is not a "safe queen" nor a display item. This is for cutting, slashing, stabbing, dinosaur hunting, bullet-splitting... You name it. Is it a REAL katana? No. It wasn't forged in Japan by a swordsmith. It may or may not have its own name. It's not balanced, it's not polished, it's not perfect. I have held NBTHK certified katanas in Japan, those are REAL. This sword... This will hold up and do the job. It's more of a meat cleaver disguised as a katana, but still functions the same. Just like the Cold Steel videos... go stab metal drums, cut mats down and defend yourself against the hood of a car. If you're ballin on a budget and want a sword capable of surviving a swordfight or apocalypse, this would be your best bet.

Alright.. As a outdoor survivalist/hunter I've had the pleasure of trying many different kinds of blades of all kinds. This particular sword has impressed alot so far. The wrapping is tight, the blade is sharp and the quality of steel is outstanding. My first attempt at a cut was a milk jug I had filled with water... Thinking I needed a fast strong cut I swung fairly hard only to think I had missed. The blade cut so smooth through the bottle (starting at the handle) I didn't even feel it connect with the bottle. Not sure if its luck but the first cut I did left no water on the blade, I thought that was pretty cool. I've handled many katanas and blades and ill tell you this one has an intimidation factor. Even if you are familiar with swords be mindful this one has a slightly different shape than traditional katanas. This is NOT A TOY. I'm very pleased and recommend this for collectors and someone looking for a SOLID beginner battle ready weapon. After several tests with meat/bone believe this to be an excellent choice for defense. I live in the mountains where there are wolves and mountain lions and I feel confident this would put an aggressive animal down easily. The handling is a bit blade heavy but the handle is long enough to have a comfortable swing with alot of blade side leverage to cleave with ease. Again, highly recommended.