The fuchi and kashira follow the same arrow theme rest of the sword has.

The tsuba is made of iron and is probably what keeps this blade from being a ridiculously unbalanced bar of steel. The arrow designs look nice, crisp and clean. I'm a sucker for these square shaped tsubas, even more so for this one. The tsuba is possibly my favorite part of this sword. When this blade starts moving, you need it. The handle is long enough to help counterbalance the blade, and provides a good secure grip. The ito is super tight, I can't even physically move the individual nodes. The handle is very well shaped and comfortable to hold. Here are my attempts at getting pictures of the geometry of this blade: I have no idea how that affects cutting or handling perfomance, as the only other Katanas I've handled were a Hanwei raptor and various Musashi budget swords. The cutting planes leading to the edge are very flat, almost like a perfect V. I've seen numerous posts about 'niku' or meat on blades. Now, I'm not exactly the most knowledgeable when it comes to correct blade geometry on these Japanese blades. The wideness of the blade is very appealing to me. Personally I really like the aesthetics of the sword. Say what you will about Cold Steel, but the lines and polish on the sword are top notch. The edge came to me less than stellar, but I did buy this second hand, where the previous owner had obviously cut with the sword. Or at least different from the rest of the blade. From what my limited knowledge tells me, the yokote is geometric. The sword's blade is made from 1055 carbon steel, and is quite thick. Far more ripping, and I suspect that's because of the edge geometry and weight.

The edge is certainly sharp enough to cut a person, but it can't even properly slice paper. Lastly, the sword came much less sharp than I expected. The very tip had apparently been broken off, and the previous owner attempted to repair it. The kissaki came with some slight damage. The ito at the end of the handle, where the wrapping is tied into a knot, came slightly frayed. I received this sword second hand from ebay, and it had some wear to show. I have not been compensated for this review. I am in no way shape or form affiliated with Cold Steel, and received this sword second hand. This sword is almost designed as an all purpose backyard cutter, isn't it? So why haven't I done much cutting with it? Well there's a few reasons why I haven't cut with my particular model. I've owned this sword for well over a year, and in that time I've done something almost sacrilegious when it comes to a Cold Steel product. Millions on Youtube have watched the employees of Cold Steel bang and clash around this sword in their commercials, and as such this blade is known for being a rough and tough almost indestructible monster of a blade. I'm sure the majority of users here have either heard of or seen this blade in action.

Cold steel katana