Are all Kill Bill Swords the same?

[Knightmare]

Are all the replicas on EBay and Etsy basically the same swords just with some minor details changed ?

 

[PicasoX]

No, just like Highlander swords, there are million of them. The quality varies greatly, from cheap crap to fine grade. Look for hand forged, folded 1095 steel or better, that's about where the good ones start.

 

[Knightmare]

No, just like Highlander swords, there are million of them. The quality varies greatly, from cheap crap to fine grade. Look for hand forged, folded 1095 steel or better, that's about where the good ones start.

All of the 1095 seem to be in China .

 

[bingoh]

Chances are, most new-made katanas you are going to find come from China. My understanding is that swords (even new-made replicas) are highly regulated in Japan, so a legit Japanese katana will be very expensive and difficult to get.

Just because a sword is from China doesn't necessarily make it poor quality. You just have to be super careful and do your research because there ARE quite a few cheap ones out there. I bought a custom nagamaki from a Chinese maker and it seems to be of pretty solid construction (I'm no sword expert, though).

 

[PicasoX]

I agree, had made Chinese swords can be good. 1095 would be the least I'd buy as that harnesses is where I consider novelty swords end and real swords begin.

 

[PicasoX]

I'm definitely no expert but I do have some experience with purchasing swords. I only have one 1095 Katana, the two highlander Swords are T10 made by Daryl Kyle, some are 1065, one is a magnesium alloy and one is very old which I have not info on. the European ones are a mix of Dark Sword Armory and Cold Steel, with the two Witcher swords are just something I found on eBay and are of unknown origin.

 

[Knightmare]

I'm definitely no expert but I do have some experience with purchasing swords. I only have one 1095 Katana, the two highlander Swords are T10 made by Dayle Kyle, the rest are 1065, the European ones are a mix of Dark Sword Armory and Cold Steel, with the two Witcher swords are just something I found on eBay and are of unknown origin. View attachment 1820379

Cool lot thanks for sharing buy “ Kyle” is a piece of sh** Grifter I have personal experience with that rodent . Pretty sure he got booted from the RPF .

 

[PicasoX]

Cool lot thanks for sharing buy “ Kyle” is a piece of sh** Grifter I have personal experience with that rodent . Pretty sure he got booted from the RPF .

I heard about that, that's unfortunate, but not when I dealt with him in 2020, these were the best prop buying experiences I ever had. One thing I forgot to add is some Chinese sword makers will engrave your name in Kangi on the blade which is pretty cool, I have a few of them like that. Mine looks like this

 

[JediMichael]

It all can depend on what you are also looking for. Super accurate? Just good enough but not perfect? Looks decent but flimsy, or strong enough to even battle with?
I have here, (also a really old pic) Sephiroth's Masamune from Final Fantasy 7. Its the true 9 feet long, like the game, and the ONLY one I've ever been able to find at that length. It looks decently accurate, but, its also super flimsy and wobbly. I've seen some that look stronger, but were only around 6 ft long. So for me, it just stays on display and nothing more, so being flimsy isn't really an issue. Its already heavy as is, I can imagine if it was made stronger, how much more heavy it would be.

 

[JediMichael]

Heres a little video I made when FF7:Rebirth came out this last February 29th. You can get an idea of the wobbliness of it.
And how totally impractical such a long sword would actually be in battle.....lol.

 

[bingoh]

One thing I forgot to add is some Chinese sword makers will engrave your name in Kangi on the blade which is pretty cool, I have a few of them like that. Mine looks like this

View attachment 1820784

I had mine engraved with the seven tenets of Bushido in kanji. I was pretty impressed with the sword and engraving for the price.

 

[Gregor444]

I started searching for a functional Kill Bill katana years ago and was going to order the Bride sword from Swords of Northshire for $350 but cancelled my order when I found out Ryansword makes all of their swords and custom work.The same sword cost me $150 from Ryansword and it a pretty good 1095 thru hardened blade but had the wrong symbol carved on the saya. I purchased another one from RS but this time they carved the Lioness on the saya for no extra charge. I replaced the tsuba and menuki with the screen-accurate ones from Tozando Japan then added the brass colored trim and kojiri on the saya. All the ebay and other sites KB swords have the wrong carvings and fittings. Kill Bill had 3 Hanzo swords plus O Rens Shirasaya but hers is not a Hanzo sword .Bills has the Devil or Demon face, Budds has the encryption with a white wrap on the saya and the Bride sword has the Foo Dog Lion on the blade with the Lioness carving and kojiri and brass trim and brass ring on the saya. Adam savage and Jason Blackey made a great Kill Bill Bride katana using an iaido blade and fittings from Tozando Japan. The is nothing wrong with SON but $350 or $150 for the same sword made by the same forge in Longquan is an easy choice? If you order kojiri they are not made for the thicker sayas that most Chinese swords come with so be prepared to do a little wood carving. These pics are not the finished sword but you see the different details. St Nihonto aka Sheng Sword now called Shing Sword shown in the last pic makes a screen-accurate L6 steel Bride Katana but its is way overpriced at $800 and I had to file a charge dispute after waiting 10 months for my sword and bought one preowned for half as much so I would be cautious with Shing and order the 1095 Bride Katana from RS. RS does make another version with a laminated blade but RS told me its not going to be as sturdy and forgiving and is more for someone wanting a laminated blade.