Reviews Budodesign UK

Before I comment about the iaito, let me put this into a bit of context..

I am about to be off to uni, and of course my parents wouldn't let me bring the family treasured shinken with me, and due to university regulations, I can only bring an iaito. Now, having a custom made iaito shipped in from Japan would be great, but firstly, I don't have the money (I'm a student, duh) and secondly, I don't have the time (awful planning as always from me)... But, I was never impressed by my peers' cheap, Chinese forged katanas when we trained in the dojo. The tsukamaki are never done well (sensei grew very tired of having to correct them all), the balance are often too further to the tip, making the sword clumsy, which could be good for cutting, but NOT for iaido, and I have seen one when the tang was not secured properly, and the sword just flew out from the tsuka. Impressive if that's in a movie, but really not funny when it's in real life.

Now, I was planning to bleed myself a bit and get a tozando when someone recommended YariNoHanzo to me. In the end, he convinced me, and I ordered this dojo pro model...and I definitely don't regret my decision. For this price, this iaito is SUPERB. Very nice balance (I have seen better ones, but bear in mind that they cost ten times more...), giving the iaito nice agility. Modest yet elegant fittings, which is what you want for training (I really can't stand some people going for all kinds of fancy fittings before they can even properly swing the blade). At first I was worried the tsuba's design may make it more difficult to push, but I am happily wrong. It does not affect the drawing at all. Very, VERY nice tsukamaki. My father looked and said he couldn't have done a better job. And when we opened up the tsuka, the tang is hugged nice and tight by the inside of the tsuka, so very secure.

Ok, maybe a little aesthetic glitches here and there. For example, a tiny mark of missed paint on the tsuba or the slightly crude mekugi. But if you are like me, looking for a hardy, excellent iaito for the purpose of training, this sword is REALLY, REALLY good value for money.

Finally, huge thank you to Alex for all his patient replies regarding the purchase :)

Just a little surprised about the length of this obi. For my old way of tying, I would not be able to wrap it around three times, so beware that you too may have to improvise a little ,)

Excellent quality. And a friendly tip for anyone else ordering hakama. Go for one size smaller. I am 184cm tall and I went for size 27 (180cm). This is because the ideal length of the hakama should be around your ankle. But just to make sure it's not too long that you would trip, always buy a size smaller. It is always better to have your hakama slightly shorter than too long :)

I like the design of the knots. Very convenient way to tie up and hide the knot away. Also quality material. It is slightly thicker than my Japanese made Gi, but equally confortable

Purchased on pre-order. Will review when it actually arrives!

is looking very good for these price . thx

This is good value for money. Heavier but softer than some of the dearer Kiekogis on the market. I really like this and plan to purchase another some time soon.

Great service

Good quality lacquered Kake. Glad bought the additional Kake as the free one is isn't lacquered.

Overall i'm really pleased with the purchase of the Black & White Shigeuchi Sageo, my only grip is that it is significantly wider and thicker than the standard Sageo, meaning that I had to remove the Shitodome from the Kurigata in order to get it to fit, but even then it is still very tight.

The stiffness is also taking a long time to soften, much longer than I have experienced with other Sageo before, but again, for the high quality and design i'm happy to wait this out.

The Asakura Iaito is excellent for training it's well made and feels good in the hand with a good balance. It arrived in the time scale. I would recommend Katana Mart.

Very satisfied with my Koga Ninja-To from YariNoHanzo great entry level item, Solid Build Quality and well balanced.

Fantastic quality very pleased with the craftsmanship

I recently purchased myself a new Iaito, as a backup sword for use when teaching at courses allowing me to leave my trusted Shinken at home.

Having a student who already purchased a Nanbu as his introductory sword, I was impressed with the overall quality and I figured that for such a low price it I wouldn't mind loss / damage to a backup sword.

However after one lesson using the sword, It has now become my main sword, used on an almost daily basis.

The plain fuchi/koshirae are perfectly understated, the Ito-maki is tight and evenly bound and the sukashi style tsuba beautifully crafted.

I wholeheartedly recommend these swords

Taran

ordered this for my sons 18th - as he into his karate and fencing. He was very pleased. Quality product at a good price. Thanks.

A fairly basic, but very attractive and well built blade.

exellent service and a fantastic bit of kit for any martial artist. Highly recommended

Very fast delivery, items were as described... I am very happy with the quality of tanto.

Arrived in brilliant condition and is a wonderful sword

Really nice quality katana for the price, great job guys! ^_^