Ronin Katana Dojo Pro Daisho #12

No issues with the katana. Excellent condition and well made for the price. The wakizashi on the other hand had some notable issues. Those being a loose kashira, a saya rattle, a tsuka rattle, and later discovered a cracked tsuka. Overall, great long sword and a bit of a lacking short sword.

This is a fantastic daisho. Top quality steal. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is I received my katana with a small amount of rust on the kashira but was easily cleaned off. But functionally this sword is solid. A very good cutter.

I love the dojo pro series and these musashi with the bohi are incredible. I have purchased swords from many manufacturers and these are my favorite.

Before I write my observations, let's establish the baseline: you buy a daisho for 500 $'s. This means, do not expect high end, hand forged and master-craftsman produced shinken(s). It is a mass produced, practical tool, and not a piece of art. Shipping and customer service: fast and flawless, five stars. Packing and labeling: It comes in double boxes. Only the katana has a "Ronin katana" box, the waki is in plain cardboard. The RK box is thin, my tsuba broke through it , nevertheless, the outer boxes are intact and the shipment was well protected. Labels and documentation: big minus! There is only one small sticker on the box which states that this is RK such-and-such model. Period. Apart from this, just small "made in China" stickers on everything. So if it is out of the box, nothing will prove that it is a RK. Not a single leaflet about specs, or a warning for dumbs or basic cleaning tips for beginners. Even Hanwei's cheapest practical blade comes with a small leaflet about shimming the koiguchi and things like that. How it feels: the katana is light, lighter than my steel iaito. Its tsuka is thin, with a rectangular cross section rather than the cylindrical, beefier tsukas. It does not feel bad, but one have to get used to it. The ito is decent, but not very tight especially at the end-knot, slightly uneven "diamonds". I assume it will loosen soon if I use it often. The saya seems robust, but it gives a rattling sound when you pull out the sword: most likely the inside was just roughly milled. Small flaws with the lacquer, but not very visible. NVM, and hey, you can buy a spare one at any time! The sword is very light, "lively", it's easy to control and it's a pleasure to practice with. But the price for this is, that it has to be sharp for good cutting performance, since the blade has minimal momentum. You won't "let it go" through the tatami, you have to push/pull it all the way through if it is not sharp enough. And here is the second minus: mine was not sharp enough. It is sharp for fingers, but for the tatami you feel the resistance, slight vibration and hear the "thump" as you cut into it. If you are a backyard cutter you can whack the blade through the target (especially the most ridiculous targets: water bottles). But for nice slicing cuts, you need to sharpen the blade. You can do it yourself if you are skilled, or contact a pro sharpener, but that can cost you 70-90 bucks. And since the blade itself worth around 130-150 (based on the price of the shirasaya version), this definitely does not worth it. The waki is HUGE. It is not obvious reading the specs on the website, but when you have it in your hand, it's heavy, beefy and long! Not too much difference between cutting single handed with the katana or the waki. If you swing it hard, you will have to be very cautionus to stop it in time and not hitting something. It was not too sharp either. If the katana feels good, this definitely feels less "wieldy", unbalanced and will give you an unconfortable feeling for a while during the tameshigiris. Overall: still go for it if your are on a budget, it worth the price. But do not expect more than what it is: a (beginners) sword, a practical tool for some fun.

Received my Daisho #12 today. Both swords were double boxed and well protected. The Wakizashi box also contained the cleaning kit which amazingly survived the trip intact. Both were caked in the normal protective coating and cleaned very easily. Both were razor sharp right out of the box. Both were scratch and blemish free. The Tsuka was a little rough and the pins had tore the wrap slightly around the holes but nothing dramatic and totally acceptable for the price. The silk Ito on both blades were perfectly wrapped with even diamonds. The Sageo was a little rough and some how was twisted slightly during shipment or boxing but again, it cleaned up nicely and totally acceptable. The Musashi Tsuba was iron as advertised. Musashi was wise in keeping it simple yet very effective. The Bohi was a new thing for me having never seen one on a katana. I was very impressed. All in all? Well worth every penny. These are real weapons, not wall hangers and are designed to be used. They are very plain and not meant to impress the ladies. I find beauty in simplicity so they are perfect for me.