Scratch and Dent Dojo Pro Level Samurai Sword #30

Very fast shipping.

Very nice katana, wonderful work. I had recently bought this in the Scratch and Dent sale to try out and the only thing I could figure out was wrong with it was maybe extra glue in the scabbard. Everything was tight and fit well, very well made. All in all a beautiful katana that cuts like a dream. I had only tried it once since this is my first from Rōnin and I don’t want to soil it. I would definitely be buying more in the future. The only katana so far I have rated with all 5 stars!

I’ve recently been modding katanas just for fun (lockdown does weird things to you, doesn’t it?), and I wanted to hotrod-flame my next project. Since a cheap iaito that’s usable would still cost $70-100, I thought, why not get this here decent shinken for $165? I’m very happy with the new Dojo Pro #12 I bought last year (my review is on that page, if you’re interested). It’s useful to be able to compare a new one to a scratch-&-dent one. All the positive comments to the Dojo Pro line apply here: Keeping the bells & whistles to a minimum has let Ronin put the money into the quality, build, and fit of what’s there. Solid koshirae, very tight ito, no rattling tsuba, tight fit into the saya. The thing just *feels* good. Scratches & dings: —Cosmetic blemishes on the blade that rubbed out with Metal Glo. —A few minor dings in the mune (back) and one in the tsuba where the top seppa fits. —The blade fit poorly into the saya until I realized it was catching on something and pulled out a wad of plastic wrap. Hmm. —The blade sometimes catches near the bottom third of the saya. I think the original owner managed to poke into the wood, so there’s a groove cut into the inside. Maybe one day I’ll do noto wrong and break through the saya. Hope not, cuz I’m gonna spend a lot of time painting this thing. Bottom line: If you’re okay with mostly cosmetic imperfections, you get a $300 Dojo Pro for $165. And since a $300 Dojo Pro is still a good deal, this is awesome. Because customization is always a bit of a gamble (I mean, hotrod flaming a saya, ferchrissake), the price made it a no-brainer for me. But even if I was just looking for a workhorse cutter without a thought for it as a pretty wall-hanger, this would still be a no-brainer. I haven’t done any cutting with it yet and won’t for a while, but I’m not worried, given the reputation of these blades as workhorse cutters. Short version: Buying a good used shinken for $165 from someon who’d taken great care of it would be a fantastic deal, yah. So is this.