ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?? | Z-SEY KATANA | FIRST IMPRESSIONS!!!!!

[@JR-5465]

Nice sword Brother, it was fun watching you show the blade off your camera work is always spot on. Thanks, Joe

[@JoeSteel1]

Thanks JR. just trying to keep up with some sword reviews piling up, glad you enjoy them dude

[@yotomuramasa]

Love the blade. I think the small diamonds are because of the hishi gami. Even though it is a sign of quality, I also prefer larger diamonds

[@DonnieBAllDay]

I agree with the tsuba

[@JoeSteel1]

Hey my man D. yes it just doesn't go, and the black as well

[@TylerJadeye]

nice work sir

[@JoeSteel1]

much appreciated Tyler👊👊👊

[@edc4fun]

Great first impressions video Joe! Well done, looks like a very nice katana.

[@JoeSteel1]

Should end up being really top notch..thanks dude

[@erichusayn]

Very very nice. A different model is the best feeling sword I've ever held without question. I reached out to them before anybody even knew about them. No review sample. Lol.

[@JoeSteel1]

I Agree it's a very nice handling sword, tough enough but not a beater, they go more for great feel, balance and nice fit & finish

[@tofufregit]

Very Nihonto-like, I love it! One can see the smiths put a lot of attention into that blade just by looking at how sharp and well made the shinogi-ji and the yokote are. You don't see that too often in production swords! Of course, the hamon and the polish doesn't fall short, it looks like a very traditional polish job and it looks stunning! I also like the selection of fittings (the saya, wow) and the tsuba design... I don't know if it's based on historical design but I like it, it looks so classy although I think an antiqued finish rather than glossy would be the ice on the cake. Cheers and thank you for this review! Truly enjoyed it, can't wait for more content on this blade and the Huawei ;)

[@JoeSteel1]

Very much appreciated, yes zsey is going for a traditional Nihanto style, the polish on the blades is truly very well done, really stands out, been very backed up with work...I will do some more content with this sword & others soon, thanks for tuning in my friend

[@notsans9995]

yes, very nihonto like, but unfortunatly they chose the worst era of nihonto to base their swords on lol. hopefully they will start making shinshinto type blades or even dotanuki

[@vladimirkovacevic1656]

beautiful katana and koshirae, i love copper habaki and that tsuba and polish and hamon

[@JoeSteel1]

Yes very nice quality sword, polish is out of the ordinary well done for sure

[@jdemeter4357]

Bleeding all over your new sword would be a bad omen. Your review had me in a intense grip, well done ,your a good teacher. #22aday

[@JoeSteel1]

hahaha..good for views, but no wouldn't be good...thanks JD.

[@joelokuda9407]

You are welcome. They get most of their fittings and tsuka ito , sageo from Japan. They make some nice swords. Have a great day

[@JoeSteel1]

much appreciated, gathering information for a full review

[@tomharmon1858]

Do you have any idea what steel grade this is?

[@JoeSteel1]

Can't say dude, its only listed as smelted iron, they are secretive about the composition of this steel

[@charlesjonestherednecknerd]

Joe! Well, that is a beautiful katana. I am looking forward to your detailed review and Karl's as well. I have to go back and check if you have a stropping video on something this large. I personally have problems stropping anything over 14" of blade. The Saia to me is beautifully done. I love the color of it's finish. Great first impressions video.

[@JoeSteel1]

Thanks Charles I have one from last year but I may do another one

[@stefanklaus1652]

Awesome review brother, take care love you brother

[@JoeSteel1]

love and respect brother 🙏

[@kevinc3751]

Nice review. I’ve been checking out some of their models. Does the one you reviewed have any noticeable hada? On the website pics it looks like there is some activity, but couldn’t tell in ur video. Thanks for the review. I think a lot of us in the sword community are considering them as an option.

[@JoeSteel1]

The polish work on this blade is extremely well done, they are trying to emulate a real Nihanto in the look, feel and balance of the sword, this was a quick impression video I will be working on a very detailed review soon on the channel, I'm just very back logged with samples, thanks for checking it out Kevin

[@samuraibyrd]

Nice katana!!! Im curious about the HRC ? They tend to recommend the softer side,56,57 versus 60,62, which doesn’t handle bamboo very well.

[@JoeSteel1]

I'll find out

[@peterjanjanin9883]

I have 2 of their Shinken. I've only used 1 for Tatami and it's a great cutter

[@peterjanjanin9883]

I have the ZXN-275J that I use for cutting. The Hamon has rubbed off that from cutting Tatami

[@JoeSteel1]

Wow really that's not very comforting, to be honest though the finish on the blades is more as a showpiece, not really great for extensive cutting but once I cut with it, I'll see what I find

[@peterjanjanin9883]

@@JoeSteel1 I also have their "Prawn" Shinken. The one with the Copper Tsuba, folded steel. It came with a loose Tsuba that I had to heat up and hammer smaller. The ZXN-275J also had a crack in the lacquer of the Saya

[@shanewright344]

I have to agree with you Joe. The tsuba just doesn't really work with the rest of the sword. That being said, the fit and finish on this blade, and the polish (dude, that polish!) is just incredible

[@JoeSteel1]

The polish and feel of the sword is an an attempt of emulating a nihanto...very well done

[@joske2838]

That's beautiful! the sori is perfect and the hamon / polish looks great :) also one of the nicest fuchi and kashira sets ive ever seen. I want one haha

[@JoeSteel1]

The polish job is truly wonderful, it's one sword I wouldn't want to cut with...lol

[@thedanimal3400]

Hey Joe how have you been. I am way behind on keeping up with your videos. I am building a new house and have been so busy. But how to you like this compared to Skyjiro?

[@JoeSteel1]

Oh man, good luck with that, I did that some years ago, very stressful time of my life....Skyjiro is more established, but eventually I think zsey could be in the same conversation as Skyjiro and Huawai but not evolution blades at least at these price points...

[@MichaelR58]

Great looking sword Joe , thanks for sharing , God bless brother ! #22aday #22adaynomore

[@JoeSteel1]

👏👏👊👊👊👊🗡🗡🗡

[@nickmarcotti8167]

Strange..the touyan on their website has a brown ito..and you're right - it does look better than the black.

[@JoeSteel1]

💯 it should stay brown

[@collegekids15]

Looks like a beautiful sword. Did your samegawa come with an emperor node? From what I can tell they use really high quality rayskin.

[@JoeSteel1]

There are what would appear to be some emp. nodes on top portion of the tsuka near the Kashira but rest of sleeve are not, but regardless a quality job...I have still to do a full review on this but I'm liking the Nihanto feel they are going for..

[@michaelrs8010]

Very nice. As an aside, since you have a large audience, maybe in a future video you could do a short mention of the bad Heat Wave they've been having a China, which has affected industrial power which also could be slowing down production on katanas and other swords from that area

[@JoeSteel1]

Thanks Michael I'll look into that...

[@AdoreYouInAshXI]

I gotta disagree about the ito wrapping. It's very well done for a sword in that price range. Much better than a 900 dollar Hanwei sword or other mass produced Chinese blade of the like (Dragon King, Taisuki etc). It reminds me of my Citadel Ocean ito which is a $2800 sword. I also prefer smaller diamonds to large diamonds. Large diamonds make the ito look cheaper to me, for some reason. Probably because it's more difficult to make them uniform. At first I agreed with you about the tsuba, but the more I watched the more I ended up liking the gloss tsuba with the brass fittings and copper habaki. Probably not what I'd order (since they offer so much customization on the Zsey swords these day), but I still dig it. The samegawa also looks like decent quality. Anyway, nice review. Looks like a great sword for the price.

[@JoeSteel1]

@AdoreYouInAshXI Thank you for your input, great to hear different points of view, although I never meant it was poorly done, actually I believe Zsey is one of the premier makers these days, I just prefer different...

[@JoeSteel1]

@AdoreYouInAshXI Also this was not the full review, it's only first impressions, I did a full review on this sword in my catalog

[@ObscureJester]

how would you rate it compared to your dotanuki Huawei?

[@JoeSteel1]

That's a great question, and it's a comparison video I was planning on doing eventually....I haven't taken the zsey apart yet...so can't speak for the quality of the tang and tsuka...but I if had to make a pre mature assessment...I would say the D. Huawai has better fit and finish and because of the blade geometric, it is a much stronger cutter...there are factors thus far that I believe Huawai does better especially that both swords are of the same asking price..the fittings are more adorned and detailed on the zsey, but the Huawai, even in simple black iron, still done extremely well with a hand made copper Habaki on the Huawai, ...it is an under estimated sword of great quality well above its asking price...alot to like over the zsey but not until I finish my review of the zsey can I ultimately make that decision of which is better overall..

[@leoneljvalladares5402]

Nice and wide blade

[@JoeSteel1]

Not super wide but wider to kissaki better

[@jmanker6106]

good job almost cutting your hand while opening the box

[@JoeSteel1]

Lol...figures that's the only aspect of the video you comment on...

[@gargoylesblade]

I would agree, the ito wrapping does look off, and the tsuba does look out of place. I've looked at z-sey before with the prices,should be a little better attention to it

[@JoeSteel1]

I think they are geared towards that goal

[@gargoylesblade]

@@JoeSteel1 as far as the sageo knot, that's how I tie mine, it's much faster to undo if you need it. Hopefully, I've been on there website before, and with some of the prices, yeah they should up it just a little.

[@nickmarcotti8167]

This is one of their less expensive offerings, as I understand it. Looking at their website, you can see the attention to detain in their more expensive "international line", as they call it. Still....for a "cheaper" sword, this thing is gorgeous! Some of their more expensive tsuba - which you can see on their insta page, you can tell they take a lot of time and pride in their craftsmanship.

[@RidingHumboldtCounty]

Killer! Time to slay some dragons 🐉

[@JoeSteel1]

If the GOT. dragons come I will be ready...but maybe not, think their too cool, the undead a different story....lol

[@Katana-Karl]

whoa! almost cut your thumb opening it up! careful ol'boy!

[@JoeSteel1]

Yea that could have been bad..lol

[@Psycho-Ssnake]

A beauty.

[@JoeSteel1]

Indeed doing some shooting of that sword today hopefully

[@nickmarcotti8167]

I love it!! And I'm jealous AF! I know this one is around $800, but I'd LOVE to have $2500 +/- to shell out for one of their higher end swords. Some of them, I wouldn't be able to tell weren't actual nihonto! Oh...and I'm hesitant to say anything, for fear of offending or injuring anyone's ego, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention, Joe, that when holding a katana, you shouldn't hold it like a baseball bat - or with a grip that is 90 degrees from the angle of your forearm. You should hold it diagonally in your hands; from that space between your thumb and index finger, down to the bottom corner of your palm. I made the same mistake until I went to Japan and learned a bit from an iaido/kendo instructor. I assumed you'd be open to taking constructive criticism, as someone who wants to constantly improve. I don't mean to try and show anybody up. I hope this note is received in the spirit in which it was intended. From one sword lover to another.

[@JoeSteel1]

Not at all Nick, I'm never claiming to be a good sword Handler in my vids, I do the best I can and I am learning along the way...much appreciated my friend

[@nickmarcotti8167]

@@JoeSteel1 glad you're not annoyed. I'm a personal trainer and I've found that most people, even when they're doing something wrong and could very easily injure themselves, are not open to any type of helpful advice in the gym. Their egos are too fragile, I guess. Me? I'm a lover of learning and know I can learn something from ANYBODY, and my ego isn't hurt when I'm told I could improve upon something. Glad you're that way, cuz I'd hate to think i stepped on your toes. Anyway, I can't wait to see how this thing slices through shit!

[@peterjanjanin9883]

I have one of their 2k Swords and it's nice but if you're going to spen Scratch like that, get a Motahara. That's my next Shinken

[@JoeSteel1]

@@peterjanjanin9883 I totally hear you, but I think there trying to complete within that price realm, but Mothara can also go into a 7 to 10k range, if I had 2 to 5k to burn on a sword I would consider motohara, but looking foward to seeing how this company evolves aa it is fairly new.

[@joelokuda9407]

Zsey swords don’t come with sword bags

[@JoeSteel1]

Thanks for the info.

[@notsans9995]

You should see if they willing to send you a review sample of their folded steel/sanmai blades. Most of the reviews out now are of their monosteel or kobuse blades, and the image quality on their website doesn't really do justice to all the activities in there folded steel

[@JoeSteel1]

I'll Try but those are very expensive swords

[@malinyamato]

must be a very cheap sword with no box or bag .

[@JoeSteel1]

Ummm it's actually a $900.00 sword, not having a custom sword box doesn't make it a cheap sword, actually not including a sword box and such means they put more of the cost your paying into the actual sword itself, I did a full use review on this sword recently on my channel if your interested in seeing it. thank you for watching