Katana-US T10DH "Blood Pill" Katana Review: Can the new kid on the block hang with the Pros?

[@SpaceGhost182]

Great review brother. Really well done, i feel like i got a great understanding of this sword without physically holding it.

[@StudioGDT]

@@SpaceGhost182 Thank you my dude. I try!

[@tyleralderliesten2489]

I like that they come in at a similar pricepoint to most longquan manufacturers, but have some different fittings. Looking through their website, their "hana katana" caught my eye more than anything else in this pricepoint by far. The blade isnt anything special, no hamon even which isnt usually my thing, but the saya and the rest of the fittings looked really cool. The paintings on the saya look very nice, and the rest of the fittings arent goddy at all. Im fairly impressed with this company, they seem to do a few things differently than most longquan, although there are some other problems that samuraibyrd addressed in his comment. Good review!

[@StudioGDT]

Very well said. It will be interesting to see if we get another option from them how it compares-you could really make some cool unique looking themes with their custom setup which is what I hope to do. Thank you for the comment!

[@tyleralderliesten2489]

@@StudioGDT I would definitely like to see something custom made. Looking forward to seeing what you can throw together if you can get your hands on one.

[@AgouraSteve]

Some interesting Koshirae

[@StudioGDT]

The fuchi and kashira remind me of the 5th Element lol

[@gargoylesblade]

Great review of a new katana, don't know about the ito wrap though, that definitely will be come an issue, especially at that price point. Quality of the video looks good nice wide angle inches beginning, and trying to get the hamon line is difficult, I personally have been thinking of try a black background to try and bring it out.

[@StudioGDT]

@@gargoylesblade definitely agree. We will see how it holds up long term. Thankfully they took the feedback and said they would implement changes. My feeling is they are very keen to learn what they need to work on in order to be successful in our market. Everyone starts from somewhere, it’s how you finish that counts! As far as the Hamon, I think indirect lighting is probably key too-I’m not a photographer but I would guess that’s important to get the detail and not be blown out by the reflection of direct light.

[@gargoylesblade]

@StudioGDT it is, lightning is everything, and tricky

[@StudioGDT]

@@gargoylesblade I need to go back to school lol. Filming outside ads another layer to that too.

[@samuraibyrd]

Great review! I like the (hamon)temper line. Not very clean polish though. The transitions aren’t very flush either. At that price i would expect hishigame. There was a lot of extras which would be great for a collector but not so much for the practitioner. Just my opinion ⚔️

[@StudioGDT]

This sword is like Bigfoot and was very difficult to photograph-no idea why. I would say compared to other mirror polished swords at the 250-299 price point, in person it’s comparable. But you’d have to take my word on it since I can’t photograph it! Shipping was included, so at 360 I’d say you are really working with 300 in sword and I think with a few small tweaks to the tightness of the Ito, they could be right there. I plan to do something of “higher grade” with them so it will be interesting to compare. The saya was my favorite part which for me is very rare to say.

[@samuraibyrd]

@@StudioGDT yeah,i checked out the website and i would like to see their higher end swords reviewed

[@StudioGDT]

@@samuraibyrdI will see what I can do!

[@KF1]

Good review as always. One thing I'm not keen on is the display box. A small included rack would be a better value, and likely not add as much to the cost. This looks like a good candidate for a lemon juice / vinegar etch or stone polish to bring out the hamon. While the sword is nice, I think we're just spoiled for choice at this point. Compared to your custom Ryanswords etc, how do you feel this holds up?

[@StudioGDT]

We are DEFINITELY spoiled for choice! But I’m glad you asked the question because accessories and taste aside-how it holds up and compares is what matters. So in my opinion it definitely falls in line. The Tsuka shape is better than many. The Ito although on the lose side is right in line with a Dojo Pro (K-US said they will address this in future) the fit and finish of the furniture is actually better than some other more known brands. The habaki fit was better than most. I’ve zero concerns about the build quality and functionality of the blade itself. I think it stands up. Again take my opinion with a grain of salt. They just got back and committed to a custom build so I will get on that right away for you guys-since their premade offerings on the web are t really geared to our market, I think how the custom comes out will be a great test.

[@KF1]

@@StudioGDT Good to hear. I noticed the tsuka shape. Nice and fine, not too fat or blocky, with a curve on the mune side. Koijuchi also looked really good. The file markings on the end of the koiguchi look a lot like horn. Not especially keen on the habaki style, though the centering is great. One thing that bugs me is that little cut for the ha-machi, though in this case it's not so bad because it's cleanly done. Dunno why people would complain so much about Longquan producing subpar quality. Without the average swordmaker offering these, I wouldn't have a collection to begin with. My Dremsword, for instance, easily rivals the Huawei for cutting ability.

[@StudioGDT]

@@KF1 well said friend. Trust me I love and appreciate nihonto as much as the next weeb, but they aren’t mythical. Someone can debate me on quality or price or functionality or whatever, but I don’t have time for trolls to ruin this space for us. (We have similar taste it seems as well lol)

[@KF1]

@@StudioGDT Don't worry about it. That Neo1 has been trolling for a decade. Even used to go on 12 diff accounts to give me dislikes after I told him off. Some people just have nothing better to offer.

[@StudioGDT]

@@KF1 wow…that’s sad.

[@preparedsurvivalist2245]

It's basically a high end gas station katana with a lot of fluff. Ito wrap is a problem. Polish is a problem. I anticipate the saya being weak where they grooved it. Might crack or cut through eventually. Gawdy habaki and tsuba. ROM's got 5 pages of katana just like this and probably less expensive. Consumers have a lot of options for budget katana, but we are kind of drowning in them at this point. This is yet another offering that is not dazzling but is just kind of what it is.

[@StudioGDT]

I’d disagree with the gas station assessment, but we are all entitled to own opinions and there is nothing wrong with that. The wrap is not dissimilar to what you will encounter with a Ronin dojo pro for a similar price point which are reviewed quite favorably. As far as RoM, I just review a sword that was equal in price, had its own polish/saya issues and while it had tight Ito with hishigami, it came at the cost of a misshapen Tsuka you could feel in the hand. No one is perfect! Thank you for watching!