The Bizarre World Of American Katanas (BUDK)

[@Shwarmageddon]

Huge props to you D to have the confidence to film this on that rooftop where anyone could watch you. Love how you embrace the goofiness that comes with this kind of content.

[@kbimmy]

It's great but it's also funny you say that when it's getting out on KZbin where anyone anywhere can watch anyway

[@suoquainen]

@@kbimmy It's about confidence.

[@charlesfuzak]

Yooo I ordered so much stuff from BudK back in the early 2000s as a dumb little preteen. Coolest part, you could order dangerous items at any age by getting a money order and sending in the little order insert from the magazine. My mom had no idea my brother and I were buying giant swords, throwing knives, blow guns, all kinds of crap. Majority of it was junk but some of it was okay. All of it was super cool to a 12 year old.

[@Cerberusarms]

In middle school nothing beat it, except maybe Airsoft guns but you needed a friends older brothers credit card for that haha

[@gourdguru]

@@Cerberusarms budk had you covered there too. airsoft, crosbows, blowguns, hell i think they even started selling black powder firearms at one point.

[@britsunvaar9297]

Budk got me into swords. 8 - 10 yo me trying to clean cut limbs off trees or split some small stick or whatever I just saw in a movie. Then I got pissed that I kept breaking them so I went and learned what a good sword was. I wouldn't call myself an expert but I got buddies that will bring me stuff and I just laugh showing them how they just bought mall ninja crap for $300. Now I know budk is good for pretty things you hang on the wall.

[@t.a6159]

Fun times with weapons...😂

[@randysavage1]

Their solid steel stuff is good for the price. I have those Atlantis swords and went tree branch chopping to test it out..tested on thick branches with no problems. Throwing knives are actually decent too.

[@dnsv08]

Lowkey--- D is finally was able to afford these knives and swords and fulfilled his childhood dreams

[@tomaarten]

it makes sense that the swords were dull, the target audience is mostly teenagers (like you said), so it's probably best for the company to keep them dull as to avoid users causing damage to property, others or themselves (either by accident or on purpose). it sounds like a liability thing.

[@Riceball01]

That would make sense if BudK were the manufacturer of these "swords' but they aren't, they're just retailers and most, if not all, of their products are made by other companies and simply sold by BudK. The most likely case is that the manufacturers just don't want to take the time and effort to actually sharpen them or sharpen them well. Which is not exactly an uncommon practice, a lot of more expensive swords with proper high carbon steel blades come unsharpened while others come sharp but can be much sharper.

[@gourdguru]

1. like riceball said, budk buys in bulk and redistributes, all the products were sharpened by respective manufacturers, not budk, except for a very small selection of knives budk does manufacture themselves. 2. a dull blade is more dangerous, it's more likely to bounce out of a cut, meet resisyance, which increases likelihood of self harm, and it increases stress on the blade, raising the chances of a catastrophic failure and a blade snap.

[@thelyonslions]

Fun fact: damascus steel has indeed been recreated by some metalurgists (john Verhoeven et al.) in the modern era. Verhoeven wrote a neat blog post detailing the whole story in 2016 or so

[@fransthefox9682]

Actual fun fact: Damascus is not a steel, but a specific forging process that involves folding and twisting multiple grades of steel together.

[@CAMSLAYER13]

​@@fransthefox9682thats modern Damascus steel, "Damascus steel" from Damascus was famed for its quality and properties in the past and the process of making it was lost to time.

[@Purpmaster]

Fun fact: both these comments are just regurgitating what was said in the video. 😁

[@WarlordEnthusiast]

@@CAMSLAYER13 Eh, I'm sure way back then Damascus steel was the stuff to use but nowadays I doubt it compares to modern steels. Metallurgy has advanced dramatically over the past century, we have steels and alloys that are an order of magnitude stronger than older steels.

[@CAMSLAYER13]

@@WarlordEnthusiast yea, its probable we have long exceeded what they made

[@MrDeathSloth]

The united samurai sword brings me back. My friend Matt bought one and we broke the handle the same day, we eventually jerry rigged it and used it more until the blade shattered. Was awesome in its own way. Matt passed away last year but this video triggered those memories instantly. RIP Matt

[@ZaberZlayer7]

My condolences. Matt sounded like a pretty cool dude.

[@Mephistopheles9]

hope you’re ok brother, RIP Matt

[@gogarith]

Rest in peace, Matt. Sounds like a helluva guy

[@Daestos]

🙏 Thank you for explaining what "Damascus" is. Too many people think it's better than it actually is.

[@petoperceptum]

I think part of the problem with Atlantis swords is that you weren't spinning enough. Clearly user error.

[@oldschooldos6850]

I read the title and I had exactly one sword from that magazine in my mind and by god did I immediately see it in the intro. You are living the dream D. I need to find my copy of Street Sword by Phil Elmore to brush up on my gun+sword katana moves.

[@Cerberusarms]

A man of culture I see!

[@BelmontClan]

It’s interesting how you’ve only just started reviewing swords and gun myths within the last year but have only exclusively done video game play throughs.

[@TheDarkStigmataVA]

There are typically 3 types of 440 stainless steel. •440a (lowest quality, the kitchen fork and spoon quality steel) •440b (Don't bother) •440c (Ideally, if it's made by a reputable knife maker or company in the U.S., similar quality steel is AUS-10a steel) When a website or online retailer doesn't state what type of 440 it is, it's certainly 440a stainless steel from China.

[@The_Borisaurus]

Great video. Loved all of the comedic wit, Brynne behind the camera quipping at you, the tatami exercises, and last but not least the Blade quote! "Come on, what are you looking at her for? You need permission?"

[@JakkuTheMagicalCattu]

My grandfather could be wrong but he's an smithy and I've done research on it too but we actually can make Damascus steel pretty much 1:1 of the original, the technique was never actually lost just rare but it was the composition of the said materials that was needed to create the 1:1 copy that was lost but it was "recently" discovered in 1998 by J.D. Verhoeven(he has a paper if I remember) if I remember correctly the reason most don't use it anymore is because it's expensive, pretty hard to make and just not worth the time if it's a show sword when you can use similar materials and weild them to be cheaper and just as pretty etc we have way better materials for weaponsmithing these days my grandpa said he made one in 2003 for a Japanese parade but I could of misheard but I remember him saying how he tried to get the 1:1 materials could of just been a fantasy he had haha But I could be talking out of my ass with false memorys or the research I did at school etc was just based of incorrect sources but this was 2013 using papers from 1990s to 2000s so take it with a grain of salt plus been a while since I was in the forge or picked up forge based reading material. Still collect swords and such doing my research still there haha

[@RebelHound]

looked this up and according to the first few results you’re not wrong apparently

[@aaftiyoDkcdicurak]

Damascus isn't as strong as a lot of modern steel but I'm not sure you would want to make a sword out of steel like D2. But I think a lot of swords don't have much room for improvement like how making a katana blade harder will just make it brittle. I think the rapier is one sword that really improved with modern steels.

[@dragonpjb]

Anyone else remember "The Edge Company"?

[@x9x9x9x9x9]

When I was like 8 or 9 in the late 90's my best friend and his brother ordered some katana's from budk. We got into a fight and I ended up putting the sword through their moms couch on accident... That couch was $3000 in the late 90's. Its a long story but I tossed the sword at the floor but it tumbled and bounced, stabbing the couch. Sounds way more dangerous than it was.

[@ElricX]

Yep! an awful lot of us went through a "mall ninja" phase lol! I never bought anything from BUDK but as an adult I picked up a Schrade Priscilla "brush sword" to scratch that itch. It's not horrible and was only around $30 so maybe check it out?

[@terminusarms113]

Dude the face you were making in the endcard took me back to watching Freddie Wong back in high school when I was just getting into bingeing Node videos. Good times. Funny, informative yet engaging and (most importantly) relatable video.

[@nom-cha]

your intros are inspired 🤌🤌🤌

[@reproducable]

Brilliant intro! great reverb. Always a good time when you upload on any of the channels!

[@joule7256]

Love mall ninja stuff. Not to own but it looks cool to see. I have my zatoichi "damascus" replica that feels really nice and works great for me cause i need a walking stick sometimes and swords are legal to open carry in my state.

[@JediSamson]

BudK is basically Skymall but for knives. Not all of their products are bad but the good stuff is usually branded and costs $500+ like Cold Steel (I'm gonna regret saying that here...) or its gimmicky like their Stun Guns or Manriki Gusari; possibly useful but highly situational. My advice? Kult of Athena, Windlass and (for those with a bit more money) Albion Swords are all better options for your melee weapon fix.

[@asa-punkatsouthvinland7145]

1045 swords like Shines, Misha, Onikiri, etc are sometimes ok for the low price. They will bend easier & dull faster than more expensive swords but to learn to cut with & not worry about ruining a sword they are not too bad. Also they will bend & take tons of punishment without the blade snapping so if someone does something stupid they are less likely to get hurt by a blade breaking & flying off.

[@karottensteak2404]

1:40 don't know if you noticed but you missed on that swing

[@paritoshd]

I was hoping for the Taron Malicos dual wield in out combo, unfortunate that these blades weren't sharp.

[@ValTek_Armory]

Man, haven't thought about BUDK in a while. This is a blast from the past

[@stillcantbesilencedevennow]

Tnf, BudK has GREAT training aids for purchase.

[@redguardgaming4625]

"It will not keel" 😂😂

[@jeremyjames2643]

Finally the native Americans get some recognition for their “fine” samurai blades.

[@QKsilver58]

13:35 HE SAID THE THING

[@jamesaaron6973]

I bought a few Honshu blades from budk cause I knew they were just quality enough for what I wanted without hurting my wallet too bad. Honestly I really like them, though I won’t pretend they are the best. Do your research and know what you’re paying for, and have fun. I would not grab a sword to defend myself against an attacker given the choice, but chopping things up is fun every once in a while.

[@Cerberusarms]

The Honshu line look fine for backyard cutting. Definitely seem sturdy enough

[@jamesaaron6973]

@@Cerberusarms They definitely are, I have experience, lol. On the two swords I have from them the handle is held on with bolts that go through the tang, so I feel no worry of it coming apart in my hand, even if there is a bit of rattle. Shadiversity has a video in which he uses a Honshu sword (among others) to cut down trees.

[@lau6438]

I was just looking at your videos, wondering if you had uploaded again, and to no avail. Funny enough, 5 minutes later, a notification for you pops up on my phone. Love to see it!

[@zonkedtrippy]

you just unlocked a memory at 1:22 I had that exact sword/dagger when I was a kid

[@leytondrapier6787]

I'm in the UK and I love showing my mates the budk site, their reactions are hilarious.

[@ainteasya]

I legit was just on the toilet browsing an old budk catalog I found under the sink.

[@Cerberusarms]

The perfect use for a BudK catalogue

[@dryued6874]

Watching D work these twin swords made me realize how much of a bummer it is that he wasn't present at Corridor's sword twirling session.

[@Cerberusarms]

There’s a reason I wasn’t invited lol

[@MalificPlaza]

7:04, unwrap the handle and see if its a full sheet of metal, saw a DIY channel make a resign model of one of these cheap ones and unwrapped the handle and saw a "throwing" knife cut out of it lol

[@ethanialP]

You fill the same void that Zombie Go Boom did for me when I was younger, thank you D for appearing on node so now I can follow your successful and awesome career.

[@BelmontClan]

The people who make zombie go boom and stopped are idiots, they make guys like Johnny Knoxville look like a Rhodes Scholar by pure comparison. I remember zgb tried to do the last of us scissors pipe mod they screwed up the design and made it shorter and than like an idiot Charles Fultz swings it under his arm like he’s pretending to be Xena and cuts 2 giant gashs in his arm, and fails to take himself to the hospital to be treated. The head idiot of zgb Chuck Mere has no first aid items on hand like at all and he’s letting his toddler daughter be around the stupidity as it happens. Proving they are about as zombie survival enthusiasts as an untrained 4th grader getting his white belt at a mcdojo in the local strip mall. While countless comments on their videos by those trained in martial arts critique and criticize the 2 hosts rampant stupidity and obvious lack of any real training in anything.

[@ThePirateburke86]

I appreciate that in the demo you're dressed like a villain from a Jet li movie on vacation

[@StudioMod]

I got their magazines like all the way to around 2010 I think from 1996. They were awesome for cheap but cool looking stuff. They were easily the most entertaining magazine.

[@Watch_Dog-13]

From my experience as a blade smith, I can say that Shinwa does use decent steel, like low end spectrum of decent to good, but they cheap out on the fittings to keep prices low. The rest of the selection is just hot garbage.

[@braydensaxon5876]

Worth the purchase if you plan to upgrade the fittings

[@th00perman_]

Imagine looking out your window to see a ninja chopping mats with rainbow swords on a roof.

[@Zoraxon]

We had Cold Steel and SMKW, never bought anything but they were fun to look through.

[@Silveredge99]

D! I remember seeing your interest in swords in the old Node vids growing up, but I did not know that you turned this channel into an awesome sword channel. I will definitely be coming back to this channel when I see new uploads. And holy crap, doing the Node channel and this one, that is more than a full time job. Keep it up dude.

[@mysticmarbles]

Lol at those speed holes. They still send me a catalog every month because I bought a scabbard for a Lord of the Rings wallhanger (they are the only ones still selling the scabbards). It's always worth a laugh.

[@faceheadman]

i spent many study halls doodling pictures of these swords as a kid. im genuinely shocked any of these survived hiting the mat and not instantly snapping in half

[@bloodlove93]

I spent many years imagining similar swords crashing down around me like meteors,obliterating everyone in class....i hated studying, but i could easily imagine people vanishing into dust. damn im glad I've been done with school for a long time now. staying quiet gets boring eventually.

[@faceheadman]

@@bloodlove93 thats the edgiest thing ive read in a long time

[@naruomi9477]

I feel like most people who get into swords come across these types of swords first.

[@JC-gv6sq]

Man hearing BUDK brought me back, haven't thought of that mag in years.

[@liggerstuxin1]

10:35 this part here, when he was proud of himself. Not too shabby.

[@dominiclapinta8537]

I bought some j2 stainless steel swords from ebay once. If stainless steel is forged right, it can make a good blade. Mine were the no name brand Aragorn ranger sword and the anduril. Now, they did come with a rat tail tang. Although, it was a better rat tail tang and so the blades did hold up decently before the handles began to bend. So what I did, because the blade itself was long enough, was do some grinding, and make them into functional blades. They have a perfect spring temper and have not broken, no matter what I have used them on. I own a brinks home safe and have tested them against that and various hard and soft woods. I have had these swords since high school. Some places in Pakistan, seem to be able to make a good blade out of stainless steel. Now, all they need to do is to stop making blades with a rat tail tang and make them full tang. The blades are good, but its the handles that they need to do right.

[@liggerstuxin1]

12:46 “I don’t care about technique” *focuses intently*

[@ChetJang]

I found one of those futuristic Bud K "Samurai" swords that I bought a few decades ago resting under some junk in my basement where it fit in perfectly. It surprisingly survived my 2010 house fire. Thank god I am no longer on their mailing list. It looked so flimsy I never tried cutting anything with it.

[@KageNoTora74]

440 stainless steel is a red flag for a sword blade.

[@Cerberusarms]

100%

[@Frog_Lord85]

Great to see you uploading again

[@0451DLS]

Opening skit is underrated. Pure gold 🫡

[@Cerberusarms]

🙏

[@mbrown4520]

I just found this channel and I’m loving it.

[@mistermaky01]

Would be fun to sharpen the Atlantis swords and see how they work

[@kirill2525]

well thats why i have a sharpening station to sharpen burk stuff. after i sharpend a karambit on both sides, it was very impressive

[@AlphaA070]

we got our monthly upload🥳

[@jimipolkerman8266]

Just found your channel recommended after watching a video from Corridor Crew with you in it, after watching this video, I immediately binged your other sword videos and I just wanted to say that I was simply captivated by your video's, they were super chill to watch, incredibly informative and highly entertaining. I truly hope to see more videos from you, You've for sure earned my sub :) Kind Regards

[@Cerberusarms]

Thanks that’s high praise! Glad you enjoyed the videos

[@blacksmithcosplay743]

I remember buying a few at a gunshow over a decade ago, fixed two a while back but the tang under the wrapping and wood scales was hollow, as in someone cut metal out of it. Luckily they didn’t break, but almost a decade later i now make my own blades.

[@OasisTypeZaku]

The mall ninja magazine! I love looking through their catalogs even today though ive never ordered anything.

[@MatthewMcFly]

Bud K is based out of my small home town! Pretty cool seeing you talk about them.

[@evanmurphy4344]

I’m impressed that your glasses stayed on with the Atlantis swords! 😂

[@MrLiam272]

I brought a Teutonic hand and and a half sword that was 750 nzd and it feels amazing , i also got a red Damarcus Katana for 650 and it feels cheap.

[@JamesReborn2023]

Only product they sell that I stand by is the expendables kunai set. I’ve had them for years and put them through more than most would put a knife through, even used them at construction jobs for many uses, including prying out crating staples and nails. Many times I’ve been surprised to not break the tips. Very durable

[@Solosomnia]

"American Katana" Is like "New York Champagne"

[@terribledeal]

I got a shinwa sword off a guy on craigslist a few years back for 50 bucks. Now you got me wanting to dig it out

[@russellwirta6753]

Awesome vid. I also remember flipping through the Bud-k magazines. It would be cool to see more “mall ninja” products tested.

[@lorddemonoss3945]

I owned that piece of shxt samurai 2000 sword. I got it for under $30. I own a shinwa straight katana. With a celtic guard design.

[@GarC170]

Y2K era I had so many of my Budk catalogs confiscated in middle school. Riding my bicycle up to the gas station to buy money orders oh man the memories lol. No idea Budk still existed hadn’t thought about them in over a decade

[@TehDurnknVirkin]

There's an hour long documentary called Secrets of the Viking Sword on YT where they recreated crucible steel to make an Ulfberht

[@BevinEG]

YEAH!! Edit: The Black Legion twin jok- blades are basically what sword characters in anime use. Just blunt sticks in the shape of a blade with anime fixtures.

[@brightlord-ov7cm]

Mall ninja thumbnail extraordinaire!

[@sleepynex1710]

Actually thought something would come off on the Katana. I'm surprised too

[@Thatgamingyoutuberisme21]

The modern Damascus steel is made in a process called galvanising and it’s melting different steels together mix them and solidify it to make the pattern so it adds no valve

[@ihcterra4625]

Pattern welding is the term. They don’t actually melt the steels. They soften them and forge weld them together. The problem is the layering adds inclusions and the boundaries are often weaker than a mono steel would be. True Damascus is a mono steel that has elements that form a carbide precipitation in a pattern when the proper forging techniques are used.

[@brian770]

i will say the red sword looks FRIKIN SWEET !!!!!!

[@adawg3032]

The cheapest anything that i ever bought on amazon that i 100% do not regret is a 24 dollar blow dart gun. The blow dart gun came with 10 crappy darts but for 30 bucks a pop you can get cold steel razor darts that will take down pretty much anything you hit with it if you get a good fatal shot. I have taken a few critters out with it, i always wait for winter here in CO because during the warmer climates alot of the critter meat has to be thrown out because its got parasites or other issues.

[@spidygav3125]

I remember a modern rogue video kind of in the same vein as this video and they had the awesome name of mall weapons for stuff like these

[@DeAthWaGer]

The bent katana-style Samurai 3000 was SUPER SHARP, had no idea the straight sword is totally dull. There's also a tanto.

[@Cerberusarms]

Super sharp 440 stainless steel blade. Sounds like a horrible accident waiting to happen imo

[@DeAthWaGer]

@@Cerberusarms haha absolutely! Especially showing people the release mechanism. Everyone's follow-up is always trying to do it slick and cutting themselves. I've never seen anyone purposely bash it, but I assume it will end like that old home shopping (QVC?) video.

[@MindPulp]

Forget about how my Dad was never around!?! SOLD.

[@Cerberusarms]

Don’t threaten me with a good time!

[@ConnorPriola]

KZbin unsubscribed me from your channel so I missed this when it came out, but great vid as usual. Surprised the katana didn’t dull much from the cutting, expected it to be smooth after three cuts.

[@S0773H]

Not gonna lie. 8:12 had me like, "I Should call her".

[@Divine_Serpent_Geh]

Katanas are supposed to be somewhat tip-heavy. That’s one of the reasons why they are good cutters. 1. Forward balance - hits with lots of force/authority. 2. Edge geometry - once the blade has entered the target, the profile of the blade (this varies from sword to sword) glides through the rest of the target. 3. Rigidity - Katanas are thick chunky swords, and a lot of them (yes, even historical ones) don’t have much distal taper, this of course lends to the tip-heaviness, but more importantly, it makes the blade stiff and causes the sword to have very slight wobble in cuts. Makes it a forgiving cutter. Hollywood has tricked people into thinking that Japanese swords (and really all Asian swords) are these weightless nimble things you can swing endlessly with one in each hand.

[@Rscapeextreme447]

I still get budk magazines lol I’ll sometimes just get something fun for Christmas. Loved this video.

[@epicthief]

I just always love to think of the neighbors when hes cutting the wood

[@KageNoTora74]

To quote Doug Marcaida, "it will not cut."

[@TheUnseenGate]

Each one of those designs all offers such high degree of ancient engineering knowledge and history value (cough cough). BUDK truly offers such a good collection of sword replicas and educations to minors and forever twist their view of good quality weapon off of the right path. Truly remarkable (clap clap)

[@gourdguru]

rewrap the katana and use it as a junker sword for quick and dirty cutting so you don't gotta do maintenance on the good sword as often. resharpen the atlantis knives and give em a second chance, i'm kinda curious how they do with a real edge, and they could make for some fun little toys for clowning around after you finish serious cutting practice as sort of a joke/bonus round.

[@ronincomix]

youll see alot of chef knives listed as "damascus" style or cladding...means nothing except some pretty lines on the blade

[@ExelArts]

cant believe budk is still around

[@captbiddy160]

Guy in my neighborhood would buy budk swords at pawnshops cut them up and make knifes out of them and sell them for $40 each. Dude made some money back in the day.

[@Bobcat173rd]

I had that samurai 3000 sword. It was pretty neat looking.

[@Rhuna]

swear this dude is like the Guga foods of swords hahaha love his content

[@leooh29]

That intro is literally my cyberpunk 2077 character rn lol

[@cargo_vroom9729]

The rainbow coating may actually be titanium of some description. TI powder coats are pretty common as a matte finish and rust preventative, that's grey. But Ti turns pretty colors when heated treated. I've seen it a lot on crappy knives sold just to look cool, and some pretty good ones. I have Kershaw Leek that looks like it survived an explosion in a unicorn farts factory.

[@DeAthWaGer]

It's electrically treated coating, takes milliseconds and looks like magic. Vids on KZbin on how to do it yourself.

[@houseofaction]

the process to make demascus steel was not lost and can in fact be replicated as others have mentioned it didn't have the same quality as modern steel

[@p0tat0slay3r6]

I used to watch BUDK videos all day

[@shockwave6213]

The Shinwa "Damascus" blades are made of 1045 or 1050 Carbon steel. Not that good but a passable steel that won't endanger the life of its user or innocent bystanders nonetheless. However, when you start looking at their swords above $200 or so, they make those out of 1060 Carbon steel. They're a subsidiary of United Cutlery and are on par with the Honshu brand quality.

[@shanweeboy]

Yes, budk. The mail order catalogue that taught me the difference between full tang, and some bullshit clipped to a plastic handle.

[@ihcterra4625]

True Damascus isn’t pattern welded. Pattern welded steel has been around for long before crucible steels came from India. They only started confusing the two when Crucible Damascus steels built a reputation of extremely high quality. Wootz, or crucible steels, were not special because they were high carbon, they were special because they were clean and without inclusions that weakened the steel. True Damascus steel is a crucible mono steel made from iron ore found in a specific mine near Jordan, that had the right balance of elements that produced a pattern of carbides. They didn’t fold in iron. Which is just pattern welding. It took the steel from that specific mine to get the pattern. It was brought out through meticulous forging techniques. Many people were able to fake the Damascus pattern with pattern welding. The popular modern use of the term Damascus steel is just any steel that is pattern welded. So by that modern definition, slapping any random steels together and forge welding them into a pattern is modern Damascus. That makes Damascus steel pretty much a buzzword for idiots who are easily suckered into buying pattern welded steel. With modern steels, you can get better blades than any pattern welding can give you. It will also be less work, so will cost less. Now, pattern welding can make unbelievably beautiful blades when done by a master. So it isn’t useless. But if you want high performance, a mono steel blade will be better, just not as pretty. Personally, I’d rather have a boring sword that performed extremely well than a high priced piece of art that didn’t.