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View Full Version : Last Legend vs Orchid Chen Katanas



Patrick McKee
23rd February 2001, 07:22
I think I have narrowed down my choice between the Last Legend and the Orchid; both Chen blades. If anyone has had experience using either or (preferably) bith of these blades for tameshigiri I would greatly appreciate any input.

Regards,

chrismoses
23rd February 2001, 18:00
I have one of the Last Legend Katana's and I have handled the orchid katana. What you intend to do with the swords really would dictate which one you should get. Here's my breif rundown on each:

-Last Legend shogun series: nice heavy cutting blade. the handle is a good length (around 11") and although the blade is a bit shorter than I would prefer (27.5") the overall length is fine. I haven't had the opportunity to cut with mine but at the Seattle taikai in October I would estimate that about 1/3-1/2 of the swords in use for tamishigiri were from this series. Many of the people using them were novices and I only saw one bend (this is a good thing, bending is better than breaking) The sword feels very solid, a bit tip heavy but not difficult to work with, just really designed for cutting targets. The blade itself is pretty beefy and comes in a simple polish. My biggest beef with the sword is the handle finish. The same is plastic and the tsuka-ito is VERY thin. To be honest it looks like shoestring. I would doubt that the wrap will hold up for many years of hard use, don't get me wrong, the handle is solid the wrap is chincy. In its defense the wrap is very tight, but it just doesn't feel right to me. (my primary comparison here is my nosyuiaido iaito with real same and silk wrap) This said for the price of this sword you could use it for a few years as a cutter and then have the handle rewrapped for a few hundred and then have a pretty nice blade. I would not recommend this blade to be ones primary kata blade however due to the substantial weight and slight tip heavyness.

-Orchid Katana: I have less experience with this model, it's limited to seeing it in person and taking a few swings with it. This is a much lighter blade, thinner in most respects than the shogun series. I think the handle is a little bit longer although this could be perception due to how slender the handle is. If you were a big guy I would not recommend this sword just based on how thin the handle is. I'm not a huge guy but I felt like my hands wrapped around the tsuka too much and it would be uncomfortable to cut with for long periods of time. The balance was better than the shogun though so if you were looking for something to do kata with in addition to tamishigiri this might do the trick. The ito (wrap) was done much nicer than the shogun and probably would last quite a bit longer. One person at the taikai commented that there was something feminine about the sword, I think I would agree, it has a slender graceful qualitiy about it.

Personally I would buy the shogun series if I was planning to do a lot of tamishigiri and just plan on replacing the handle wrap at some point in the future, your overall cost would probably still be less than the orchid and I would guess that the sword would perform better as a cutter over the years. Best of luck, enjoy whatever you get.

Patric
23rd February 2001, 19:33
This is of course THE Christian Moses, who kicked my a** in a cut off at said Seattle Taikai. LOL. I know, I know, I should’ve cut a kiriage, slap me silly. Who also, I believe, was the only entry not using a Shogun blade in that division. A testament that technique is everything.
I use a Shogun blade as my tamashigiri blade. (Yes, I’m poor and dream of shinshintos.) I think Chris is dead on in his critique. My biggest complaint is also the handle wrap. However, I think that by the time you’ve trained enough to wear it out, you’ll be ready to step up into a high-end blade.
The one thing I would add is that you may want to have the Shogun polished out of the box. Everyone at the tourney had been. But this probably holds true for the Orchid as well. Aside from that, for a low-end blade, the Shogun is an excellent choice. It’s exactly as advertised. An entry level blade that will serve you well until your technique, knowledge, and pocketbook can afford better. Hopefully, you have a Sensei that can guide you with the purchase. He would be the best resource to assess your needs.

Patric Peacock

Patric
23rd February 2001, 19:55
This is of course THE Christian Moses, who kicked my a** in a cut off at said Seattle Taikai. LOL. I know, I know, I should’ve cut a kiriage, slap me silly. Who also, I believe, was the only entry not using a Shogun blade in that division. A testament that technique is everything.
I use a Shogun blade as my tamashigiri blade. (Yes, I’m poor and dream of shinshintos.) I think Chris is dead on in his critique. My biggest complaint is also the handle wrap. However, I think that by the time you’ve trained enough to wear it out, you’ll be ready to step up into a high-end blade.
The one thing I would add is that you may want to have the Shogun polished out of the box. Everyone at the tourney had been. But this probably holds true for the Orchid as well. Aside from that, for a low-end blade, the Shogun is an excellent choice. It’s exactly as advertised. An entry level blade that will serve you well until your technique, knowledge, and pocketbook can afford better. Hopefully, you have a Sensei that can guide you with the purchase. He would be the best resource to assess your needs.

Patric Peacock

chrismoses
23rd February 2001, 20:00
C'mon, one can hardley call 1 pt an a$$ kicking. Besides at least you tried a more difficult cut than I did, gotta love those kesagiri cuts... See you at the next gathering of the tribes...