A quick question about Shureido Sai

[Shako]

Hello everyone,

I've been a lurker here for a while, and suddenly find myself in need of a little advice.

I've been using a pair of cheap sai for a while, and recently ordered some Shureido sai. They arrived today, and feel dreat...but....I ordered 'natural steel', and was surprised (dismayed!) to see that they have a black coating on them. The site I bought them from insists that 'natural steel' sai ARE black. That seems really counter-intuitive to me, but then I saw "Available in natural (black) or chrome" on the shureido USA site (http://shureidousa.com/kobudo/sai.html ).

A part of the coating is already flaking on the butt of the handle ( here you can see the REAL natural steel underneath the coating).

I don't really want to kick up a fuss about this if the sai are the 'natural steel' I ordered. Since I know sai do lose flakes (not necessarily on the side of the butt though ).

Can anyone tell me if shureido natural steel sai SHOULD have this coating?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Shako

[Brian Owens]

Yes, they should be coated. Unfinished steel will rust readily, and the coating prevents it. When it flakes off you can refinish it with any good black paint, even sanding it completely and totally refinishing if you want. Refinishing chrome, on the other hand, would not be a DIY proposition for most people.

[Shako]

Okay thanks, that's reassuring...If I don't like it once it gets all flaky, I'll just sand it off. Strange that it should rust...Lot's of other weapons and tools are made of steel and don't have coatings (can't imagine a black coating on one of my knives .

[Brian Owens]

It depends on the type of steel (stainless, high-carbon, etc.), and also I'm sure it's mostly a matter of aesthetics; a black sai probably sells better than a "plain" one.

I'm with you, though; I'd sand it down and just oil it from time to time like I do with my other steel tools.

[Shako]

Thanks Brian, As I see it, looking after your gear is part of getting to know it properly, but I'm sure you're right...I guess plain steel isn't flashy enough for some people

[CEB]

You don't have much choice. Very few sai are available that do not have that big round bulge where the yoku meets the monouchi. My old sai are not Shureido and they are properly constructed but I that is rare. I don't even know what brand they were. I got them at a MA supply store in St. Louis. Shureido is getting to be the only game in town. If anyone know where you can find real sai these days with the exception of Shureido that would be cool.

[Shako]

Hello again everyone! Wow..four years gone by since I asked the question in the original post.

The strange thing is, in the time since I got these sai, I somehow drifted away from using them, ending up using a cheap beat up pair with a bulge (the ones I didn't like, and the reason for me buying the new ones 😕 ).

I just thought about this, and realised that it's because the balance on the Shureido ones seems awkward! The cheapo ones are an inch shorter...but I'm not sure that's the problem.

The Shureido sai seem slower when I flick them in or out (but better in everything else!)

Can someone tell me where the point of balance is on their sai? Mine is equal to the tip of the guards (are these points the Tsume?!). I wonder if closer to the moto might be better...

[chunmonchek]

Balance point is a personal thing. I'll check a few Shureido sai when I get home and report back. I've used standard small, medium, and large Shureido sai, and find the small size have the best balance out of the box.

I've also a pair of medium Shureido sai with thinner shafts that I special ordered from Shureido Okinawa. Other than these sai, my "go to" Shureido sai are medium size carbon steel with a black coating. I removed a bit off the tip, tweaked the yoku and shortened the tsuka to size, and had a different butt welded on. After that, I filed down each of the flats of the shaft until I had the balance that suits me best, then applied gun blue. Expensive Sai when you consider my time...even at minimum wage...

[Shako]

Lol...Yes I know THAT feeling of working for pennies/hour even on Sundays!

Okay thanks for that, glad to know I'm not committing some kind of heresy by taking about fiddling with them. It's like a LOT of things, one you start writing on something, it really becomes your own.

[Shako]

Working on *

[chunmonchek]

I checked the balance point on three Shureido sai, one medium standard, one medium old fashioned and one large standard. All had a balance point approximately one to one and a quarter inch forward of the point where the shaft meets the yoku.

[Shako]

Thanks for that.

And these sai feel fine for you?

I'll go and compare with mine.

cheers

[chunmonchek]

Yes they do.

[Shako]

right...mine are at two and a half inches. Luckily they are slightly long, so that looks like an easy solution.

Thanks for you help!