Custom Made Katana by ShadowDancer Reviews

4.8 Rating 23 Reviews

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Swordis, an online retail store, specializes in a wide array of swords, showcasing selections from some of the most esteemed brands in the industry. This emerging startup has expanded its scope by incorporating SwordEncyclopedia, a blog known for its extensive sword resources and recognized as a leading authority in this niche. Swordis' shop section offers an impressive range of over 1000 products in various categories. Their collection not only includes Japanese swords, Historical European Swords, and Military swords, but also extends to specialized items such as Technical knives, machetes, and a fascinating variety of fantasy swords and more. Featuring 19 distinguished brands, Swordis caters to a diverse clientele, ranging from historical enthusiasts to imaginative collectors.

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Robert Anderson

Verified Reviewer

Incentivized

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How's the Blade?

How are the Handle and Fittings?

“I ordered this katana before the shadow dancer lite option. The only thing that wouldn't be available, is the 12in tsuka. Hishigami pro silk ito is very tight even around the menuki. The saya has no rattle and has a great fit. Transitions are near perfect. My only complaint is the korigata spacing is off, it's about 14mm to close to the tsuka. I also wish I would've chose a better polish.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 days ago

How's the Blade?

How are the Handle and Fittings?

“I received my custom katana after about 6 weeks. The artisans did an excellent job, as the sword arrived exactly as I specified. The taper on the blade is great, the balance and weight is right where you’d want it. The fit and finish is superb for the price point. The blade could have been a little sharper, but was easy to touch up. David’s communication throughout the whole process was great; the smiths initially used the wrong samegawa but it was promptly communicated and I was presented with several options on how to proceed. I highly recommend this katana builder.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 weeks ago

How's the Blade?

How are the Handle and Fittings?

“I asked for a very specific and challanging sword to build. The job was done exceleently. This is not a cheap sword and expectations are high when prices are in the thousands. I am very please with the result. They took my vision and brought it to life. I am looking forward to learning to dance with my new training partner! Thank you.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

How's the Blade?

How are the Handle and Fittings?

“I have not received this sword yet. It will be delivered at a later date.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

How's the Blade?

How are the Handle and Fittings?

“I ordered my first custom katana through swordis. the customer creator is really easy to use. i had swordis reach out and tell me when my sword had been completed and sent me some sneak previews, i thought that was a really good touch and it had me pretty excited to recieve my sword. my sword arrived a week after that email it took about 3 months start to finish to recieve my katana. that was displayed on the website aswell. the katana itself is awesome. its light and well put together. the only thing that i would note on the negative side is that i picked the samegawa to be black but it ended up white. although i actually like the white now that i see it. overall really happy with the katana.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

How's the Blade?

How are the Handle and Fittings?

“I custom-ordered a katana and tanto as a daisho from swordis.com; the forge I chose was ShadowDancer (likely the same forge as Z-Sey). I had expected a turnaround time of one year on the daisho. However, both the katana and tanto arrived much sooner than expected. The fit and finish of the daisho are outstanding, especially the koshirae. I am left speechless by the quality of the tsuba on my katana. Throughout three decades, I have owned and handled many katana--some of which were produced in China (Hanwei, Huawei, Z-Sey, Skyjiro, Ronin, Ron, Oni, Bugei, Dragon King), some from Korea (MAS, Evolution Blades), some from Philippines (Kris Cutlery), and some from Southeast Asia (Citadel, Thaitsuki). I even own a few nihonto, one of which was forged by Yoshindo Yoshihara. My most recent acquisition from ShadowDancer is, hands down, one of the best (if not the best) offerings that came out of China. I would say that the overall package (cost, material quality, fit/finish, geometry, build quality) places this daisho at the very top. Both the katana and tanto have geometries that are consistent with nihonto. Both the katana and tanto were forged using crucible steel, which I am fond of, because the hada is reminiscent of nashiji hada (pear skin) that is commonly found in nihonto. The katana handles very well; I performed tameshigiri (shizan) on soaked tatami mats (8-inch diameter). My first cut was a diagonal upward tachisuji, followed by diagonal downward, and ending in horizontal. All three cuts were effortless (your mileage may vary, as this is 60% technique and 40% sword quality). My hasuji were consistent with my tachisuji, and there was not much resistance in the katana as it travelled through the tatami. There were no nicks in the blade. I am left very impressed. I quite like the balance of my katana; POB is about eight inches from tsuba. If ShadowDancer is indeed an off-shoot of Z-Sey, then I expect my daisho to last me at least a few years without needing to be re-dressed. I have a Z-Sey katana that is over five years old, and the silk hineri maki ito still holds up as though it were wrapped yesterday. Overall, I am beyond pleased with the entire process; staff members from swordis.com were highly communicative and transparent. They even sent me pictures of the finished product prior to shipment (which, by the way, took less than one week for me to receive from overseas). If you are looking for an alternative to nihonto that would allow for you to customize affordably, then I highly highly highly recommend choosing ShadowDancer. You will not be disappointed.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

How's the Blade?

How are the Handle and Fittings?

“Of course with anything that is being custom made, it's going to take longer to get than something that's already built and ready to order. This sword was definitely well worth the wait! Got exactly what I wanted and I couldn't be happier with the results. The Tsuka is so comfortable! Perfect dimensions for me (I went with the Rikko design at 12"), Ito is very tight (Hishigami highly reccommended), and overall, all the fittings are flawless! It draws and sheths so smoothly! Haven't had a chance to cut with it yet, so can't comment regarding that, but I'm sure I won't be dissappointed. The sword is lighter than I was maybe expecting -but in a good way! I'm sure the slim profile of the Saya is partially responsible for that -and that is a feature that I really like! Overall, this is a great sword and I couldn't be happier! Thanks Swordis!”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

How's the Blade?

How are the Handle and Fittings?

“The handle is built solid, and looks like a work of art just by itself. I like the unique fitting options shadow dancer offers, and love how they turned out on this sword. The smiths did an amazing job with the clay tempered blade of this length of 35," especially with the weight and balance. The sword feels ligher and more manuverable than you would expect for the length and having no blade fuller. The entire sword is easy to dissasemble for any maintinence and re-tightening work, which I appriciate. The only critique I have is the sharpness. At this pricepoint, I would have liked the blade to be a bit sharper, as it's not mch better than swords way below this level of quality, and there is a dull spot at the base of the kissaki tip. The time to completion took about 6.5 months for the options and features I chose, which I believe is reasonable, just keep that in mind if you plan on ordering something similar. Overall, this is some amazing craftsmanship that I can recomend to anyone wanting a unique, and well build Japanese sword.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago