If there is one thing that sets Cecil B. Quirino's work apart from his competitors in the Philippines, Pakistan, Taiwan or India, it is the care to heat treating that he dedicates to his handforged swords. Heat treating, as you may know, is a time consuming process where a blade's toughness and edge-holding capabilities are arrived at. It is also where many of Cecil's competitor's skip on to reduce costs to produce a cheaper sword.

Lack of heat treating can produce an inferior sword, regardless of what kind of superior steel you are using.

Cecil uses AISI 5160 steel, which means his wapons require oiling or waxing as part of sword care, like traditional swords. While this katana is neither crafted in the fashion of traditional Japanese katanas, nor is it differentially heat tempered such that it would have a hamon (cloud temper line), these swords can cut and can take quite a beating, as attested to by our resident Japanese sword professional, Christopher Lau.

The katana comes in 29 inch and 26 inch versions, amounting to approximately US$175 and US$155 respectively. The handles are bound with a thin cotton cord and lacquered black to prevent the wood from splitting. The simple brass guard (or "tsuba") has two half-moon shaped openings on either side of the blade . The generous length handle is made of hardwood and is permanently attached to the tang and pinned. The tang is traditionally-shaped, versus the "rat tail" tang as found in many replica swords made in Spain.

The sword comes with a hardwood scabbard with a brass band at the mouth.

Final words: this sword is good value as a "beater" - i.e. something to bash around. They are not "combat ready". What beaters are good for is learning to use a sword. Inexpensive swords are not as sharp as a real katana, and they really force you to use good technique. If you really screw up, they can take the abuse, and even if you do manage to damage them, their cost was low enough to be disposable. They're also good if you want to do some stage combat as they can take a fair bit of abuse.

Katana 29" - Overall: 39-1/2" - Handle: 10-1/2" - Wt.: 2-1/4 lbs.
Katana 26" - Overall: 36-1/4" - Handle: 9-7/8" - Wt.: 2-1/2 lbs.