Hanwei Oni L6 (Banite) Katana Drunken Review (C.A.S. Iberia Paul Chen Samurai Sword) 

+Colin Morgan (Trickshot72) LOL... Far from flawless but I am working on it.

+frankdrebin Same here, I just crossed this of my list.

definitely crossed off my list. I've had Lonquan kats that went through much worse with no damage and those were like 230 bucks.

who are these Masters?

@@mikejones-nd6ni Howard Clark makes the best L6 Katana,I happen own one ..

These were fun to do but the advice I got at the time was to stop. Folks thought my perspective was helpful but did not share my humor.

I can't say I would recommend either of them.

I ended up selling it off.

Matthew Jensen Cool

+Roa Ciel I ended up selling the blade. I did ask hanwei about swapping it but I did not hear a yes or no, so I just got sick of waiting and sold it on ebay. I should also note, I did not expect Hanwei to replace it because it was second hand and abused but I did ask them about it. Anyway, the blade is off with the next owner. I hope he does something fun with it. I don't have skill at polishing and fixing blades is not my bag of tricks.. I just break em..

+Matthew Jensen Ah, too bad, I wouldn't have minded picking up a secondhand Oni katana and doing some work on it. The polish has always irked me on it, but some elbow grease and a few Japanese whetsones could cure it, I bet. ;) Hope you got a fair price for it and the new owner is enjoying their sword.

+Roa Ciel I sold it on ebay for $750. I am happy with the price and I think the new owner is as well... I know ebay is LOL. They take a chunk. I am guessing some polish will fix the dings and the new owner gave me positive feedback. I'm just glad the headache is gone.

Volla Volt I'm glad someone appreciates it LOL

Matthew Jensen I really do! I can't believe I only now found out about this channel! Subscribed in a heartbeat.

Volla Volt more drunk reviews are on the way. Thanks for the kind words.

Generally Hanwei comes out of the box pretty sharp. I suppose that can be subjective but if it is dull, then I would say that is abnormal.

Hanwei L6 blades have been a near total disappointment. I like Hanwei in general and liked to see them trying new things but they just missed the mark on the higher end L6 pieces. The Oni has a really cool design but the heat treatment is inconsistent on their L6 blades and other has have unacceptably loose ito. They do great things with their HSW1, HSW2, 5160, T10, and to a lesser extent KC120. L6 from them is one I would avoid. Howard Clark on the other hand makes excellent L6 blades. It's near 10X the price to have one finished but they are excellent, unique, and lovely blades.

I am working on a review for a MAS katana right now. They are OK but suffer from other issues. For the money I would personally pass.

Thank god for this review. Now know L6 Bainite from Hanwei is pure bull

***** I would not go jumping to conclusions from seeing one sword. True, this was a finished product from Hanwei and you would hope they would have a little more durability but... I don't know if every Oni katana acts this way. I have cut with them before and not had an issue but I did not do much hard cutting. I'm just saying that you can't judge all of the Oni buy this one. I hope there are some more cutting videos that pop up from Oni owners that show the ones with good heat treatments. I know its a popular sword so hopefully there are some cutters out there.

gavin Erasmus I agree. I would not think it would either. It's a bit odd and you can see I was a bit dumbfounded in the video. Anyway, I am glad you liked the review.

Matthew Jensen​​ It's comes down to what I said in a previous comment. For every sword you are lucky enough to get that is maybe up to scratch in the production market, there will be one that is a failure like this one. Ideally, every single blade at this price should each be made and inspected individually, rather than say doing 5 or 10 of them at a time. In my experience with using and maintaining many katanas, I think I have reached a proficient level of knowledge to be able to judge a blades brittleness or toughness just buy touching the the steel with my hands. I can investigate my suspicions further when I take them to various grits of waterstones and see how they react to each grit. Is there much niku to the blade at the belly or just behind the edge? Being a beefy blade I would guess there would be. But even blades with alot of niku that chip like this, which I have also unfortunately purchased also shows that more meat doesn't always mean more durability due to production heat treatment in bulk.

***** If you can tell if a blade is brittle or not or tough or not by touching it then I tip my hat to you. I have owned somewhere between 300 and 500 katana in the last five years but I am no were near that level of expertise. I own and maintain as well as use many swords but I do not know what is brittle by looking at it or touching it. At best I can pick up glaring issues with heat treatment from the appearance or by looking at the grains when they are broken in half... I can't tell a damn thing about how brittle it is by touching it.. I know a few tricks to test if the edge is treated by seeing if it digs into a softer metal like brass but thats about as far as I go. It does not feel like I have learned a lot by owning a lot.

I did have one of his pieces a while back but I don't think it was tamahagane. I don't think it was advertised that way either. As I recall the blade felt decent in the hand, the polish was good for the price, and the fittings were pretty cheap feeling. I don't remember any major fundamental issues. That said it has all been a while...

Matthew Jensen kk well thank you for replying so quickly . I'm new to the sword collecting . I'm waiting for my first. I bought a dragon king fletching katana as my first . I'm sure I'll be messaging you again . the again

How do you like the dragon king blade?

I was not impressed with the Oni or Mantis. I have made two videos on the Oni but I think you could apply the findings to other Hanwei L6 blades. One example was not hardened properly, the other had ito the pretty much fell apart. Not really acceptable for any sword let alone swords in that budget. Don't get me wrong, I like Hanwei swords and enjoy many of them but I don't have confidence in their L6 blades. Which is unfortunate as the Oni is one of the coolest looking swords around. Jkoo gives you more for your money than Hanwei. They have a lot of ways to make a sword customized to your liking, but they don't very much in geometry. Hanwei offers a lot of different geometry styles (which to many all look the same) but have more subtle differences than most other forges in lonquan. In terms of T10 blades, if you see some appreciable difference in the aesthetic of hanwei blades or are looking for a dedicated tatami cutter, then Hanwei can be great! If not, then I think your dollar goes further with JKOO. Like a lot further.. Hanwei folded blades are often over $1000 to start, where you can get a folded and laminated blade from JKOO for $400ish. They are not the same thing mind you, but feature for feature JKOO can offer a better value.

@@Matthew_Jensen are folded blades better? Also I have a budget of $1000 and want the best quality for my money. If the best katana is for less or if the better katana is for the full $1000. What company and katana are pups you get if you were buying ? And I do want a hard blade in t10 to make it durable. I appreciate and value your opinion.

There is not a simple answer to your question. Folded is not better in the sense of performance.. Performance meaning, harder, sharper, more durable, or resilient. But it can be better looking, more interesting, more skill to produce, closer tie to history, more historically accurate, better representation of what a katana is supposed to be... ect.. If those mean better to you, then yes folded is better.

+ThievNWalrus I have done a lot of crazy things with Ronin Katana pieces. They seem to be rather resilient blades.

Right? They are becoming my "go to" for sword shenanigans.

1060 well tempered is all you need. Clay tempered edge is too hard it will chip.

@@marianiurea6217 depends on the steel

omg bro. I did the same thing. I was doing kata practice in my room and I hit my study desk lightly with the kissaki and the edge rolled a bit I was depressed.

How is the praying mantis? I've always wanted one

I like the look but it is feels cumbersome.

I will keep my eye out for one. I don't generally do destructive testing with stuff I buy personally. I will test it but the destructive testing comes from review samples. I think Legacy Arms is distributed by CAS Iberia now and they are not interested in sending me review samples at this time. Can't blame them, I don't have a big channel. I always have my eye out for stuff at a good value second hand. I missed a few good Legacy Arms pieces a while back.

Yea Matt I understand your point of view, feel a bit hard myself If I have to destroy $250 just to get more views, subs, and fame. anyway I believe legacy arms is no longer being hold by cas iberia right now, most of their inventory on LA is already out of stock, only a couple of daggers left If im not mistaken. the medieval collectibles is the one that has legacy arms as of today jan 3rd

LOL, at this point, across all my videos I have made $100 from youtube. Money is not really driving factor. Subs and fame sort of happen or don't but I don't think that my channel will ever be very big. I am happy with that. The main point is that I have to find a affordable way to do even basic testing. Waiting for a good deal second hand seems to be the best way.

forget to mention yea LA actually have some good items in them, totally agree with you in this like the black version of hospitaller sword, the irish sword that looks like the twin version of albion gallowglass, couple version of templar swords and also the dark prince. all of them are very good looking, its just the quality there that we dont know of

just hang in there man, you actually have a good channel you just dont realie it yet, im gonna be honest with you man the main thing that made your channel superior to other sword relating channels is your destuctive testing, thats the only main difference, that is also what drives me to sub you. without that you are not so much diffrent than thaegn, aldrair blake, medieval review or even skaalgrim. anyway just hanging there man skaalgrim wait 6years before his channel finally took off, if he can do it I dont see any reason why you cant

it does not stand up to it at all..

@@Matthew_Jensenhahahah thanks for being honest. knew i could trust you.

I cannot say if the heat treatment was the problem. I can only say that the blade was not as durable as I would hope. I have heard that L6 is tricky to work with so that could be the issue. My other Hanwei blades have held up much better as have swords from other vendors. I wonder if other folks have better luck with their Oni katana than I did. There are not a lot of videos out there of them doing hard cutting. At least there are not many right now. Maybe there will be more in a few years.

+Matthew Jensen (Funny Sword Reviews) Something is wrong with that blade... Gransfors Bruks and Wetterlings (axes that i use since at last 10 years) both are made in L6 56-58 HRC and they both perform great; L6 properly treated and with the right grind should cut (at last) 100 stomps like that one before even show any sigh of dulness or cips.

+grappolidipalma is gone, there's only me now , Thats fair. I have had other L6 blades from folks like Howard Clark that do not show damage after a little wack to the stand. Perhaps this video is more telling of Hanwei's heat treament on L6 than of L6 itself.

Matthew Jensen Sure... You are right on that. L6 is a really good "impact steel" nothing wrong with it at all. It is also NOT a rust magnet like 1095, O1 and similar (it rust, sure but it is manageable). I think you can try to "close" the edge angle a little bit; if the heat treatment is not COMPLETELY wrong, at one certain point it will stop to roll (a convex geometry is mandatary). Can you please give me any advice about "what to buy" (pure cutter, battle ready, no display, no practice of MA, just performance...); if you can, it will be appreciated...

+grappolidipalma is gone, there's only me now , Thats a hard question to answer but you gave me a little bit to go on. It depends a bit on what you want to cut. If you are going to do tatami then I like the Hanwei Practical XL for $200. I think its a solid cutter for a basic price. If you want something nicer, The Hanwei Tori XL does the same thing for more money... but it looks better. If you like L6, MAS makes a good cutting blade for tatami. They are on the top end of production blade costs.. The answer is different if you are doing hard targets like bamboo or soft woods, different still for water bottle cutting.... and still different if you want to beat the crap out of anything, and different still if you want a camping companion. I can give a better answer if I know what you want to do with it.

nope, got rid of it

No, not at all. It gave the the impression that Hanwei's ability to make L6 blades is not at a sufficient level. I heave heard that other L6 blades from Hanwei have taken some damage more easily than their cheaper counterparts. I have owned other L6 blades from Hanwei that had similar damage... But second hand blades and information is only so useful. Having my own bad experience helped substantiate some of the rumors (at least to me).

st-nihonto Thank you. I'm glad you got a kick out of it.

I did make a follow up to this with a second Oni katana. It did not have the same issues with the stand.

This is good to know though I would never ever buy any of these "Bainite" blades from Hanwei for they seem not to be Bainite for sure. I love Hanwei blades but this is the difference when stuff is produced in a country without any laws for quality norms or standards. I guess it is a jeopardy-game when buying one of these Oni blades.

You couldn't give me a Chinese bainite sword.

I do not agree..

This video is from a while ago and I think I would have shown it better if it happened today. That said, I disagree with the same thing happening on another sword. I hit that stand with many many swords and chipping or deforming on it is a sign of a bad heat treatment. Too soft or too hard, either way the Oni was not done right. In contrast I have seen many swords hit the stand with finer edges and come out undamaged. I have also see howard clark blades miss the target and hit a concrete floor with less damage. Not going to argue what the edge is made of from a scientific perspective but I would argue that it was poorly made.

@@Matthew_Jensen Ah, so would it be because the martensite wasn't properly tempered? Outside of that I would think the harder it is the more likely it is to chip, and most high end katanas are made out of steel that gets harder than L6 is capable of. Anyways yeah if that's the case then I'm wrong. I'm also a little surprised because I'm under the impression that the difficult part of a martensite/bainite blade is the bainite, so if the edge is poorly made that seems strange.

DeathBy Bushido I hope that this one is an isolated incident too. I like Hanwei and I think they do good work. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Mr P Hi. I was thinking about getting this oni as well and I see that you posted this comment over a year ago. Does your oni katana still impress you?

tyson007 it's good for a display piece. I have since sold it. It's not practical if you do a martial art. It's very heavy and quality is hit and miss. If you want a katana for both display and kata/ test cutting. Then please get either a hanwei Tori , or nine circles kurin . Much less price too.

Mr P I appreciate that brother! Have a great new year.

Evil Merlin Thanks, I'm glad you got a kick out of it.

Matthew Jensen Of for sure I did. I own and run a German HEMA school North of Boston and we were laughing over some beers after class the other day while watching this video...

Evil Merlin Maybe one day I will do a drunken review of a European style piece. I have an Atrim I could do.... Also, this kind of thing is most enjoyed over beer.

Matthew Jensen Indeed it is Matthew. Keep it up. If you are ever in the Northern New England area, stop by for a class.

I am still not sure if this just a dud or if the entire line experienced similar issues. I have seen a few dinged hanwei L6 blades in the last few years but I have a feeling many people never use the blade. It would be nice to give another L6 blade a try but I have not found any at a price that justified a second attempt.

sometimes... not a great example but sometimes yes. Not always

@@Matthew_Jensen YOUR HONESTY IS NOTEWORTHY, MATHEW

Kult of Athena is a good place to look for swords. You get a better deal and they are an authorized distributor most of the time. They also sell some handmade options. $1500 does not have a lot of great options other than second hand items. $2k + Motohara and Citadel are great.

***** My Bamboo Mat from Hanwei has taken a beating and still does very well. The practical has as well.. I have used a number of Hanwei blades that have not gotten damaged from something like this. I think they make good stuff.. I'm just not sure about their L6 stuff

Matthew Jensen​ That maybe true but in my opinion, for every one blade that is good there is one that is bad from Hanwei now. And even to go so far as there L6 Bainite super heat treatment blades! Get the fuck outa here. That's disgusting from them man.

***** I had a lot of Hanwei blades over the last five years. I have not cut with all of them but I have cut with a number of them. I have not had a blade from Hanwei act like this Oni before. The Practical lines have been solid, the KC120 blades have held up well, and the HSW steel has been an a great all around performer. Most of the time Hanwei is decent. Just not the L6 I tested. I hope its a fluke.

Matthew Jensen​​​​ I've had a few Hanwei's too and the problems I've come across are with there forged line which they don't specify the steel which can't cut tatami and causes them to roll and chip exactly like yours did in the video. I've still kept the bushido from them which is the KC120 steel, I've not cut with it as it is dull but seems to have a few chips on the kissaki already but I plan on reprofiling it when I get the chance so we will see.  An L6 Bainite blade though? Really? There's a thread on sbg about a guys raptor having the same problem with splintering the edge on a water bottle...

I have had 1045 that held up better... Though in fairness, I tested a second sword and it did not fail the same way. I may have just had a dud.. Still..

@@Matthew_Jensen With sample sizes so tiny, we are left guessing at the quality ratio. Is bainite like flipping a $1000 coin? 50% are good and 50% are garbage? It doesn't matter if a heat treat process exists to make it correctly. The guy(s) pounding out blades may not follow the recipe accidentally or just by being lazy. To the workers, it's another metal bar they are making. To me, its a $1,000 gamble.

You sound like someone who should be about as far away from a blade that you can possibly get... and then 20 miles more.

@@Trainwheel_Time 🤣😂

Doesn't need to be pretty so long as you understand why I am saying.