Cold SteelWarrior Series Katana Samurai Sword with Ray Skin Handle, Black Lacquered Wood Scabbard, Black Braid Cord and Brass Menuki, Nodachi

As most already know, this isnt really a nodachi, but a different class of weapon. Its not a very authentic blade. Its heavy and with extreme width. But that only gives to its feel and appearance of being a very strong and resilient sword. I dare to say the blade looks and feels a bit post modernist. Its like a contemporary pagoda. There is no traditional kissaki and the type of blood grooves it uses to lessen the weight of the blade is quite unique for a Japanese Katana. Still, the blade looks and feels very secure.The handle or tsuba probably could use some work. Since the handle is more than 20 inches, I feel as if the handle should have been made of a more resilient material than most production katanas with lesser lengths. I don't get the same sense of security with the handle as I do with the blade.Ok, enough with being a d!ck. All in all, its a terrific sword. This is something that any sword fanatic would be happy to own. Its a powerful looking weapon. And I give it 5 stars.

The tsuka (handle) isn’t right. It’s flimsy and if I was to use it, which is the purpose of cold steel’s advertisements, I feel it would break. The sword is cool but I don’t feel this sword is genuinely cold steel.

Although it arrived promptly in an over-sized box, the sword was so poorly packed with insufficient packing material, (simply wrapped in one piece of bubble wrap), that it damaged the box. It did NOT include a BLUE/VIOLET COVER BAG as advertised. Further, no packing slip was enclosed.Unlike the description and the other products in the Cold Steel Warrior product line, (and unstated in the product description), the Saya/sheath appears rough-textured flat black which looks almost plastic-like at first glance. It is NOT the smoothly finished, glossy black lacquer finished wood as advertised for the rest of the Warrior product line. The blade itself matches the general appearance of the other Warrior series, but the saya appears like a cheap afterthought when compared to the Warrior-series katana, wakizashi and tanto.This is very disappointing. I own many other Cold Steel products fulfilled by Cold Steel through Amazon, to include a Warrior Katana and Wakizashi, all of which were complete and accurately represented in their product description. I note that this item was fulfilled directly by Amazon,com LLC and not directly by Cold Steel - perhaps that's the issue.Anyway, the poor appearance and quality of the Saya on this product will effectively eliminate it from being a display piece. This one will have to live in a closet. Overall, I am very disappointed, but thankful that I did not pay the retail price for it.

Well balanced, blade is short enough that it can be drawn from the hip, nice sheath, and comfortable wrap. Only bad part is that it arrived with the tip bent, assuming that the packaging was not appropriate for the blade weight and it was hit on concrete or something. Just needs to be filed and re-shaped. No big.Only major issue is that the balance tends to be spine-heavy, which means the blade tends to want to “flop” in the hand, making edge alignment tougher. The blade really wants to be spine down.

The scabbard has a crack at the base that meets the sword handle. The packiging is very flimsy and unsafe for enclosing this type of products. The blade was not that sharp.

First off, let's be clear. Cold Steel called this a nodachi, but it's closer to a nagamaki in its proportions. The handle is nearly half the overall length of the weapon, making the balance point similar to a polearm rather than a sword. That being said, the weapon is excellent no matter what you call it. The wrap on the handle is a bit rough and of less quality than the blade itself, but that is to be expected from the series cold steel produced this blade under, sacrificing frills for a more affordable price. Do not expect to use this weapon as a sword, as most traditional kamae or postures are impossible due to the length of the handle. Again, that is not a criticism of the sword, but rather a warning to those that envision swinging this thing like a giant sword. You will nearly always be standing sideways, with a foot leading, rather than square, the handle is simply too long for anything but daijodan. All in all, well worth the price, if you have the training or the desire to put in the time to learn the particulars of this devastating weapon.

I received the Nodachi today. It arrived with the tip (Kissaki) bent and broken, the collar (Habaki) gouged and loose, and the scabbard (Saya) cracked in the Koiguchi area….This is unacceptable!

This is not a Nodachi sword a Nodachi has a short handle and long blade. This is a Nagamaki which means long handle and blade . This sword is really an art piece perfectly made of 1050 high carbon steel which is really good for a Nagamaki, it came really sharp, doesn't feel cheap, and this sword is huge.Also came in flawless condition no rust, no dents, no chips, and no loose parts.