Questionable quality?

[Bladeaddict]

i was looking for folded steel swords on google and i ran across two brands selling folded steel katanas for under $1000
at j-armory.com thy're selling a dual follded steel katana for $658 (furuyama) and at cheness cutlery thy're offering something called 9250 silicone steel for approx $299(?) im so confused :-?
:sword:

[Jason Moore]

We sell a folded sword for $150...think about that! :-?

Bushido Raijin Folded Katana (http://www.swordsofmight.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=435)

[Bladeaddict]

i guess thats true... lol:-?
but how many layers are really necessary to be a good cutter i've seen up to 32000 on a custom order, there has to be a point of diminishing returns, i guess that was the main thrust of my question:)

[Jason Moore]

i guess thats true... lol:-?
but how many layers are really necessary to be a good cutter i've seen up to 32000 on a custom order, there has to be a point of diminishing returns, i guess that was the main thrust of my question:)

I see..

Well as has been stated before, the folding process is really more for looks and does not make a sword sharper or better for cutting. I think (and many other will agree) it is mostly for authenticity and aesthetics.

[bobO]

well when you consider that every time a blade is folded it increases the chances of the blade failing and that the only reason for folding a blade using modern steels is the aesthetics why would you want a blade that's folded 32000 times.much less pay a premium for it.Remember the only reason kats were folded in the first place was to ensure a proper distribution of carbon though out the blade and to beat out the impurities in the steel.hope that helps. bobO p.s just because a blade is folded doesn't make it a better cutter.IMO

[Bladeaddict]

thanks for the clarification!:) and please forgive my ignorance:-<

[Jason Moore]

No apology needed. I remember when I was first starting in this business, I thought if a blade wasn't folded, it wasn't top quality. By looking around and asking questions I found out otherwise. We are all here to have fun and learn.
:dwarf:

[bobO]

Yup what jason said, the only stupid questions are the ones not asked.;)

[Brian Brazier]

I totally agree with what Jason and bobO have said, unless you are looking for a folded blade, a good mono steel cutter will do the job, I personally prefer Paul Chen but there are allot of good quality dojo and back yard cutters out for less than $300. I will be posting a review of my new Paul Chen Practical Plus Elite that superseded all my expectations, it is a very high quality blade, no frills fittings (which I like), a basic cutter that gets the job done

[Redline]

From what I saw in a video of katanas, the purpose of the folding is to uniformly spread out the carbon throughout the entire blade, or something to that effect.

By the way it's not 32000 foldings, it's actually 32,768 layers. You don't fold it 32,000 times but you end up with 32,768 layers if you fold it 14 or 15 times. It's like counting in hex. The first folding produces 2 layers, the 2nd folding produces 4 layers, then 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16384, 32768. The layers are doubled with each fold.

By the way, from what I understand it's impossible to fold a piece of paper in half more than 7 times. On Myth Busters they took a piece of paper and folded it like 11 times. But the paper was the size of a football field and they needed a steam roller to flatten it on the last few folds. It's in episode 72 of the show.

[Jason Moore]

You are correct. It is layers and not folds. Thanks for the paper folding reference. I had to grab a piece and try...;)

[goose710]

I tried cause i didn't believe you couldn't but i couldn't not with an 8" times 11" sheet anyway.
as to folded vs. mono steel my first quality blade was folded, thinking that was best, as i bought cheaper blades to cut with i was educated. asteticaly folded is nicer, but as to cutting mono (i Think) is better.
modern steels being MODERN they don't need to be folded to homoginize the carbon content of the steel. as to the "plywood effect " of folding i see no great benifit with the modern steels.
I have both and like both
goose710

[Redline]

Thanks for eduMAcating me guys. By the way I think I was only able to get 6 folds. I don't think I was able to get the 7th.