Description of Item from TrueSwords.com
The Japanese swords of the Imperial Series have proven, since their initial introduction almost two years ago, to be quite popular with many customers. The Warrior Series swords are very handsome in their own right and share the same steel, heat treatment, and sharpness as their more expensive Imperial counterparts. Features a 11 1/2" Samé, black braid cord with brass Menuki handle. If you’re in the market for a strong, good looking, reasonably priced Japanese sword we know you’ll be happy to own one of these. 36" overall - www.trueswords.com

This is actually the first Cold Steel Katana I have ever owned. I was always weary of Cold Steel Katana's because from what I heard, they don't have a true feel of a Japanese Katana. They are slightly bulky and heavy. I did a decent amount of research on this Katana before I finally chose. I received the Katana late in this week. It came in absolute perfect condition. From the Saya, to the blade, to the Tsuba, to blue sword bag it comes with. The reason I chose this Katana over say, the 88BKW, was it's length. It is about 4 inches shorter than most Katana's are reaching 36 inches total.

Here is a commercial for the Cold Steel Chisa Katana if you have never seen one. As you can see, they boast about their top quality strength and sharpness. I was pretty turned on to this commercial because this is exactly what I was looking for. A Heavy Duty Cutter that would take everything I throw at it. You see, I don't buy wall hanger swords. If I am buying a Katana, I am going to be using it every day. I don't do a lot of heavy cutting with it every day but I take it out, cut some things, practice with it, etc... My friend is a Taekwondo instructor and is obsessed with Japanese Katana's so he shows me all the excersises I should be doing every day.

You may still be skeptical after seeing this commercial as I was.

Specifications: Weight: 45 oz. Blade Thick: 3/8" Blade Length: 24 1/2" Handle: 11 1/2" Samé (Ray Skin). black braid cord with brass Menuki Steel: 1050 High Carbon Overall Length: 36" Sheath: Black Lacquered Wood w/blue violet cover bag

Introduction and First Impressions

"This thing looks amazing" was the first thing that came to mind when I opened the box. The first things you notice are the high glossy piano-like finish to the saya, the ray skin wrapped handle, and the blade... This blade is intimidating. The stainless looking finish is without a scratch and the heavy heavy blood groove reaches all the way up to the top. One aesthetic feature I wasn't sure about was the Tsuba. It's very interesting but I wasn't sure if I would like it as I like a more plain one personally. I own many blades and I can say this is probably the heaviest. I was comforted in it's weight actually. I know that rarely does heavy automatically mean sturdy but for some reason I felt the weight was appropriate being that the blade was so wide. Much wider than any other Katana I own.

Let's Get On With the Tests
Enough with the description. This is a Cold Steel Katana. Let's see what this thing can do already. So shortly after I received it, I took it out on my patio, set up a pop bottle filled with water, and took a swing at it. What happened next was not to be expected. I cut the bottle in half, but it sent it flying like I just took a swing at a baseball bat. I anticipated a clean incision that all my other Katana's left me with. I have one Musashi sword that I paid $60 bucks for, and it slices bottles in half like hot butter. I was concerned enough to try again, and I got the exact same result. "Wow" I thought, I paid $300 for a sword that doesn't cut as well as my other cheaper Katana's...

So I scrambled to find another way to test it. I thought, "how many killer pop bottles will I run in to during the outbreak" and figured maybe it cuts great but since the blade is so heavy, it's not as good for lighter objects. So I chose to try it against a tatami mat. As I cut the mat in two I sighed in relief. It cut it clean. It cut it extremely clean. I was impressed by how clean it cut actually.

Unfortunately, I don't have the means to conduct much more testing. So for the next test, I just grabbed the box the Chisa Katana came in and attempted to test it out. I proped it up, which wasn't easy, and swung with all my might horizontally like a basball bat. I did expect for it to get more than part of the way through the first side. I expected wrong. It cut entirely through the box leaving two sides with cuts so clean a surgeon would be impressed.

Conclusion
This Katana is impressive to say the very least. I don't know if it cuts so well because of the weight or the fact that it's a mono steel blade, or what, but I can say this is my new favorite piece. It's short enought to wear over my shoulder and I like that alot. I would highly reccomed this sword to anyone. Whether your a Kendo expert or just a beginner, I feel like I'll be chopping with this blade for years and years.

TerryGecko's rating for the Cold Steel Chisa Katana is... 4 out of 5 heads.
As I said before, it is going to take an exceptional piece for me to rate 5/5. 4/5 is excellent but there is almost always room for improvement. However, this will be one of the first pieces of my arsenal, along with my Musashi Katana, if an outbreak does occur. That I can say with 100% certainty.