wonderful sword.much better than i expected.Would you recommend this to a friend? Yes

Well it was a beautiful sword to start. Had the look of Damascus and even the weight. When I took it to my proving grounds, The desert where all my quality weapons are tested, it bent on a yuka which is a small desert flowering plant. This is an item even my craziest swords go through with ease because this plant is full of water. The sword bent both at the handle and towards its best cutting point. It's a pretty display piece but that is all it is and will ever be.Would you recommend this to a friend? No

If anyone is concernd about Shinwa swords after Nick from Aurora Co.comments,don't be the Shinwa Black Dragon is an amazing sword,swords are rated in many ways,one way is slow to swift for a double edge long sword this is the swiftest full size fully functional sword I have ever seen it is a pleasure and honor to get to practice with this fine sword.The gunk you see on your sword when you pull it from the scabbard is wax they pour wax into the scabbard to protect the sword,it has never bothered me I simply wipe it off the blade before use.Not all swords are made to be dissasembeld and this one is not,their is really no reason to remove the hilt from the blade tang you do not need to clean the tang,and the tang is full length and is NOT wielded onto the blade it's a true full tang,a continuation of the blade.Some Shinwa swords are easy to disassemble,if the handle has two pegs it can be disassembled,if their is only one peg the handle is glued on.This dose not in any way make the sword,dangerous,unuseable or cheap.This sword can be easaly disassembled you just have to know how and you should never atemt to remove the handle and guard without the proper training.I am an expert with swords,Both in use and repair.If your guard is a little loose don't worry about it unless you use your sword to practice martial arts.I am 55 years old I have been buying repairing and playing with swords since I was 19.I have yet to see the perfect sword all swords have there flaws,sometimes it takes a trained eye to see them.Buy swords to use,buy swords because they look beautiful,buy swords to collect,know what is a functional sword and never use a nonfunctional sword,BudK has a wide variety of functional and nonfunctional swords all are beautiful.I hope this will help you.Thank you your friend,Daniel VogesWould you recommend this to a friend? Yes

unfortunately with every shinwa sword I've purchased the guard, blade, and scabbard need repetitive cleaning to remove all of the gunk from old and inferior oil. Also when I disassembled this sword the tang was fairly small and completely glued to the tsuka (handle) which caused the handle to crack and shatter at the attempted removal. So I'm now a little hesitant to buy Shinwa products due to this issue. (Not being able to disassemble the sword makes it very difficult to clean)

I bought this sword on a whim. I was skeptical about the black Damascus. My fears were unwarranted. The sword is beautiful as is the blade. The pics don't do it justice. I will buy this quality from now on. If you sharpen your own swords please use a handheld ceramic rod sharpener. This sword is worth every penny.

The Shinwa black dragon is an excellent sword. I've purchased three of these swords. I've heard back from my customers that bought these swords and they love them plus I've tested one myself. First,the black dragon is full tang as all Shinwa swords are, don't let one peg fool you. I have thrown mine like a spear, sliced threw rope, plastic and small limbs less then an inch never chop wood with your sword! It has bounced around on the ground and there is no damage to the sword, plus you can wield the sword around and around all day and the cord wrap remains tight.Thank you.

Overall I am pleased with the sword. The Damascus finish is a little marred near the guard, but it looks great otherwise! It feels very balanced one or two-handed. I love the double edge and the blood groove is deep and long enough. Would have preferred a full tang, not one with a plastic dowel through the handle. Small disappointments aside, it is a good sword and I would recommend it to anyone.

Don't listen to my last review. Don't cut down trees with this or it will bend the handle.

This is a great sword. Comes nicely wrapped and in a fantastic red wooden box. Holds an edge well and cuts clean through small trees and branches. Some medium trees can be taken down with one or 2 swings!

hand guard came a little loose and its not "Razor Sharp" its ok tho gonna look into getting it sharpened still a very good buy and i don't regret it at all