My first iaito

**Ricardo PT** · 29th January 2011, 12:05 AM

Hey everyone

I'm a beginner in iaido and i'm thinking of buying my first iaito.
My sensei advises me to go with a Ninecircles Stainless steel one, since ordering outside of Europe would cause delays and extra $ on customs import.

Are there any other Europe Stores that sell good quality Iaitos ??

Thanks in advance

**Anorymous** · 29th January 2011, 12:36 AM

Here you go. Iaito from a trusted forge, sold in Europe, at only a fraction of the cost of NineCircles.

Man, I like NineCircles, but their metal sword prices are steep to say the least. The Chen Practical Iaito is, what, half that cost?

**sirius1906** · 29th January 2011, 01:04 AM

Usually you get what you paid for. I have no experience with Chen's iaito. I did have a one of his "mushashi shinken" long time ago (before I started iaido). It was very thick and top heavy. If his iaito is similar to the sharpy, then I would stay away.

**Ricardo PT** · 29th January 2011, 02:02 AM

@ Anorymous, the link you provided seems to be good, but i'm second doubting the prices, no offense but my sensei told me to not trust iaito's which price lower than 200 euros, not that i can see the diference though, but sometimes they may lack quality in some little detail that will be a problem in say.. 2-5 years..

Anyone else has experience or a review on this katana-samurai-sword.com ?
Any other shops in Europe?

**sirius1906** · 29th January 2011, 03:08 AM

Have you read this thread?

**Neil Gendzwill** · 29th January 2011, 03:15 AM

Originally Posted by Anorymous

The Chen Practical Iaito is, what, half that cost?

You ever actually handled one? The fittings are crap.

**ghostdancer** · 29th January 2011, 03:23 AM

got one of the nine circles iaito recommended by my sensei as well

nice and well made good for a beginner

**Anorymous** · 29th January 2011, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by Neil Gendzwill

You ever actually handled one? The fittings are crap.

Uh, no, I have never actually handled any of them, and it didn't occur to me to mention that until I'd closed my PC for the day. It's always good to have feedback on products.

Let me ask you something, however: This "crappy" fitting, is it something that can be fixed by disassembling/reassembling the sword, or does it have to do with the fittings' quality?
Also, if the Practical ones are sub-par, what about Chen's higher-tier iaito?

("Quality iaito in Europe" is a topic that 's really interesting to me... I'm guessing I'll have bought my own iaito within two years, and it's always good to have researched a lot before making such an investment.)

**Kokoro777** · 30th January 2011, 09:38 PM

The thing about Nine Circles is that the staff all seem to know what they're talking about with regards equipment. They check out their swords before shipping and the Kurin stainless steel ones they sell are excellent: robust,well balanced and well finished. The boss of Nine Cirlces even makes replacement saya for Kurin Iaito (which I'd recommend for a beginner since those early few months of bad draws will damage your saya so a replacement is well worth having!) and fitted me one in a couple of days. I can understand the price issues you have, they're not the cheapest but I trust them and for me that's worth an extra few quid.

**ghostdancer** · 30th January 2011, 10:06 PM

Originally Posted by Kokoro777

The thing about Nine Circles is that the staff all seem to know what they're talking about with regards equipment. They check out their swords before shipping and the Kurin stainless steel ones they sell are excellent: robust,well balanced and well finished. The boss of Nine Cirlces even makes replacement saya for Kurin Iaito (which I'd recommend for a beginner since those early few months of bad draws will damage your saya so a replacement is well worth having!) and fitted me one in a couple of days. I can understand the price issues you have, they're not the cheapest but I trust them and for me that's worth an extra few quid.

absolutely agree with all of this

**Anorymous** · 30th January 2011, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by Kokoro777

I trust them and for me that's worth an extra few quid.

Wait, Kurin iaitou are just €320 a piece? I was still under the impression that the cheapest iaitou NineCircles had was some €500.
With that in mind, yes, I'm in agreement with everyone else. Having peace of mind is much more valuable than the difference in price; Iaitou are a big investment, after all. NineCircles seems to be the most sensible choice.

**IronWarrior** · 31st January 2011, 04:45 PM

I don't think you should try to save on the cost when buying swords like this, they are to me the PSU's of an computer, one bad PSU can destory or damage the computer all together. So you should buy something that is well made and is top quality and as such, the price should match.

**Ricardo PT** · 31st January 2011, 09:26 PM

Thank you all for your feedback

**b8amack** · 31st January 2011, 10:37 PM

What are you going with?

**Neil Gendzwill** · 31st January 2011, 10:48 PM

Originally Posted by Anorymous

Let me ask you something, however: This "crappy" fitting, is it something that can be fixed by disassembling/reassembling the sword, or does it have to do with the fittings' quality?

It's the assembly that's the real problem. Getting the wrap correct takes skill and time, that's part of why a good one is more expensive. You are buying a tool for practice, the interface between you and the tool is the tsuka, and you want that right. Lots of beginners think it's about the blade only, but you have to consider both.

Also, if the Practical ones are sub-par, what about Chen's higher-tier iaito?

Sorry, haven't seen them.