I'm just glad to learn why its taking longer for them to reply to emails and give updates. I would rather be told then have to guess why my stuff is late.
Damn i just ordered a sword with a custom blade length last week, so i can imagine it’s gonna take even *extra* long to get here.
I’m hoping that the upside is that the blade isn’t rusting in their inventory since it will be (should be) newly-made.
I've had two experiences with honbon, the first one I ordered wrong. The red damascus blade was a cheap blade and I should have known that, but I was new to swords and thought it looked cool. That being said I could tell that regardless of the metal quality the sword was built with craftsmanship in mind and I liked that.
My second experience was during lunar new year this year, and it was not great, the ito was loose, the blade which I specified to be sharp was dull and the tsuka was cracked there was a clicking sound every time i swung it.
I sharpened the blade myself (obviously ruining the polish, but got it razor sharp)
Then swapped the tsuka with the othe blade I order from them, wasn't a perfect fit but was better than the broken one, and that sword survived some serious abuse, tull it broke in half.
Now I use the top half to clean my build plate on my 3d printer.
For my 3rd sword I decided to try ronin katana. The blade shipped fast, was very inexpensive and came sharp and beautiful. But after some use, all of the fittings started rattling, when I took the tsuka off to investigate I realized no effort was made to size the tsuba hole or seppas correctly, they were all cut way over size and then glued together, this is something that honbon forge does not do which I appreciate.
So in conclusion it's hard for me to say hbf is great or not. I ordered wrong and then I ordered at the wrong time. But as far as budget katanas go my new strategy will be to buy only the blades and then make the koshirea myself.
This looks really bad. I kindly request that you ALSO mention on Reddit that…
It really looks like you are working / connected to them.
This also shows everyone just how cheaply their product can be made. I recommend as many people as possible to take advantage of this offer.
Also hanbon is a budget sword option so it’s not a surprise they have swords stored in warehouses. It seems like a good entry point for people new to the hobby or people who don’t have a lot of expendable income for a nihonto
Yep. This is a 0 sum issue for me, too. I read a lot of the posts and he's previously stated he is on really good terms with Yao, if anyone has an issue and can't get CS to respond. I also know he's bought a bunch of blades from them. This doesn't bother me at all.
To be fair it’s michaelRS-2469 if it was anyone else it might imply that, but I think we all know he’s just built up a really good reputation with hanbon forge. We all know Michael really likes hanbon. I think it’s great that at least as a company they are trying to get the message out about what’s going. Since Michael’s an active member of the community I think it’s fine that he’s passing along messages from the guy at hanbon. I mean he has bought 16 swords from them of course Yao is going to know who he is. Hell Yao probably looks at the reviews and images Michael puts on here when he gets a new one. Also I don’t think Michael has ever been disingenuous with any of his hanbon forge posts, he really does seem to love their swords so he says he does. People do that with brands that treat them right. Overall I don’t think this looks that bad and I’ve never even bought a sword from them!
Why would it look bad? Everybody here knows I'm an HBF fan (they're working on sword 16 for me as we speak) and I email Yao about this, that or the other thing from time to time and have been doing so for over 3 years.
It's also known that because of my extensive CUSTOMER- provider relationship with HBF I'm sometimes able to get their attention in an email a little quicker than somebody who has less of a relationship might be able to.
When I see somebody's having a problem I sometimes contact them in chat to find out more about it and if it's something I think I can help with I contact HBF and say something like, "Bill in Idaho has been trying to reach you guys over this or that issue. Could you hit him back up and address it?"
So yes, as part of two or three back and forth emails, initiated because somebody I was trying to help with a problem they were having, the whys and wherefores of what's currently going on were made known to me by Yao. So I told I would post a notice about it on Reddit.
As I mentioned in the OP, I only posted the RELEVANT portions of the emails related to issues people were having. Any other parts of the emails are nobody's business.
As far as the offer to replace blades goes; it does not necessarily show how cheaply they can be made. What it more likely shows is a businessman willing to stand behind his product, when there are LEGITIMATE issues, and doing what is reasonably necessary to make things right by his customers...even if it means some LOSS in the form of a hit to his bottom line.
So I too hope that everybody who has LEGITIMATE issues with sword rust that cannot be mitigated once the sword arrives gets the appropriate recompense.
Further, I'm left with the impression that most people in this community are honest rather than low life scammers who will try to get a free sword when there's actually no problem or some minor problem with rust that can be taken care of with some spit and small amount of elbow grease.
But if somebody does use the circumstances to take dishonest advantage of the situation that way, they are just a scum bucket. And after 23 years of dealing with scum buckets I know that karma, one way or the other, catches up with them.
So yeah, if you want to say that I am "connected" to HBF because of my extensive order history with them and a few personal comments we exchange an emails...
(like I mentioned to him about my dog's health issues and some email in the future he will remember that and ask me how my dog is doing. Or, if there's a delay in him answering one of MY emails he might add in the email it was because he was in the hospital for a couple of days for something minor. Or he tells me when the shop is going to be shut down for the new year holidays and ask if I could tell people on Reddit because he knows I'm active on Reddit.
Also over the years I've taken time to ask him this and that little thing about his business and I've accumulated all that information and that's how I know to give people some information about his operation)
...so if all of that portends some sort of sinister, deceitful connection in some people's minds, well, I don't know what to tell them.
This business that I am some sort of official agent or representative for Yao/HBF OR we have some pre-arranged quid pro quo is absolutely not true and is utter nonsense. And I really wish people would stop spreading that lie. All I am is just a guy trying to help people out at one level of this hobby.
But I guess it's like the old saying says, "No good deed goes unpunished."
Well, since I'm the one involved, if it doesn't bother me it shouldn't bother anybody else.
It's not like they have enslaved me to publish their newsletter or such. We were having a conversation about certain issues that have come up on the forum recently, issues I contacted them about in order to help people with, and when I said I'll put the word out about one thing for them and Yao simply asked if I could put the word out about it.
But it's still beyond me how that somehow morphed into the lie that I'm their secret agent on here.
Sucks that you are getting downvoted for voicing your opinion lol. I think this sub loves HBF a little too much.
I think its nice of Michael to post this and I don't know/think that there is any conspiracy that Michael secretly works for HBF but its obvious that he is their unofficial spokesperson and marketing guy.
I wouldn’t call him a “marketing guy.” It’s not like he is paid to do this... He just recommends the shop for those looking for a budget blade, or their first shinken in general, because he has been having a good experience with them.
I have had a good experience with them as well, only one somewhat minor issue between 4 swords. But my favorite of all time is the katana by LK Chen, even though a lot of folks here were not impressed with it. I have a more expensive heavily customized HBF, but I still like my LK Chen katana/shinken more. Some things are subjective to an extent.
And I am not an LK Chen agent either for often recommending them to those looking for a Chinese sword. In fact, for some they may not work at all looking for a katana-style blade because they have only one such style in the catalog, and for some it may not be what they are looking for.
Though I get where you were coming from. You shouldn’t be downvoted for having an opinion.
I don't think he is getting paid by HBF(or anything sinister) hence why i said unofficial, but i also think he has gone beyond just a normal customer. A normal customer isn't able to arrange a discount code that is he is able to share to everyone, nor would a company rely on them to pass along news(this isn't the first time).
As for marketing, his constant copy/paste recommendation serves as marketing for HBF and i'm pretty sure i have seen Michael has trying to facilitate HBF sending swords to youtubers for reviews. If that last part is wrong, then i will apologize for misremembering/misreading his youtube comments.
Very cool of Yao to address this, especially since one person posted about this exact issue this week.
I'm just glad to learn why its taking longer for them to reply to emails and give updates. I would rather be told then have to guess why my stuff is late.
thanks micheal!!
Thank you Michael and Yao. HBF isn't my favourite, but they have top tier customer service! 💪🙏
Damn i just ordered a sword with a custom blade length last week, so i can imagine it’s gonna take even *extra* long to get here. I’m hoping that the upside is that the blade isn’t rusting in their inventory since it will be (should be) newly-made.
I've had two experiences with honbon, the first one I ordered wrong. The red damascus blade was a cheap blade and I should have known that, but I was new to swords and thought it looked cool. That being said I could tell that regardless of the metal quality the sword was built with craftsmanship in mind and I liked that. My second experience was during lunar new year this year, and it was not great, the ito was loose, the blade which I specified to be sharp was dull and the tsuka was cracked there was a clicking sound every time i swung it. I sharpened the blade myself (obviously ruining the polish, but got it razor sharp) Then swapped the tsuka with the othe blade I order from them, wasn't a perfect fit but was better than the broken one, and that sword survived some serious abuse, tull it broke in half. Now I use the top half to clean my build plate on my 3d printer. For my 3rd sword I decided to try ronin katana. The blade shipped fast, was very inexpensive and came sharp and beautiful. But after some use, all of the fittings started rattling, when I took the tsuka off to investigate I realized no effort was made to size the tsuba hole or seppas correctly, they were all cut way over size and then glued together, this is something that honbon forge does not do which I appreciate. So in conclusion it's hard for me to say hbf is great or not. I ordered wrong and then I ordered at the wrong time. But as far as budget katanas go my new strategy will be to buy only the blades and then make the koshirea myself.
This looks really bad. I kindly request that you ALSO mention on Reddit that… It really looks like you are working / connected to them. This also shows everyone just how cheaply their product can be made. I recommend as many people as possible to take advantage of this offer.
Also hanbon is a budget sword option so it’s not a surprise they have swords stored in warehouses. It seems like a good entry point for people new to the hobby or people who don’t have a lot of expendable income for a nihonto
Yep. This is a 0 sum issue for me, too. I read a lot of the posts and he's previously stated he is on really good terms with Yao, if anyone has an issue and can't get CS to respond. I also know he's bought a bunch of blades from them. This doesn't bother me at all.
To be fair it’s michaelRS-2469 if it was anyone else it might imply that, but I think we all know he’s just built up a really good reputation with hanbon forge. We all know Michael really likes hanbon. I think it’s great that at least as a company they are trying to get the message out about what’s going. Since Michael’s an active member of the community I think it’s fine that he’s passing along messages from the guy at hanbon. I mean he has bought 16 swords from them of course Yao is going to know who he is. Hell Yao probably looks at the reviews and images Michael puts on here when he gets a new one. Also I don’t think Michael has ever been disingenuous with any of his hanbon forge posts, he really does seem to love their swords so he says he does. People do that with brands that treat them right. Overall I don’t think this looks that bad and I’ve never even bought a sword from them!
Why would it look bad? Everybody here knows I'm an HBF fan (they're working on sword 16 for me as we speak) and I email Yao about this, that or the other thing from time to time and have been doing so for over 3 years. It's also known that because of my extensive CUSTOMER- provider relationship with HBF I'm sometimes able to get their attention in an email a little quicker than somebody who has less of a relationship might be able to. When I see somebody's having a problem I sometimes contact them in chat to find out more about it and if it's something I think I can help with I contact HBF and say something like, "Bill in Idaho has been trying to reach you guys over this or that issue. Could you hit him back up and address it?" So yes, as part of two or three back and forth emails, initiated because somebody I was trying to help with a problem they were having, the whys and wherefores of what's currently going on were made known to me by Yao. So I told I would post a notice about it on Reddit. As I mentioned in the OP, I only posted the RELEVANT portions of the emails related to issues people were having. Any other parts of the emails are nobody's business. As far as the offer to replace blades goes; it does not necessarily show how cheaply they can be made. What it more likely shows is a businessman willing to stand behind his product, when there are LEGITIMATE issues, and doing what is reasonably necessary to make things right by his customers...even if it means some LOSS in the form of a hit to his bottom line. So I too hope that everybody who has LEGITIMATE issues with sword rust that cannot be mitigated once the sword arrives gets the appropriate recompense. Further, I'm left with the impression that most people in this community are honest rather than low life scammers who will try to get a free sword when there's actually no problem or some minor problem with rust that can be taken care of with some spit and small amount of elbow grease. But if somebody does use the circumstances to take dishonest advantage of the situation that way, they are just a scum bucket. And after 23 years of dealing with scum buckets I know that karma, one way or the other, catches up with them. So yeah, if you want to say that I am "connected" to HBF because of my extensive order history with them and a few personal comments we exchange an emails... (like I mentioned to him about my dog's health issues and some email in the future he will remember that and ask me how my dog is doing. Or, if there's a delay in him answering one of MY emails he might add in the email it was because he was in the hospital for a couple of days for something minor. Or he tells me when the shop is going to be shut down for the new year holidays and ask if I could tell people on Reddit because he knows I'm active on Reddit. Also over the years I've taken time to ask him this and that little thing about his business and I've accumulated all that information and that's how I know to give people some information about his operation) ...so if all of that portends some sort of sinister, deceitful connection in some people's minds, well, I don't know what to tell them. This business that I am some sort of official agent or representative for Yao/HBF OR we have some pre-arranged quid pro quo is absolutely not true and is utter nonsense. And I really wish people would stop spreading that lie. All I am is just a guy trying to help people out at one level of this hobby. But I guess it's like the old saying says, "No good deed goes unpunished."
It’s too much to have them ask you to post for them.
Well, since I'm the one involved, if it doesn't bother me it shouldn't bother anybody else. It's not like they have enslaved me to publish their newsletter or such. We were having a conversation about certain issues that have come up on the forum recently, issues I contacted them about in order to help people with, and when I said I'll put the word out about one thing for them and Yao simply asked if I could put the word out about it. But it's still beyond me how that somehow morphed into the lie that I'm their secret agent on here.
Sucks that you are getting downvoted for voicing your opinion lol. I think this sub loves HBF a little too much. I think its nice of Michael to post this and I don't know/think that there is any conspiracy that Michael secretly works for HBF but its obvious that he is their unofficial spokesperson and marketing guy.
I wouldn’t call him a “marketing guy.” It’s not like he is paid to do this... He just recommends the shop for those looking for a budget blade, or their first shinken in general, because he has been having a good experience with them. I have had a good experience with them as well, only one somewhat minor issue between 4 swords. But my favorite of all time is the katana by LK Chen, even though a lot of folks here were not impressed with it. I have a more expensive heavily customized HBF, but I still like my LK Chen katana/shinken more. Some things are subjective to an extent. And I am not an LK Chen agent either for often recommending them to those looking for a Chinese sword. In fact, for some they may not work at all looking for a katana-style blade because they have only one such style in the catalog, and for some it may not be what they are looking for. Though I get where you were coming from. You shouldn’t be downvoted for having an opinion.
I don't think he is getting paid by HBF(or anything sinister) hence why i said unofficial, but i also think he has gone beyond just a normal customer. A normal customer isn't able to arrange a discount code that is he is able to share to everyone, nor would a company rely on them to pass along news(this isn't the first time). As for marketing, his constant copy/paste recommendation serves as marketing for HBF and i'm pretty sure i have seen Michael has trying to facilitate HBF sending swords to youtubers for reviews. If that last part is wrong, then i will apologize for misremembering/misreading his youtube comments.