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Are Musashi folded elite swords worth it?

Are musashi folded elite swords durable and clay tempered (differentially hardened)? Would it be better than a sword made of just 1060? The folded elite series are made with both 1045 and 1060 folded 11 times. Is there any benefit to using the lower carbon 1040 in conjunction with the 1060?

Comments for Are Musashi folded elite swords worth it?

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Lots of questions, here's some relatively easy answers
by: Paul

To be able to answer your questions, I do need to untangle things slightly as we are not really comparing apples with apples here..

Durable and Differentially hardened rarely belong in the same sentence - because the spine is softer (usually HRC 40s) than the edge (HRC high 50s or low 60s) when it is subjected to too much lateral (sideways) force it will not spring back but end up taking a set/bend. The advantage is that the harder, sharper edge cuts most targets considerably easier.

So, back to your question, a 1060 steel sword that is NOT differentially hardened is going to be more durable but will not cut quite as well.

Folded blades - well, cheap ones are usually problematic as explained in this article

So essentially, it depends on what you want - if you want a tough sword, 1060 is the way to go (not folded or differentially hardened) - if you want a good cutter, something that is differentially hardened performs the best and is the most traditional configuration.

And if you want a purely decorative piece, then go folded/Damascus because at low price points, that is all a folded sword can ever really be (decorative).

Hope this helps.

Long story short
by: Anonymous

Long story short. No. They are not. They look nice but aren’t really tempered correctly. Musashi did at one time produce great folded steel blades from their Masurao line. Unfortunately those are no longer available. They were from master smith Alex Zheng and were amazing for their price. Unparalleled. But again, not available any longer.
Folded steel is purely cosmetic. But they do cut as well as anything else when tempered correctly. But most aren’t, only heat treated. Good hunting.

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