First of all, I would like to say thank you to James, for all the help in purchasing and replacing my Golden Oriole Katana. The original Golden Oriole sent to me from SOTE, had some defects along the hamon. James was great; he arranged for the return and replacement immediately. They provided the return shipping labels and replacement katana at no cost. So if you are wondering if SOTE has a good return policy; I will say they have a GREAT return policy. I have purchased quite a few swords from SOTE, and this was the first time I had a quality issue with one of their products; Although I was disappointed that I had to get a replacement, I was more than satisfied by the way James and SOTE handled the return. Now… onto the Golden Oriole Katana…. What a beautiful, aesthetic, and fully functional live blade. Paul Chen’s design does not disappoint. The tsuka, fittings, and finish of the saya are excellent and flawless. The quality of the steel is also very, very nice. An eye catching, flowing hamon flows along the ha of the blade. As the specifications mention, the length of the tsuka is quite long (Just under 14”), combined with a 27” nagasa with Bo-hi, it is an exceptionally well balanced, and quick sword. The tsuka fits nicely in the hands, and the tsuka maki is very tight, and high quality ito wrap around real same. The tsuba is nicely done as well and the menuki, fuchi, and kashira are nice quality… all with a very cool Oriole, praying mantis and cricket theme. If you are looking for a very beautiful, functional katana, that you would be proud to display as well as use; I would definitely recommend the Golden Oriole from SOTE. (By the way, the SOTE will price match and beat by 10% any legitimate competitors price out there… James did it for me with this katana). I would have loved to have purchased the matching wakizashi, to make a very nice Daisho, but alas… I might have to wait for Father’s Day (and my next paycheck lol)

Top shelf, very impressive.

I own one of the earlier, more curved Golden Orioles without bo-hi . Over the years I have had the handle reworked and new fittings installed... love it!