Katana reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 199 Reddit reviews across 11 subreddits and 49 posts to rank the best Katana brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/Katanas, r/Eldenring, r/cyberpunkgame, r/SWORDS, r/BossKatana. Top-rated brands include Boss (4.1/5), Nagakiba (4.8/5), Hanbon Forge (4.4/5).
Stats
Reviews199
Subreddits11
Posts49
Brands74
Products39
199 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Boss
4.1
(21)
"Great amps; I have two heads with Waza Cabs for several years now and have not looked back."
"Look on facebook, reverb, ebay etc and buy a used katana. MkII 100/212"
"Iâm 3 amps into my journey. Should have started with a katana. Buy once cry once dawg"
"Katana MkII 50 is an amazing amp, and for bedroom or small gathering guitarist it is perfect and for a very long time you will not feel like you need more power and/or more settings."
"Used Boss Katana MkII 50. They are really common and should be $150 used."
"I got a used katana 50 for about that much in the UK and I couldnât be happier. I donât think Iâll be buying another amp for a long time."
"Get a used Katana instead of a Mustang. Trust me on this. Everything is better on the Katana. Sound, build, versatility, clean, gain, effects."
"I just got a used katana mk2 50W for 150âŹ"
"Used ones are on there all the time for $150 or less"
"DM I've got a katana I can sell for $200"
#2
Nagakiba
4.8
(15)
"Nagakiba"
"Keen Nagakiba with greases as needed, Unsheathe AoW, Alexander's Shard Talisman, and Rellana's Cameo Talisman. You get tons of damage and stance damage on your Unsheathe AoWs - you really feel like a samurai."
"Nagakiba, and itâs not really close."
"I like the nagakiba for the reach"
"Nagakiba is one of the best all around weapons available."
"When you infuse the Nagakiba (with +25) you get minimum 82 bleed."
"Nagakiba is one of the best weapon."
"I'd say the Nagakiba with 'Double slash'."
"Don't have to respec for Naga if you're using Uchi either as they scale the same way."
"My recent playthrough has been duel blood Nagakiba."
#3
Hanbon Forge
4.4
(14)
"Get a KOBUSE blade from HanBon Forge. And you're going to want all the upgrades."
"Here are the various options you can choose from HanBon Forge to custom build your own sword."
"Start with those 6 manufacturers."
"The katana i bought just got here and i bought a premade one in Hanbon Forge!"
"Hanbon Forge."
"I got the Musashi from Hanbon Forge for 99.99 USD and think itâs pretty good for price. Sharp and T10, everything is tight. Balance is decent."
"Hanbon Forge"
"Examples at https://www.hanbonforge.com/"
"Look at swordis, Hanbon forge and Ryan sword, if you can't find something you like you can build something you like."
"They offer solid swords at very reasonable prices."
#4
FromSoftware
4.6
(13)
"The Nagakiba is basically Sephiroths sword, a long Uchigatana."
"Moonveil and Nagakiba are the best main game katanas iirc."
"Moonveil or nagakiba."
"1. Nagakiba- it has great range, can be used in lots of builds."
"2. Moonveil- ash of war is an upgraded version of unsheathe."
"Probably the Nagakiba is the best."
"1. Nagakiba
2. Moonveil
3. Rivers of blood."
"You could do nagakiba instead for better range."
"3. Rivers of blood- ash of war is an upgraded version of double slash."
"Rivers of Blood is probably most OP for people running a bleed build."
#5
Byakko
4.8
(12)
"Byakko."
"Byakko and Scalpel (If you're running Sandy) are objectively the best imo."
"I carry Byakko for groups, Errata for everyone else."
"Late game - Byakko. Scalpel loses a lot of it's appeal, since you can get to 100 crit chance without it's bonus."
"Byakko for groups and Errata/scalpel for bosses."
"The Byakko is the actual best."
"I'd say it's a 3 way tie between, Byakko, scalpel and errata."
"Byakko for the winâŒïž"
"Byakko for stats and abilities"
"Highest DPS in the game for a kitana, not sure about the other weapons"
#6
Katana
4.4
(11)
"The best Katana period is the Nagakiba and you can get it right at the start of the game."
"Moonveil only requires one boss to get and is my favorite katana."
"I recommend you to buy crafting specs for Tier 4 or Tier5 katana in Japantown and mod it with Homicide and Bleedout."
"Manflesh was my favourite of the Katana"
"Scratch and dent Ronin 17 or even the full price job is a good hard use option."
"Pretty sure Ryansword can make the blade with your exact dimensions."
"If you buy from them, use my coupon code on my profile to save some $$"
"You can get uchigatana early on in dungeon north of saint bridge sites of grace."
"You get Uchigatana if you start as a Samurai."
"Legendary katana offer the master stance of that trait - moon stance/moon master etc"
#7
Moonveil
4.7
(6)
"Moonveil."
"Moonveil supremacy. Thatâs just becoming a spell slinger but still fun as fuck."
"Iâm in my first run and Moonveil is carrying me hard."
"Moonveil imo, tried everything else and the clench/charge attack variation across both buttons just makes it work with any build."
"Moonveil is hilariously powerful. Highly recommended :)"
"Moonveil is still really strong in PvE."
#8
CloudHammer
4.5
(6)
"Combat? I think you need to talk to the RVA katana guys. Their whole inventory is designed for use, and multiple kinds of uses. Plus they carry CloudHammer which is S-tier durability."
"Cloudhammer, Z-Sey and Shadowdancer for mid tier."
"If it was to be used, Cloudhammer. I usually plug them a lot bc I like John and Scott and shoot the shit with Scott a lot."
"If you want the "strongest", then get a s5 from cloudhammer or shadowdancer."
"Cloudhammer usually has some ~300 entry-level cutters."
"Look into CloudHammer. They have pre."
#9
Scalpel
5.0
(4)
"Scalpel is my go-to."
"Scalpel is my favorite katana and is available almost immediately after the heist."
"The only blades I really recommend, and distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack are: -SCAPEL."
"If you have a crit build and a sandi, scalpel's power is unmatched."
#10
Chaos Blade
4.8
(4)
"Chaos blade."
"Chaos Blade is straight up the best katana, especially with having the highest counter damage in the game."
"Chaos Blade is best in slot but if you are going no-death this run you probably just want to use Uchi."
"Use two katanas at the same time, Chaos Blade and Berserker Blade"
#11
Uchigatana
4.8
(4)
"Start samurai. Aquire 2nd uchi in limgrave. Keep unsheathe on main hand uchi, stormblade in 2nd. Put 17 in faith and 10 in arcane. Get blackflame blade and bloodflame blade incants. Proceed to kill everything."
"The Uchigatana is probably the best all around choice"
"You can get it as your starting weapon, or very early if you don't pick samurai."
"The Uchigatana is one of the best weapons in the game as far as scope is concerned."
#12
Dragon King
4.5
(4)
"Dragon King would be a better choice."
"You could get something non-custom from the likes of Dragon King, Shadow Dancer, Citadel or, if you're very patient, Huawei."
"Some Dragon King models"
"Dragon King has production models around that price point."
#13
RVA Katana
4.3
(4)
"RVA Katana has my vote"
"200-300 you can take a look at RVA-Katana."
"Nice guys that can really help you out more directly than going back and forth."
"I would say RVA Katana are great guys."
#14
Errata
4.3
(4)
"Errata for style aesthetic and cyber-katana vibes"
"Errata can also be good. It does increased damage to burning enemies so use overheat and the slice and dice."
"Iâve heard Errata is cool and pretty good."
"Byakko is the best in a fight with lots of enemies, but Errata is my choice one-on-one."
#15
Tsumetogi
4.7
(3)
"But best Katana on its own I want to give to the Tsumetogi."
"I Like Tsumetogi and Errata but byakko is the best"
"I like Tsumetogi personally"
#16
Ryansword
4.3
(3)
"Start with those 6 manufacturers."
"Ryansword"
"Ryansword does what I guess you'd call semi custom for under $1000."
#17
Ronin Katana
4.0
(3)
"The clay tempered âsamurai swordsâ from Ronin Katana are a decent jumping off point in the 140 buck range."
"Ronin katana is another place to look at."
"I find that the base model and the Dojo Pro are great values and come VERY Sharpe."
#18
Cloudhammer
5.0
(2)
"Any of the Cloudhammer swords made of S5 steel"
"Toughest blade on the market, probably an S5 from Cloudhammer via RVA."
#19
Nihonto
5.0
(2)
"I have bought a nihonto from them. 10/10 experience."
"I would 100% buy a Nihonto from them."
#20
Dragonscale Blade
5.0
(2)
"Dragonscale Blade"
"The best katanas for dual imo are the dragonscale blades."
#21
Amazon
5.0
(2)
"These three options are all fully functional came razor sharp and held up well to regular use"
"Here is a cheap 1060 katana with a spring temper that I love."
#22
Sinosword
5.0
(2)
"Start with those 6 manufacturers."
"Sinosword.com"
#23
Wakako
4.5
(2)
"I prefer Byakko from Wakako after doing all her gigs. Upon kill, attack faster, and with sandy, I can rip through enemies faster than anything."
"The one you get from wakako. You kill an enemy and then you can do a really fast combo which kills another enemy and on and on."
#24
Romance of Men
4.0
(2)
"Romance of Men"
"Examples at https://romanceofmen.com/"
#25
Great Katana
4.0
(2)
"I liked the regular great katana, infused with cold."
"I like the versatility of the Great Katana."
#26
Paul Chen
4.0
(2)
"I've bought a Paul Chen Practical Katana and Tsuru iaito off ebay Australia, sometimes you find gems."
"Blow our some links to reputable suppliers that can provide you with a very decent production katanas."
#27
Swordis
4.0
(2)
"I would recommend a through hardened blade for beginners, since a clay tempered one is much less forgiving of a botched cut. https://swordis.com/product/basic-musashi-katana-oil-quenching/"
"I would recommend a through hardened blade for beginners, since a clay tempered one is much less forgiving of a botched cut. https://swordis.com/product/5160-steel-katana/"
#28
HanBon
3.5
(2)
"Be advised all countries are not listed that they mailed to"
"Budget level quality is all hbf offers."
#29
Elden Ring
5.0
(1)
"Https://globalgear.com.au/products/elden-ring-moonveil-katana"
#30
Z-Sey
5.0
(1)
"Cloudhammer, Z-Sey and Shadowdancer for mid tier."
#31
Shadowdancer
5.0
(1)
"Cloudhammer, Z-Sey and Shadowdancer for mid tier."
#32
Aoi Art
5.0
(1)
"I purchased a 400 year old polished katana from a well known japanese dealer. Itâs got a tokubetsu hozon grade implying that it is âextremely worthy of preservationâ by japanese standards."
#33
Stone Striker
5.0
(1)
"Stone Striker is hands down the most powerful in the game."
#34
Uchi
5.0
(1)
"I love the Uchi with Spinning Slash AoW."
#35
Rivers of Blood
5.0
(1)
"Rivers of blood is still probably the most OP katana in the game"
#36
Blasphemous Blade
5.0
(1)
"Blasphemous Blade is an upgrade with enough faith stats"
#37
Dragon Hunter Katana
5.0
(1)
"Dragon hunter katana works great for dragons and some bosses"
#38
Meteoric Ore Blade
5.0
(1)
"Don't listen to anyone here. Meteoric ore blade."
#39
Masamune
5.0
(1)
"Of the legendary Katanas? Probably Masamune."
#40
Stone Katana
5.0
(1)
"My personal favorite is stone katana for the dps."
#41
Washing Pole
5.0
(1)
"Washing Pole has the longest range. I used the Washing Pole and Uchi with lighting infusion."
#42
Meteoric Katana
5.0
(1)
"My personal favorite is powerstancing two meteoric ore blades because of the sheer damage."
#43
Shadow Dancer
5.0
(1)
"ShadowDancer."
#44
Huawei
5.0
(1)
"Any Huawei sword; i particularly like the Suguha hamon one"
#45
Hanwei
5.0
(1)
"I had a pleasurable experience ordering a Hanwei Raptor from KoA. The price was great and it didn't take long."
#46
Howard Clark
5.0
(1)
"If price is no matter, try to find a used Howard Clark L6 for $5-10k USD. 1086 pretty damn tough too."
#47
Positive Grid
4.0
(1)
"I prefer the Spark to the Katana (own both)."
#48
Fender
4.0
(1)
"It's got some really usable sounds in it and is really rather loud."
#49
Yari no Hanzo / Katanamart
4.0
(1)
"You'll probably save a lot in customs and shipping costs compared to buying from China."
#50
Tokyo Sword
4.0
(1)
"Check out a Japanese sword show and get a piece of history."
#51
Saburo
4.0
(1)
"Byakko and Scalpel might be the two best but my personal favorite is Saburoâs Katana."
#52
Musashi
4.0
(1)
"I would go with the Musashi because I can actually see a temper line on the blade."
#53
Rakshasa
4.0
(1)
"Even tho Rakshasa's katana is great, i'd still choose Nagakiba cuz of the bleeding effect is superior."
#54
Master's Katana
4.0
(1)
"My Samurai and Assassin both use the Masterâs Katana."
#55
Moon Katana
4.0
(1)
"My Assassin uses a Moon Katana."
#56
Dojo Pro
4.0
(1)
"The Dojo Pro is the only katana they make thatâs worth anything."
#57
Dual Blacksteel
4.0
(1)
"Dual blacksteel was my fave. The L2 carried me through the game."
#58
Moritaka
4.0
(1)
"Moritaka/Shinken of Swords"
#59
Shadowdancer Swords
4.0
(1)
"Shadowdancer Swords has some entry level cutters"
#60
Jkoo
4.0
(1)
"Jkoo"
#61
Roninkatana
4.0
(1)
"Plenty of options in the $200 to $300 range for functional replicas of katanas (made in China). Examples at Roninkatana.com"
#62
Swordier
4.0
(1)
"Examples at swordier.com"
#63
Motohara Blades
4.0
(1)
"Examples at https://motoharablades.com/"
#64
Sigi Forge
4.0
(1)
"Personally I get in swordfights on a regular basis đ https://sigiforge.com/products/sigi-katana/"
#65
Peavey
4.0
(1)
"Honestly, a Peavey Bandit. It's built like a tank and has more volume than you will ever need to play out with others. I currently have a Bandit and a Katana 100. The Peavey sounds better and more organic than the Katana in every way."
#66
KatanaMart
4.0
(1)
"My friend got a nice katana from katanamart."
#67
Kult of Athena
4.0
(1)
"If you mean a sword that is "battle ready" go to Kult of Athena"
#68
TrueSwords.com
4.0
(1)
"Trueswords.com. They carry different brands from wall hangers to live blades. Movie replicas and fantasy blades. Reasonable prices."
#69
Swordis.com
4.0
(1)
"Just go to swordis.com. Theyâre an aggregator site and have great prices."
#70
Southern Sword
3.0
(1)
"But look at what the uk sellers have, buy from them it's not worth it trying to import anything with that budget Southern sword The knight shop Blades uk"
#71
Choji Oil
3.0
(1)
"You can order "choji oil" but its expensive compared to alternatives."
#72
Headhunter
3.0
(1)
"Check out Headhunter, Blue Fang, or Stinger."
#73
Real Swords
3.0
(1)
"If youâre looking for affordable âfunctionalâ katanas I got a set from realswords.com not sure what Iâd trust it to be used on but they look good the weight is there."
#74
Yari No Hanzo
3.0
(1)
"YariNoHanzo at that price niche is probably your only option unless you can find a John Lee at that price point."
Discover your audience
GummySearch is an audience research toolkit for 130,000 unique communities on Reddit.
If you are looking for startup problems to solve, want to validate your idea or find your customers online, GummySearch is for you.
Sign up for free, get community insights in minutes.
Tell me more
Get started
