A review by Massimo M [Montana USA]
September 2004

I recently purchased one bokken, one tanto and one dagger from SandataCraft. First of all Mr. O’Taylor is an exquisite person. He is very understanding and willing to meet any reasonable customer’s request (he may be willing to meet any UNreasonable one, but I didn’t test him on that). My bokken was customized with a 12/29 inches handle/blade, the handle has an intricate engraving on both sides (it’s kinda fancy but I like to see it standing out when placed in one of the weapons rack on the wall of the dojo).

The beauty of the wood is truly breathtaking: there are many shades of brown as well as green and anthracite hues. The grain is close and compact. The engraving is amazing and it feels very smooth in the hands. The carving shows a superior attention to details. The curvature increases toward the monouchi, the handle is nicely tapered, and the tip is solid and smoothly dome-shaped to deflect those rare impacts, which too often chip the tips. The bokken is heavy and it feels very similar to a real katana, as stated in their website. The point of balance is about 5 inches from the guard. I took my bokken to the dojo and, while I didn’t do any crash test, I tested it by rigorous training. The bokken withstood “training” impacts against real white Japanese oak and high-quality hickory and placed noticeable indents in a couple of other woods one of which is supposed to be extremely resilient. The bokken was delivered with a free, sturdy nylon case featuring an adjustable shoulder strap. I am an easy-going customer and I wont’ complain about that …

The tanto and the dagger parallel the quality of the bokken. They feel solid and balanced, something you can really do some work with.

These are BY FAR the best weapons I have ever owned and seen.

- Massimo M, Montana USA [September 2004]