The Cold Steel Company prides itself on using traditional parts and fittings for its swords forged by traditional Eastern swordsmiths. This dedication to authenticity along with the sheer power and strength of their blades makes Cold Steel swords extremely desirable to collectors.Cold Steel swords and knives are known for their toughness. For instance, a knife in their Tanto series has been tested by being repeatedly thrust through a car door with no damage suffered by the tip of the blade. To achieve this power without breaking or marring Cold Steel uses a steel lamination process known as San Mai III. "San Mai" means, "three layers" and refers to the fact that laminated sword construction can allow various grades (or layers) of steel to be combined in a single blade. Combining layers in this way allows for maximum flexibility (on outside layers of the blade so it won't shatter when struck in battle) with strength (at the blade's core with a higher carbon steel).Many Cold Steel blades are also made from Carbon V, a high carbon, low alloy cutlery grade steel. The quality of Carbon V makes it extremely strong due to a smelting process which involves Cold Steel metallurgists maintaining an exact microstructure of the steel. After smelting, every shipment is checked for structural quality, cleanliness and chemical content before being optimized for grain flow along the length of the blade. Finally, a unique heat treating process (a highly guarded trade secret) is applied to every blade, ensuring a durability and beauty unmatched in many of Cold Steel's rivals.Cold Steel swords are very popular for functional purposes (in the dojo) or for test cutting (an ancient practice known as tamashigeri where a sword's quality was tested by cutting the bodies of corpses or criminals—straw mats or bamboo are used today). The quality of the steel in their blades denotes a high carbon content (as in the Tanto series) versus stainless steel which can be attractive to look at but does not have the durability needed to withstand the rigors of battle. 88BOK Weight: 48 oz. Blade Thick: 5/16" Blade Length: 36" Handle: 13" Samé (Ray Skin). black braid cord with brass Menuki Steel: 1055 Carbon Overall Length: 49" Sheath: Black Lacquered Wood w/blue violet cover bag