I'm not even going to bother to explain the sequence of events that let me pull off getting both an
Apokatana and a
Zakashushi from the glorious mad geniuses of
Zombie Tools. It's not really an exciting story.
What
is exciting is that I have two new swords with leather sheaths for me to swing around my apartment and risk damage to furniture and my precious self.
I regret nothing.
The Apokatana is a brutal monster with a three-foot-plus blade and a long handle to counter the weight. It comes sharp and fierce-looking with the customary acid-etch of a ZT blade. The Zakasushi, it's Wakizashi-equivalent counterpart is shorter and lighter, with a blade that's not quite three feet long but is equally as sharp. Both blades look like something badass enough to make most anyone on the wrong end shit one's self in fear. Zombie Tools advertises their blades as "burly and sharp". They don't joke.
Already I've tried experimental Musashi swings with both blades (Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary Japanese swordsman, was famed for fighting with both katana and wakizashi). I have new respect for anyone who can do that with speed.
Both the Apokatana and the Zakasushi come with kydex sheaths. I opted to go for the leather sheath upgrades, but I have to say I find the kydex sheaths might be a better "fit" overall. For one thing, the kydex sheaths look badass, giving the blades a more ominous, cyberpunkish, look when sheathed. Also, the kydex sheathes fit tighter. Unlike the other leather sheaths I've obtained from Zombie Tools, the sheathes for the Apokatana and the Zakasushi are looser. The blades can potentially slip out easier (though be drawn quickly, so there's that). The sheaths are still gorgeous craftsmanship, though. I tend to leave the blades in the leather, purely for that reason.
Yup. These and actual sword training would actually have me ready for a zombie apocalypse. Maybe.