• The lower end products won't put too big a dent in your pocket book.
• Has options Paul Chen & Kris Cutlery don't offer.
• 1" sori.
• Comes with a sword bag.
• Lots of different blades.
• Lifetime warranty on Tsunami and up blades.
• Less niku (Less resistance when cutting).
• Bohi option is free.

• Marketing hype can mislead consumer.
• Improperly shaped kissaki (in fact its purely cosmetic) Kissaki
• 3 pins are probably less safe than two. Mekugi
• Incomplete polish. Evidenced by the lack of finish on the hamon. The hamon should be smoky and noticable, not barely noticable. Example of a good polish
• Tsuka maki appears to be done poorly. Examples of tsukas and tsukamaki
• Hada not easily visible.
• Cetaris Parabis(all other things being equal) a closer POB hurts cutting ability rather than helping. SFI thread on POB
• 8k layers is silly. 8000 folds just makes it harder to see the hada and creates a greater chance of faulty welding.
• Cryo treatment is either a marketing ploy, or the heat treatment is as good as it should be. Cryo only works if the heat treatment is not up to par, or if the steel is a high alloy steel. Cryo testing of Atrim SFU article
• Bear Blade geometry is not shobu zukuri.
• Less niku (more prone to taking a set and/or breaking). Good information can be found here: Niku

• Everyone who has one and who posts on forums is vehemently Pro LL.
• Tsuba, fuchi, kashira is brass painted black.
• Point of balance closer to tsuba.
• Big nakago/tang. Tang comparison
• Read up on the nakago

This author's conclusions:
Last Legend provides an alternative to the lower end Paul Chen swords. Their unfolded versions seem to offer a decent sword for the money. However, I would stay away from the more expensive, folded versions. In this author's opinion, they are not worth the extra money. Last Legend offers a unique product with several options. If you want an inexpensive katana that you can cut with, Last Legend provides the product.

Some of Last Legend's marketing ploys are misleading. Cryo tempering only works if the initial heat treatment is poorly done. Three pins are not necessarily safer than two. When you weld two steels together, they become more or less homogenous, creating a steel whose carbon content is the average of the two steels used to make the end product. This doesn't make the blade stronger, in fact, if a weld is done improperly, the blade runs a higher risk of failure. 8000 folds is not better, in fact it makes it quite hard for one to see the hada, which is the only reason one should buy a modern folded blade.

A collection of pictures of nihonto

If I misrepresented anything, please feel free to tell me. Other than that, I hope you have found this page informative.
Sincerely,
Leighton Tyau

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Information presented on this page is based on information taken from Last Legend's website, www.lastlegend.com, and pictures of Last Legend swords.