United Cutlery UC3178 Honshu Large Throwing Star Review

For over twenty years United cutlery has been distinguished by their unique and innovative product designs that cover a wide range of knives and swords, form functional to fantasy. They are well known for their movie prop replicas, fantasy collectibles, their great selection of functional sport and utility knives, traditional samurai swords, and their unique designer knives and swords by Kit Rae and Gil Hibben. They are often imitated, but never exceeded, United Cutlery strives to make their knives and swords to the highest standards in the industry, with superior value, quality, performance, great customer service, and prices that cannot be beat. United Cutlery does strictly only sell to wholesale dealers and distributors, but BladeOps does carry them. We have a wide collection of United Cutlery products, so head on over to our site, not just for this star, but to check out all the other cool products that United Cutlery develops.

Today we will be going over the United Cutlery Honshu Large throwing star. So let’s start off with a little bit of throwing star history.

 

A shuriken, which is a Japanese word that translates to “hidden hand blade”, is a Japanese concealed weapon that was used as a hidden dagger or Metsubushi to distract or misdirect. These Shuriken did come in a variety of forms, with a large portion being manufactured, but another large portion were simply improvised form tools. A common theme that tied these different types together were that the edges were sharpened, so that they could be used to penetrate skin or even inflict more damage than that. In the western culture, Shuriken are commonly known as throwing starts or ninja stars, even though they were originally designed in many different shapes. Shuriken were carried and used as supplementary weapons to the sword or other weapons in a samurai’s arsenal, although the Shuriken often did have an important tactical effect in battle. The art of wielding the shuriken is known as shurikenjutsu and was taught as a minor part of the martial arts curriculum of many famous schools.

There are a variety of different types of Shuriken the most popular are the bo shuriken, which is a stick shuriken and the hira shuriken, which is known as the flat shuriken.

The hira shuriken is the type of shuriken that we are most familiar with. It is this type that generally resembles the popular conception of a shuriken. They are constructed from thin, flat plates of metal that is derived from a variety of sources including coins, carpentry tools, spools, and even nail removes. This style of shuriken often has a hole in the center and will possess a fairly thin blade sharpened mainly at the tip. If they do sport a hole in the center, they are usually derived from their source in items that had holes, such as the old coins or washers. When the shuriken did have the hole, it proved convenient for the user because the weapons could be strung on a string or dowel in the belt for transport. Plus, the hole in the tool served a good aerodynamic purpose and would reduce the weight of the shuriken significantly. There are now a wide variety of forms of hira shuriken and they are often identified by the number of points that it possesses.

There is a wide belief that a shuriken was intended to be used as a killing weapon, but that is not the case. They were never intended to function as a primary killing weapon, but rather in a secondary role. Often times, these weapons were even use as a nuisance or just a distraction. When samurai’s used to use these weapons, the most common targets were the exposed parts of the body: whether it was the eyes, face, hands, or feet. The shuriken would be thrown in a way that slashed the opponent in a glancing blow and then travel on, often becoming lost, which made the victim believe that the cut had been made by an invisible swordsman. The shuriken that are similar to our throwing stars were used in novel ways—they could be embedded in the ground, injuring those who stepped on them; wrapped in fuse to be lit and throw to cause fire; even wrapped in a cloth soaked in poison and lit to cover an area with a cloud of poisonous smoke. Of course, they were often used as a handheld weapon in close combat.

These were simple weapons, but used in such a creative way, it made them not as simple of a weapon. There have been stories of the shuriken being dipped in dirt or even feces in hopes that the bacteria would cause an infection in the victim.

Today, modern shuriken, or throwing stars, are usually made of stainless steel and are commercially available in many knife shops across North America. In some states in the United States, they are illegal to own.

 

The Name:

The name Honshu translates to the Main Island or Main Province. This is a native Japanese name and it is the largest and most populous island of Japan. This island separates the Sea of Japan, which lies to its north and west, form the North Pacific Ocean to its south and east. Honshu is actually the seventh-largest island in the world, which fits this throwing star perfectly, because this throwing star has a diameter of 7 inches. Honshu is also a powerhouse because most of Japan’s industry is located in a belt running along Honshu’s southern coast. If you look at a picture of the island Honshu, you will notice that in an abstract way, it actually does look a little bit like a throwing star.

 

The Steel:

The steel of this United Cutlery throwing star is made out of 1065 Carbon Steel. Carbon steel is a steel with a high carbon content. The American Iron and Steel Institute defines a carbon steel as a steel that has

• No minimum content is specified or required for chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, or zirconium.
• The specified minimum for copper does not exceed 0.40 percent.
• The maximum content specified for any of the following elements does not exceed the percentages noted: manganese=1.65, silicon=0.60, copper=0.60.

As the carbon percentage content rises, steel has the ability to become harder and stronger through heat treating; however, it also does become les ductile. Regardless of the heat treatment, a higher carbon content reduces weldability. In carbon steels, the higher carbon content lowers the melting point.

1065 carbon steel is a mild steel, which means that it contains a small percentage of carbon, it is strong and tough, but it is not readily tempered. This is also known as a plain-carbon steel and low-carbon steel, and is now the most common form of steel because it’s price is relatively low while it provides material properties that are acceptable for man applications. Mild steel has a relatively low tensile strength, but it is cheap and easy to from. Its surface hardness can be increased though carburizing, which is a heat treatment process in which iron or steel absorbs carbon while the metal is heated in the presence of a carbon-bearing material such as charcoal or carbon monoxide. The intent is to make the metal harder. Longer carburizing times and higher temperatures typically increase the depth of carbon diffusion.

 

The Finish:

This United Cutlery throwing star has been finished with a black oxide coated finish. A coating can have a variety of purposes on a throwing star. The first is the obvious one: it is to prevent corrosion. A coating adds a layer of material that sits in between the steel and the environment to protect the steel from being damaged. And a well-made coating will greatly reduce maintenance time on a carbon steel. One of the other advantages of a coating finish is that it eliminates any shiny surface. This is a necessity when you are on a tactical mission or out in the field. Lastly, a coating can reduce drag during a cut, or during a throw, in this case.

Unfortunately, like most steel finishes, this is not the absolute best finish, it is flawed, it does have its cons. Coating finishes do scratch off. Whether it is heavy use or just continued use, the coating is going to scratch off. And then, all of the great benefits of a coated steel are gone. When the blade coat has scratched off, you are going to need to re-coat your star, if that is even worth it for you.

This Honshu throwing star has been finished with a black oxide, or blackening coat. This is a conversion coating for ferrous materials that is used to add mild corrosion resistance and for an appealing black appearance. This style of coated finish is formed by a chemical reaction that is produced when parts are immersed in the alkaline salt solution. Some advantages of a black oxide coated finish when compared to other coated finishes is that your throwing star has no dimensional changes. This means that the star has not been painted or plated, instead, the metal is colored, which means that no metal is removed or deposited. Another big benefit is that it provides such a rich, dark black color. And, the finish will not chip or rub off. Because black oxide changes the color of the metal, it is going to last extremely long, especially when compared to other coated finishes.

 

The Sheath:

The sheath that comes with this throwing star is made out of nylon. Nylon is a very common material that is used in knife sheaths. Nylon is often compared to leather, because they are both very popular knife sheath materials. Just like leather, nylon sheaths are also tough and strong. Unlike leather, but better than leather, nylon sheaths are resistant to rot and mildew. Nylon sheaths are also not as vulnerable to water as leather sheaths. One of the other great advantages of a nylon sheath is that they aren’t very easily scuffed or torn. But, like every material, it does have its disadvantages such as nylon sheaths don’t last as long as leather ones, because they do get stretched out. And while the nylon sheath will still work when it is stretched out, your throwing star won’t always fit so snugly inside its sheath. This takes away some of the benefits of having a sheath, because it is not going to protect your throwing star as well as a new nylon sheath or a sheath of different material would. Other than those vaguer pros and cons of a nylon sheath, it is hard to really determine how well your nylon sheath will perform. There are many different types of nylon sheaths that are made in various ways, so judging nylon sometimes does prove difficult. One of the last benefits of a nylon sheath is that it is relatively inexpensive and doesn’t add a significant junk of price to this throwing star.

 

The Specs:

The overall diameter of this throwing star is 7 inches, with an overall thickness of 0.1 inches. This knife weighs in at 6.7 ounces. The accompanying sheath weighs in at 3.1 ounces.

 

Conclusion:

United Cutlery offers a vast array of products–from tactical knives to throwing knives, swords, novelty items and seemingly everything in between. With an emphasis on providing the best quality product at a competitive price point, United Cutlery is slowly making a name for itself throughout the industry. Each model boasts impressive balance and appropriate contouring for a secure hold to allow for an effective throw. This larger model features a 4-pointed body in a black finish and the black heavy-duty nylon sheath offers a convenient belt carry option. This throwing star is back by popular demand and is the larger version of the Sleek Black Throwing Star. This throwing star is a perfectly balanced piece with the same sleek and modern feel as the original. Come pick up your Honshu Large Throwing Star today at BladeOps.