Best Sword for under $300?

Which complementary Katana now?

I have been very pleased with my sword, so I have recently decided to get a long katana to go with my short katana (ko katana) as described above.

Just a quick lesson, on katana style sword blade lengths, here is some terminology:

1. O-Katana - very long bladed katana, about 33" blade
2. Katana (standard katana), 27-28" blade,
3. Shinobi Ninjato or Oniyuri Katana (true ninja sword), about 23" curved blade
4. Ko-Katana or Chisa Katana (short katana), about 21" blade
5. Hollywood-style "ninja sword", 19-21" straight blade.

After reading up some more at http://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/ and elsewhere, I have decided to *definitely* get another Cheness, and in particular, a 9260 spring steel (silicon steel) Cheness, as these are about the toughest blades going. I'm going to get another through-hardened sword, not a differentially-tempered one.

So the main question here is blade length. Which one complements my 21" the best - the 30 or the 28"? I have essentially narrowed it down to two basic swords (with some variants in fittings/accessories):

Either a standard 28" blade Katana, or the slighter longer than standard limited run version called the "Nagasa" katana, which has a 30" blade, so it is in between #1 and #2 above, but a little closer to #2, a standard katana. It is advertised as being for the slightly taller person, which I am not at 5'8". However I would think the extra 2" would allow for a faster blade and better cut (just like swinging a longer #1 wood driver in golf results in more club head speed). And since my jeans are 32" inseam, I would think that the sword and sheath would not drag the ground when worn, since the 30" blade starts essentially at the belt line.

1. Here is the 30" Nagasa Katana, at $249.99:
http://sbg-sword-store.sword-buyers-guide.com/Nagasa.html
http://www.chenessinc.com/30inch.htm
It has a blue colored ito (handle wrap), and a crane bird tsuba (hand guard), neither of which I'm overly crazy about. It also comes only in the bo-hi version (WITH blood groove), whereas the standard katanas can be had with or without blood groove, and with either black or brown ito. I'd prefer no blood groove, since this is a slicer, not a stabber - supposedly having no blood groove allows your swing to be faster and cut better due to aerodynamics.

If I get a standard katana, it would be one of these 4 versions:

2. The basic "Shura" at $239.99. I don't really want this one, since the tsuba is exactly like my Ko-Katana, but it's a little lower price:
http://sbg-sword-store.sword-buyers-guide.com/Shura.html
http://www.chenessinc.com/shura.htm

3. The slightly fancier sister of the Shura called the "Tenchi", at $249.99:
http://sbg-sword-store.sword-buyers-guide.com/Tenchi.html
http://www.chenessinc.com/tenchi.htm The Tenchi has a small decorative brass piece behind the tsuba,which is nice.

4. The thinner, broader specialty (SGC) sword for cutting, called the "SGC Tsukikage", at $279.99
http://sbg-sword-store.sword-buyers-guide.com/tsukikage.html
http://www.chenessinc.com/tsukikage.htm which has black ito, and a rabbit "moon shadow" tsuba

5. The sister sword to the Tsukikage, with different adornment, called the "SGC Yamakami", also at $279.99:
http://sbg-sword-store.sword-buyers-guide.com/yamakami.html
http://www.chenessinc.com/yamakami.htm which has a brown ito, and Mt. Fuji tsuba.

I'm leaning towards either #1 (the longer Nagasa), or #3, the Tenchi, in the no-blood-groove version. But possibly one of the SGCs instead, probably the Yamakami (#5).

All of the SGCs are withOUT blood groove, as they are cutting specialists.

Here's a video of one of the 9260 SGCs in action:

http://www.chenessinc.com/videos/sgc_vid.wmv

Which one would you get? Basically I want the 30" if it will result in better cuts for the lower price there, but if not, I'll get a standard or an SGC. Anyone know if the SGC's extra cutting ability is worth the tradeoff in strength and durability?

The SGCs are 2 lbs, 15 oz @ 28"
The standard katanas (without blood groove) are 2 lbs, 9 oz @ 28", and
The Nagasa katana is 3 lbs, 0 oz @ 30"

Which one is would you want in a sword fight for your life?
 
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