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Designer 0
Bri,PD really did "Bastardize" the Vengeance.The Katana looks very much like some of everybody's best work in last few years.I,m certainly not going to put the Samurai down!There has been some serious lack of patience for your "Crossbraced" and "Airlocked" parachute.The general skydiving canopy flying dudes are ready for the next new thing.Katana meets that need.Just my honest thoughts as always.
*BUMP*
Sorry for bringing back an old thread, but I figured it was relevant to the kind of info that I’m seeking (i.e. opening/flight/landing characteristics, swoops…)
I've recently had the opportunity to demo the Katana-120, but it's been a few years since I tried the Sam and that one was a 136.
So, if anyone has more comparison info to add form experience, it would be much appreciated. I'm obviously interested in both canopies, but demos are hard to come by up here in Canada, not to mention the costs involved. I plan on travelling this winter and hope to demo some more, but until then, this info would be quite helpful.
Thanks in advance,
Cheers,
CanEHdian
Sorry for bringing back an old thread, but I figured it was relevant to the kind of info that I’m seeking (i.e. opening/flight/landing characteristics, swoops…)
I've recently had the opportunity to demo the Katana-120, but it's been a few years since I tried the Sam and that one was a 136.
So, if anyone has more comparison info to add form experience, it would be much appreciated. I'm obviously interested in both canopies, but demos are hard to come by up here in Canada, not to mention the costs involved. I plan on travelling this winter and hope to demo some more, but until then, this info would be quite helpful.
Thanks in advance,
Cheers,
CanEHdian
Time's flying, and so am I...
(69-way, 108-way and 138/142-way Freefly World Records)
(69-way, 108-way and 138/142-way Freefly World Records)
JumpRu 14
I own sam120 and made about 20 jumps on my friend’s katana 120. I like katana but since i’m just learning how to swoop (and taking baby steps doing this) this is not a canopy for me.
QuoteI own sam120 and made about 20 jumps on my friend’s katana 120. I like katana but since i’m just learning how to swoop (and taking baby steps doing this) this is not a canopy for me.
So, you're saying that in your opinion the Katana is more hp than the sam, correct? What were the differences you noticed that lead you to that assessment?
-A
The Katana is incredibly ground hungry, it's almost like a cross braced canopy in it's desire to eat up altitude. While the SAM's I've seen fly (there was one at my old dz) sure do dive more than say a Stilletto they're more like the CF2 in their recovery arc.
Blues,
Ian
Blues,
Ian
Performance Designs Factory Team
JumpRu 14
Katana is ground hungry, fast on toggles and has very light front riser pressure. Learning to swoop with it is like learning to shoot with BIG HANDGUN. Imagine what will happen if you miss 
. Not for me anyway.
. Not for me anyway.
okalb 78
Hey Bri,
The biggest differences that I found were in the front riser pressure and the lift at the bottom end of the flare.
The Katana has without a doubt, the lightest front riser pressure of any canopy I have jumped. It was actually very close to the Riser pressure on the Samurai 1 prototype of yours that I jumped for a while.
The lift at the bottom end of the flare is in a class by itself. If you find yourself low in the corner, the extra lift is a comforting feeling.
I am by no means putting down the Samurai. As you know I have around 500 Samurai jumps and it is an awesome parachute. I am just answering the question that you asked.
I don't jump either as I jump a velocity, but I have jumped both and wanted to give you some feedback.
One thing I forgot to mention is that the Samurai is far superior when it comes to glide. I have never jumped a canopy that was better at making it back from a long spot than the Sam.
-OK
The biggest differences that I found were in the front riser pressure and the lift at the bottom end of the flare.
The Katana has without a doubt, the lightest front riser pressure of any canopy I have jumped. It was actually very close to the Riser pressure on the Samurai 1 prototype of yours that I jumped for a while.
The lift at the bottom end of the flare is in a class by itself. If you find yourself low in the corner, the extra lift is a comforting feeling.
I am by no means putting down the Samurai. As you know I have around 500 Samurai jumps and it is an awesome parachute. I am just answering the question that you asked.
I don't jump either as I jump a velocity, but I have jumped both and wanted to give you some feedback.
One thing I forgot to mention is that the Samurai is far superior when it comes to glide. I have never jumped a canopy that was better at making it back from a long spot than the Sam.
-OK
Time flies like an arrow....fruit flies like a banana
lowhook 0
QuoteThe Katana is incredibly ground hungry, it's almost like a cross braced canopy in it's desire to eat up altitude. While the SAM's I've seen fly (there was one at my old dz) sure do dive more than say a Stilletto they're more like the CF2 in their recovery arc.
I own 2 Katanas. At one point I owned a Jedei and got rid of it in short order due to hard openings, off heading openings and a broken back from one side folding under on a swoop.
The Katana does seem very ground hungry at first if you are used to flying something like a Stiletto. With a little experience my love affair with the Katana grew. It may be ground hungry in full flight but once you get in the brakes or rear risers you can make it back from just about any bad spot. My proof was the day I swooped the landing near the peas after the spot from hell (on a Katana at 1.8) while the Stilettos at 1.3 were landing 1/3 of a mile out. (all started around the same altitude)
I can barely find the stall point on my Katana. The brakes and rear risers seem to go forever.
The only drawback I found to the Katana is that the deep brake setting makes it work to transition from rear risers to toggles during a swoop. You have to be very quick.
This is not just a baseless opinion. It is derived from experience. Though your experience may be much different.
ManBird 0
Ditto on lowhook's post. Everything there is right on.
"¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯"
Click
Click
I agree with everything except the rear riser transition. It was nearly identical to my velo and didn't require any unusual amount of brakes, unless I botched it and hung on the rears too long - that was my experience with it anyway.
I think they're a wonderful canopy, I was very very impressed with what it could do.
Blues,
Ian
I think they're a wonderful canopy, I was very very impressed with what it could do.
Blues,
Ian
Performance Designs Factory Team
I think both the Samurai and the Katana are great parachutes. They fly differently, as they are targeted at different kinds of pilots.
The long lines on the Katana make it dive for a very long time, which is advantageous for highly experienced, aggressive pilots. The Samurai, with its more traditional line length, tends to recover from a dive sooner, making it an easier canopy to learn to swoop on. Mistakes can be taken back quicker when the jumper is closer to the canopy. Shorter lines allow the jumper to get back under the wing quicker, and thus recover from a dive in a shorter period of time.
For more evolved discussion of the correlation between line length and recovery arc, please read The Parachute and its Pilot.
+
The long lines on the Katana make it dive for a very long time, which is advantageous for highly experienced, aggressive pilots. The Samurai, with its more traditional line length, tends to recover from a dive sooner, making it an easier canopy to learn to swoop on. Mistakes can be taken back quicker when the jumper is closer to the canopy. Shorter lines allow the jumper to get back under the wing quicker, and thus recover from a dive in a shorter period of time.
For more evolved discussion of the correlation between line length and recovery arc, please read The Parachute and its Pilot.
+
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Palsson 0
Recently I was looking for a new canopy to by after approximately 1200 jumps on a Stiletto. The canopy characteristics I was looking for was exactly how the Katana was described in the commercial last winter. Therefore I borrowed a Katana this summer and did around twenty jumps. The flight characteristics where really nice and just what I was looking for but during my twenty jumps, I had one or maybe two good openings.
A month later I got the opportunity to try a used Samurai in the same size as the Katana. The flight characteristics are maybe not exactly the same, but I cannot feel any big differences. They both have negative recovery arcs and the front riser pressure is light and so on. However, the openings are so good that I have never experienced something like this.
My decision was easy and I bought the Samurai. I cannot stand crappy openings!
A month later I got the opportunity to try a used Samurai in the same size as the Katana. The flight characteristics are maybe not exactly the same, but I cannot feel any big differences. They both have negative recovery arcs and the front riser pressure is light and so on. However, the openings are so good that I have never experienced something like this.
My decision was easy and I bought the Samurai. I cannot stand crappy openings!
tonyhays 86
What was happening during your openings with the Katana? I've put about a 100 jumps on a Katana 107 and each opening has been nice and slow, the only problem is that it sometimes searches for a heading. I'd definitely recommend this canopy for any cameraman.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
If it were true, it would be very flattering.
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