Based on KnifeGuy's recommendation (as well as other reviews I've read), I went ahead and ordered a Cheness. I decided to go with their "Yamakami" Ko Katana; although my impulse was to go with a longer than normal 30-inch Nagasa, the more I thought about it, a wakizashi-length blade with a katana-sized grip seemed more "practical". Of course, that being practical in the context of a sword in the 21st century, which isn't terribly.

One reason I kept putting off buying an AK when they were in stock was that I'd read the blade thickness made them poor choices for tameshigiri cutting -- I've never done it, but if I'm going to buy a Japanese-style blade, I'd like that to be a viable option. That's also why I never bought an Everest Katana from Himalayan Imports, although I kept looking at them both for a quite a while. The Cheness SGC Series was specifically designed for cutting exercises and it was promotional priced at $230, including shipping. It's not INFI or SR77, but through-hardened 9260SA Spring Steel has an excellent reputation for toughness.