Keep in mind, the best samurai ever (Miyamoto Musashi) beat and sometimes killed other samurai using only cheap, blunt wooden objects.
He wrote a book on his techniques called "A Book of Five Rings", in case you're interested.
I can vouch for the paul chen practical katana. It's nicely balanced, nearly indestructable and it's probably the best sword you can get for around $150.00 USD. Ebay is your friend
