NationStates Jolt Archive

A friend of mine just gave me this website: Good Deals on Swords (http://www.5stardeal.com/cats.asp?subcat=992)

The site offers good quality swords at pretty damn good prices.

I'm currently looking at buying the Jin Tachi black/gold sword for practice use. I was told by my friend that the swords, if used for practice will gain the usual wear and tear and afterwards will not look great for display, they do however, make some very pretty swords that would look great on a display rack.

So I think I'm going to use the sword I buy to continue to work on the sabre style of fighting that I am learning, then I would buy a katana to work on the lightsabre style. Eventually, I want to work up to fighting with the double-bladed vulge.

Anyone else swordfight, or is learning to swordfight. Or just plain like swords?

I am disturbed the cue sticks cost more than the swords.

These wont be as heavy or solid as 'real' swords, and wont be able to cut through things.

If you bang things too hard with them, the blades will bend or break, and the swords are likely to fall apart.

I doubt they are even made for anything above display.

When one of the subcatagories is Ninja Super Kits, I'm thinking they probably aren't the most realistic or usable weaponry.

Why bother? The weight and balance will probably be far off from a real blade and will effect your training with them.

Besides, it'd be a bit embarrising to, as you draw your sword, you end up bending it. ;)

http://www.weaponmasters.com/?ID=c11586387e7804cd623810e7722be7ea&ITEM=INDEX&COUNTRY=US

I would assume these guys are better, especially since they rate the blades.

Anyone else swordfight, or is learning to swordfight. Or just plain like swords?
I've always liked bladed weapons. In Vietnam, I carried a huge Kabar Bowie which I had to actually use on occasion. I've had some rudimentary instruction with the Katana blade, but just enough to be dangerous ... most likely to myself. :D

My older son and I have a collection of display bladed weapons that has grown over the years until now it covers most of two walls in his house. It includes several swords, one of them a two-handed broadsword that will give you a real workout because of its sheer weight and length.

I have studied jik shin kage ryu but not enough to be considered even a student. I am pretty decent with a shinai though as me and my buddies used to beat the crap out of each other with them.

I actually have a broadsword.

My sister does costume designing in New York and met one of the few armor/weapon smiths in the country. He makes things for Hollywood.

She asked him to make me one. It's not pretty but its the real deal. He left it dull but it could kill somebody.

Thanks for the linky!

I doubt they are even made for anything above display.
Actually they are quite usable for practice. The friend that showed me this site uses then regularly for practice as well as competative duels. He knows his stuff pretty well, as he has been sparring for 8 or 9 years.

The company simply is a wholesale distributer of bladed weapons, and they sell to private citizens. The result is an incredibly cheap sword that works pretty damn well.

I've looked into other companies that do the same thing with rated weapons, but they wouldn't see to private citizens only resellers or martial arts dojos.

Actually they are quite usable for practice. The friend that showed me this site uses then regularly for practice as well as competative duels. He knows his stuff pretty well, as he has been sparring for 8 or 9 years.


Is it the sort of competative duel where both people bang swords together, they break, and the audiance laughs?

When I took two years of Japanese sword, we did more than 90% of our practice with wood swords called "bokken."

You're best off getting a properly made iaito, which might run a bit more, and wouldnt endager you and others.

If you want the best bang for your buck, get a "paul chen practical katana" on ebay for about 150$.

The edge is tempered, the construction is more or less traditional but uses economy materials, with no frills whatsoever.

It weighs more or less what a properly made sword does, and can be used for tameshigiri.

<Snip> few armor/weapon smiths in the country.</Snip>

A common misconception. There are literally thousands (if not a million or two) Smith's in the united states alone that make swords and armor. About half even make stuff you could wade into the center of a medieval melee wielding. Armourers and smith's aren't very uncommon really, its just that most of them are not very public about it, or just do smithing for a hobby.

I happen to know quite a few smiths and know a little bit about the breed.

one cautionary note. Usually when buying weapons on the internet, unless it says specifically that they are combat ready, and even then you should try and get the actual composition of the blades (type of metal, one popular example is 440 steel) and even after that balance can be wrong and the weapon would still be useless.

Both linkshsown look good to me, but it pays to be cautious when buying swords for something other than the display rack.

Personally, more a fan of these things...

http://www.10-8forums.com/ubbthreads/postimages/1067-DSCN0143.JPG

(Only did this because of all the sword lovers who post in gun threads... carry on ^_^)

Personally, more a fan of these things...

http://www.10-8forums.com/ubbthreads/postimages/1067-DSCN0143.JPG

(Only did this because of all the sword lovers who post in gun threads... carry on ^_^)

You like paintball guns?

if you want to find some more swords and what-not for a good price, check out www.budk.com
they got some great stuff....if only i made more money, i'd be orderin from these people a lot!
swords are fun!
hasta

You like paintball guns?

Paintball guns are fine and dandy, but I prefer real guns like the one pictured.

(I know, big ass scope looks like a hopper).

This site is one of the best I have ever seen. http://www.swordsofhonor.com/

I will buy some swords from there one day.

I have a machete and a kukri. Those are both good enough to kill someone and use them both as tools.

This site is one of the best I have ever seen. http://www.swordsofhonor.com/

I will buy some swords from there one day.

By the way, that site is a little off on it's history. There is no actual evidence that vikings ever wore horned helmets.

if you want to find some more swords and what-not for a good price, check out www.budk.com
they got some great stuff....if only i made more money, i'd be orderin from these people a lot!
swords are fun!
hasta

I actually had a budk catalouge from a friend who runs a martial arts dojo. I was about ready to pick up the phone and order this sweet-ass middle-eastern sabre, but then I read the fine print in the catalouge and it said they wouldn't deliver or sell to private customers. Only resellers and other martial arts businesses.

I love swords, but these are just replicas. When I buy a sword, it's going to be a genuine 6' German Zweihander. Pricey, sure, but the Zweihanders take a lot of skill, plus they look cool.

Bah, this site isn’t any good. They don’t even sell any batleths.

I've always liked bladed weapons. In Vietnam, I carried a huge Kabar Bowie which I had to actually use on occasion. I've had some rudimentary instruction with the Katana blade, but just enough to be dangerous ... most likely to myself. :D

My older son and I have a collection of display bladed weapons that has grown over the years until now it covers most of two walls in his house. It includes several swords, one of them a two-handed broadsword that will give you a real workout because of its sheer weight and length.

I also have a collection of weaponry, but that's carried over from my martial arts.

Although, my favorite bladed weapon is a Kama. They are so lightweight in comparison to most blades, and being able to use both hands seperately but still at the same time is awesome.

You can find some really good auctions on Ebay sometimes. A lot of the stuff on Ebay is crap though.

Any decent martial arts supply store should be able to set you up with a tournament katana for a reasonable price. They’re usually around 60-gauge steel and perfectly balanced. If you’re going to practice swordsmanship though you should buy a wooden one. It’s a whole lot cheaper and less likely to result in you accidentally losing anything you can’t afford to lose.

There are also SCA and similar groups out there who have people who take a lot of pride in studying the replication of swords and their fighting styles. Don’t buy swords online or cheesy fantasy blades if you are intending on using them as actual swords. They’re mostly just junk they sell to teenagers who watch too much Conan.

The only sword I own today is my Russian fencing foil. Fencing is nice because it’s fairly accessible and respectable. It’s good exercise and you learn a great deal about stabbing people. Most importantly you can get a lot of funny bruises on your arms that make you look like a heroine addict…