Recently due to my interest in History, I've been looking into buying some sort of sword to hang in my room and maybe do some back-yard slashing with. Now, I don't know what I want, or how much I want to spend but I do know that there's probably a few blades (He, blades, geddit?) out there who have a similar interest. Basically I want to know what makes a weapon good, what makes it bad, what's worth paying for and what different variants are out there? Also, this thread can be a show off thread for any weaponry that you may already own. Post a picture, talk about it a bit, and I think we could get a pretty good circle jerk going.
If you got the money and want a weapon that isnt a piece of shit from the flea market go to zombie tools, they got the most badass weapons available
Pretty much. Avoid ANYTHING with a print stamp on it. Printed trash is, well, just that. You'll end up breaking a blade and killing yourself, or it will rust to shit. Do some research, but almost anything that is "Well made" is hand-made. This isn't true for everything, but for the ones that are not hand-made you will have to do research on the type of steel used to know if it's not just a decoration.
It's really difficult for beginners to tell the difference between quality and crap. I'll try not to sound biased or snobbish here... My first piece of advise would be to find someone to talk to in person who really knows what they're talking about and has examples that you can handle. This in and of itself can be difficult - as with all things, there are plenty of people out there who are more than happy to talk out their asses. If you're willing to do a little searching though, my fellow bladesmiths are always happy to talk about their craft. Handle the weapon. If anything on it wiggles, rattles, or has too much give, put it down and walk away - it's most likely shit. Most often, a well made weapon is going to have some heft to it. Good ones are usually well balanced also with not too much weight in either the blade or pommel ends - if it's well balanced, it's usually a good indicator that they didn't skimp on the tang's beefiness (which, behind the quality of the steel itself, is one of the most important factors to your own safety). Also, if it has handle wrapping, how well is it put on? If it looks like you can easily tear it up, you probably can. On quality Japanese-style blades for instance, the handle wrapping is super-tight and the cloth won't have any give under your grip when you swing it around. Also avoid swords which have guards, handles, and pommels made out of a solid piece of highly decorated metal. They look good on the wall (nothing wrong with that as long as it stays on the wall) but they are generally not suitable for 'having fun' with. Now, the most difficult part: steel quality. Avoid stainless steels in long blades. Especially if it says 'Pakistan' anywhere on it. It's just not suitable for handling the stresses. It can make for a very fine knife blade, or a mace even, but not a functional sword. Other than that, it's really difficult to explain steels without getting some good hands-on experience. Sorry. Just keep in mind that for at least functional if not high quality steel, you're gonna have to shell out a good bit for it. If it cost less than $150, it's probably safer to ignore it. Hope this could be of some help. I'll poke around for some links to some good starter steel to post... http://www.reliks.com/relics/functional_swords/functional_swords.ihtml http://www.chenessinc.com/ Just a couple, but it will give you an idea.
Just youtube zombie tools destroying the deuce im on mobile or id post a link, after you see that you will want one.
Can you throw a ballpark figure for what a decent hand forged longsword (non -antique)should go for? I know if you are looking not to spend much, and get Chinese garbage, I used to get the Budk catalog. The have lots of cheap, shitty steel and other novelties. Makes for good toilet reading if that's your thing. http://budk.com/
Just saw your links, wheresmyroller. I like this one: Functional European Swords - Medieval Knight Bastard Sword Of course, if I were looking for a wall-hanger...... Longclaw, sword of Jon Snow, Damascus Edition - swords - Longclaw, sword of Jon Snow, Damascus Edition - Valyrian Steel
Just watched them cut 24 beer cans in one sweep im sold on the bad assery of their weapons, sure a replica for 400 bucks is cool or whatever but can it save you in a zombie apocalypse?
That's a good example as far as price, and it should perform well when cutting. Now, for the bladesmith snob in me to come out a bit: a lot of manufacturers use the term 'hand forged' rather loosely. Now, this is not to say that they aren't making quality product (though there certainly are some trying to pass off shit as 'quality hand forged'). It just means they heat up the steel in a forge and put it in a series of molds under a power-hammer to bring it to shape. Again, price is most often an indicator for quality. When a smith is truly forging with either a power-hammer without a mold, or kickin it old school with hammer and anvil, that's when the true artistry comes into play... and prices generally above two grand. Now, this is a very, VERY, involved art taking into account different styles of blades, forging techniques, smelting techniques (yes, a good many smiths make their own steel), etc.; and all of these variables can affect the price. And sometimes, the smith is just a prima donna... yeah... Swords forged by Japanese smiths nowadays can be had for about 10 to 12 grand, and can be as high as however much you're willing to pay. $100,000 and up is not uncommon from these guys, but also take into account that they are the absolute best artists in this game, and each piece is a collaboration between three different artist (smith, saya maker, fittings maker). Sorry, this is a very in depth topic. I'll quit boring you now
Yup, truly functional means you can consistently slice, dice, and hack your way through flesh and bone.