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Hi once again - I have been in the sword biz for three years, doing my own custom stuff for 10 years- as well as selling museum replicas, paul chen and cas Iberia- -
First off- categorisation can be tough- in general I break it down to three main categories... the most important thing is to decide what type of sword you need and buy accordingly
Cut swords- these are swords much like the "real thing" they are designed to cut things efficiently- carbon steel is a must- NO STAINLESS. Stainless is low maint. but shatters easy. swords must be tempered, but should have between about a 45 and 55 rockwell depending on length.
Live steel- for the crazy people who enjoy real sword fighting/ stage use- live steel swords must be build to endure extreme abuse- they must have no edges and are somewhat alien from other swords as they are put through things no real sword would survive- think sword shaped crowbar- note however that if you manage to sharpen one it will take quite a lot of abuse...(but be far to heavy to use like the "real" ones)
Wall hangers- are just that, they have not purpose aside from being objects of art- most either not sharp or would break if used- the only thing that matters here is if you like the way it looks- as all its gonna do is hang on a wall or on your belt and look good- you can get everything in this category from multi hundred dollar ( the LOTR swords from united cutlery) to 20 bucks for a pakistani P.O.S.
Good manufactures include...
Cas Iberia- somewhat rough finish, but tough, well forged, and able to take a good beating.. prices start at about 150 and go up
Museum replicas/ atlanta cutlery- as stated above- a few years ago they were on a roller coaster to hell- I would not deal with them- then about a year ago I got a Dealer invite from them- I warrily aggreed and discovered they had done a 180 turnaround- I have dealt their blades for a year and have yet to see a problem- I check each batch I get, and talk to a huge number of people each year, and at this point am willing to believe they have in fact improved- their stuff tends to be fast and light , during the bad old days they had some temper problems but now are testing out quite nicely.
Paul Chen(hanwei Forge)
This guy is a fucking genius- some of the best stuff around- been selling it for three years and everybody loves him...
prices are good as he has both fancy and economy ( called the practical line) available...
Del Tin- Damn hard to get, but the best production sword factory I have ever heard of- expect to wait a year and pay through the nose, but everyone seems to love em...
Kinghts edge- makes the Rittersteel and stage steel lines- heavy and clunky, but generaly sturdy, often likened to Cas iberia, but heavier...
and there are others- so honestly- figure what you want and shop around...
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Thought the harder, Heart the bolder,
Mood the more as our might lessens
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