xmad

I've become more and more interested in buying blades, though I don't know where to start.


I know that you can get functional ("battle ready" ) blades ordered from Rennaisance Fairs and the like.



I looked online as well (I really dig the bamboo staff hidden katanas) but I'm not sure I want to order something like that without putting my hands on it first.

Any suggestions?

debaser

Atlanta Cutlery/Museum Replicas used to sell some great pieces, but I haven't shopped them in years...

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The_Dunedan

Meuseum Replicas is good, as are these guys http://www.armour.com/2000/catalog/spears.html
over at Arms & Armour. Be warned, while their products are top-notch, you definitely pay for what you get.

Slims

Paul Chen out of china makes some of the best 'authentic' swords/weapons available. He uses high carbon steel, and produces weapons of the same weight/balance of the originals he is copying.

You might need to grind an edge on some of them though.

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sofa_x

The backs of martial arts magazines can also supply weapons in varying degrees of quality. Also Sarfire blades out of new york makes a fine weapon. They do mail order as well.

LordSoth

I had a bad experience with Atlanta Cutlery/ Museum Replicas. I had a Renaissance wedding and for the guys staning up for me, I wanted to buy Fencing foils for them. I thought ordering 8 months ahead of time would have been good. Long story short, I got them after several nasty phone calls and only 2 days before the wedding. one of the five foil's pommels was put together opposite direction of the others and all had grooves on the butt end from channel-lock pliers that some idiot used to tighten everything together. Never even looked at their catalog again.

brer lapin

Be careful if you're looking for "battle-ready" swords, as most of the swords in the market (especially the low cost swords) are anything but. Anything made of stainless or hardened should be avoided, because even though these are great for knives, they're lousy for swords. If you're just looking for display weapons, however, there are a number of companies that make beautiful swords (United Cutlery, CAS/Iberia, The Noble Collection).

Check out Arms of Valour for a wide selection of swords, both battle ready and not.

Fire

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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shakran

How much are Chen's practical katanas going for these days? Last time I checked they were around $600-$1,000 depending on the store.

ctembreull

I just wanted to point out that we don't all use "crowbar" type blades. My group in particular uses blades that you would have probably grouped under "cut blades", but ground so that *if* we miss, we don't kill each other. It makes blades more expensive, but you also find yourself carrying a more "realistic" weapon, with the attendant balance, weight, and audience reaction.

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Mac
"If it's nae Scottish, it's crap!

bermuDa

www.budkww.com has a ton of stuff, including medieval helms and weaponry... but their prices make me question the quality...

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Zargix

I make chainmaille... but that won't help you much, will it?

Fire

Most of the stuff on bud k is for looks- every now and then they get a bulk buy from some of the good suppliers- so get educated in other words- they do tend to have good prices on the few good pieces they carry- as for helms and armor- from what I've seen there isnt a whole lot of difference between stuff comming out of india- ie MRL and whats in bud k- from pakistan- not so w/ knives and swords though.

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Shard

I would highly recommend doing some research at www.swordforum.com plus depending on how much you're willing to spend you can contact a lot of smiths that frequent the site.

im2smrt4u

If you want a top of the line katana that won't break the bank, look into Rob Criswell's work. He makes completely handmade Japanese influenced swords that are just about indestructable for a fraction of what a high end Hanwei or Bugei would cost.

I have a Criswell 28" katana with G10 sheath similar to this:

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Apollo

what group? Schola St. George?

/off topic