Hold on, you're saying that the hellblaster sword I bought when I was passing through Sioux Falls, SD at the Big Rig Gas 'N Go ISN'T high quality? That doesn't seem right.
But those are, or should I say, *should* be wall-hangers. Not because they're bad quality, but because they're valuable antiques. You should not use antiques for test cutting. Of course what you do with the sword you buy is entirely up to you, but if you destroy an antique it's a bit of a loss for all of us.
@@Askorti As long as you're not doing abusive testing with them, like cutting tree branches or pallets, it shouldn't matter. Cutting water bottles and tatamis mats with them should be fine, these swords are antiques but they aren't delicate relics. You probably wouldn't want to do a lot of testing with a particularly fine example that's in like new condition and cost lots of money but one that's a bit of a beater and didn't cost too much .
@@Askorti nothing wrong with cutting with antiques. you just have to be smart about it and be respectful to the blade. look at how many antiques are used daily in japan for test cutting. my former sensei test cuts with a blade thats like 350 years old. dont do abusive test cutting and use it sparingly(you dont really need to test cut all that often, alot of people do it more often then necessary because its fun) even matt cuts with antiques. sure certain things you should be smart and leave alone due to value or historical importance, but by that point you should be able to afford to have someone make a perfect replica of it.
@@Riceball01 i wouldnt cut water bottles or cardboard with an antique. cardboard and paper dull blades extra quick. and waterbottles can leave more scratches then necessary. tatami is fine. pool noodles are fine. some trick cutting like a sheet of thing paper suspended from a single point on a line would be fine. cause then its like one cut just to show precision and skill. rolled up newspaper would be a little much IMO. just cause itd wear the blade out quicker then need be.
YES. Kult of Athena ROCKS. My katana is from their store. It's called Raptor, and it's the best sword I've ever owned. In fact, I named it Takatsume, which is Japanese for "Raptor's Claw".
So i am a knifemaker and just starting to get into the occasional sword etc. Just watching this video to look at what things to avoid and the weight stats really supports my case of a short sword without fittings to weigh in at 380grams
Point of balance can be determined if it is good or not when close or further from the hilt by the type of sword or in the case of an arming or longsword the blade shape. If the sword is curved or the blade is wide the balance point should be further from the hilt because it is a cutting or chopping blade, narrow and straight it is best for thrusts and closer to the hilt balance is better for point control. Ofcourse without seeing the balance point shown on the store page makes that irrelevant and you would need to hold it to feel if it is right. As for making the choice to purchase do a google search for the specific item you are considering buying, if there's plenty of complaints in the search results you may want to avoid.
I really want a functional Glamdring. I think DSW sage comes closest but you tried their leaf sword aside from being dull, it appears to have assembly issues. Not that I'm trained for that. I have a Nami Ryu Iaijutsu master certificate from Sensei James Williams, but I really love Gandalf
They tend to focus on Japanese style blades (especially their "custom" swords), but could you perhaps do an overview or first impressions type video on Swords of Northshire? I always hear pretty good stuff about them, but its hard to tell people's experience with swords (and sword-buying) in a small paragraph of their shopping experience. Thanks in advance, and thanks for the content!
@Eren Özgür Honestly bad swords and knives are way more common than bad guns. Why? Bad guns tend to explode...and can't legally be sold. Swords that break the first time you hit something are sold. Even shitty guns like Hipoints are actually functional. And essentially every brand named gun will at least be fine and do what they need to do...even if they arent great.
Is it possible to buy a sword, with the intention of replacing the blade? I have my eye on a sword and am absolutely in love with the hilt and the handle. It is a one of a kind piece. But the blade itself is stainless steel and I imagine probably isn't going to be very functional. So I was hoping to work with a local swordsmith who can replace the blade so i have a functional blade with this gorgeous hilt I am obsessed with
Are there any sites that you can recommend for people that are looking for replicas from tv shows/movies. I watched a previous video and you said to be warry of them. That I need to look at the material and the weight. I am specifically looking for a Kahless Bat'leth. It is from Star Trek. The blade is black and not silver like the normal Bat'leth. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I found one on Armory Replicas site but it is made of carbon steel. All it's gonna do is hang on my wall but I'd like a quality piece if possible.
@@ratatomskr Correct- those who couldn't afford swords used tools such as axes and hammers; a machete is a tool rather than a weapon, but it does the job just fine. The more things change, the more they stay the same...
A weapon is a tool. Some are more designed for killing than others but it's still a tool. Nunchuku is technically a tool for rice. But it becomes a weapon when you start going Bruce Lee on people with it. But it's still a tool.
scholagladiatoria talked about this recently, apperently while this was definetly true during late antiquity/early middle ages by the time of high/late middle ages most people that wanted a sword could afford one.
He was nicer than usual to Windlass Steelcrafts. Personally I think that brand is a very mixed bag. Their kukris are shoddy worksmanship and arrive floating around a bag of machine oil. Their Falcata is pretty, but it handled clumsily and the guard rattles after just swinging it at the air a lot in drills. I don’t think I will buy from Windlass again unless I see something I really want, it has great reviews, and the price is right.
@@jbloun911 technically in france a spoon is considered a weapon. Of course nobody will ever arrest you for holding a spoon in the street but it's still in the law xD
@Watch JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE!!!!! Look at my bio ...You are aware that the "swordsmith was embarassed" is an old joke about katanas sold through auctions and the like, right? I refer you to www.japaneseswordindex.com/jokes.htm
@@alunrogers464 I stand corrected. To be honest I've never seen one being sold by either a shop or a vendor of any sort. Every sword I've seen that was from Japan was sharp as a razor blade and that included the wall hangers.
The last sword I bought was from museum replicas, it was the "build your own sword" when it came the build and the fit&finish was amazing. The only concerns I had were that I had payed for sharpening and the blade came dulled, and they didn't include the "free gift" that was supposed to come in orders over $100. I contacted customer service and they were very helpful. they refunded the cost of sharpening, and explained that the free gift couldn't be included since it was shipping to Canada and would not get passed customs. they then offered me 10% off the next order (which I still haven't used). All in all, great experience, great sword, great place to buy and deal with
I'm the one who came up with the Create your own sword program. After I was let go because of an injury on the job they stopped adding options. It would have done so much better if they kept it going. Its one of the biggest things in my life that make me mad. Cause I came up with such a popular thing that got wasted... really sucks
@@robertmilanese1523 Maybe another company will be willing to provide a revival on Create your own sword. Much like how Gearbox allowed Duke Nukem Forever to see the light of day.
I don't own any swords, neither will I in the near future but I always find your videos quite interesting to watch. The artistic aspect of swords and how to properly use them is what fascinates me most.
Your Icon violates the Geneva convention. I literally not kidding... XD No like, really. I'm not joking. You can't use a red cross unless you're an actual medic. Weird...
@@Ranstone while yes that is true, im not using the medkit for any kind of commercial/business use. The image is from L4D2's medkit (they had and still have the red cross on the medkits) and I use it ONLY as my YT profile pic. Also in America the laws enforcing the geneva international laws are more relaxed in this situation. I know in the UK its law is heavily enforced. Hey if the red cross wants to send me an official message saying to take off the red and white part I will. BUT I don't think they want to waste time on a small video game medkit that is used as a profile pic on yt by a nobody. That only besides you, me, and lawyers care about.
because most of them are stores that almost exclusively sell swords. Unlike budk where people buy all sorts of souvenirs from them, these sites probably don't get all that much money to maintain a higher quality website. I mean, if I'm wrong feel free to correct me, but I'd assume that's why they look that way.
@@datpolakmikeThose websites’ main customer group generally give zero fucks about web design, they want high quality swords, not fancy websites. And most of these websites' "developer" are blacksmiths or "some boi in the shop who knows a bit computer shit", those guys are professionals in forging、woodworking or jewelry making, but they are amateurs in web developing. But if they can provide a nice sword, a 2005-ish website doesn’t matter much, right?
as a blacksmith myself, i will just say that spring steel usually have alot of ¨stress¨ in it, and do have a tendency to crack sometimes during forging. so if youre gonna buy a sword that is forged out of spring steel, be aware of possible (very rare) crack
@@Stormscythe378 what i did was to apply to a blacksmithing school here in Norway (which i still go to). Now, i can see trying to find a blacksmithing school can be really hard. But what you can do is to ask a local blacksmith if he could teach you, or even become his apprentice. If you do not have a local blacksmith, fear not! You can start on your own by getting cheap stuff to start out with. Try to get a hold of railway for an anvil, get any hammer that you can find. The tricky part can be the forge, but i suggest you check out building a "simple DIY forge" - by Torbjörn Åhman.
I absolutely love how you acknowledge that not everyone is making $15 an hour and for many even $50 is a lot of money. It always felt very disheartening when RU-vidrs talk about hundreds of bucks as being "super cheap" and "pocket money" or when they give the advice of "just save up a little and get this thing it's worth it" not understanding that there are people working for a $1-$2 an hour among their subscribers.
The oficial replicas are all decorative wallhangers. Pretty, but non-functional. Some manufacturers do make some Lotr-inspired blades, "ranger", "elvish" or such swords. Way back in the day Gen2 made a really good "ranger" hand-and-a-half sword
eh i wouldnt exactly call them good quality. darksword armory has loads of issues and the other "functional" lotr swords ive seen havent really been good quality, more so just barely functional.
@@eds1942 not so much inconsisent. they seem to have consistantly had quality control issues and failures. seems more like its the random good sword that comes from them. which is unfortunate as they are made in my country sooo if they were up to par id be buying them buy the truckload.
The Glamring and Anduril look nice and the latter is pretty close to historical swords, but the replicas are mostly unbalanced overweight trash without decent tapering.... Making functional shorts words or sabres is actually easy by comparison.
I'm so torn between my hobbies: Archery, blade collecting, and shooting firearms. Some of those swords at Cult of Athena make me drool, but then I'll see a great buy at a gun shop for the same price and be like, "gun or sword? ... Gun or sword?" The clear solution is to make more money, but then I might end up going for a truly awesome hobby: piloting aircraft. Not RC aircraft; real aircraft. Sucks having expensive hobbies, but I just can't get into knitting or stamp collecting. XD
The main reason I collect guns but not swords is that I can shoot the guns. I just can't imagine that cutting could hold my interest nearly as long. Not to mention that you don't get the roiling clouds of smoke and glorious reek of brimstone you get with black powder guns.
Hobbies are hard to dedicate time between, but firearms are more useful than swords. If you want to collect firearms, that's cool, but if you want to actually defend yourself, collecting a bunch of crappy guns is not the way. 1 good pistol. 1 good rifle. Belt, chest rig, NODs, PC and armor is the way to go
Analogous anecdote: years ago when I was trying to sell stuff on the auction house in WoW, someone was flooding the market with loads of hugely underpriced stacks of the item I wanted to sell. So I decided to be clever and just buy him out, and bought them all. Spent most of my money doing so. Unfortunately it just encouraged him, and he immediately assumed there was a bigger market for it and farmed a load more, then flooded the market even more. In the end I messaged him and offered to sell him it all back at a loss, because I'd run out of space to store it all.
I think every sword collector has a story about their first purchase being a PoS. Mine was a $50 Highlander katana I bought at a flea market. Full garbage there; stainless steel blade, sheet metal scabbard and PLASTIC GRIP. But, I was a dumb 14 year old and the internet was pretty new at the time. I haven't graduated much higher. The best sword I have is a Hanwei Mercenary longsword. Decent functional sword, but on the heavy side (about 4.5lbs) and the grip is too thick for my disproportionately small hands. If I had the tools and skill, I would make a new grip.
.......lucky me? my first purchase was a "gunto" that was actually just a nihonto blade stuffed into random gunto mounts that were clearly from another sword.....made a few thousand dollars profit. shoulda kept it.
My first sword is longsword bought at some 'reenactment and stage combat event maybe more than 10yrs ago'... not light one with 1,8kg, but this is not that bad for its 130cm... it is handforged, historically accurate construction, well fitted I still like it. For 130USD back then. While not my best, still quite good sword. But it is blunt, majority of swords in central Europe are made as blunt stage combat swords. But not so rarely good for quite interresting prices...
I can confirm that the Deepeeka Brass Hilt Great Sword is terrible; its clumsier than a sledge hammer and bent being swung with out any contact. It is a prime example of the need to be careful when purchasing a sword especially a cheap one.
deepeeka anything is generally a reason to stay away. not such a great brand. id rather just go buy the 60$ rosewood musashi shirasaya and then buy a set of cheap fittings from ronin katana and make a project out of it. 50$ for a handle just need to drill the holes for the pegs and fit it with some files. tsuba is like 50$ or less. the blades on the musashi swords are fucking sweet for the money. so youd end up with a pretty cheap and awesome sword with a bit of time in fitting it together.
Handsome Jack my first sword was the 12 century crusader from them. It feels like I’m swinging a cast iron skillet on the end of lead pipe. Deepeeka usually sucks but apparently their cluny sword is weirdly good
My first sword was an 20 one from some unknown wish brand. I knew it was garbage but I had some fun with it. I shortly bought my own katana from Swords of Northshire and I just got lucky that I bought from an good brand.
I was watching on a different RU-vid account at the time, but I still remember your videos in Europe. If I recall correctly, the first one of your videos I ever saw was about your bad experience with shooting a semi-automatic handgun and how you preferred revolvers. The room you were recording in was pretty dark, but everything you said made perfect sense so I started following your videos way back then. Thanks for all the years of entertaining content, and here’s hoping for many more!
Thank you for going the extra step to put out a proper video on this. The livestream was a bit clunky and hard to follow at times, no offence. I can see using the livestream to gather information about the types of questions people would like answered but as a viewer this type of video is much better for getting the info I'm looking for. Its also easier to share these videos. Its always kinda awkward sharing livestreams like yours, even if they do contain a wealth of good info. If someone isn't already accustomed to your unique style of quirkiness, again no offence, it can be a bit off putting. Regardless, this was nicely done and very helpful, also quite timely for the upcoming holiday season. Thank you. Cheers
This does help a lot. A friend and myself are wanting to train in sword combat but we don't have a large budget. Now we have a few things to look for that may help with our purchases.
What Skallagrim said : "Those are signs that show you that corners were cut in the making of this sword." What I heard: "Those are signs that show you that coroners were caught in the making of this sword." What my brain did with this information: *SWAT teams raiding a morgue as coroners frantically attempt to hide their illicit swordsmithing practices before inevitably being led out in handcuffs for flooding the streets with cheap, poorly made weapons*
@@confusedpotato5017 they have a vast selection of swords and other sorts of weapons. Although I have not bought any swords yet (only axes, axe heads and knives, which have been great) I am sure you can find a great sword there.
Rofl I love all these workout ads. "She stopped losing weight after hitting a plateau, still doing all the same things she was doing." Do something else then xD I can't believe people give money to these idiots
I don't make a lot of money where I work, like 20,000 a year max, so your budget weapon reviews have been a total help. As soon as work starts again for the spring, I'm definitely gonna get that Shrade spear and the Kingfisher Machete, because you've pretty much inspired me to take up collecting as a side hobby.
I have a friend who has a crucible Forge a blast furnace a blacksmith anvil and armor anvil as well as a hoast of metalworking tools from the late 1800s I've been trying to talk him into letting me use it to make a sword 😀 but so far no luck
@@nucleonegro9762 it's more or less he doesn't have the time to watch over me while I do it and to teach me the s*** I need to know kind of busy granted he only uses it to do fourying is a Fourier you know the people that make horseshoes
I have a 40 pound (weight) anvil, many old hammers, a makeshift forge i made out of a 20 pound (money) pot, homemade insulation mix and some scrap metal which seems to pass the spark test so i might be able to harden... I am at uni atm but as soon as Christmas roles around I will be swinging a hammer.... il probably be shit... but it sounds fun regardless.
@@alexpjp9082 I've got all I need to start forging except for a good anvil, and I've already forged my first sword in a master smith's forge between his lessons a few years ago. It was made from good steel off of a scrapped harrow. Unfortunately I wasn't skilled enough with steel forging to avoid tiny perpendicular stress fractures all along the ridge of the blade :/
buy a belt grinder. convince him to let you use the forge to heat treat. make a sword blade via stock removal and watch he'll end up being like yoooo i want one. just be like "dude i just need to heat the blade up to dunk it in water, its a fucking forge its designed to get hot like that, im not even gonna use any of the other stuff"
2:17 "If you are 'new' to sword collecting, don't buy on eBay" Very similar to what I tell people about buying computer parts. You can get a gtx 1080 graphics cards on the cheap! It is just knowing to type "Zotac GTX 1080ti 8gb" and not "GTX 1080" As i say " Ebay is the internet's flea market, so don't get fleased." Oh! and do "buy it now" and not "Auction"
Any more info on that longsword from Royal Armories? The only thing I could find is this: collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-3187.html, which they state is a fake made in 1890. Compared to the sword (original) shown in this video though, it doesn't seem to be the same sword as there's no ricasso or fuller. I'm interested because I really like that hilt, and Peter Johnson made a replica as well
I find that as I progress through ownership of various swords, I am willing to consider the higher priced items since they pay more attention to weight, balance, finish and distal taper. I've even considered genuine antiques, although these may not be suitable for backyard cutting.
Im going to sub only because of the lift brah comment. And can i get a copy of that cheat sheet. Im super broke. A father of three and two still in diapers. So money is tight until i can get one or two to work to pay for their own damn food. But yea i have been watching your stuff for many years and i have never been able to get enough money for a good sword until recently.
Most people on RU-vid, you ain't got 3k for a sword you are screwed, Skall here are some options for people on a budget or have other priorities over swords. I've bought 1060 carbon swords for about £70 for tameshigiri they do the job OK I've built a frame to straighten them if the cut is off. You don't need to spend a fortune for something to have some fun with. I've also learned tsukamaki so I can replace the ito. You just got another subscriber.
As a bladesmith, I commend you for your knowledge! It’s very rare that I find collectors that are aware of the inherent issues with Stainless Steels alloy composition. The rule of thumb I’ve always adhered to is, if the blade is longer than 12”, it shouldn’t be made from SS, as the chromium makes it too brittle.
Favourited in the event that I find myself in a position to buy a sword. Interesting as always. I knew a bit about the steels before hand but the insight into the tang was appreciated.
Thank you Skall! I love swords but have so little idea on how to get a good one I've bought 2 wall hangers and nothing since so I don't waste money. I've been interested in getting that Chinese dao broadsword that your wife has. I do Chinese martial arts and always wanted a dao broadsword that could really cut.
I made my own, but then that wasn't a matter of avoiding bad swords. It was more like learning to make decent swords, then polearms when I realized A: They're a lot easier to make more effective, and B: They're a lot more effective than swords, too. Incidentally, that's why the only swords I have are a Chinquedea, and a Tuck. Those were the easiest swords to make, well enough to be serviceable. After that, I mostly concentrated on making Armor.
Oh yeah, I also have to point out the competition: There's a lot more of it in the Sword Replica industry than polearms, for instance. Pretty much just Cold Steel when it comes to mass production polarms at affordable prices, before you get into bespoke with custom price-tags included. Unfortunately, there's also a lot more demand for swords than say reproduction Lucerne Hammers (My particular favorite) and spears. Which is ironic, considering the fact that spears were always more common, And more useful than swords. They just don't have the cool value, I suppose?
Swords have always been symbolic and often showed status, very romanticized. They use more metal and are more expensive so only the wealthy would bother to buy one for self defense rather than use a knife or an axe.
@@AuburnInAutumn Are you telling the weaponsmith, or the martial artist, and collector that swords use more metal? Than what, a warhammer, a halberd? Oh, an ax. Yes a sword uses more metal than a knife, but what kind of ax? Just FYI, the Langets that hold the 3 piece head on a Poleax use about as much metal as a sword. I know this, because I've actually made axes, and swords.
Honestly, the reason why swords are so difficult to make is because they have LESS metal. If you make an anvil out of a mix/mash of pig iron, and tool steel, it doesn't matter, because the mass of it takes the strain, and heat from forging. A well made sword is a ribbon of metal. It has to be just about perfect, not too stiff, and not too springy, so it doesn't bend, nor break with use. Not too heavy, perfectly balanced, tempered to hold an edge, and tapered with an edge bevel for cutting. It's complicated, that's why they were more expensive: It takes a master craftsman, not "more metal."
ronin has fucking amazing quality for the price. however on their katana at least.....the fucking wood is trash UUUUGGGGGGHHHH also the handle wrap quality is really inconsistant. their original european swords had loads of issues. the new ones look friggin amazing. and i hear their chinese swords are exceptionally nice.
Thankyou @Skallagrim for the recommendation for Fable Blades. I was just made aware of this by an email enquiry. I very much appreciate your support. Brendan 🤗
soooo youll never buy a real katana? cause no real katana says hand made in japan......also a load of really nice japanese knives dont. also japan can only make katana..... also alot of japanese knives are over rated. alot of them are nice but you can get better for the money.
Japan makes really crappy swords from my experiences. I'm referring to craftsmanship, not design. The Katana can be a fine sword, but a lot of Japanese sword smiths nowadays end up making swords from old military vehicle axles or scrap metal, which have stress points, and inconsistencies... I don't mean to sound overly patriotic, but the best modern sword smiths really do tend to live in the US of A. (Or Sweden.)
Kick Saunders you do have a point with Sweden, especially Peter Johnsson he makes amazing stuff. Weta workshop also does too. They are from New Zealand.
For what? HEMA, Re-enactment or a sharp? For HEMA I actually assembled my own, for buying I'd say Castille Armoury For Re-enactment - Armour Class, not so for HEMA, they have comparatively short blades (although perfectly historical), they don't have rolled or spatulated tips and most importantly, they are designed for re-enactment - not HEMA For sharps I'd say Castle Keep Swords in Skye, Scotland - these are EXPENSIVE, but utterly amazing.
what the other two said about castle keep or an antique if you want a sharp. you could get a antique in really nice condition for probably less then a modern made one and as long as you dont abuse it, there shouldnt be any problems. however personally id say get the modern one. then get an antique down the line. would make for a nice display when not in use.
