One of these sword companies should really sell a few pommels or at least pretend to offer some as an April Fool's joke. But, like some previous April Fool's jokes by some companies, they get enough demand for it and they end up offering it for real.
@@John-ir4id Your body begins to use fat stores once the glycogen in the liver is exhausted, which happens in a matter of hours without food, so probably not. If I were a fat person in the zombie apocalypse I'd be more worried about an inability to run from danger or complete physical tasks necessary for my survival.
Best value weapon: take a trip to local hardware store ... Also is you want to one up spear on the cheap side there's "Goedendag" - basicly a spike on a wooden shaft, shockingly east to DIY (Shad did a video on it recently)
The shipping calculator can be off by quite a bit, so I'd recommend asking them directly for a more accurate quote. Shipping between continents generally tends to be expensive though, both postal service and couriers charge hefty rates.
@@MrPanos2000 I live in finland and when i last bought a sword, customs had opened the box to check it but after i paid taxes it was shipped to me without issues but then again it is not illegal to import swords or knives to finland.
MrPanos2000 Correction. Customs is the EEA border (includes Norway). Shengen treaty is about passports and police. Dublin is about refugees. For a few more weeks UK is inside the EU part of EEA, while not Shengen.
I hear you about the "tactical" stuff. An old apocalypse enthusiast friend and I once went up against a practice dummy: he with his arsenal that looked like it was from a video game, and I with a crude iron wood club and a flail made from stuff I got at the hardware store. He damaged some of his collectibles but my weapons made from salvage held up and dealt some hearty damage. They may not have looked pretty, but my old collection got the job done!
I thought the exact same thing. I thought he was hitting something on top of a rock and thinking to myself: "Holy shit, he's gonna go through and break it" XD
I'm neither a historian, nor a Japanese weapon connoisseur, but it seems that the "Ninja Sword" is only half Hollywood invention. Now, as I said, I'm not an expert, so take everything here with a grain of salt, but I had heard somewhere that regular Japanese infantry, when they used swords, they didn't carry katanas, but straight swords. I took a brief trip on wikipedia, and it seems this is correct. During the 10th century and before, it seems japanese swords were not curved. There's two: the tsurgi, which is a straight double-edged sword similar to Chinese, or even European blades, and then there's the chokuto. It seems this is the one that inspired the "ninja sword". If you look at just the blade, you'd probably be forgiven for thinking they're the same one. Straight, single edge, very similar shape. The handle does differ, though. The original one does not look like it had the square guard and the handle was much more ornate, though I wouldn't be surprised if there were different finishes. Interestingly enough, those straight swords were produced before differential hardening was invented, so I guess you could even say that that part is sort of "accurate"
Funnily I did a presentation for English class about the evolution of medieval arms and armour and what we found (it was a group project) is that most peasants and men at arms would use tools, axes maces, warhammers or spears because they were just way cheaper to buy and much more easily repaired or replaced than a sword and it's funny how that balance between swords and medieval blunt weaponry still holds up today where clubs and spears are still significantly less expensive.
well not that hard to figure out if you look what you need to make to get a sword and what you need to make a simple mace or short spearhead. You just need a short pretty thick piece of metal vs forging out and tempering a long slender blade that has potential to fail at any point of the forging, hardening, tempering and grinding. A sword above the warfare usage was a status symbol that rich people wore to show off in times of (relative) peace.
Skallagrim 🇨🇦 A drywall hammer or shingler's hatchet could make excellent inexpensive weapons; as they are already quality, durable, ergonomic tools. I would really enjoy your analysis of these tools, as compared to any similar historical weapons. Thank you for the great high production value quality videos. Edward
Thanks for the vid skall it is always nice to see some affordable stuff eaven if i think you realy get what you payed for with high hand swords and a quater staff is still pretty badass
The hewing spear is still available on the Museum Replicas storefront (since they're part of the same company as Windlass). It's about $10 more there, though.
Three variations on the stock. The pointy stick, the heavy stick, and the long stick, haha. The stick has been a weapon for a VERY long time. BudK has wax wood rounds that are rather decent as staves for $20 for 4 feet and 25 for 6 feet. Wax wood is very durable. In my experience some of the ones you get are not perfectly straight though so keep that in mind.
Hell yes! I have wanted a ninja sword for years. It's nice to know that affordable ninja swords of decent quality are out there. If I am going to buy a sword it needs to be more than a wall hanger. I want to be able to do some backyard cutting with it.
I love Condor blades - I wanted a nice big multipurpose knife for camping/survival and I narrowed it down to a Becker BK9 or a Condor Moon Stalker. I ended up choosing the Moonstalker thanks to the price and reviews, and it is an AMAZING knife; it came with a well sharpened blade, the blade is high carbon and about 1/4" thick, the handle is knurled and feels great in the hand - my one real complaint is regarding the sheath: it is nylon and has both a belt loop and MOLLE loops, and one of the MOLLE loops pulled loose the first time I wore it out on a deep woods hike. I was planning on crafting a Kydex sheath for it at some point anyways (haven't gotten around to it yet) so it wasn't a huge deal, and I've just worn it on my belt since, but the blade itself is magnificent, and despite using it a few times for light batoning, skinning some sticks for my kids to use as hiking staffs, and a few other menial tasks, it's still able to shave my arm hair without me having to put a stone or stropp to it yet.
@@MrPanos2000 If it's an American product it probably doesn't matter. Shipping and taxes are there anyway. But if the products are from somewhere else other sources may be way cheaper. If it's made in developing countries (China, India, East Asia, Africa, South America) shipping directly is far cheaper because of the world postal rules. Eastern Europe is around the corner here and even in the worst case a European company importing stuff in bulk will be better. I don't live in the EU (Switzerland isn't part) but I can get stuff delivered in a neighbouring country, pick it up there and then just pay the 7.7% Swiss VAT at the border which isn't much. (N.B. In Switzerland the next EU-country never can be farther away than 50km so picking stuff up in the EU is never a problem.)
Broom sticks are rarely made of ash. Have you ever tried to fit a spear head to an ash shaft yourself? If you had you may be viewing the shipping cost as insignificant for the skilled labor of the fitting. But I guess if you have a woodshop and are already a master craftsman then sure, the shipping cost may seem significant.
@@chabis Broomstick wasn't spoken at all. International shipping just isn't that expensive, especially when compared to finding someone who can work both wood and metal and is willing to fit the spear head properly for you.
@@MC-mu3nq You claimed broomsticks are rarely made of ash. I showed you my local supplier of broomsticks etc. only has got broomsticks made of ash and sells them for under 10 CHF.
Would love to see you check out the a.p.o.c. series. Made of 9260 high carbon steel and they have a more modern style of long sword, gladius, saber and katana. I personally like the look of the gladius.
My younger brother would practice in the front yard with his stave almost daily. And people made fun of him. Never directly with the stave in his possession
I had wanted a Long-bladed Hewing Spear from Windlass for more than two decades- I finally bought one, and attached it to a shaft that I personalized with one of their flat-ended butt-caps, some black cordwrap, and hand-carved and burned-in designs and 3D grippiness. It was always a really attractive budget weapon that’s easy to personalize. The only problem that I have with it is I wish it had horizontal lugs or wings. Other than that, it’s perfect- strong and beautiful!
Hey Skall, I have been watching your channel for almost 5 years now and I just got my first sword! Its the Ronin Katana Italian Arming sword. It was $265 and so far it seems pretty decent. I haven't tested it out on any targets yet but I have high hopes!
@@SonofSethoitae Still, this would by a great card, even if the reminder text would say: this creature can't attack or block if an opponent control a planeswalker or creature named Gideon.
Best bang for buck weapons I've found are at Palmetto State Armory. Be patient and watch for sales and you can build a perfectly functional AR15 for $500 or less. Second best was the SIG P6 I bought. Still wonder sometimes how the German cops who were issued this pistol would react to finding out I'm not a government agent but carry the thing in public. Back in the day, a top-quality West German SIG-Sauer pistol that's great for concealed carry was selling for under $400. Honorable mention: Mora knives. They come sharp, but spend a few minutes on them and they get terrifyingly sharp. $12 on Amazon. Not really designed as a weapon, but damn great deal.
4:50 At the same price range you have fiskars WoodXpert Brush Hook XA3 it's more functional, can take a beating works well in conjunction with the X7 axe (in my usecase mainly to hold the log in place and keep the fingers far from the bussiness end of the x7) Both are workers. There is also a Norden edition for some tools to make them look more "authentic"
Surprised no Hanwei Pudao. Those things are really low price for how good they are. plus you can saw off the long handle with a hacksaw(since it's a full tang polearm) and get a decent dadao if you get tired of having a pudao.
If you live in Europe, I can highly recommend Swords of Fabri-Armorum. He is a czech Smith that does very nice Blades for a very reasonable prices. Nearly all my HEMA Club members have swords of him and all are very satisfied.
Have you ever reviewed any of the machete made by Cold Steel? They’re affordable and whilst I was looking at their throwing knives I noticed the length, width and weight match knives 3 times their price tag. Looking forward to testing mine and wondered if you’ve ever had any experience with the company?
The M48 Kama and ZGB Executioner are total beasts. I have tried my best to tear them up at one point or another, and they don't even really get a blemish. I got 2x of the kamas for kata practice. They don't roll under the arm for blocking very well (if you are doing the standard Okinawan kama katas), but I have no complaints, and I am a guy that can almost always find SOMETHING to complain about. I would take the Executioner blade to real war simply due to the fact that it could double for a firewood hatchet. I am serious. That bad boy is (at least so far) indestructible.
Never would have thought it either but I'm actually a fan of the sog fasthawk (tacticool I guess). It's a lightweight tomahawk but punches well above its weight even as a camp axe.
We would like to see some of the demonstrations that you done showing how disappointing these weapons are and how good these weapons are the test that you have conducted and what you have put these weapons through to come up with your evaluation it would be really helpful for us in picking out the right weapon or who to buy from
On the site on the dadao i saw a familiar face XD, i hope they sponsor skall well The dadao, the musashi, and the staff and the pointy end look well, and cheap enough. Thats useful to make spear cheap, and get a cool quarterstuff. But skalls video of him trashing weapons will never get old. That was a good video too.
Because of your video review I just placed an order on Amazon for that Kama. Might try to modify it a bit and turn it into a Kusarigama someday :) Thank you for your videos.
Left the same comment on your last vid, but there’s a 200 dollar Han dynasty sword on KoA you need to review Skall. Would have been perfect for this vid.
affordable? how about a autobody hammer with the spike sharpened on a cane with the crook cut off? one thing i love about the videos this guy makes, he's unbiased when it comes to anything really except the tactical floppy stuff beyond that he doesn't abuse what he's testing or showcasing. and by abusing i mean batoning with larger knives or prying to see just what it takes to break a blade or handle. he does the every day use goes through chopping and shaving and other stuff but uses the item correctly and with use comes wear and if it happens it happens and he finds the defects. nothing at all like those other guys who put knives and swords and tomahawks through more than they are built for then complain about them. his is more a scientific approach than a lets see what it takes to break this one
truly great videos. a top 10 with enough action. i really appreciate the amount of effort you put into your videos. obviously not doing this as a cash grab or anything like that.
Skall, as i've asked in another of yours video, can you test the Honshu Broadsword? I've found it for 200 $ on amazon and other sites, so i think can be interesting
I have the Cobra Laconian sword and I really like it. The wasp waisted blade looks great. I am replacing the rubber scales with spectraply and made a better sheath out of an old firehose.
Brutal chopper versions of the Dadao were produced in WWII in China. They had no taper. They were cheaply produced so that the soldiers who didn't have a rifle could still defend against a bayonet charge. There is even a manual of arms developed for that, and distributed to soldiers. (There are RU-vid videos about this.) They are actually quite similar to the Dadao in this video, though perhaps a tad bit longer. I still want to see someone take the Musashi and turn it into a poor man's Messer!
I hate to be that guy, but 2.54cm is an inch, not 2cm. Love the video! It really helps to separate the wheat from the chaff in regards to cheap weapons vs inexpensive weapons.
Can you make a video on restoring dull, rusty blades? My brother in law asked me to restore his arming sword and was scared his first attempt at restoring an edge may have damaged it. I figure it is similar to restoring knives, but I wouldn't mind watching an amsr of you demonstrating how to repair such tools.
