Recently stumbled upun your channel, and...... Love It! I also am a fan of the Katana ( i have a few by Musashi, as well as a few cheaper blades ) and think your vids are entertaining as hell! I often laugh my ass off while watching sometimes too, your dry humor is well delivered. Nobody can accuse you of not having charisma! Keep churning em' out.....
For me idk when it began exactly, but I loved swords since childhood and probably had my parents buy over 20 toy swords since I kept breaking them. I think it was because of cartoons/TV shows with swords and knights and stuff. For myself I'd say a dream sword is either a holy nippon steel damascus katana or a medieval sword similar to Skallagrim's Albion sword. Currently I've only handled a cheapo katana which was super easy to cut with and a really expensive Diphos. I've been able to cut tougher stuff and get better cuts with the Diphos, but the katana was overall easier to use and had consistent cuts. The Diphos is not bad in any way shape or form, but it's heavy and takes more energy to swing. A katana I could swing for hours without tiring so they definitely have pros. In the end I like most styles of blades even if I've only owned 2. I kinda wanna buy a quality katana and maybe a medieval sword but I decided long ago to keep the money and just get the good quality Diphos as my go-to sword.
I love how he said it " i wouldnt use this in combat, it would likely cut somebodys arm up it would probably put chips in the blade" Like hes to cold he wouldnt even use his best swerd in a deadly combat situation. Hes a damn sensei
Why do you feel you need to explain your affiliation with the sword? Most people will never understand those who wield the blade, and they will mock you. People fear and hate what they don't understand. You have a passion for something that is meaningful to you on a personal level. That is rare in this world. Don't let the words of men sway you from this path.
Ninrai37 For me (someone who loves the art of combat) this man really interests me. People may mock him and make fun of him but you know what, fuck them. He seems pretty knowledgeable when it comes to swords and also he just seems like an overall nice guy. Will Keith is now one of my favorite youtubers of all time.
I find it funny how people take the piss... when it comes to it he’s just a dude who loves swords plain and simple, and why not swords are fucking awesome!
No way.. that's basically exactly how I got into swords. It was a few days before my 15th b-day and I was in a flea market with my parents when we walked past a sword shop. I also went in and was looking at a bastard sword but then the guy showed me a nice Katana, which was hidden in a case. He also didn't even ask my age XD
words are swords of the spirit of the man....good job kid...I seen one your videos searching for people who know how to maneuver the Sword of the Spirit...you seem to have potential there also...Sword of the Spirit is Word of God used for spiritual battle ...keep at it
That's quite true about katanas. I collect antique sabres myself, but I really wish there were good quality replicas of them available like there are with katanas. The supply and demand for katanas means that it's very easy to get very nice, well made examples relatively inexpensively. And mostly for the "high end" ones you seem to be mainly paying for nicer fittings or swords made in the traditional fashion- which won't actually produce a better sword (possibly a worse sword in some ways), just a more traditional style one.
Possibly so. I know they do replicas of the traditional Polish sabre, it'd be cool if they could make a nice replica of a classical British 1796. All other replicas of that are made in India and sold by 3rd parties (like Cold Steel). They're actually pretty decent but too thick compared to originals.
Reminds me of my first sword. Funny it's completely different than yours. My first sword was a katana I got from the fle market. And I broke it pritty easily. I also did research and found a high carbon steel sword on amazon. It was a katana and after sharping it it was good. I bent it over time and then got more into longswords
Actually he was a ronin on a quest to avenge his master when he died and this interest in swords is leading him to discovering that he has a second chance to complete his quest. 😂
I have always wondered about the European style swords as how the straight blade, broom stick like, were so popular for so long. The Asian blades and the Arabian swords seem so much more functional. Hey Will, I'll still find myself quoting you when ever I'm talking about knives or swords,,, " If it's not full tang, it's useless."
Asian and Arabs sword are good for cutting. European swords are better at piercing. In Europe armor was much more prevalent that was resistant to slashing, or completely immune. Slashing blades do nothing to plate armor. In the Middle East, for example, they did not wear heavy metal armor like Europeans. Therefore, they could use blades that were for cutting and slashing. Using something such as a katana or scimitar against plate armor is pointless, though.
yeah,,, I see,,, but I think that the ability to make fine quality curved sword didn't catch on in Europe till later , also, the Europeans were still into carrying around shields, which made a simple, one handed sword the norm.,, like in Roman times, they had to mass produce mostly and a straight, double edged blade was the easiest to make. I like to go light, and a Katana seems to be the top design in swords,, at least to me,
Likewise, a big reason for European superiority in armor and weaponry was due to so many wars. With so many countries within Europe always at war with one another, they were always trying to make the best military technology available.. if they did not, then they were likely to be conquered. Perpetual war in feudal Europe is a great reason why Europe advanced at such a rapid pace. Slashing weapons being popular in Japan may have to do with the samurai class and its superiority over peasants, as well. I don't know a lot about Japanese history, although. But the design of the weapon is that to be effective at killing people in cloth. Katanas were good at killing unarmored peasants, longswords were better at killing armored opponents.
I don't mean to come off as rude in my posts, either. It's just hard to type historical/scientific stuff without them being bland and unflavorful. Perhaps I am wrong, too.
Hello WIll keith, i really like your videos and your big katana collection ! Can you make more random cutting videos ? Where do you buy all your swords? Its not easy to buy legal weapons in europe... See you bud :=)
Oh, btw, I do get what you're saying, about the weapons, price wise. I think it's a shame you can't get decently made European swords for a cheaper price range. Pretty much anything under 200 bucks is gonna be, if not crap, then pretty close. However, a few notes about the one you have here. One, it's a Windlass, and their swords are well known for leaning towards being too thin, and too flexible. Generally speaking, European swords are more flexible than Katana, which means they do require more skill to make a clean cut, but what you're describing with that one makes me lean towards that answer. It's too flexible. I'd imagine if you hold it up so the blade is parallel to the ground, the blade tends to. . . . Sag, a bit. If so, it is far too flexible, and so would require a much more precise strike to cut cleanly. As for it's balance, that might ismply be because it's meant to be used with a shield. Norse, Viking-era swords like that tend to have a point of balance that is somewhere between 6 - 8 inches in front of the guard, meaning it's a bit tip heavy. This makes it a decent cutter, if it's rigid enough, but means that ,without a shield, you will have difficulty protecting yourself, whilst recovering from a cut.
I do like curved katanas however I am more accustomed to the chokuto (straight) blade katanas from the kamakura period, commonly wielded by samurais such as chobo jinwa hajimaru *~shrugs~* meh, but thats just me.
Cheap made mall swords! Yay! Been there, done that. Btw, out of curiosity, Will, have you ever actually studied any of the European techniques and such?
Hello. Why not save up for an old Japanese world war II sword. You might enjoy a Russian sashka, or a french artillery mans gladioli. Affordable swords that actually do the do.
you should try hema(historic European martial arts it shows how they fought with swords back then in written maunals, or even kendo which is the same but with katana and orochis and stuff
In my opinion I believe katanas are vastly overrated, mostly due to their aesthetic and association with anime culture. My stupid friend had his grandfather buy him a katana at a flea market that ended up being made of stainless steel... What a joke.
I understand a love of swords, but why katanas? European swords have always been superior. Europeans were making pattern welded swords around 700 bc. The katana was invented around 1300ad. It's never been a quality weapon due to the low quality steel found in Japan. Plus, the design hasn't changed in over 500 years due to lack of innovation.
