Looking for a super durable, super tough sword.

Basically it sounds like you want a crowbar with a sword hilt on it. Generally, the only historical blades that would have been made to take on metal plate were in essence pretty blunt, more like a crowbar. The damage they would have done would have been from blunt force trauma and hydrostatic shock. You would have been trying to stun your opponent or damage his armor where it hindered his movement. While they may have been able to open a cut on someone, it would be a pressure cut. Even a dull blade swung with enough force can open a wound due to enough force being concentrated in one place.

Under no circumstance would I try to take on cinder blocks or similar targets with anything other than a mace or a war hammer. Even then I would be wearing protective gear because lord only knows where all the pieces are going to go. Even if you are using a hammer or such, if it has a wood haft there is still a pretty good chance you may shatter it as well.

If you have to use a sword on the type of targets you mentioned, please do it in an area where there is no one around that can be injured if it goes bad. If you want to take that risk, fine; but don't put other people's safety in jeopardy because you want to use a sword do something it clearly is not designed to do.

Thanks for all the interesting posts, helpful links and info.

First of all, I didn't take any posts as negative.

I am buying a full set of cut resistant level 5 clothing soon which will cover everything up to my neck, but not my head and feet, which shoes will have to take care of. Now I need something which can cover my whole head.

The way I described the sword I wanted in my first post was a little exaggerated, but it got my point across. I know that what I do with them is not what they were intended for, but it has always been a personal interest of mine, and it is one of the things I enjoy doing more than anything else. By cutting through light steel, I meant sheets of thin metal like the casing of a computer. I actually cut through that with my blunt sword using the tip to tear it open, the force delivered by a blunt heavy sword is truly amazing. I have broken branches in half with my sword easily. It is rare that I go for concrete, but I would if I could.

I have a lot of energy and always have to use it up, and hitting broken things and unwanted tree's with steel poles or swords is a form of exercise, and one of the only types of exercise I enjoy (I used to hate exercise.) I make sure no one is around me when I'm hitting and breaking stuff, and do it either in my back yard or indoors, so no one else is going to get hurt, and I do my best to not injure myself. It is illegal to carry a sword or even a screw driver in my country, but it is legal to own a sword and use it in your own property (New Zealand.) When there is nothing to break or chop, I hit a punching bag.

I do want a heavy duty beater sword, I don't mind giving up edge, flexibility-(what for?) and lightness. Heavy swords have more weight behind them and with practice can be a lot of fun, and make light weapons seem weightless. If I want something very sharp I can buy a separate sword for that purpose, the main point is that I want something really tough for now. Even buying a sharp sword, I would still choose the toughest one I could find, to be better off. I will probably end up buying one sharp sword, for cutting light targets, and then one heavy sword with a minor edge for chopping tree's down and such. I'm sure I can buy something a lot tougher than anything I can make myself.

I might not be in the average person bracket, but I'm just doing what I enjoy doing. The requirements for the sword I want are a little high, but it can't hurt to ask right? I would certainly regret not asking for a very tough sword. I don't mind a sword that's heavy and completely out of balance, it just takes more practice to wield properly. I don't think I've ever used a balanced sword anyway, but it would be nice to try one out someday. Also, I don't mind if a sword rusts, as long as the rusting does not weaken the blade (a weakening blade would make it hard to tell how far it is from breaking.)

Another point is, I want a strong sword for a larger margin of safety, even if I don't use it destructively, I still plan on using it, and might be tempted to take it a step further.

Well, if you're willing to give up edge, flexibility, and lightness, I can recommend one of these:

www.starfireswords.com/products/steel/cly48.php

I own a Starfire, and I've seen their blades put through a lot of punishment. Perhaps this is more to your specifications.

I should point out this warning on their page, though: www.starfireswords.com/products/ ... erform.php :

"Important Notice

Starfire Swords, Ltd. produces blades for costume, decoration, and staged combat. These blades are created without edges or points. If you or anyone else gets hurt, you are misusing our product. Starfire endorses the safety standards set by the Society of American Fight Directors."

If you do find a blade that meets your specifications, please tell us what you bought and how it performs?

--Edward

What I meant is it is by far the most fun type of exercise for me, while also being a hobby. I do still exercise if I can't break stuff, I have made it a routine.

I used to do martial arts, but I quit when one of my teachers' hardcore black belt students took over his dojo, by opening his own dojo and blatantly stealing his pupils by spreading rumors.. My teacher was very poor so he couldn't afford to live on his salary and had to close his own dojo with only 5 of us. He was a very nice person and didn't deserve that. I didn't want to follow the new teacher after going there for the first time, so I left. As I am now I regret not continuing with it, I only now understand why the new guy wanted me to punch walls (bone hardening.) Since then I have been training on my own. Although I know that it is not practical to train myself, I still do, it's better than nothing.

Destroying things with my custom swords is a separate hobby, I get most of my current exercise through training without hitting stuff because there isn't an unlimited supply of things to hit, I always end up breaking them. That is something I did mostly when I was 14-18.

I would like to actually learn to use swords properly too, but I don't think they teach the use of heavier swords, which is what I'm more interested in. Also, much of the knowledge has been lost to the past. I will never be able to grasp it all. Besides that I will likely never need to use a sword in a real fight-situation unless someone invades my home and tries to kill me. For unarmed combat I do practice almost every day as best I can, for it is something which will far more likely save my life one day, though at heart I have always liked swords more than anything. That is a little off topic though.

... re=related
That is the kind of sword I have been looking for. One built purely for durability and strength, for a reasonable price.


sbg-sword-store.sword-buyers-gui ... night.html
www.badgerblades.com/html/wagi_all_steel.html
I found these through some of the posts above. Starfire swords being strong is good, but they have no edge, and I would prefer an edge on a sword which looks like a real sword. I am considering buying one of these two swords, seeing what has been said about them. I really like the look of them both, especially the Wakizashi, and I have seen a lot of ornamental display swords. The main question is, which one is stronger, and are there more durable swords out there?

Thanks for this...what a hoot!

DJK,

That video you posted with the gun test on the sword...honestly that was the biggest waste of money I've seen. But if those guys have the cash to destroy good swords for no purpose like that, then I'll keep laughing at their stupidity. Personally I'd rather see them gun test some body armor or something!

Sorry, but I hate seeing good swords treated like that.

Cole

for what you want i recommend gettin a leaf spring flattening it put a handle on the one end and an edge on it and go to town. something like this a friend gave my wife (she recently relegated it to the shed as shes not a sword fan hence rust) capable of doing damge to mild steel this is cold rolled steel less chance of breaking it on something when doing things swords arnt meant to do (like cut up computers) also pretty sure it would stand up to being shot by .22 as well :lol:

I don't know where to find the Crescent Quillion mentioned.

[/attachment] capable of doing damge to mild steel this is cold rolled steelUNI_1228.JPG[/attachment]UNI_1231.JPG[/attachment] less chance of breaking it on something when doing things swords arnt meant to do (like cut up computers) also pretty sure it would stand up to being shot by .22 as well :lol: [/quote]
I don't know how the hell I would ever manage to hammer a leaf spring flat. And nice sword you got there lol.


The katana you mentioned is made of 1060 steel, I'm not sure if 1075 is stronger, which is what badger blades use. The dynasty forge ko-katana would be ideal for me if I bought from them, but I don't really see anything in a sword other than its strength and durability, and general shape of construction. A sword as sharp as you mentioned will very easily lose its edge on tougher targets, and steel on steel contact. Decorations, cutting capability, shine, balance and weight, are meaningless attributes of a sword to me, although that is what most consider makes a sword.

sbgswordforum.proboards.com/inde ... read=10085
This is a closer look at one of their older designs, I think I've made up my mind on who I want to buy from. I should have mentioned that I like the look of non-historically accurate swords the most, the classic woven Katana handle and hand guard just didn't look quite right for me.

If I hadn't made this topic, I may never have found Badger Blades, thanks for your input. I am still interested in any info about a sword capable of taking more punishment than badger blades can. I have wielded imbalanced katana-like heavy swords for years, so I doubt I'd enjoy using a balanced historically accurate sword. I recall using one custom sword which was probably well-balanced due to a heavy hilt, I couldn't use its weight to cut into stuff, because weight overbalance was non-existent at the blade, but I could easily swing it around. I don't get the point of that other than for blocking other swords, and how will you block a heavy two handed sword strike without a heavy blade? Even then if you're strong and experienced enough you can probably use a heavy imbalanced sword for that purpose, it is in my area of interest to learn that style.

If only I could get a badger sword second-hand for a cheaper price, they seem to have increased their prices and a lot of people who buy them seem to sell them again for cheap, because they think they're ugly. As I should have stated before, it is basically a crow bar in the shape of a sword that I am looking for. All other attributes sacrificed for durability and solid construction alone.

Tougher, but heavier.

Honestly, if you're looking for a crowbar shaped like a sword... buy a piece of rebar and rent some welding equipment, knock up something for yourself, and if you want it a little more durable, send it off for heat-treat. That should come in under $500.



The reason most decent swords are made with a certain balance is for efficiency, above all, in its intended task. If it's a cutting blade, put the weight further forward of the grip; if it's a thrusting blade, move the weight back.

Blocking in sword combat is far more a matter of redirecting your opponent's force rather than simply stopping it. You aren't just putting your sword in front of the other sword and hoping it stops right there; you put your sword in front of the other sword and *move* it.

I think you're getting a lot of criticism here because what you're describing as a sword for what you want to do, just doesn't really fit what a proper sword's supposed to do. You want, basically, a sword-shaped club/mace/blunt instrument. That's what it seems to amount to, anyway.

I can't believe I forgot this! They're selling Carbon Steel Zangetsu (from Bleach) swords at Trueswords for like $50, which is perfect for something you're gonna smash stuff with. They're huge, 52 inch, 5mm thick solid pieces of 1045 carbon steel, with a proper tang.
.
Heavy and probably unbalanced, just like you said . Just give this a sharpen with a file and some sandpaper, and your set. When a single piece of steel is this big, you hardly need to worry about it breaking unless you do something REALLY dangerous.

Also, if you're an anime geek like me, you have the bonus of being able to yell "GETSUGA TENSHO" when you cut something