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Post by FLBandit on Aug 11, 2012 18:12:34 GMT
I was poking around the Wal-Mart online site the other day when I noticed that you can order a Cold Steel Norman Sword from them for 222 bucks. Anyone here ever gotten one?
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Taran
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Post by Taran on Aug 12, 2012 1:32:38 GMT
Holy cow. Walmart sells swords now. I just checked it out, myself. A quick search elsewhere suggests Walmart's price is on the very low end of normal for it, too.
Would you also believe they have a variety of "Samurai Sword Workout Routine" books and videos?
It would appear, based on Walmart now carrying real swords (I don't remember them carrying even SLOs before), and the sword-based exercise routines and the sword training manuals, also in stock at Walmart, that we are no longer the niche market we once were.
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Post by whitefeathers on Aug 12, 2012 3:41:40 GMT
Wow that is a little funny. Is the sword workout that "Forza" routine?
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Alan Schiff
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Manufacturers and Vendors
Posts: 464
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Post by Alan Schiff on Aug 12, 2012 4:01:52 GMT
I didn't know about them selling Cold Steel studd, but I have noticed in the past, from google searches, that they sometimes carry movie replica weapons. I know they had the weapons from the Narnia movies when they came out (the officially licensed Windlass pieces), and that, as is usual for WalMart, the prices were good. You can oftentimes find weird stuff on their website.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Aug 12, 2012 4:03:34 GMT
I noticed it was located in the Hunting section. I can only assume you'd be hunting "the most dangerous game" with it.
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Post by DavidW on Aug 12, 2012 4:41:49 GMT
but of course, Rainsford. Wow, I never thought I'd see the day Wal-Mart of all places would sell swords. What a pleasant surprise.
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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Aug 12, 2012 5:31:57 GMT
Though the real question is "Is it worth buying from Wal-Mart?" First off, it's Wal-Mart. Why would they carry swords? And secondly, Wal-Mart is the usual big shot advertising mongols. Are we sure those swords are swords? I'm not against this, but I find is hard to understand and a bit amusing that they would sell swords... Probably expect a Wal-Mart comercial of a "Summer Sword Sale! By Wal-Mart" :shock:
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Post by Maynar on Aug 12, 2012 5:38:01 GMT
It's just me I know, but I have a hard time reconciling the terms "sword" and "Wal Mart." :?
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Post by chuckinohio on Aug 12, 2012 12:34:21 GMT
Not a big surprise really, WalMart is the king of marketing Chinese goods.
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Post by stickem on Aug 12, 2012 14:32:19 GMT
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Post by MOK on Aug 12, 2012 17:51:17 GMT
I liked swords before they went mainstream.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2012 18:43:54 GMT
LOL! How true... I live in Canada, so our Wal-Marts don't have anything like what you guys have in the US. I just did a browse through the hunting section online, and wow... Your Walmarts have some pretty nifty supplies! Even 10-15 years ago when I used to shop at American Walmarts, they had so much better supplies than up here... but now they just have so much more of the stuff I like. This is the piece that caught my eye though... I would love that! Two things I always have with me in the woods - a tomahawk and a pipe. :lol: www.walmart.com/ip/Whetstone-19- ... s/17243632 The other thing I found interesting was the Cold Steel Two-Handed Katana Machete... but I'm pretty sure I've seen this one before: www.walmart.com/ip/Cold-Steel-Tw ... gMethod=rr All of their swords are Cold Steel, so I can't imagine you could have any problems with them. Cold Steel is Cold Steel, whether it comes from Wal-Mart or Kult of Athena... The rest of the stuff that I found interesting were largely from that "Whestone" brand which I'm unfamiliar with, or other name brands like Kabar or Gerber.
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Post by demonskull on Aug 12, 2012 20:26:27 GMT
They don't carry Indigo's sword though and their price on the Dread Pirate Robert's sword is .02 less than list. Not a great deal !
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Post by chuckinohio on Aug 13, 2012 13:19:43 GMT
Maybe, maybe not.
Walmart is infamous for forcing manufacturers to prouce low cost versions of well known products for retail sale in WalMart stores. They are not the same products that you can buy elsewhere for a slightly higher price. The only real exception that I know of to that rule, is Buck Knives. They didn't need any more exposure, and told them to hug one, sell them as is or not. Perhaps Cold Steel will hold the line also. Walmart does this by exerting pressure on the manufacturer due to the exposure that their products receive in the many WalMart stores across the continent. Basically it boils down to- If you want to keep doing business with us, you will do what we want or good bye. You lose the broad exposure, and the contract for X ammount of product.
For my money, if given a choice between Walmart or KOA for a purchase, I will pay extra to buy from Ryan. WalMart doesn't need my business, Ryan does. What has WalMart done for the sword buying public? What new sword makers or manufacturers wares have they brought to the mainstream hobbyist? Will WalMart hand inspect a sword to be sure that you get a sharp one, and if they did, would you trust them? WalMarts scratch and dent section is the retail shelf. Can you call WalMart and talk to someone that actually deals with the maker, manufacturer, or importer, and knows the various traits, idiosyncracies, and features of the various swords offered? Until they install a sword Kiosk manned by a Mike Harris, Marc Ridgeway, or Sean Stevens type of customer service rep, I'm going to pass.
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Post by stickem on Aug 13, 2012 13:39:30 GMT
Amen, Chuck. Walmart's business model is specifically designed to put other vendors selling similar products (e.g., KoA) out of business permanently. They are stocking real swords too, BTW, not just $20 brush cutting tools or kids' toys: www.walmart.com/ip/Cold-Steel-Warrior-Series-Nodachi-Sword/19336539www.walmart.com/ip/Cold-Steel-Norman-Sword/19336510www.walmart.com/ip/Cold-Steel-Gurkha-Kukri-San-Mai-III-Machete/19336497Walmart's business model is to sign contracts with manufacturers (e.g., Cold Steel), then once the manufacturer can't sell their products elsewhere (because Walmart has put them out of buisness), then Walmart gets the products dirt cheap, causing the manufacturer to go out of business too. It's classic monopoly stuff. When I ask myself where all the small, family-owned, not-a-chain business went around here, the answer is obvious. Walmart is good for ubiquitous, homgeneous, crappily-made, cheap products. Not exactly what we look for in a sword methinks.
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Post by wolf_shade on Aug 13, 2012 13:48:47 GMT
There's a small parts choking hazard warning for the sword. What "parts"? It's two pieces, a sword and a sheath. Or is the tip of the sword small enough to fit in a mouth and thus considered a choking hazard?
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Post by stickem on Aug 13, 2012 14:15:46 GMT
I saw that and got a chuckle too: "Small parts" being a 46" long sword? Um... hey, it's got a "Story booklet" enclosed with the sword... So they stock these in the "toys" section (look up top at the menu; it is listed as toys: action figures) and slap all the usual child-related warnings on 'em without actually knowing which end is the sharp one. Apparently they didn't read the SBG sticky entitled "Swords are not toys." Look forward to some great customer service from these folks :roll: The other one I like is their description of it says it is made of "High carbon sprung steel." I guess that's for spring steel that's already busted a spring and is now sprung; hence it ends up at Walmart... kinda like being shipped to the Isle of Misfit Toys :lol:
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Post by stickem on Aug 13, 2012 14:26:23 GMT
I caught the part about the Walmart listing not really being Inigo's sword. I don't really have a 6-fingered hand either, BTW
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2012 15:21:53 GMT
Convenience and availability play a major role as well. Kult of Athena, or any other online supplier, are very well priced to begin with. If there's a difference in price between them and Wal-Mart, I wouldn't expect it to be much. The main reason why people go to WalMart to pick something up is because they can get it at WalMart. It's right there, it's convenient.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2012 15:25:47 GMT
And thankfully they only stock one model in each broad category. They won't be putting anyone out of business with that kind of variety. xD
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