|
Post by Adrian Jordan on Dec 22, 2012 22:23:16 GMT
It's a short one, but here are the vendors that have gotten consistently good feedback. None of these vendors are perfect, and have been known to let a lemon slip through, but the majority of orders that I have seen have been positive. This is only for those on eBay, not all low-cost custom makers. Please feel free to chime in for those that I don't initially list. I'd also like to mention that this is a list of my personal making. It is not a list done by SBG or its staff. If you go for one and get done wrong, it's all me. Of coarse, the glory is all mine should it work out fantastically, bwahahaha. Huawei-sword. myworld.ebay.com/huawei-sword/st-nihonto/st-sword. www.ebay.com/sch/st-nihonto/m.htmlSwordnarmory. myworld.ebay.com/swordnarmory/swordmaker688. www.ebay.com/sch/swordmaker688/m.html
|
|
|
Post by Don Boogie on Dec 22, 2012 23:11:32 GMT
Ty Adrian,will be a good help for those searching for a good score on ebay
|
|
|
Post by Adrian Jordan on Dec 23, 2012 1:14:51 GMT
My pleasure. I hope it helps someone.
|
|
|
Post by aussie-rabbit on Dec 23, 2012 14:05:48 GMT
agreed.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2012 15:22:05 GMT
I have heard several times that swordmaker6** is a account that RyanSwords uses, does anyone know for a fact that this is true or not? I have no idea if it is true, I do know all the ones you mention other than Hauwei seem to have the same type of fittings available, and similar style blades available, and probably all have access to the same forges, I guess it depends on the individual that is running things as to the quality control and in the end the customets satisfaction.
|
|
|
Post by Kumdoalan on Dec 23, 2012 15:48:18 GMT
From what I can tell from the videos and posts that Paul is putting up about his trip to China where they make the swords, it seems to me that the main sword manufacturers must sell in-bulk to different venders who sell to the people we buy from.
It also seems to me to be the case that the best brand names we can list, and the worst brand names we can list , can likely both trace their swords back to the very same sword maker..... Probably in many cases to the very same individuals involved in manufacturing both swords for venders.
Another thing that seems clear to me after watching the many videos of Paul's trip is that there is a division between things guys do, and things that the girls do.
Mostly the guys were seen in the videos dealing with the steel and working the cutters and grinders and welders etc, and the girls did all the handles and wraps etc.
I also think that when I read in a commercial sword ad about a seller talking about his "forge" (as if it was in his backyard )that this is just seller's hype, and he really is talking about the people working different company where he gets the swords he markets to us.
|
|
Marc Kaden Ridgeway
Member
Retired Global Moderator
Awful lot of leaving and joining going on here for me .... And gosh I can't recall doing a bit of i
Posts: 8,778
|
Post by Marc Kaden Ridgeway on Dec 23, 2012 15:51:46 GMT
I will personally vouch for Huawei... not bad for the price... They are the best of them..
ST- seems ok... no personal experoence with them.
Sword N Armoury ... they are also a vendor outside of eBay and get good reviews ... people seem to like them
Personally, though I have no hands-on experience with sword(smith)maker6886 I don't endorse them at all... Don't like the looks of the product ... but at least it seems to get there...
|
|
|
Post by Adrian Jordan on Dec 23, 2012 20:22:14 GMT
I was a bit hesitant on posting them. I'm right now just going off of the reports from local forum members, who seem to be pleased with their swords. I do agree with you on a personal level though. Not really my cup o' tea.
|
|
|
Post by Adrian Jordan on Dec 23, 2012 20:25:16 GMT
I have heard that the proprietor of Hanbon(swordmaker688) was at one time connected to Ryansword, yes. It's my understanding that it is no longer the case.
|
|
|
Post by raf2 on Dec 23, 2012 20:30:21 GMT
I have purchased from Swordmaker6** off eBay.. I was pleased with the transaction and the communication. Speed of shipping even with engraving was lightening fast. Of course since I am a newbie sword buyer I cannot say if the sword was a supper duper deal, but for a sub $200 it looks great.
I have also purchased from Ryan. Based on packing, communication and such I would say that the two are *NOT* the same, but that is just me based on observations saying that. Also, the Ryan sword was not as good of a quality as what I saw pictured, though for the price it was still okay. I have not taken it apart to see if it is a rat tail, etc...
Based on my personal experiences with both, I would buy from Swordmaker6** again, but would hesitate doing so or recommending with Ryan.
|
|
|
Post by Adrian Jordan on Dec 23, 2012 20:40:44 GMT
Nice. As I recall, the split from Ryansword was a good while ago.
|
|
|
Post by Kumdoalan on Dec 23, 2012 21:41:18 GMT
I also have a cheaper Ryan swords, and I did take the handle off. if you want more information send me a PM so we dont change he topic here.
|
|
|
Post by Rafael on Dec 23, 2012 22:58:28 GMT
Results are mixed from all of these vendors listed. if you search the forum for each one you will find mostly positive feedback with some exceptions so are they all reputable? I guess it depends on how we define reputable. Do they all ship an item to you? yes. Is the item always perfect? I can say for the 668 ( Yao) guy And huawei (jacky), no the stuff is not always perfect. When you buy something from China on eBay it basically needs to be perfect the first time because shipping costs are going to prevent any easy resolutions of minor problems. So if they deliver a good item most of the time or a good item with minor defects sometimes I guess they are still reputable but it's kind of subjective about how much risk someone wants to take or should reasonably take with them. If you're going to spend a few hundred dollars on the sword and you probably won't be able to spend that much again soon then you might want to seriously consider whether you want to take the risk on Chinese eBay swords. I haven't ordered from stnihonto yet so I can't say about him (Sheng). The others are definitely not 100% perfect. But yes they are definitely reputable in the sense that they are not outright scams where they never send anything. Although I have heard of at least one guy who ordered a custom item from now or maybe it was Jackie and just never heard anything back I never got anything. Or being promised replacement items for damaged ones that never arrived.
Careful making a list and calling them reputable without making the disclaimer that plenty of problems have been encountered with all of these vendors. To any person new to the forum reading this post: be aware that while they are the best of the chinese eBay sword vendors there is still some risk involved. You will definitely get something in the mail (probably) but it just may not be perfect or exactly what you wanted.
I have high hopes for Sheng LOL
|
|
|
Post by Dr. Whom on Dec 23, 2012 23:06:24 GMT
Here is my list of reputable sword vendors that have sold their wares on ebay
Ronin Katana Hung Shing True Sharp Hanwei
Buy from these and your chance of being disappointed goes down exponentially
|
|
|
Post by Adrian Jordan on Dec 24, 2012 0:55:44 GMT
Those are good points, Rafael. In reputable, I meant vendors who have gotten good marks from forum members here. I am very well aware of the dangers of making such a list. However, I have heard about as many or more problems from manufacturers such as Hanwei as I have about the list eBay sellers. I will amend my opening paragraph to reflect your points, as they are important. Thanks for the tip!
|
|