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Post by justin520 on Mar 23, 2014 22:41:53 GMT
This seems to be the best sword market wise for survivalism as it's tough and can do machete work. I just want to find the cheapest retailer of it.
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Post by justin520 on Mar 23, 2014 23:13:44 GMT
Also what are the scabbard cores made of? I know it's wood, but what kind?
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Post by randomnobody on Mar 23, 2014 23:17:22 GMT
Quick Google search (two pages deep, five minutes effort) indicates Kult of Athena as the cheapest I'd personally consider a safe, reliable vendor; but there's another place I've never hear of selling it for a bit shy of $8 less. www.kultofathena.com/product.asp ... ting+Sword www.wildbillwholesale.com/pc2126.htmlHaving trouble finding it on Amazon or eBay, either nobody's listing it or they're using different spellings or other terms for it that "Hanwei Banshee," "Paul Chen Banshee," and "Banshee sword" aren't pulling up. I'd go wtih KoA, even if $183 is a bit steep. Granted, some of the other vendors selling at $199 may yet win in the overall cost depending on shipping options... As for what kind of wood...I don't know if that's ever been publicized. Some owners may chime in with personal thoughts, but unless Blake Pogue shows up and can offer specifics, I'd take most anything as speculation rather than absolute fact.
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Post by justin520 on Mar 23, 2014 23:18:49 GMT
Well I was basing my price point of shooter mikes review and 3 or 4 pages into google nothing matched up.
Edit: I almost feel as though the price increased when people found out this was a good sword.
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Post by ineffableone on Mar 23, 2014 23:35:28 GMT
Don't forget ShooterMike's review is a few years old. prices do change.
I got my Banshee from KOA.
Something I have noticed, is the Banshee can be a hard one to find in stock. When I was looking to buy one, more vendors than not were out of stock. Even KOA they are often out of stock. I had thought to buy one a few times before I actually did, and each of those times I could not find them in stock from any reputable vendor at the time.
So something to consider is that finding a reputable vendor who has them in stock can be worth the little extra price as you might not see them in stock again for a few months.
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Post by randomnobody on Mar 24, 2014 1:16:28 GMT
Yeah, Mike's review is quite dated. Hanwei's prices have town significantly since then, mostly due to their fire a couple of years back. Seems demand is still driving what inventory they're getting caught up on to stay high for a while still.
The banshee is also quite a popular model, mostly for the same reasons you want one. Light, small, tough, and general-purpose. Also, it looks different than everything else on the market. The dha is a pretty neat tool/weapon, and Hanwei's banshee is a great homage to it, with a modernized flair to the "tactical/survival/bushcraft" edge of the market.
I'd definitely go with KoA were I I'm the market, because they've got one if the best prices I could find and they're just good people. I've got several things I need to buy and will be doing so with them when I get around to it, the banshee among them.
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Post by justin520 on Mar 24, 2014 2:13:16 GMT
I suppose KoA is worth it. I'm really looking for more general purpose bushcraft short two handed swords all around.
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Post by randomnobody on Mar 24, 2014 2:16:39 GMT
Aside from a couple two-handed machetes, like those from Cold Steel, Condor, and a few others...I think the Banshee is a pretty good bet for overall tool/weapon. It's expensive, but I'd like to think it's worth it.
Then again, a basic machete can be had for around 1/10 the Banshee's MSRP...
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Post by justin520 on Mar 24, 2014 2:32:01 GMT
Yeah but your average machete is virtually sharpened sheet metal. The tfw panabas seems like it may square up in this area to the banshee, I just can't find anything else that does.
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Post by justin520 on Mar 24, 2014 2:32:30 GMT
Scratch that, cold steels 1917 cutlass might be good for the gig.
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Post by randomnobody on Mar 24, 2014 2:55:02 GMT
Granted on the cheap machetes, but there are better out there for only a little bit more. A lot of the Southeast Asian stuff would be just as good, and can be had considerably cheap in very good quality. Valiant Co. among others are respected for inexpensive, tough pieces. As for cutlasses, I'm tempted by Condor's: www.knifecenter.com/item/CN35622 ... her-Sheath
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Post by justin520 on Mar 24, 2014 3:31:55 GMT
Condors dadao could probably be a good piece of "tactical" equipment, it is based on paramilitary gear. ZT seems like they're trying, but I can't dig the aesthetic, feels like Tim Burton crafting weapons.
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Post by justin520 on Mar 24, 2014 5:30:40 GMT
Also one other thing on tac blades, I like a cylindrical feeling scabbard, these new fangled kydex sheaths feel to square, not nice in my hand. The banshees sheath is great for this reason, not enough tac swords do it.
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Post by ineffableone on Mar 24, 2014 18:45:05 GMT
I picked up my Banshee for a machete/sword use. I have not had a lot of chance to put it to use through the winter, but had some testing while still fall. The design of the Banshee worked wonderfully cutting easily through small woody growth out in the pine barrens of NJ, and I look forward to testing it further this spring when I go out camping.
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Post by justin520 on Mar 25, 2014 21:12:06 GMT
KoA just back ordered the banshee >_<
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Mar 25, 2014 21:56:10 GMT
most of the wholesale suppliers I know also have it out of stock/backordered...
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Post by justin520 on Mar 25, 2014 22:02:30 GMT
It literally happened just today.
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Post by Dave(utilityslave) on Mar 25, 2014 22:03:45 GMT
I have dealt with wildbillwholesale.com several times with positive results each time. Today if you spend more than $100 you get a free item as well...........check the "Current Specials" for the special deal of the day. Today it's a free knife if you follow the directions.
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Post by randomnobody on Mar 25, 2014 22:40:46 GMT
Shoot, if I had some spare cash I'd have to look into that.
Good to hear something positive about them, I'd never heard of them before.
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Post by ineffableone on Mar 25, 2014 23:27:24 GMT
Yep, that is what happened to me, a bunch of times. I would suddenly remember that I wanted a Banshee go looking and find they were out of stock most places. The couple places I did find in stock while I was busy searching for a deal became out of stock also.
Once you decide you want a Banshee, the best thing to do is jump on the first reputable vendor selling it in stock that you find. Or you will miss out and have to wait till the next shipment gets in, and then hope you remember before the Banshee is out of stock again.
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