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Post by jasonlb136 on Jan 15, 2018 0:26:35 GMT
I guess I want to elaborate a little more on the subjective opinion thing. For example, there are a few websites out there that call AngelSword the best swordsmith ever. Now I know that simply can't be true, and he seems to be pretty much distrusted in this community. But also, SBG works with DSA-they even advertise their swords on this website. But then I haven't seen any positive reviews concerning the tang and handle strength, and they seem to be unliked by this community in general. There is a lot of conflicting information and I'm struggling with educating myself already in knowing what information to trust as not only accurate but objective. Even if I had a given sword in hand, I think it'd be difficult for me to know what to look for. Not having the sword in hand seems to multiply the problem.
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Post by dchisenh on Jan 15, 2018 2:57:51 GMT
I guess I want to elaborate a little more on the subjective opinion thing. For example, there are a few websites out there that call AngelSword the best swordsmith ever. Now I know that simply can't be true, and he seems to be pretty much distrusted in this community. But also, SBG works with DSA-they even advertise their swords on this website. But then I haven't seen any positive reviews concerning the tang and handle strength, and they seem to be unliked by this community in general. There is a lot of conflicting information and I'm struggling with educating myself already in knowing what information to trust as not only accurate but objective. Even if I had a given sword in hand, I think it'd be difficult for me to know what to look for. Not having the sword in hand seems to multiply the problem. Doing your research and asking as many questions as possible is the right way to start, but at the end of the day there's no comparison for actual hands on experience with a sword. I hadn't heard of AngelSword until you mentioned it. I googled the site and only took a 2 minute glance at it, not my cup of tea. DSA had issues back in the day, initially producing some seriously clunky but durable blades, then there were tang issues and they're currently working to rebuild their reputation. Some have written them off completely, others (myself included) are taking a 'wait and see' approach. I'm hoping they'll turn things around because this community needs more options, not less. In general, I'd start by asking: What types of swords do you like the look of the best? Any example in a movie, TV show, video game, book, etc. that really seems to call to you? What is your intention for buying a sword? Do you want it only for display? Will you use it to cut bottles, pool noodles, or mats? Do you want it for home defense? Is this part of a Mad-Max/Walking Dead/Post-Apocalyptic survival kit (meaning something that you hope you'll never have to use, but should be completely reliable if you have to?) Do you want something that is a one-of-a-kind heirloom piece you can pass down for generations? What's your general budget? Are you aware that this hobby is addictive? What often starts out as the search for the 'perfect' sword tends to develop into a larger admiration for varying styles and types of swords, with a growing collection reflecting that. If I were you, I'd try to browse the Kult of Athena website to get an idea of what swords are available in the categories they've already created there and see what jumps out at you. Once you identify a type of sword, do some reading on what folks have posted here about it and feel free to ask away for first-hand experiences. Look at the range of stats on KoA to see what sort of weights/dimensions/point of balance (PoB)/prices are reasonable for this type of sword and take all that into consideration. Don't forget, even if after all that research you end up buying a sword that, for whatever reason, isn't what you had hoped for; you can always sell it here! Especially if it's a well-regarded one that is always in demand (the H/T longsword comes to mind). Good luck on your search and welcome to the addiction...er...hobby!
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Post by Croccifixio on Jan 15, 2018 4:05:33 GMT
The problem with Angelsword is twofold, with the owner basically going insane and suing other people for critiquing his work, and the swords themselves while being quite tough in terms of reputation being quite bad at handling (which is more important than being made out of some kind of supersteel). But if their designs speak to you, I wouldn't take it against you for buying a $5000 "sword." You just have to be committed to the piece itself. As for DSA... I think they're trying to turn things around, but I'd wait a year maybe for their new swords to get into the market and be tested before trying something from them. One way to discern a good sword is a combination of many things. First would be reputation in the general sword community, and mind you not just one community. Some people are quite elitist and will accept nothing less than an Albion. So you'll have to branch out, because there are brands that have a decent reputation at the $200-300 price range like Hanwei. Second would be the description the vendor lists. Look at the weight. Generally, for a sword with a blade of 30 inches, 3 lbs or more would be pretty heavy and would mean little to no distal taper in the blade itself, which will make it unwieldy. Try to check the swords that have a stellar reputation. ATrims for instance rarely go past 3 lbs even for the really long ones with 35+ inch blades. Last, look at the price. With a few exceptions that are clearly exceptions (aka, Hanwei/Tinkers), good swords require you to cough up some cash. The issue you have is that you prefer fantasy medieval swords. I know very few makers who produce good fantasy swords to be honest. With that in mind, I'd look to getting a custom from some of those already mentioned. Try L Driggers (fallen) or Lonely Wolf Forge.
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Post by Jordan Williams on Jan 15, 2018 5:00:26 GMT
First would be reputation in the general sword community, and mind you not just one community. Some people are quite elitist and will accept nothing less than an Albion. This is a very important thing to keep in mind imo. For instance, people here will give a generally positive opinion of brands like Cold Steel or Windlass, while a certain facebook group will decry those brands largely as garbage, especially Cold Steel. Two groups about the same things, but with different opinions.
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Post by jasonlb136 on Jan 15, 2018 5:02:09 GMT
I guess what I'm looking for in a sword is a beautiful fantasy piece that is also practically usable. I was always into those old nerdy games, like dungeons and dragons, and magic the gathering, as a kid and teenager and I hail back to those days with my taste in this art. Now that I'm an adult with a job and family, I'd like to realize some of those interests. I plan on having it on display, but I don't want it to be just for display. You know, in case of a zombie apocalypse or if guns magically stopped working. 🤣
In all seriousness though, I'm really into martial arts. I've studied Kempo and Aikido. Currently I'm studying Hapkido, a Korean martial art (and a more aggressive branch of Aikido), which has a sister art called Kuhaldo. Kuhapdo uses a traditional katana, but I just don't like the look of eastern/oriental armor and weapons. Maybe I'll get a katana and ninjato or something in the future, but for now I'm looking at western swords because that's what I like.
I know that the two combat style categories between oriental and western are very different and are even different in their own families by region. In studying kuhapdo, I practice with a wooden katana. But eventually I would like to switch it up and experiment with a western wooden blade and see how the feel is different and how the weight affects the form. Once I get a good feel of that i think it would be cool to have those techniques applicable in use with a real weapon.
So that's why I'm into fantasy, and also very interested in its practicality as a weapon. As I get better with Kuhapdo and sort of develop my own techniques with western wooden sword, I could develop some type of unique form and do that with the real thing for performance. I don't want the drawbacks of the Excalibur, where it's very unbalanced and difficult to use. It's already bad enough with wooden swords.
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Post by jasonlb136 on Jan 15, 2018 5:03:28 GMT
First would be reputation in the general sword community, and mind you not just one community. Some people are quite elitist and will accept nothing less than an Albion. This is a very important thing to keep in mind imo. For instance, people here will give a generally positive opinion of brands like Cold Steel or Windlass, while a certain facebook group will decry those brands largely as garbage, especially Cold Steel. Two groups about the same things, but with different opinions. And that's what has me so confused in selecting a sword. I have browsed through these forums and others and get tons of mixed opinions and even facts that seem to contradict.
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stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,652
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Post by stormmaster on Jan 15, 2018 5:14:32 GMT
This is a very important thing to keep in mind imo. For instance, people here will give a generally positive opinion of brands like Cold Steel or Windlass, while a certain facebook group will decry those brands largely as garbage, especially Cold Steel. Two groups about the same things, but with different opinions. And that's what has me so confused in selecting a sword. I have browsed through these forums and others and get tons of mixed opinions and even facts that seem to contradict. different people have different tastes, some people actually like dsa as they have been good for them, almost more have had horrible tangs and whatnot, so on and so forth with most other manufacturers, in the end i think you will just have to look at the reviews closely, see what is usually said and then take the plunge on something, u wont know for sure if u like it until u hold it in hand
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Post by Jordan Williams on Jan 15, 2018 5:16:34 GMT
This is a very important thing to keep in mind imo. For instance, people here will give a generally positive opinion of brands like Cold Steel or Windlass, while a certain facebook group will decry those brands largely as garbage, especially Cold Steel. Two groups about the same things, but with different opinions. And that's what has me so confused in selecting a sword. I have browsed through these forums and others and get tons of mixed opinions and even facts that seem to contradict. Facebook is garbage I'd trust the opinions on here and My Armoury. Typically here you'll find more info on budget swords. I've seen a few good reviews on DSA in the past year, and recently they've been improving on the durability issue based in pics I've seen in the past couple months. As Croc said though I'd give them a year or so, or maybe talk to them prior to buying one.
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Post by Croccifixio on Jan 15, 2018 5:45:32 GMT
You know, it's a thankless and tiring task to sift through all the opinions on specific swords, but somehow you've got to do it. One thing that helped me when I was new:
Find someone whose background and tastes are similar to yours (I'm sure that's easy enough since your background is unique) who have long been part of the sword community and ask their opinion. Now does their opinion skew close to what you've felt is the general community opinion on that sword? If it does, then you could probably trust that the sword is decent. As you mature in your hobby, you'll find different people to learn from, different people whose opinion you value. In a year, you might not care much for what that first person thinks of the sword, but it gets you started at the best possible point, skipping the heartache of most first-time buyers.
Just as an anecdote, my first sword was NOT the one I actually wanted. I had wanted a katana and a European longsword (not knowing how deep both subjects got - a topic for another time). But the availability in my country was limited, and local prices for brands like Hanwei were exorbitant. So I just kept up with my research. Brands that piqued my interest included DSA, Hanwei, Albion (though I clearly was not ready for the price), Windlass, Valiant Armoury, and Ronin Katana. I looked through KultofAthena's inventory twice a day, watched Skallagrim videos ad nauseam...
And then one strange day, I went to my village's yardsale, and saw someone selling his sword collection. Among a host of SLOs were several TFW swords - a Celtic, a Sansibar, and a Gayang. I was intrigued and haggled with him, and bought my first two swords (didn't have enough back then for the Sansibar as well - something I kinda regret). I don't regret my purchase, even though it wasn't what I originally wanted (his katana was an overpriced Chinatana), and it awakened me to other types of swords that I now view in equal regard as Euros and katanas.
My point in sharing this is that you should also try to be open minded. I know right now you want something fantasy-ish and that's not a bad thing. But look beyond and maybe you'll find that first sword, the one that will begin the obsession, the one that will change your life forever.
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Post by Faldarin on Jan 15, 2018 5:52:07 GMT
And that's what has me so confused in selecting a sword. I have browsed through these forums and others and get tons of mixed opinions and even facts that seem to contradict. And you just managed to hit on one of the biggest problems with swords. It's not like you can just walk into a corner store, try some of them out, and buy what you want. It's a -very- subjective thing. Even people who try to be incredibly objective might get a lemon or two, or five... and say 'this company is trash'. Most companies don't have perfect QA - and that makes failures more common - which in turn makes a small community amplify said failures - so they're way out of proportion. Also, different people love different things. Some people enjoy swords with a lot of heft, built like tanks. Others enjoy fast, agile cutters. Some companies tend to cater more to one side than the other. Unfortunately, functional fantasy is an incredibly small niche outside of super-expensive custom. DSA, Windlass, Valiant (higher end pricing there) are the only ones in a medium to high range that do functional fantasy swords really. Past that, customs get expensive. My only other advice would be to potentially find Lonely Wolf Forge or one of the other guys who do custom fittings on this forum, and get them to customize an already-made blade. That might be in your price range, and be a decent fantasy piece. (I'm a big fantasy sword fan myself, but customs are out of my price range as well.)
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stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,652
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Post by stormmaster on Jan 15, 2018 6:07:48 GMT
I feel like i've posted this work in progress piece a few times already but, its my upcoming fantasy piece made by my friend Jimbo Curry, it has a h/t longsword blade and dragon themed fittings made by jeffery robinson, it was from his Drake III piece where i separated and matches the fittings and blade to form 2 different custom pieces one being the longsword and the blade from the drake going on a short sword version of Excalibur, this was an expensive project but i can tell u for sure it is a whole lot cheaper then getting them made fresh, so it might be an option to get some sword fittings you like and mix and match them with a blade you like for a cheaper alternative then getting something fully 100% fresh forged Attachments:
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Post by jasonlb136 on Jan 15, 2018 6:57:25 GMT
You know, it's a thankless and tiring task to sift through all the opinions on specific swords, but somehow you've got to do it. One thing that helped me when I was new: Find someone whose background and tastes are similar to yours (I'm sure that's easy enough since your background is unique) who have long been part of the sword community and ask their opinion. Now does their opinion skew close to what you've felt is the general community opinion on that sword? If it does, then you could probably trust that the sword is decent. As you mature in your hobby, you'll find different people to learn from, different people whose opinion you value. In a year, you might not care much for what that first person thinks of the sword, but it gets you started at the best possible point, skipping the heartache of most first-time buyers. Just as an anecdote, my first sword was NOT the one I actually wanted. I had wanted a katana and a European longsword (not knowing how deep both subjects got - a topic for another time). But the availability in my country was limited, and local prices for brands like Hanwei were exorbitant. So I just kept up with my research. Brands that piqued my interest included DSA, Hanwei, Albion (though I clearly was not ready for the price), Windlass, Valiant Armoury, and Ronin Katana. I looked through KultofAthena's inventory twice a day, watched Skallagrim videos ad nauseam... And then one strange day, I went to my village's yardsale, and saw someone selling his sword collection. Among a host of SLOs were several TFW swords - a Celtic, a Sansibar, and a Gayang. I was intrigued and haggled with him, and bought my first two swords (didn't have enough back then for the Sansibar as well - something I kinda regret). I don't regret my purchase, even though it wasn't what I originally wanted (his katana was an overpriced Chinatana), and it awakened me to other types of swords that I now view in equal regard as Euros and katanas. My point in sharing this is that you should also try to be open minded. I know right now you want something fantasy-ish and that's not a bad thing. But look beyond and maybe you'll find that first sword, the one that will begin the obsession, the one that will change your life forever. This is really good advice. Thanks.
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Post by jasonlb136 on Jan 15, 2018 6:57:59 GMT
And that's what has me so confused in selecting a sword. I have browsed through these forums and others and get tons of mixed opinions and even facts that seem to contradict. And you just managed to hit on one of the biggest problems with swords. It's not like you can just walk into a corner store, try some of them out, and buy what you want. It's a -very- subjective thing. Even people who try to be incredibly objective might get a lemon or two, or five... and say 'this company is trash'. Most companies don't have perfect QA - and that makes failures more common - which in turn makes a small community amplify said failures - so they're way out of proportion. Also, different people love different things. Some people enjoy swords with a lot of heft, built like tanks. Others enjoy fast, agile cutters. Some companies tend to cater more to one side than the other. Unfortunately, functional fantasy is an incredibly small niche outside of super-expensive custom. DSA, Windlass, Valiant (higher end pricing there) are the only ones in a medium to high range that do functional fantasy swords really. Past that, customs get expensive. My only other advice would be to potentially find Lonely Wolf Forge or one of the other guys who do custom fittings on this forum, and get them to customize an already-made blade. That might be in your price range, and be a decent fantasy piece. (I'm a big fantasy sword fan myself, but customs are out of my price range as well.) Do you have a favorite vendor?
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Post by Faldarin on Jan 16, 2018 0:40:09 GMT
Do you have a favorite vendor? Do you mean for production swords, or potential custom work? I tend to prefer more agile-feeling swords, but that are still sturdy-built. In my personal subjective experiences - I have enjoyed Valiant Armoury as a production place. They have not disappointed me, and the owner does his own Customer Service. They're going up in price now, but a few people have been expecting that for a few years. Production runner up - nearly the entire Hanwei-Tinker line of swords. They feel almost the closest to some very expensive swords I've handled. They also come in bare blades, if you want to get some fantasy fitting work done. For custom vendors that may or may not do the entire sword... there are three on this forum I've personally done business with. Lonely Wolf Forge, Tdiamante , and Huer-Ta. They've all done fine work - I know LWF and tdiamante have done custom fittings before. Not certain about Huer-Ta, but his grips and scabbards are second to none. For entire swords from the ground up - Angus Trim. I doubt he takes custom orders, he's gotten to the point that he just builds what he wants to build, and people will buy it. I won't wax poetic about his blades, but they handle on a different level than most things out there. Comparisons are unfair. (Disclaimer: There might be better production places/custom places, but these are ones I have experience with that I would consider the best I've personally dealt with. Companies that come up a lot are Albion, as well as several European swordmakers - but these tend to all be interested in the more historical side of things as well. Fable Blades and Jeffrey Robinson are top end fantasy custom makers, but they will set you back a large sum of money (probably worth it, but out of my price range at the moment). I have no personal experiences with any of these.) Unfortunately, there's not a lot of choices for less expensive fantasy swords... but hopefully that will change. There's supposedly some deals in the works between SBG and some sword makers to open up a fantasy wing of the store - but there's no ETA on it yet. If I thought it was coming soon, I'd say save your money for that. Some REALLY good stuff's going to be there.
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Scott
Member
Posts: 1,676
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Post by Scott on Jan 16, 2018 0:53:08 GMT
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stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,652
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Post by stormmaster on Jan 16, 2018 1:20:42 GMT
theres gonna be a entire website dedicated to these and more fantasy pieces, i think they will all be for sale
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