Razor
Senior Forumite
Posts: 1,883 
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Post by Razor on Feb 11, 2018 19:19:12 GMT
This is the first time I have seen these. I use to fallow all the sword design contest(I still remember the first one from Arms of Valor. Both of the proto-types were sent to me for reviews and I did a review for the Flames of Angels.) but I pretty much stopped fallowing them because the designs that win I don't care for.
The biggest reason I see why these swords are not selling is there are no stats. I'm not going to buy a sword by picture alone and no stats and I think my sword brothers and sisters here aren't going to either.
Chris, doesn't usually put a distal tapper on his blades and swords needs a distal tapper or they handle like crap.
Reviews are very important when trying to sell new swords and this line only as one that was done by the designer. Croccifixio, didn't have the weight, POB, or cutting video. Croccifixio, has been a member here long enough to know how important knowing the weight and POB is. He just put the length and thickness down without the weight and POB. Because of this I get the impression that this is a beast of a sword.
The Early Aelutian Gladius: I personally don't like this design. If I was looking for a gladius, I would rather get one that is more historical.
Goblin King Sword: This sword looks like something straight out of BUD-K and it's 5mm thick with no distal tapper. The only thing I think that BUD-K would do differently is use 4mm stock instead of 5mm.
The Orc King War Cleaver: This design interest me. I like it but I bet this doesn't have a distal tapper so that thing is going to be a heavy beast of a beater and not very fun to cut with. I know there are some members here that like beater swords so there should be a lest a cutting video for this one....or any of them.
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Post by Voltan on Feb 11, 2018 19:32:49 GMT
I'd have to agree with Razor. While the designs themselves are nice and have some unique shapes, the blades appear to be bars of steel with an edge bevel ground in. I mean not to offend Chris in any way, but the majority of his blades appear to be as such. This is what has kept me from buying from Scorpion, as a few years ago I was considering one of his Khopesh.
As mentioned, a shallower grind angle and some distal taper would go a long way toward making these pieces more appealing, in my opinion.
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Post by swordmaster0813 on Feb 11, 2018 19:38:48 GMT
Truthfully guys and I’m not totally partial even though it’s my design there is a distal taper on the orc Kings sword
Watch the video review here I was more impressed than I thought I’d be i was pretty impressed
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Post by Jordan Williams on Feb 11, 2018 19:49:00 GMT
Truthfully guys and I’m not totally partial even though it’s my design there is a distal taper on the orc Kings sword Watch the video review here I was more impressed than I thought I’d be i was pretty impressed What's the taper on it? |
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Post by Pink Pummy on Feb 11, 2018 19:57:03 GMT
Might just be bad timing, I mean after having read those new years threads where everyone mentioned all the swords they were planning to pick up early 2018 or the things they were saving up for or had already commissioned / in the pipeline. It may not be an issue with the swords, but more so with everyone's pockets being empty right now  As for me, I quite like the Aelutian Gladius' blade design, but I actually have purchasing a traditional one on my radar first, especially because I haven't handled one so far |
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Post by Jordan Williams on Feb 11, 2018 20:02:57 GMT
Also, there are lots and lots of cleaver and gladius inspired swords on the market. If the sword designs that won were less typical of fantasy designs I think people would be more receptive to them. A fantasy sabre, backsword, Shaska, or shamshir would have been really cool and worth the extra price, at least more so than another chopping and gladius sword because no one ever makes those things. There was a decent amount of interest in a Ronin Katana sabre but that died out I guess.
And as other members have stated there are cheaper and higher quality designs out there that can fill in these niches. They're too expensive for just being fun in the backyard cutters and have little value as display items, at least to me.
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Post by bfoo2 on Feb 11, 2018 20:26:47 GMT
I'm not sure if this has popped up in discussion earlier, but I have a feeling that sales in general are flat. Whenever I check the forum classified listings, I see a lot of new sales (at very reasonable prices), but not a lot of movement. Stuff that should have been flying off the shelves a year or so ago is just sitting around.
I find this to be a slow season for swords for some reason? I find that sales pick up in spring/fall, but tend to slow down in winter/summer. Not sure why.
In any case, best of luck with those designs. I'm a military saber guy and fantasy just isn't my thing.
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Razor
Senior Forumite
Posts: 1,883
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Post by Razor on Feb 11, 2018 20:27:40 GMT
I'd have to agree with Razor. While the designs themselves are nice and have some unique shapes, the blades appear to be bars of steel with an edge bevel ground in. I mean not to offend Chris in any way, but the majority of his blades appear to be as such. This is what has kept me from buying from Scorpion, as a few years ago I was considering one of his Khopesh. As mentioned, a shallower grind angle and some distal taper would go a long way toward making these pieces more appealing, in my opinion. This right here. I was going to say something likes this but I just kept it simple. |
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Razor
Senior Forumite
Posts: 1,883
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Post by Razor on Feb 11, 2018 20:31:41 GMT
Truthfully guys and I’m not totally partial even though it’s my design there is a distal taper on the orc Kings sword Watch the video review here I was more impressed than I thought I’d be i was pretty impressed Out of the three designs, this is my favorite. Good job on the design! But again.....there is no weight, POB, cutting, or what the distal tapper is. In the video, there doesn't appear to be a distal tapper. It looks to be the same thickness to the edge bevel. And then at the end of the video you're talking about ZT, and for the money, ZT is the best. |
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Post by Brian Weiss on Feb 11, 2018 20:41:09 GMT
I think the designs look great, but as a newbie to the sword world I'm trying to focus on more traditional designs. I'd rather work towards a really nice classic gladius. That, I'm just not a big fan of fantasy type stuff... you see alot of stuff like that on Ebay. There's also your Forge Direct sale that took the last of my sword money for at least a few months.  |
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kaiyo
Member
Posts: 1,201
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Post by kaiyo on Feb 11, 2018 20:59:33 GMT
for me as a collector they are simply not good enough, good for backyard cutting - yes,
and i think thats what they are made for,
but not for someone who wants to admire swords, im more into the SBG exclusive swords like the latest Odins oar or the Furia,
yes they are way more expensive but sold out quickly, so maybe thats the way to go ?
Maybe get a cool member design and try to get John Lundemo, Brother Banzai or similar talented people to make a limited run...
I think higher quality versions of the Gladius or the orks swords would sell very well.
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stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,714
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Post by stormmaster on Feb 11, 2018 21:03:42 GMT
I'm not sure if this has popped up in discussion earlier, but I have a feeling that sales in general are flat. Whenever I check the forum classified listings, I see a lot of new sales (at very reasonable prices), but not a lot of movement. Stuff that should have been flying off the shelves a year or so ago is just sitting around. I find this to be a slow season for swords for some reason? I find that sales pick up in spring/fall, but tend to slow down in winter/summer. Not sure why. In any case, best of luck with those designs. I'm a military saber guy and fantasy just isn't my thing. yeah this time of the year just before christmas and just after is really slow, it usually picks up with tax season tho, i really do like the orc king dao tho, hopefully this lines does not get discontinued cause it does look cool |
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Post by Jussi Ekholm on Feb 11, 2018 22:38:53 GMT
I'm not into fantasy swords but here are few reasons I think might make it difficult for international customers.
1) For example to Finland 300$ sword + 60$ postage + 24% tax = c. 445$ sword
2) Like Andi wrote on last page there is not the "lore" behind the swords yet. Atlantean sword, swords from GoT, Stuff from Forgotten Realms, Wheel of Time, LOTR etc., video game items like Witcher swords, Skyrim etc. They all have great stories and fantasy setting that makes them desirable.
I don't have any clue at all about the fantasy setting planned for these swords. I do remember a thread about it but I must confess I was not too interested about it. I think people need to read stories or get involved in whatever might be planned for this fantasy world. I mean if you are not involved in this fantasy setting, why would you buy a fantasy sword designed for it?
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Post by musashidin on Feb 11, 2018 23:01:25 GMT
I thought the designs were very cool but weren't swords that I had add to my collection. I prefer epic but functional weapons that heroes or major villains would use. If there was a Forge Direct or Longship Armoury version of Excalibur or Longclaw I would have a hard time resisting.
I'm also looking at picking up a sword during the Forge Direct Chinese New Year sale which would delay other fun purchases. I'd expect some of the customers for these swords to be in the same situation and weighing their options.
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Post by randomnobody on Feb 11, 2018 23:07:12 GMT
I side with those who say, simply, "I'm not interested" and really can't offer more than that. Fantasy isn't my thing. I tried to catch up in the original thread when I first noticed it, already several pages strong, but just couln't push myself to trudge through it all when so little really caught my eye. There were some interesting designs in the mix, but I somehow got the feeling those wouldn't get very far...
Personal interests aside, others have already pointed out that the market right now is just a bit slow. I don't know the last time I bought a new-production sword, but I've seen very little discussion of any, either. eBay katana aside, maybe some chatter about VA or Hanwei's Tinker stuff, and a once-disproportionate amount of Albion and other higher-end brands have been more talked about in the bits of the board I've been in and out of. That's, uh...not including the..."discussions" on DSA...
As for these designs, I concede they do not appeal to me. They don't stand out against what's currently available, and I have no desire to purchase them. Maybe these designs weren't the best ones to start off with? How was that decided, anyway? Poll? Like I said, I didn't really follow the whole affair.
Which also probably brings up another point of possible failure: Aside from a brief perusal of the original thread, and a blurb in the latest Digest (I wonder how many people who get it actually read it? I try to every month, but sometimes I don't get to and others I must confess I find nothing of actual "news" inside...) there's not much info or even advertising on these swords. It's not surprising that they're not selling if only a very limited market (with very limited funds) are even aware they're available to purchase (for, admittedly, a price point well above many other comparable options) and those who do know, probably already have something else in the works.
I don't have the disposable income, and when I do I prefer antique stuff. Really, though, I should be focusing on getting out of the bottomless pit of debt I fell into after my accident in April and getting my life back where it used to be. Swords are fun to look at, but I don't have the room for them in either my budget or my limited physical space.
Still cool that this project is happening, but I'm gonna just come out and say that I can't and won't be supporting it. Just can't afford to.
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Post by Gunnar Wolfgard on Feb 11, 2018 23:33:34 GMT
Truthfully guys and I’m not totally partial even though it’s my design there is a distal taper on the orc Kings sword Watch the video review here I was more impressed than I thought I’d be i was pretty impressed Well I can say for myself that this video didn't generate a sale. If you spent some time giving the specs on it rather than just stand there for 5 minutes swinging it around it might have helped. |
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Post by elbrittania39 on Feb 11, 2018 23:34:19 GMT
Also, have these swords been at all promoted or advertised off the forum? Its probably not a bad idea to expand your market beyond just here.
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Feb 12, 2018 0:20:39 GMT
The main thing is I just don't have the spare funds to be spending on a sword. Beyond that, however, there's the plain and simple fact that none of the designs really appeal to me in any way, so even if I did have spare cash for swords, there are others I'd much rather spend it on.
Early Aelutian Gladius - Except for some minor details, it could be the visual twin of the sword of Achilles from 2004's Troy and I've never liked that sword. I also hate the fact that neither the fuller nor the edge bevels extend all the way to the hilt like they should. There's just no reason for a sword that short to have a ricasso.
Sword of the Goblin King - Razor pretty hit the nail on the head with this one: it looks like something you'd see in a BudK catalogue for about 40$. For nearly 300$, I'd rather spend my money on something that actually looks worth the price.
The Orc King's War Cleaver - It isn't bad, per se, but it looks like a dadao from the John Rambo school of blade design and I stopped liking needless "serrations" on blades about 15 years ago, so anything with them gets an automatic pass from me. That said, I like the general shape of it, so it'd look a lot better in my eyes without those "serrations".
Lastly, there's the fact that they're being made by Chris of Scorpion Swords. Like Voltan, I don't mean any offense by this, but all his swords look like flat bars that have had edge bevels ground into them; like Voltan, that's been the major factor that has prevented me from seriously considering anything from Scorpion swords... Well, that and the fact that all the hilts are made with slab grips, even the guards are just slabs on those rare few blades that have them. It just makes the blades look crude to me.
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Post by MOK on Feb 12, 2018 0:26:24 GMT
Also, have these swords been at all promoted or advertised off the forum? Its probably not a bad idea to expand your market beyond just here. Yeah, I think it would be a most unhealthy business decision to limit the promotion to just SBG itself. Word of mouth only goes so far with such a small initial audience. |
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Post by elbrittania39 on Feb 12, 2018 0:29:35 GMT
Also, have these swords been at all promoted or advertised off the forum? Its probably not a bad idea to expand your market beyond just here. Yeah, I think it would be a most unhealthy business decision to limit the promotion to just SBG itself. Word of mouth only goes so far with such a small initial audience. Is there any reason not to list these on KOA? |
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