A Tungsten Blade?

From what i know most high quality swords are spring so the whole sword doesn't shatter or transfer all energy into your wrist but have a cast edge so it wont bend and will hold its edge. idk how you dont get micro fractures along the edge but this is how it was explained to me, and this is why katanas have a curve is because its made straight but as it cools the blade shrinks away from the hardened edge.

Just did a internet search. Information was pretty scarce for pure carbon edges, but it seems like it makes excellent slicers, but is so brittle impacts cause severe blunting from micro fractures very quickly, and it’s hardness makes it very difficult to sharpen or hone. So what it seems is that pure tungsten edges make exceptional slicing knives, but would be very impractical for swords. And yes, it seems like you could bond a tungsten edge to a sword, but it wouldn’t be any more effective than a differentially tempered monosteel blade. I think you may have heard of differential tempering and that’s what your thinking of in high end swords. The blade is usually monosteel, but the edges are tempered harder than the body. This makes the sword have a very hard cutting edge but a springy body. The primary reason spring steel is used in high end swords is because they flex instead of cracking or taking a permanent set on a bad hit. Some of the best swords of all time, the Frankish Ulfbhert swords of the 9th-11th centuries, were spring monosteel that were reported to be able to be flexed 90 degrees and suffer no damage or set.

Nitinol 60 probably is the perfect sword material, but it's so difficult to make in any sort of usable quantity it hasn't been tested yet. That's a nickel titanium alloy developed by the naval ordinance laboratory back in the cold war. It's like a super spring steel that's almost entirely corrosion proof.

As for practical materials, 5160 and 9260 steel are generally the go to steel for high end swords. Things like t10 and A2 steel make the sharpest and longest lasting sword edges, but are so hard that they are not good for beginners. They easily break or take a set on bad hits on even relatively soft targets.

i was actually looking at Nitinol before earlier today, i think people were saying knives are made of it but it liked to morph at room temperature or something... ill read into it more.

well i meant are there any other metals or alloys that would do better, i feel how you make, treat, shape and cool would be just as important with any metal you're using.

There's a guy on Bladeforums that has made a few swords from beta titanium alloy. The test cutting videos certainly look impressive (cutting bamboo and the like). I don't know how it's edge sharpness/holding compares, but I wonder if the edge could be carbidized like you can with steel. As mentioned above though, the lighter alloy changes the ballgame of making an effective weapon.

I would love to see a sword made properly from infi steel; Busse's proprietary steel/heat treatment. It's an incredible steel for its toughness in large blades. Noss on youtube did some awesome destruction tests on them. Busse has made a few swords (katana style and a gladius) but I feel they are overly heavy, made for those who like to bash trees and rocks with them. If I won the lottery I would commission a custom-made blade with proper sword dimensions.