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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2009 17:32:16 GMT
So it’s a long an very boring day at work, I’ve got lots of things I should be doing but all are just to dull to even contemplate starting; so instead I’m reading through SBG.
A couple of posts I read got me thinking about what criteria I consider when buying a sword and how this differs from other sword enthusiast.
For example for me historical accuracy is important, I look at fantasy swords(particularly those that are more Fantastical) and can’t help wandering how people can seriously be interested in them? They just look silly to me!
Similarly I’m interested in particular historical periods (primarily 14th century England). So probably would never buy a Katana, and cant help wondering why some people are so obsessed with Katana’s?
I like to buy good quality items, if it means I have to save for a year, so be it. however it seams that lots of people on the board prefer quantity over quality .
So my question to the group is what do you look for in a sword, why, and how important are these factors to you?:
• Cutting performance.
• Historical period
• Where the sword design is from
• Historical accuracy
• Coolness
• Price
• Anything else you can think of
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SlayerofDarkness
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Post by SlayerofDarkness on Feb 23, 2009 17:46:57 GMT
cutting ability durability good price handling aesthetics preferably 1.5 or 2 handed
Historical accuracy is irrelevent to me, but if any sword had all of the above requirements, I'd be in love. ;D
-Slayer
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Post by YlliwCir on Feb 23, 2009 20:37:53 GMT
My priorities keep changing the longer I hang out on this forum. Some of my favorites blades now are of a type I didn't care for when I joined. Thanks, SBG! I think. LOL
I've come to appreciate a broad price range. It's not really quantity over quality as I do require them to be functional, tho I will forgive some cosmetic issues with the lower priced ones.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2009 20:50:00 GMT
I think slayer hit the nail on the head!
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Post by shadowhowler on Feb 23, 2009 20:50:38 GMT
I buy a lot of swords... but the ones I keep have certain criteria they must meet. *Apperance. This is the first thing you notice about a sword... it has to look good to me. That doesn't mean it has to be really 'done up' or detailed... sometimes the most basic looks is attractive. *Function. If it's a sword, it has to do what a sword is ment to do. *Balance/Handling. I like swords that feel 'right' in my hands. even if a sword is attractive and a good value, if it just doesn't fit me right, I'll sell it. *Durability. I'm not going to be attacking any trees or brick walls, stabing any car doors or any of that crap... but I do USE my swords... and I need them to be well built. *Value. Sometimes a 50 doller sword is NOT a good Value and a 500 doller sword is. Price alone does not determine the value of a sword... there are MANY factors. Whatever the selling price tho, I always look for a good value. *Good Vendor/Retailer. Lemons slip threw the cracks... sometimes swords are not what they should be... always buy from someone you can trust to stand behind the product so that if you get a dud or have an issue, you can resolve it. About the only thing I don't care about when buying a sword is historical accuracy. I'm not a renactor. I like fantasy and original designs.
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SlayerofDarkness
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Post by SlayerofDarkness on Feb 23, 2009 20:56:12 GMT
Shadow- That's almost EXACTLY what I wanted to say! (but was to lazy to do so... lol!)
The only difference with me is that I prefer a bit more durability, as stumps and 2x4's are not safe from my wrath. ;D
-Slayer EDIT: 'Stups' is not a word. 'Stumps' is. 'Nuff said. ;D
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Post by shadowhowler on Feb 23, 2009 21:02:04 GMT
Shadow- That's almost EXACTLY what I wanted to say! (but was to lazy to do so... lol!) The only difference with me is that I prefer a bit more durability, as stumps and 2x4's are not safe from my wrath. ;D -Slayer EDIT: 'Stups' is not a word. 'Stumps' is. 'Nuff said. ;D It's a good thing your a DSA fan... what they give up in balance/weight/handling they make up for in TOUGH. There are a lot of swords out there... and different strengths and weaknessess for them... thus anyone should be able to find one that meets what they are looking for.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2009 10:19:42 GMT
Hmmm... at the moment for me it seems to be cutlasses, cutlasses, lots of cutlasses. Curved, short blades and complex hilts. All periods, all nationalities. Not sure entirely why, but this particular type is obsessing me at the moment, and I want to get my hands on as wide a variety as possible to compare their strengths and weaknesses. Lucky for me they're at the cheaper end of the price spectrum! ;D As to what criteria I'll be using to compare them... #1 Handling and #2 Cutting/Thrusting Performance- I primarily want to use these swords, for drilling and cutting practice, so they have to have the balance, sturdiness, edge retention etc that allows for that. Historical accuracy isn't especially important to me as an overall criterion. I'd like to have some historically accurate pieces, preferably 17thC, but I'm not especially obsessive about it. Appearance, again, isn't a major criterion. One of the swords I'm looking forward to getting is a 1917 US naval cutlass, and that's one ugly little SOB! But it really appeals to me for some reason- maybe the brutal efficiency of the thing, or perhaps because it was the last of its type. But who knows what it'll be next week..... Cheers Marc E
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2009 10:52:36 GMT
What everyone else said but I have a few odd ones I have trouble explaining.
Harmonic Resonance: the way the blade sings in the hand, often referred to as handling but it is somehow deeper. I have sold off most of my weapons because of incompatibility in this area.
Proportions: by this I mean that the length of the blade is proportional to the handle and vice versa.
I guess ultimately it is hard to explain beyond balance and handling exactly what I look for in a sword because what I look for in a sword relates only to me and no one else.
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Post by shadowhowler on Feb 24, 2009 11:48:14 GMT
I guess ultimately it is hard to explain beyond balance and handling exactly what I look for in a sword because what I look for in a sword relates only to me and no one else. I understand you Wraith... and that to me is the BIGEST drawback of buying swords online. No mater how a sword looks, what it's made of of how well it's put together, or how close the specs... weight, balance point, CoP, and so on... no matter how spot on all these things are... ...you NEVER know how it's going to FEEL until it's in your hand. I have bought swords that I thought would be perfect... that I loved the look of.... and that I knew were well assembled... but once I had them in hand... well... they were allright... good tools... but they did not feel like they BELONGED there. It's sometimes hard to define in pure terms... but you have to feel a blade to know if it really fits you.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2009 12:58:10 GMT
well, being a martial artist I am enthralled with the japanese swords and the displined way of life they represented. I am new to "cutting" so my first purchase was a combination of inexpensive to moderate to upper end of the sub 300 market..I think. I wanted to have a few that I could use for friends who see me cutting and want to "play" and I wanted a couple that will serve me well in tournament competitions. I'm extremely glad I found this site and purchased my first 5 katanas from members here. Had I not, I think I would have ended up with "junk" swords that did not meet my criteria as I'm still unsure exactly what I'm looking for in a sword. After seeing the "destructive" test video on the DSA knightly I am thinking of getting one for chopping heavier targets. The sturdiness of that blade was very impressive. I wish they made a katana...lol. Anyway I continue to learn exactly what I am looking for in a sword as I go but for now I look for the following: Functionalality Value Durability "fun factor" Aesthetics
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2009 13:48:24 GMT
Good question, +1 for making me think about it! When I started reading this thread I would have said functionality was my top priority but because I shop almost exclusively on the internet looks and price are what draw me toward certain swords over others. I'm a katana fan but if I see yet another katana with a black saya, black ito and white same I usually just keep on clicking. It might be $50 or $5000 but if it looks like everything else it's hard to stop and consider purchasing it. In short I'd have to say looks are what attract me to purchasing something (online in particular) but functionality/handling are what make me really like it once I get my hands on it. It's nice if it looks good on the wall but ten times better if it looks good on my wall and can cut through anything I put in front of it.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2009 20:27:15 GMT
My criteria goes somthing like this
- historical period
- Historical accuracy
- Cutting
- Fit and finish
- Look
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ecovolo
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Post by ecovolo on Feb 24, 2009 22:33:36 GMT
For example for me historical accuracy is important, I look at fantasy swords(particularly those that are more Fantastical) and can’t help wandering how people can seriously be interested in them? They just look silly to me! Different strokes for different folks, and all that . My interest in swords and their use began when I saw the movie "Conan The Barbarian" as a child . (I can only guess this could have been different if I saw "Henry the V" or maybe a historical movie first .) Fantasy weapons are designed in such ways that historically accurate weapons *can't* be. That's what makes them so cool to me. Similarly I’m interested in particular historical periods (primarily 14th century England). So probably would never buy a Katana, and cant help wondering why some people are so obsessed with Katana’s? I'm one of the practitioners of Eastern martial arts. To me, a katana is not only a weapon, but a training tool. Also, I am fascinated by Japanese weaponry and its role during that country's history. Plus, frankly, they're so different from European swords-- I think that's neat . I like to buy good quality items, if it means I have to save for a year, so be it. however it seams that lots of people on the board prefer quantity over quality . So my question to the group is what do you look for in a sword, why, and how important are these factors to you?: •Cutting performance. •Historical period •Where the sword design is from •Historical accuracy •Coolness •Price •Anything else you can think of What I look for, and why? The criteria you listed is pretty much what I look for a weapon, so I'll address them here: •Cutting performance=Regarding tameshigiri and/or cutting practice, sharpness and durability is a must. I look for this when I purchase katana. •Historical period= I occasionally indulge in European history reenactment. For me, European swords have to be modeled for the right time period in order to make the outfit I wear work. This aspect is more important for my European weapons than the katana that I buy. •Where the sword design is from= Regarding my current reenactment hobbies, this goes hand-in-hand with "Historical Period", above. •Historical accuracy= See "Historical Period" . As long as I am reenacting, the weapon must match the outfit, right down to the country of origin. •Coolness= That's a low priority on my list. As long as the weapon is functional for how I intend to use it, how "cool" it looks is pretty unimportant. Granted, it *is* kind of neat to have the weapon that no one else does, but to me that's a low priority. •Price= A *major* factor. I think that's why I'm on the SBG sub-$300 discussion board a lot ;D. In the end, I always ask "Is it worth paying this much?" If the weapon is worth it, the money is well spent. •Anything else you can think of= Customer service! The company I buy the weapon from better have a good customer service rep, because that rep gets out to boards like this one. If they serve me well --or poorly-- I'll make sure other people know this, and that will determine if I will be a return customer or not. --Edward
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2009 13:29:29 GMT
Historical Period - My original goal in collecting swords was to get one for each period and culture where an example was available.
Historical Accuracy - If I'm picking up a period piece, I don't want it to be anachronistic. Hilt construction is exempt here because of my pricerange (only so many choices for a given example), and because it doesn't affect display.
Handling/performance - I can only guess at how a sword is going to feel to me before it's in my hands. I deviated from my normal criteria for an Atrim, because I wanted to know the difference, and have a high performance weapon to handle. Knowing what I do now, some historical reproductions will never get sharpened. They still have priority in the buying order though.
Coolness/Aesthetics - It's not high priority, but a Fable blade is on the list somewhere. For the many lower end swords I'll buy to fill out my timeline, aesthetics will come with customization.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2009 3:06:13 GMT
Handling/Durability: These are tied for highest priority, if I can't swing it around easily enough, then it's not really that fun , on the other hand, if it breaks if I hit something, then thats also no fun. Cutting ability: If it can't cut anything, then it's more of a replica or prop than an actual sword, is it not? Aesthetics: It's gotta look cool... although I am pretty damn easy to please Concerning the historical accuracy and period, ect ect. I could really care less.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2009 19:22:18 GMT
My tastes have pretty much remained the same over the years; I love swords, having been introduced to them in fictional works such as Knights of the Round Table, Charlemagne and Lord of the Rings, and so, for me it is as follows:
1 - Historicity - does it have a place in history somewhere, preferably 12th-15th century, accurate to a point. 2 - Aesthetics - if it does not look good or cool to me, I'm not going to be interested in it. 3 - Price - if I can't get past this point, nothing else is going to matter or be quantified; and I'm not a prolific sword buyer, I tend to pick and choose what I purchase based on the funds available at the time and level of desire to have a specific piece. 4 - Handling/Performance - a sword that does not feel like it belongs in my hand will not remain with me for long. Cutting ability is also included in this characteristic.
Having said that, I am looking to expand my current collection with some offerings from SBG; I just have to get online from home so I can actually SEE them.
I guess overall, maybe aesthetics take the forefront- if it doesn't appeal to me visually, I'm sure I won't go out and get it.
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SlayerofDarkness
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Post by SlayerofDarkness on Mar 11, 2009 19:24:43 GMT
Historicity? WE HAVE A NEW WORD!!! ;D Somebody, quick! Call Webster! Hmm.... I like it! However, I think that you may just be looking for 'Historical Accuracy'. -Slayer
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Post by alvin on Mar 11, 2009 19:28:12 GMT
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Post by YlliwCir on Mar 11, 2009 19:43:21 GMT
Hmm, someone's been schooled.
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