Sword Buyers Digest: MAGAZINE! From the Desk of Paul Southren (Editor)
Issue 5, March 2007 SWORD BUYERS DIGEST: MAGAZINE Sword Buyers Digest: MAGAZINE! From the Desk of Paul Southren (Editor) Hey Folks! This would have to be the biggest issue of the digest yet… Inside this issue: SBG Site News 1 Sword Industry News 2 Shooting Swords: Xtreme Sword Tests! 3-6 AoV Design a Sword Competition: Results 7 Darksword‟s Boromir Sword Review 8 Best SBG Reviews: Vote for the winner! 9 DIY Workshop: Hybrid Polishing 10 Ryumon Katana Exclusive Special Offer! 11 Best Forum Posts 12 Emails to the Editor 13 PLUS: Video of the Month 10% discount at Reliks.com Insiders Secrets of the Sword Industry I‟ve tried to trim it back to the usual 10 pages. Oh, how I have tried. But there were so many competitions, special offers, new articles, reviews and more that there was simply no way to keep it within the 10 page constraint that I normally try and limit it to… (sigh). I can‟t promise that next months issue will be as big. Indeed, I am trying to keep it within 10 pages as I feel that any more than this and I might as well turn it into a REAL magazine, but then I‟d have to charge for it—and as I have said at the onset, that is not something I ever want to do (though some people have told me that the amount of content and specials the Digest Delivers warrants some kind of fee, but it ain‟t gonna happen!). Anyway, rather than take up even more room with my introductory rambling, let‟s get into it! Cheers, - Paul Southren SBG Site News Quite a few developments in February. First off, the SBG Sword Store has seen some structural changes, with links to much bigger, clearer images and a cleaner, more ordered navigation and framing of individual products—creating the foundation for an expansion into several other lines of Japanese Katana from this month onwards. However, in general SBG News, perhaps the most interesting and biggest new addition was SBG contributor Adam Sharp‟s guide to medieval longsword fencing, The True Swordsman. And much more! While it is still a work in progress, this groundbreaking online guide is the first of its kind and consists of easy to understand, step by step instructions on basic to intermediate Longsword fighting techniques and, once completed, will be a core part of a new focus on medieval and Japanese sword training that will roll out across the site in the coming months. Other wise, there have been a few additional reviews added over February, and behind the scenes there has been lot of background preparation for a major expansion of SBG across the board (I‟ve said it once and I‟ll say it again, what has been done so far is just the tip of the iceberg). KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST SBG SITE NEWS HERE © Sword-Buyers-Guide.com 2007 Sword Buyers Digest: MAGAZINE! Issue 5, March 2007 Page 2 Sword Industry News: New Designs GENERATION 2 The second sword in the much anticipated Reinhardt Collection is finally here, and it looks like a real beauty! There aren‟t many available in the first batch, so you better get in quick. Click here for a closer look at this sword on the AoV website. MUSASHI SWORDS They have done it again... While it may not be a complete Katana per-se (unless you are a Yakuza gangster that is!), their $59 Rosewood Shirasaya Katana has one of the keenest and nicest quality blades I have seen on any sword under the US$100 price point. Indeed, if you didn‟t tell me the price, I would guess it would probably be around the $130$150 price point...! While Shirasaya are generally not recommend as cutters „out of the box‟ (simply because, with no hand guard or ito wrap to keep a firm grip, there is a very real danger of fingers sliding down onto the razor sharp blade), some careful preliminary tests found this sword to be quite a nice piece and certainly more than worthy for display or even better re-mounting. The original River Witham Viking Sword “While it may not be a complete Katana per-se (unless you are a Yakuza Gangster that is!), their $59 Rosewood Shirasaya Katana has one of the keenest and nicest quality blades I have seen on any sword under the Based on a Viking Sword dredged up from the river Witham, (pictured opposite) that famed sword scholar Hank Reinhardt has always wanted to see „brought to life‟ - this stunningly beautiful fully functional replica is already a real „crowd pleaser‟ to some usually very critical sword experts over at My Armoury.com US$100 price point.” The prototype design shown here has already undergone some modifications based on feedback from My Armoury and our own SBG Sword Forum including a more rounded pommel and the fuller going up into the guard. The first batch is completed and will be arriving early this month. At $299 they are a little more expensive than most of Generation 2‟s one handed swords, but for a sword of this standard it is still an excellent price. As always, you can get your hands on the first batch from Jason at Arms of Valor with the 10% SBG discount— just enter the coupon code „SBG‟ next to your name in brackets when you order (or mention SBG when you call) and when they process your card AoV will lower the price to just $269.10). Click here for the full SBG Review COMING SOON! I am currently working with some of the sword industry heavy weights to put together a sister site showcasing only the very best sword manufacturers. Stay tuned for more news on this in another issue. © Sword-Buyers-Guide.com 2007 Multiple Water Filled Containers quickly turn into nice „onion rings‟ with the Musashi Rosewood Shirasaya blade Sword Buyers Digest: MAGAZINE! Issue 5, March 2007 Page 3 Shooting Swords! Mike Harris‟ Swords vs Gun Experiments…! By Paul Southren (Editor) You may have seen it on youtube—where on a Japanese TV program a Japanese made Katana is „tested‟ against a .45 ACP Pistol and a .50 caliber browning machine gun (if you haven‟t, click on the pic to the right). Well, SBG‟s own Mike Harris decided to take this tests one step further, claiming that any half decent Japanese style blade should be able to handle the pistol tests. And backing it up with the following tests—which, for obvious reasons, you should certainly not try at home! Here it is for all the world to see and some to scold me as an idiot for even thinking of doing this. That said, I think most will find the results interesting and informative. I decided to do my own testing, based on the previously mentioned shooting tests. I selected a Paul Chen/Hanwei Banshee. This sword is the Hanwei reproduction of a Burmese Dha. It has a 21" blade and a 11" hilt. The blade is single edged with a very thick spine of .285" at the hilt and tapering to .200" at two inches before the tip. This is a very thick, rigid blade. It has been sharpened to a "paper sharp sword" edge and demonstrates a The sword was tightened into the vice and things were ready to commence. thick appleseed edge configuration. I also elected to test my Generation 2 12th Century Norman sword that has been discussed in several other threads on the SBG Forum. This Generation 2 sword currently has a 29" double edge blade with a prominent fuller for most of the blade. The blade is .250" at the hilt and tapers to .130" at two inches behind the tip. The Original YouTube Clip that started it all, a Katana vs a 9mm handgun “Here it is for all the world to see and some The test was set-up using a padded vice to hold the blades and a cardboard target was setup approximately eight inches behind the blade. The firearm used was a highly customized Colt Mk IV, Series '70 in .45 ACP caliber. The ammunition selected was an attempt to duplicate that used in the above mentioned YouTube video. It consists of a 200 grain hard cast semi-wadcutter bullet at a muzzle velocity of approximately 900 feet per second. All shooting was done at approximately 15 feet distance from the blade. Appropriate safety equipment was used throughout the test. I backed away and fired the first round, and was surprised by a glancing hit. A few more The Banshee was tested first. Here you see rounds resulted in mostly hits and a few near the sword, vice, accompanying target, pistol misses. You can see the hits and misses. and a representative sample of ammunition. © Sword-Buyers-Guide.com 2007 to scold me as an idiot for even thinking of doing this. That said, I think most will find the results interesting and informative” Sword Buyers Digest: MAGAZINE! Issue 5, March 2007 Page 4 Shooting Swords! (cont) Mike Harris‟ Swords vs Gun Experiments…! In the following closeup, the misses can be seen as perfectly round holes in the target almost in line with the blade. The hits produced the ragged holes that appear further away from the blade on either side. I was so impressed by the performance that I ended up shooting the blade with two full 8-round magazines, for a total of 16 rounds fired. I believe there are three clear misses. The other 13 rounds were either good center hits or glancing blows. "beaters?" The smears of lead are obvious on each side. Most bullets hit more on one side or the other, thus the different smear marks on each side of the blade. Next up was the Generation 2 12th Century Norman sword. It was placed in the vice and preparations were made to get under way with the testing. A Katana vs a .50 cal Machine Gun… No surprises on what happens, but how it happens on the slow mo replay is very interesting... So, was there any appreciable damage to the blade? I will let the following pictures tell most of the story. I will say that I ran my finger along the sides of the edge and could feel no thing out of alignment. The edge seems fine. I'm sure there was some microscopic damage, but then isn't that why we call them “I was so impressed by the performance that I ended up shooting the blade with two full 8round magazines, for a total of 16 rounds fired” The testing proceeded as before, except this time I was a little nervous. I really didn't care how the banshee turned out as it cost barely over $100 and I figured it would be easy to replace. But with "Gennie" there was an emotional investment. This sword and I have a history of doing a bunch of crazy stuff together. I had second thoughts and considered not doing this test. But my caution and "costbenefit analyzer" seems have been on the fritz lately, so I ignored these feelings. © Sword-Buyers-Guide.com 2007 Sword Buyers Digest: MAGAZINE! Issue 5, March 2007 Page 5 Shooting Swords! (cont) Mike Harris‟ Swords vs Gun Experiments…! The first two shots were complete misses, one just to the right and one almost a half-inch to the left. Pitiful shooting, and obviously nerveinduced. So I stopped and took a couple of deep breaths to calm the nerves. The third shot I barely pulled right and resulted with a glancing impact. There was a little blade vibration, but not much else. I settled down and concentrated on sight picture and trigger control for the fourth shot. Bing, almost perfectly dead center... But... OH HELL!!! What's that?! Sure looks like a big, honkin', nasty bend in the edge to me. But...everything is a learning experience. And I refuse to give up without exercising whatever remedies possible to correct stupid errors and experiments. So, off to the workshop I went. Upon close inspection, the bullet impact actually bent a "U" shape in the edge, bending it out to about 90 degrees, but not otherwise damaging the edge. The part of the edge at the center of the "U" was still "paper sharp", meaning it would still cut paper. So I resolved to try to correct this screwup by a judicious application of hammer and large diameter brass punch. It was not a terribly difficult process. The procedure was to place the center of the blade in a padded vice, just at the bullet impact. The "U" shaped impact was about a half inch above the vice. I used the brass punch and hammer to tap/beat the edge back more-or-less into alignment with the rest of the edge. After the corrective treatment, and a bit of judicious polishing I was off to test the correction. I cut a few bottles with the repaired portion of the edge. Damn the luck to shoot it almost exactly at the COP! I also cut a six pack of bottles with the opposite edge. All cuts were made cleanly and without event. Now being ready to test the durability, I proceeded to place 100 counted blows on the tire pell. I started out slow, giving it a few halfforce blows and examining the blade. After being satisfied that it wasn't going to come apart I proceeded to really lay into the pell. After a vigorous 100 pell strikes, this is the result. This was quite depressing, as I have formed quite an attachment to this sword. Here is a close-up of the damage. © Sword-Buyers-Guide.com 2007 The shadow image reveals the extent of the edge damage, which in an improperly tempered medieval sword would cause instant shattering... “But..OH HELL!!! What‟s that?! Sure looks like a big, honkin‟ nasty bend in the edge to me.” Sword Buyers Digest: MAGAZINE! Issue 5, March 2007 Page 6 Shooting Swords! (cont) Mike Harris‟ Swords vs Gun Experiments…! You can see the "polished" area and rubber residue from the edge impacting and cutting into the tires. Here is a closeup of the repair to the damaged edge. No terrible damage. No bending. No cracking. No warpage. So...why did one sword pass the test with flying colors and another sword of roughly equal quality fail so completely? Well...I'm glad you asked. It is my theory that it all has to do with the mass of the edge. Japanese cutting swords have what roughly translates to "meat" in the edge. The Banshee exhibits this "meat" in its edge, and has a very thick tang for support. Whereas the 12th Century Norman most certainly does not. The thickness of the Banshee blade, measured at .100" behind the edge is almost twice the thickness of the European design. This Generation 2 is a reproduction of a totally cut oriented European design from the 1100s. As such, it is thin and doesn't have nearly the cross section of the much later design reproduced in the Hanwei Dha. So, my conclusions are just about what I expected going into this test. A meaty blade of decent manufacture should be able to cut a lead alloy bullet fired at subsonic velocities without noticeable damage. A sword of relatively thin cross section and thin edge, like a Viking sword or other earlier medieval design may have significantly less ability to resist the impact force and may bend (if tempered properly) or break/crack (if tempered too hard). Hope everyone enjoys this little escapade. If you like it, and want to see more...or you think it's stupid but LYAO at my idiocy, and want to see me do something else that's overly stupid... 10% off all Windlass Steelcrafts Swords at Reliks.com Simply use the special coupon code „RELIKS-SBG‟ in their checkout and save a whopping 10% of their already low prices on their entire range of Windlass Steelcrafts Medieval Swords. If you shop around, you‟ll quickly see that this offer makes these swords available at the very lowest prices on the internet. Plus a small portion of each sale helps keep SBG and the Sword Buyers Digest Online Magazine funded. Click here to see out what Windlass Swords are in Stock Today! © Sword-Buyers-Guide.com 2007 Sword Buyers Digest: MAGAZINE! Issue 5, March 2007 Page 7 The Winners of the Design a Sword Comp! There were really some very nice entries, but in the end there could be only two winners, one for the fantasy swords category and one for the historical. Here they are... THE FANTASY SWORD WINNER HISTORICAL SWORD WINNER The Flame of Angels, By Adam Sharp The Torino, by Clayton Chester One of Erik. T. Hilliker‟s Orcs. No doubt these guys will make an appearance as the antagonists in the Flame of Angels Poster... HOW THE VOTING WENT... It didn‟t surprise me that the number of people voting was a little low, after all—I made everyone kind of jump through hoops to look at all the entries and then use the form instead of just a simple click. This was intentional and even though only 41 out of 1,000 + SBG Newsletter subscribers voted (and it was just 1 vote between the Deriavis and the Paladin Sword!) the results on across the page speak for themselves. SO, WHAT’S NEXT? Well, obviously to bring these great designs to life! ;-) The wheels are already turning and the designs have been submitted to Generation 2 to start production, plus the Flame of Angels Paladin Sword story has been sent to Erik. T. Hilliker to start the artwork. I‟ll keep you all posted with further updates and developments as they come to hand! © Sword-Buyers-Guide.com 2007 Sword Buyers Digest: MAGAZINE! Issue 5, March 2007 Page 8 SWORD REVIEW: Darksword Armory Boromir Sword (by Jason Woodard) I had been looking for battle ready swords based from the LOTR films for awhile. In my search I came across Darksword armory’s home page. Dark Sword Armories Boromir Sword The guard is heavy steel I think, Seems well made and very solid. The sword feels a bit heavy. So I went and put it on a scale..It`s 4 Ibs 1 ounce.. The balance point is about 3 1/2 inches down the blade. I spent some time swinging it around and getting used to the feel of it. It seems to move in the hand well. You can use one hand but it feels better with both. The only real down side I can say is that dark sword armory is in Canada and I emailed them asking about the Boromir sword due to international shipping laws which restrict and got lucky because they have just stopped the shipment of "dangerous goods" they can not making it. They do have some left if you ask. sharpen there swords prior to shipping. They do Most of there LOTR sword run about $250.00 come with a ready edge though. So I took the But The Boromir was $150.00 due to it being a sword down to my local knife shop a had a edge close out. Plus $40.00 in shipping. The owner put on it for $23.00. So I`ve got close to$220.00 Eyal Said they spend about 9 hours on each In the sword..I was then ready to give the sword.. I ordered the Boromir..It came by UPS about 4 days after I placed my order. The packing Boromir a workout. First a set up a 2 litre bottle filled with water. The sword cut threw it very was done well. A good heavy coat of oil was on clean, Next I set up a thicker plastic gallon jug the blade. used for washer fluid and filled with water and The sword looks great up close! gave it a heavy swing. I think it cut this gallon jug better due to the added weight. They carry many kinds of battle ready swords and their site reads that all there swords are made from 1060 high carbon steel, tempered to a Rockwell of 53 with a full tang, oil hardened and all their blades are handmade one at a time. Then for the last I set up heaviest plastic a jug used for antifreeze. It cut the best threw it. The top of the jug hardly moved but was cut clean in two. The sword feels good in the hand during a swing and cut..I would have to say I`m very happy with this sword and will most likely buy from dark sword armory again..The sword seems like a good deal for the money. Also Darksword armory is giving away a leather sword belt with each sword order this month. The handle is done in nice heavy tight leather and the sheath is wrapped in the same leather. The sword fits very well in the sheath. As soon as I picked up the sword and gave it a looking over I saw there is a small round stamp with a shield and the letters D S in the middle near the guard. So If your looking to buy one of the strongest,well made and balanced swords on the market this is the sword for you!!It`s a sword I`m proud to own!! So check them out.. Thank you for your time. Jason Woodard © Sword-Buyers-Guide.com 2007 “All their swords are made from 1060 high carbon steel, tempered to a Rockwell of 53 with a full tang, oil hardened and their blades are handmade one at a time, Sword Buyers Digest: MAGAZINE! Issue 5, March 2007 Page 9 VOTE for last months best sword reviews: With the winner getting a FREE Gen2 or Cheness Sword of their choice! As you may recall in last months edition of the digest, we were running a special competition for the best review submitted to SBG. Well, the time has come to go over the entries and cast your vote. So here they are in the order they were submitted: Hanwei’s New PK Katana Generation 2 Ranger Sword Cheness Cutlery Delux Iaito Albion Ritter Boromir Sword Hanwei Banshee Dha William Marshal Sword Mokko Wakizashi Blackwind Katana Have a quick look over the reviews and see what you think. Once you have found your favorite, go over to the to the link for the SBG voting form below and help select the winner, based on which review was the most informative and entertaining. It‟s all pretty straightforward, and like I said last issue, the winner will get to pick from a selected range of Generation 2 medieval swords (kindly donated by Jason at Arms of Valor) or Cheness Cutlery Katana (from yours truly at the SBG Sword Store). If you didn‟t get your review together in time for the competition, don‟t worry—we will be putting another one together some time down the track. Votes will close on the 15th of March so we have time to announce the winner and send them the sword of their choice from Generation 2 or Cheness Cutlery. CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR VOTE A rare SBG review of an Albion high end production sword was also included in this months edition. “If you didn‟t get your review together in time, don‟t worry—we will be putting another one together some time down the track…” TrueSwords.com: LOWEST PRICES ONLINE FOR COLD STEEL SWORDS AND KNIVES… Cold Steel Sword Cane Normally US$199 direct from Cold Steel. Available for just US$99 at Trueswords.com Many other Cold Steel swords and knives at unbelievably low prices. Extra FAST shipping—look for the IN STOCK designators to see what‟s available and ready to go right now... Click here to see their comprehensive Selection of Cold Steel Swords © Sword-Buyers-Guide.com 2007 Sword Buyers Digest: MAGAZINE! Issue 5, March 2007 Page 10 A DIY Showcase Hybrid Polishing of a Cheness Katana $219 obviously isn‟t much to pay for an authentically differentially hardened Katana. But as most of you know, this is the lowest price you can pick up one of Cheness Cutleries „Kanbai‟ (Winter Plum) Katana. With a natural, unetched and quite subtle hamon it is truly quite a beautiful blade. But with a little elbow grease, the beauty of the nioi crystals created along the edge of the blade can really be brought out, giving it a true Nihonto appearance. The method of polishing a differentially Katana varies from person to person. Some people like to use the traditional Japanese polishing stones, though these are somewhat expensive, often costing as much as a low end production sword in themselves. The pics shown here are by a fellow Aussie, Oswald Parker, who took around 1 week of work to get the sword to this point—which is why polishing a Japanese sword is sometimes referred to as „polishing the soul‟, both of the sword—and the man. BEFORE POLISHING—Subtle Activity Kanbai Tsuba However, a more economical approach is simply to use different grit sanding papers— starting with 220 grit and working up to 2000, 2500 or even 3000. “Bear in mind that it isn‟t something you can do The best online resource on how to do it yourself is here: overnight. And you‟ll need to be patient...” http://www.arscives.com/bladesign/ hybridpolish.htm Bear in mind that it isn‟t something you can do overnight. And you‟ll need to be patient. AFTER POLISHING-A clear Choji hamon © Sword-Buyers-Guide.com 2007 Sword Buyers Digest: MAGAZINE! Issue 5, March 2007 Page 11 SBG Sword Store Specials Exclusive USA Members Only Discount Offer! As you may know, the SBG Sword Store has been expanding it‟s range of functional Katana in the last couple of months. But you may not know that with our rapidly expanding affiliated network of quality US based vendors and manufacturers, we have access to a whole lot more swords that we can sell at ridiculously low prices. However, instead of making these special offers available to casual site viewers, I have reserved them specifically and exclusively for Sword Buyers Digest subscribers. Yes, membership certainly has its rewards... And this months special is a real beauty indeed... SWORD OF THE MONTH—MARCH 2007 CLICK ANYWHERE BELOW TO BE TAKEN TO OUR ‘SECRET’ SALES PAGE... Ryumon Folded Dragon Katana (USA Customers Only) NORMALLY: $349.99 SWORD BUYERS DIGEST SUBSCRIBERS BEST DEAL ON THE ‘NET PRICE: JUST US$219.99 WITH FREE SHIPPING! (USA Only) Folded and Differentially Tempered with imported Japanese Cotton ito and real same skin wrap, this razor sharp Katana is one of Ryumon‟s finest. Includes a premium maintenance kit, Silk Sword Bag, Certificate and Wooden Display Box. Incredible Bang for your buck... CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION OFFER EXPIRES 31st March 2007 © Sword-Buyers-Guide.com 2007 Sword Buyers Digest: MAGAZINE! Issue 5, March 2007 Page 12 Best Forum Posts (from the SBG Sword Forum) Women and Swords—(What to say to the dreaded question “But you already have five swords? Why do you need more?”) http://sbgswordforum.proboards70.com/index.cgi?board=forumcafe&action=display&thread=1172320429 Tips on how to make your own scabbard http://sbgswordforum.proboards70.com/index.cgi?board=swordcustom&action=display&thread=1168224858 A talented Forumites Mini Nodachi sword http://sbgswordforum.proboards70.com/index.cgi?board=swordcustom&action=display&thread=1171857441 Favorite Sword Movies http://sbgswordforum.proboards70.com/index.cgi?board=forumcafe&action=display&thread=1171852939 Musashi Swords—opinions and reviews http://sbgswordforum.proboards70.com/index.cgi?board=japaneseswords&action=display&thread=1170649086 And the new cold steel Nodachi/Odachi (or as Kreigshwert put it—‟Nagaonodachi‟) http://sbgswordforum.proboards70.com/index.cgi?board=japaneseswords&action=display&thread=1171514987 VIDEO of the MONTH “This growing sport, being marketed to ing marketed to schools, corporations and individuals alike may well be (pardon the pun) quite a hit. Sport Sword (R) Fighting This fast paced fighting video by „Guard Up‟ demonstrates a new trend emerging in sword fighting—‟Sport Sword‟ (R), Personally, I am all for anything that increases the exposure of swordsmanship and swords to the general public. And this growing sport, be- The only things I don‟t really like is the fact that while this system certainly looks like good exercise and a whole lot of fun, all that protective armour takes too much of the sting out of the fight— after all, I am firmly of the opinion that if you don‟t risk feeling a little pain, the end result is very unrealistic techniques (like in the video where they block with their forearms, which is for obvious reasons—um, not a very realistic thing you‟d you in a sword fight!). Click HERE to Watch the Video © Sword-Buyers-Guide.com 2007 schools, corporations and individuals alike may well be (pardon the pun) quite a hit...” Guard Up fighters in their full kit and caboodle.. SWORD BUYERS DIGEST: MAGAZINE “That‟s All Folks!” Back Issues: I hope you enjoyed this issue of the Sword buyers Digest Magazine as much as I enjoyed putting it together for you! October 2006 See you all next month. Until then, stay safe and have fun with swords! November 2006 December 2006 February 2007 Paul Southren ADVERTISING Have a product that you think would be of interest to my subscribers? Send your enquiries to: Paul@sword-buyers-guide.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscribing to the Sword Buyers Digest is absolutely FREE, to sign up visit my subscriptions page here Emails to the Editor—Email of the Month... Rather than provide several emails recieved this month, I have decided to publish one that was sent to me and permitted to be shared here on the condition of anonymity. Naturally, I will of course honour this request. After all, his observatrions are likely to be considered controversial and likely to cause bitter arguments on some very well respected sword forums. While he acknowledges that this condition will lessen the impact and credibility of his observations, this email was so interesting that I just had to share it with you all. Enjoy! Anon (name withheld upon request): Hi, A lately some point during my sword collecting days (which have recently resumed) I decided that I wanted to know which production maker made the best piece in terms of balance, resistance to set, price point, and edge durability...similar to what you are doing to a great extent now. However, in a decision I now (somehwat) regret, I destructively tested swords from Paul Chen (2 ppks,and a practical), Cold Steel (warrior series katana, o-katana, chisa katana, and 2 handed gim), Criswell (criswell Katana) Kris Cutlery ( 29" Katana) Cas Iberia (440C full tang katana, medieval sword of a model I can't remember) Himalayan Imports (3 Katanas, various Kukris, Ram Dao, Janawar Katne) Angus Trim (swedish bastard sword) Busse Knives (American Kensei) Windlass (Sword of Ibelin) I tested all of them in a fashion similar to how you tested the Maximillian sword on your youtube video. Ridiculous, I know...but for some reason I didn't mind if the swords got damaged...and I always stopped before things got too bad. None of the swords were irreperably damaged or destroyed. Though there were a few failures, I didn't 'intend' to test to failure, I tested until I got what I thought was a reasonable impression of the sword's handling and durability. Among my findings (just concerning durability) Paul Chen swords are Katana in the truest sense, but also in a kind of bad sense. The edges are very hard, and tend to chip. The spine is soft, and the swords bend easily. The Cold Steel swords are a pretty good standard. Good resistance to set and decent edge strength. The Criswell katana was interesting....the edge had great resistance to deformation and chipping....for the first 2 cuts. On the thrid cut the blade broke in half and flew across the room. I think the spine was too hard and a crack quickly propogated from the edge through the spine. The Cas Iberia (not hanwei) swords (though no-one buys these anymore) were somehat below average, though the 440C had a decent spring temper. The Kris Cutlery sword was WAY too soft, and the edge deformed easily....bad enough that regular cutting could be a problem Himalayan Imports stuff is slightly above average, there generally isn't any resistance to set, but they are also generally quite thick. The Angus Trim sword handled wonderfully, but I wasn't too impressed with durability- especially after I read the claims from various forumites and the maker that the swords had cut through the rims of steel drums without damage. The durability of the sword was average. The Busse is made of the famed "infi" steel. I never gave this one a destructive test but there were some small edge rolls from cutting through wood. But I have found there really are some swords that perform above the curve...it doesn't always have to be a compromise between historical and durable....sometimes both are possible. My wall of fame swords, of which there are 5, proved to be extremely resilient to everything. Among them: A two handed gim from cold steel...this one supports my belief that in heat-treating, "everything can go right" This is one such piece. The other cold steel pieces I have handled have nowhere near the strength of this one. It is capable of cutting through cinderblocks with nearly no visible damage to the edge, no rolls or anything. It has cut through hollow steel piping with full force swings (the sword is about 48 inches long overall) multiple times and has only suffered minor edge deformation, and on many of those swings, no edge deformation. It has never chipped, and can be bent 8 inches or more (I've only ever tried 8) out of line and return to true. On top of this it is not overly thick of heavy. Kind of remarkable. A Ram Dao from Himalayan imports, this sword performs about as well as the 2 handed gim but is extremely thick and prohibitively heavy, so some of that resilience comes from the mass of the thing, whereas with the gim it is the heat treat. A tri-fullered tulwar from around the mid-late 19th century. Below the performace of the above swords, but also somewhat lighter. if you ever want to chat about this kind of thing, please don't hesitate to email me at (withheld). © Sword-Buyers-Guide.com 2007
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