One Sword... or Many?

[Eledhwen]

Yeah I saw those. I was in no position to acquire one at the time, more's the pity.

Shall have to settle for trying to duplicate it myself at some point down the line. This one and Glamdring, unofficial versions though they are, always fitted my mental image of the swords from the book far better than anything else I have seen. Even now.

Few will part with them. The swords made by Del Tin at that time still have a very high reputation for quality and they cannot be replaced. Del Tin has since changed the type of steel they use to make blades...quite high quality still and rumored to be better than that used before, but I can tell you my Glamdring passed all the tests for a proper combat blade and did so easily.

Eledhwen

[Peter Remling]

SO here's the question:

It seems that the starting price of a really nice, but not perfect, sword is in the $600-$800 range. I have several not so great quality swords that I could sell and buy one good one.

Good idea? Bad idea? Discuss.

Acutally, Kult of Athena has suitable Del Tins (i.e Viking Age, and early Medieval) for around $425, and I consider the DTs to be pretty decent quality. A&A and Albion swords are more expensive, $800 and up.

As for myself, I have quite a few swords, though many I have hilted up myself, usually based on DT blades. One of my best swords is an Albion Valkyrie. That is one I'd take to Middle Earth with me if I had the chance!

A Valkyrie ! That is my favorite viking sword of all time. It's just an amazingly beautiful sword. Even if one would pop up on the second hand market I couldn't afford it without selling 12 other swords. It's something I don't have to worry about because they almost are never resold and when they are there's a line around the block for it, at any price.

Love to see a pic of yours.

[Elemmakil]

SO here's the question:

It seems that the starting price of a really nice, but not perfect, sword is in the $600-$800 range. I have several not so great quality swords that I could sell and buy one good one.

Good idea? Bad idea? Discuss.

Acutally, Kult of Athena has suitable Del Tins (i.e Viking Age, and early Medieval) for around $425, and I consider the DTs to be pretty decent quality. A&A and Albion swords are more expensive, $800 and up.

As for myself, I have quite a few swords, though many I have hilted up myself, usually based on DT blades. One of my best swords is an Albion Valkyrie. That is one I'd take to Middle Earth with me if I had the chance!

A Valkyrie ! That is my favorite viking sword of all time. It's just an amazingly beautiful sword. Even if one would pop up on the second hand market I couldn't afford it without selling 12 other swords. It's something I don't have to worry about because they almost are never resold and when they are there's a line around the block for it, at any price.

Love to see a pic of yours.

Here's a shot on its display plaque

[Ringulf]

Soooo pretty! I love the styling of this sword.
Modern for Norse standards, but unquestionably Norse.

[Peter Remling]

Stunning display, Thanks for posting the pic

[Elemmakil]

Stunning display, Thanks for posting the pic

Thanks! Got the wood from Rocklers, and used a wood burning tool to decorate it. The Valkyrie is a permanent resident, though the other sword will eventually be sold and a pattern welded Migration Period sword will take its place.

[Aaron]

What I expect in the $500-$800 price range is a sword that is built well, isn't likely to break (just by swinging it and not hitting anything), made with feel (balance, COP, blade geometry) accounted for, and perhaps some individual attention paid by the maker.

Honestly, your price range here borders on high-end. It certainly includes some Albions, A&A and many Atrims (almost all of the Atrims produced in the last 10 years or so have fallen into that price range, I purchased mine for WELL under $500). You can meet or exceed your listed requirements for around $250 for a brand new sword if you're looking at the Hanwei/Tinker models. You could even have one of the bare blades (which are only about $130) refinished and outfitted with completely custom hilt components for less than the price of an Albion Squire Line. Or you could settle around the $350-450 bracket and enjoy the plethora of Valiant Armoury swords available, which exceed your requirements and come with gorgeous scabbards and suspensions, to boot.

There are a ton of options for good swords on a budget these days.

[Straelbora]

This has made me think about a tangential issue regarding multiple swords- in films, we often see heroes using battle swords as machetes to clear brush as they bushwhack. I can't imagine one would use a battle sword for anything other than protecting one's life/defeating an enemy.

I would especially think that a Ranger would: 1) not want to be out in the boonies with a compromised battle sword 2) leave a trail of chopped off branches and brush to advertise her or his passage.

[Manveruon]

What I expect in the $500-$800 price range is a sword that is built well, isn't likely to break (just by swinging it and not hitting anything), made with feel (balance, COP, blade geometry) accounted for, and perhaps some individual attention paid by the maker.

Honestly, your price range here borders on high-end. It certainly includes some Albions, A&A and many Atrims (almost all of the Atrims produced in the last 10 years or so have fallen into that price range, I purchased mine for WELL under $500). You can meet or exceed your listed requirements for around $250 for a brand new sword if you're looking at the Hanwei/Tinker models. You could even have one of the bare blades (which are only about $130) refinished and outfitted with completely custom hilt components for less than the price of an Albion Squire Line. Or you could settle around the $350-450 bracket and enjoy the plethora of Valiant Armoury swords available, which exceed your requirements and come with gorgeous scabbards and suspensions, to boot.

There are a ton of options for good swords on a budget these days.

This is, in fact, precisely what I did myself by commissioning a totally custom hilt set-up on a re-ground and re-finished Hanwei/Tinker blade. Ernie does some really beautiful work, and I can't wait to see and hold my final product (still waiting on the finishing touches to get sorted out at the moment). In the end, it's costing me just a hair over $600 (though this does not include a scabbard, or any other accessories). For the price he's charging, I've been blown away by his work.

I put up a thread on that particular sword build over here:
http://ranger.budgetauthenticity.org/fo ... =28&t=2144

[Aaron]

Yup, been following that one myself. I'm anxious to see it finished (though not as much as you are, I bet).

[Eothain]

On this subject I would have to side with Peter and just save up money without parting with my low end wall-hangers. My home is decorated with them all over and I only have one I would consider battle-ready. Though that one is too slim and short in my opinion. One day I ran across Darksword Armory's "Ranger Sword" and I really liked what I saw. So after about a month of thought I ended up purchasing it with money I had saved and didn't have to sacrifice anything. Sadly I am still waiting for my order to come in.

[RikJohnson]

>>Oh man, does this open the can of worms as what constitutes what a real sword is and what is a SLO (sword like object)?

My first sword was a Toledo Sword Company 'fighting' sword. A cheap Kirby made from a leaf spring cut it in half.
My second was a 19th century katana blade I found at the swap meet for $8. I've been rebuilding that blade for decades.

From then, I bought and sold a number of cheap wall-hangers,... until I got divorced!
THEN I discovered that without that drain, I could now afford to buy a decent blade.

The answer to the query is simple.
What are you planning to do with that sword?
Do you really need a 'battle-ready' blade, whatever that means.
How often do you go to war?
Are you hoping that someone will break into your house so you can skewer them?

Yes, I own a lot of really good blades. Cold Steel, Oni Forge, Hanwei, Cheness, Valient Arms, Del Trim... plus Windless and so on.
But really, I do two things with my swords.
I wear them as display at the Ren Faire and I cut water bottles with them.

And do I really need to spend $1200 on an Atrim sword that Aragorn would have killed to own?
Especially as I will NEVER take one into battle!
99.99999999999999% of the time my swords hang on the wall.
0.00000000000001% of the time they hang on my hip to impress people who think that a sword should have a naked girl as a hilt.
The remaining 0.000000000000009% of the time, I am cutting bottles in the driveway.

So if you are happy with your sword, who cares if it is a stainless steel wall-hanger or a folded and hand-forged katana? Neither will be used in battle! and both look good on your hip!

Bows, however, are another matter<g>.

[Peter Remling]

>>Oh man, does this open the can of worms as what constitutes what a real sword is and what is a SLO (sword like object)?

My first sword was a Toledo Sword Company 'fighting' sword. A cheap Kirby made from a leaf spring cut it in half.
My second was a 19th century katana blade I found at the swap meet for $8. I've been rebuilding that blade for decades.

From then, I bought and sold a number of cheap wall-hangers,... until I got divorced!
THEN I discovered that without that drain, I could now afford to buy a decent blade.

The answer to the query is simple.
What are you planning to do with that sword?
Do you really need a 'battle-ready' blade, whatever that means.
How often do you go to war?
Are you hoping that someone will break into your house so you can skewer them?

Yes, I own a lot of really good blades. Cold Steel, Oni Forge, Hanwei, Cheness, Valient Arms, Del Trim... plus Windless and so on.
But really, I do two things with my swords.
I wear them as display at the Ren Faire and I cut water bottles with them.

And do I really need to spend $1200 on an Atrim sword that Aragorn would have killed to own?
Especially as I will NEVER take one into battle!
99.99999999999999% of the time my swords hang on the wall.
0.00000000000001% of the time they hang on my hip to impress people who think that a sword should have a naked girl as a hilt.
The remaining 0.000000000000009% of the time, I am cutting bottles in the driveway.

So if you are happy with your sword, who cares if it is a stainless steel wall-hanger or a folded and hand-forged katana? Neither will be used in battle! and both look good on your hip!

Bows, however, are another matter<g>.

Apparently Rik, you havn't heard of the impending Zombie Apocalypse !

[Jonathan B.]

And if you are swinging or cutting anything with a stainless steel sword STOP.

[RikJohnson]

>>>>This has made me think about a tangential issue regarding multiple swords- in films, we often see heroes using battle swords as machetes to clear brush as they bushwhack. I can't imagine one would use a battle sword for anything other than protecting one's life/defeating an enemy.
>>>>I would especially think that a Ranger would: 1) not want to be out in the boonies with a compromised battle sword 2) leave a trail of chopped off branches and brush to advertise her or his passage.

I'd agree with this for many reasons. But the main one being that to clear brush, you need a SHARP edge. And an edge that thin WILL chip and dull, forcing you to resharpen often.
All machetes that I own (usaf, Austrailian army, Cold Steel) all have the same thing in common, thin wide blades!
All of my swords are the opposite, thick narrow blades!
Form denotes function and the reverse is true.

To use a sword to hack brush will not only damage the sword but it will also wear you out. So carry a light machete and keep your sword or saber or fighting weapon in it's scabbard.