battle ready swords?

H

hannism

Joined
Jan 24, 2006
Messages
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Just out of curiosity, who makes a decent battle ready sword?

I don't intend to duel or go fight with a sword.

But, at the same time, I would like to pass on a heirloom that is a functional sword, not a prop that will break.

Just curious for your opinions.
 
Hmm. I would like to keep it affordable if possible. Maybe around $300.

Perhaps a gladius, barong or katana. If there are any other practical swords out there, I'm all ears.
 
Paul Chen (Hanwei) Practical Katana...both lengths can be had for under $300 with some shopping around.
 
Valiant Co., Traditional Filipino Weapons, and Kris Cutlery all make good barongs and many other Filipino swords. The prices for all of these are very affordable. Also check out Himalayan Imports.
 
Suggest you look here if you need to keep it under $300, but to me a sword that's meant to become a 'family heirloom' should either be one that's had family sporting or military history, or one that's in a much higher price bracket.
 
hannism said:
Hmm. I would like to keep it affordable if possible. Maybe around $300.

Perhaps a gladius, barong or katana. If there are any other practical swords out there, I'm all ears.
Click to expand...

For a barong I recommend Kris Cutlery and for a katana I recommend Cheness.
 
I would stay away from any sword advertised as battle ready. That statement alone tells me they are not a serious sword manufacturer.
 
Indeed. Generally speaking the term "fully functional" is preferred by the sword community at large. "Battle Ready" smacks of LARPerism by and large. :D
 
Hi MVF,

I have one of the Ginuntings. They are primarily used in Pekiti-Tirsia Kali which is taught to the Phillipine Recon Marines.

It is a cross between a machete-type tool and a close-quarters sword. One of the few swords I know of that is used in present-day combat.

More info...

Pekiti-Tirsia Kali
http://www.pt-go.com/

FMA Forums
http://fmatalk.com/index.php

PKT Manilla site maintained by the fellow that supplies the swords
http://www.ptk-manila.com/

I think there is also some stuff on Ginuntings, PTK, and Leo Gaje Jr., the head of the PTK system, on YouTube.

HTH
Rich
 
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Thanks Rich- what an education! Do you have experience with any of these blades? Especially the Traditional Filipino Weapons version vs. the Typhoon version?

The TFW version seems awfully hard for a sword/machete whether for use as a weapon or a tool- 58-60 IIRC
 
Hi MVF,

There is a long-running debate with Ron Kosakowski (sp?) owner of TFW on the fmatalk forums. Just search "ginunting". I don't have any of his blades.

IMHO Typhoon is first class and Buddy Acenas is great to deal with (low key, straightforward and answers questions quickly). His blades are real-life tested. They have made improvements in the current ones over the originals, based on Phillipine Marine input. (BTW: I also have one of the original-issue ones which was owned by GT Gaje.)

Hardness-wise I think it could be a problem if the sword were through-hardened at a real high Rockwell. Many sword-makers use differential tempering so the sword has some flexibility for toughness along with a hardened edge for sharpness.

Nice education on sword hardening here
http://www.chenessinc.com/steelselect.htm

(Cheness seems pretty well regarded on Sword Forum International for usable cutting swords.)
http://forums.swordforum.com/

Rich
 
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