Best swords

Best at what? Price, looks, performance? Sword designs are diverse - from European to Asian. Perhaps you could define "Best" for the rest of us? :confused:
 
Lhet is a 16 year old trying to set a new record for number of posts (currently at 52) on his first day here. I doubt he would know what a sword really is, let alone know anything about the 'best' sword.

Lhet, I am 511 year old wizard, and I am watching you boy...

Paramused
 
#1, no....
I know very much about swords...I am thinking in terms of performance....I like criswells a lot. Also, i am not trying to make a record!
 
Criswells are good at what teh do but I find them ugly and personally consider them overpriced considering the alternatives. They make good general purpose blades as they are very tough and utilitarian.

Better discription then horrible over-priced machetes :-)



Ciaran
 
Flead have you ever handled a Criswell sword? Met the man in person at the Blade show in Atlanta this year. Makes some damn fine blades in my opinion.
Give us a basis for your facts on his blades
 
I have not seen a Criswell other than pics so I can't comment directly as to their performance. There are a slew of both European and Asian reproductions available covering most styles. What performance standards are we talking about? Cutting mats? :rolleyes: :confused:
 
I've had kinda varying opinions of Mr. Criswell's swords.

When they had the old-style pommel and extremely long handles, I was most certainly not a fan. I used to think...gosh how can this stuff be called Japanese-style?

I'm still not a fan of extremely long handles but I can see why some folks are. The pommel change in my opinion was an excellent improvement, and helped change my perspective quite a bit.

In terms of durability, I think Criswell's blades are done well, but the real benefit customers get is consistency of QC. It seems customers of KC and Hanwei and what not have only found shortcomings in what could probably be dubbed "lemons." Most people have NO problems (Just like folks mention about Criswell's work). It is not *that* rare to come across a well-made durable sword, even from the production companies. That is why I do not think conventional durability should be the key element people use for promoting a particular maker's work.

His work is far from traditional...but the more I evolve, the more I feel that it is neither justification for guilt or pride. They are different approaches at the same goal, and preference is subjective, not absolute. You are not trading traditional aspects to gain performance or vice versa...it just doesn't work that way.

If I ever got back into test-cutting, I would definitely consider using a Criswell sword, if I could find a nice reasonably attractive one with a 12" or shorter handle on a secondary market somewhere. However, I would also look into practical plus by Hanwei, their other mid-range offerings, and other companies as well.

I will say in general, it is a higher-quality sword than you will find from the production companies. While with the latter, you find yourself at the mercy of QC, You will almost always know what you can expect from Criswell...much the same way as people look at Sebenzas compared to other production folding knives.

Sorry bout the long post :footinmou
 
Originally posted by Blinker
Flead have you ever handled a Criswell sword? Met the man in person at the Blade show in Atlanta this year. Makes some damn fine blades in my opinion.
Give us a basis for your facts on his blades
Click to expand...



Ive handled a criswell katana, owned by a guy that used it as a machete :-) Its tough and has yet to be fatally damaged dispite being used on brish and branches. It was solid and tough as hell, tho its not a katana, Its a tactical sword that stands up well to cutting tatami and brush alike. For what they are and the fittings etc I believe them to be over priced. I personally find them to be severly lacking asthetically. One of his blades in more traditional mounts would be wonderfull but I find his curent mounts to be plain ugly.

Ciaran
 
Been doing tameshigiri for a while now using low-end katana to higher-end katana, and from my experience, Howard Clark L6 seems to be the best for my needs.

Properly heat treated L6 is 30% stronger than steel, so you can have a 'thin' and fast blade with more strength/durability than other steel bladed sword. It holds a mean edge, springy, and indestructible. I love mine !

The drawback is it's a $6,000 sword....

:eek:
 
I like Criswell swords a lot. For the price, no swords can bet them. It's strong and sharp, I've used a friend's Criswell when doing tameshigiri, that thing cuts wara like the's no tomorrow. The look is very interesting, I still prefer the traditional look better though. Criswell has tactical style look which is not a problem for a user sword.

The thing that I like the most about Criswell sword is the blade grind. It's the only sword that has a concave blade grind, and it makes the cutting edge thin and sharp (thin, compared to convex blade grind, in reality, it's still thick enough to handle heavy targets). The A2 blade steel is a very strong steel, so no worries about getting the blade nicked or chipped. Just be careful with what you cut, pick your target carefully. Cut a wara ? Use a Criswell. Cut a tree ? Use a chainsaw. :D
 
Wouldn't one's opinion of "best sword" depend upon what one's intended use for the sword was?
 
True that. But the purpose of a sword is only 1, to cut. Yes, they can be decorative objects or even family heirlooms, but the basic purpose of a sword is to cut. It's just an opinion from a narrow-minded guy :)
 
Who makes acceptable to exemplary western style swords?

There's tons of junk out there, but who makes swords that are truly functional swords rather than mere sword shaped wall hangers?
 
There are at least three top notch firms turning out excellent fully fucntional reproduction western swords. Angus Trim (see Allsaintsblades and Swordforums), Albion, and Arms and Armour. You can find all these links here - http://www.allsaintsblades.com/links.htm. From Bronze blades to Rapiers you'll find them at one of these sites. :cool:
 
Originally posted by beluga
True that. But the purpose of a sword is only 1, to cut. Yes, they can be decorative objects or even family heirlooms, but the basic purpose of a sword is to cut. It's just an opinion from a narrow-minded guy :)
Click to expand...

Of course some swords are made to thrust rather than cut. Some made to do both. ;)
 
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