First sword purchase advice? (Museum Replicas)

For my part I do realise that...

I don't want to forge my own sword, or craft my own bow in an attempt to avoid expenses... I want to do it for a sense of accomplishment. That feeling you must get when you've transformed an ordinary lump of metal, or a glorified stick into something functional and above all -useful-.

And there's also a self-sufficency aspect for me. The knowledge that you can create the tools of your own survival from raw materials must be extremely satisfying... Even liberating in some respects.
 
As for me, I made my first sword at the age of 24, with no training except having made a couple dozen knives, no experience with swords except handling a couple that my dad brought home from dubya dubya two, and no guidance except a book called "the Making of Tools" by Alexander Weygers. The first couple were probably better crowbars than swords... but one picks up a few tricks as the years go by. I didn't mean to imply that it would ACTUALLY be easier or cheaper to make one than buy it... just that a lot of folks (including me) THOUGHT it would.

Good luck Tom
 
One martial art I have wanted to learn for a while has been kyudo...but unfortunately I don't know any instructors, nor could I afford instruction and equipment. I've seen constructions of various forms of yumi and personally would never have the confidence to make one. There's other kinds of bows that are just as complex in construction, if not moreso, so even though I'm not very knowledged in bow making, I do appreciate the people who are capable of making such things.

As far as making your own sword...if you want to give it a try, best of luck to ya. I do not suggest trying it with files (would almost prefer castration by boiling water than filing another blade to basic rough shape personally...). You can either fall in love with the craft or it can drive you insane...but hell, if you are interested in giving it a go some day, I hope we're still here to offer ya whatever help we can!
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Shinryû.
 
Mien Herr Kaptain
Welcome to BFC!

Okay, I guess it's up to me to be "The Voice Of Dissent."
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MRL, Deepeeka (made in India), and the Windlass Steelcraft swords are NOT great swords.
However...
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(Didn't everyone know that was coming)
They are not totally without merit.
If you buy from "By the Sword" or "Chivalry Sports" the return policy is very generous.
I haven't yet seen a returned sword that they haven't replaced free of charge.
The balance isn't great, and on some models it's pretty horrendous, but they're great "beater" swords.
I'm a member of a (blunted)live steel re-enactment group,(Colonel Walter Butler's Dragoons Circa 1634) and we practice every Saturday, sometimes more as schedules allow.
I've got one of the chinese made Pappenheimer Rapiers that's lasted me a year now. That's 52 weeks of constant battering!
I know that the blade on this sword will soon break. Not because of flaws in the blade, but because of constant grinding, filing, and sanding to remove nicks made by edge on contact with other swords. (A good burr can open your skin QUITE nicely!) The blade just eventually becomes to narrow to withstand the impact of full on dueling.
The sad thing is, right before they break, due to the reduced weight of the blade, they are WONDERFULLY fast and light in the hand.
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(then they snap like a twig one day.)
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I also have a couple of the Windlass steel swept hilt rapiers. I've had to replace a broken blade on one. (My fault, I abused the blade badly.) but that replacement cost me about 60 bucks, shipping included.

On the other hand, I use a Del Tin Sword Breaker gauche, and that puppy seems to be indestructable.
Due to it's more correct (historically speaking) method of assembly, the grip has just the BAREST bit of wiggle to it, but not enough to affect performance.
However, it cost me more than ANY of my rapiers did!
I'll eventually get around to buying a Del Tin sword, probably from Darkwood Armories, but the MRL and similar swords are not the wall hanger junk that some would have you believe they are.
Consider one for a "starter" blade to learn with before you invest more serious money in one of the higher quality blades.
Just IMHO, YMMV etc.


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Tráceme no sin la razón, envoltura mi no sin honor
 
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