I need help finding a really good sword...

Anyone thinking of buying a high quality custom katana please read this:
http://www.ii.uib.no/~kjartan/swordfaq/section15.html

Bob Engnath used to make awesome blades that were high performance and very traditional in apearance. His prices were an absolute steal. And he was a great guy too. I should have bought ten blades from him while I had the chance. He is dearly missed.


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[This message has been edited by tallwingedgoat (edited 22 November 1999).]
 

Another to consider is Micheal Bell, now he can make a Japanese style sword. He was trained traditionally by a Japanese master smith, and on a side note, when he does blade testing, he doesn't use free hanging rope he uses free hanging steel cable!!!!!!!!!!

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KSwinamer
 
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[This message has been edited by Blades (edited 23 November 1999).]
 
The bugei swords look very nice and traditional but if we are talking real combat beat the crap out of them I sure like the deViliers and the ideas from Simonich and Warren Thomas. Don't forget Newt it will be a beast. The other thing is that a full fledged Katana may not be what you want. The wakizashi was the house blade (like the tanto) for a reason. If you can't maneuver with it it won't do you any good.
 
I'm sorry. Maybe I'm missing something (usually not the case, but who knows?). OK, it seems as if you do not know what type of blade you want. In fact, you very specifically say so. As most of us are more familiar with, or even highly trained in (eastern) martial arts, responses have been geared toward katanas.
You say you are trained in multiple styles. Do you know which is your "best"? While some may argue that there is no best style/form/art/whatever the case may be, NO ONE can say that there is no strong point for an individual. You should probably know yours. This should dictate what type of sword to buy. If you do not know your strongest style, you are probably NOT very experienced. If you are not very experienced, you should NOT even CONSIDER using a sword to defend your home, especially considering you have a family (or at least a wife, as you pointed out in your post).
I hope you do not consider this an insult. I certainly would not want to use a sword for home defense if a gun was another option. As I am a high school student, a minor, and living with my parents, that is not an option for me. I would use my Ontario katana as a weapon if it came to that, but I would use a gun if I had one.
In summation, if you are not good enough to know what type of sword to buy, please do not bet your life on its use, as you stand a great chance of losing what most people would consider to be quite a valuable gift.
Good luck in your search.
Howie
 
I'm sorry. Maybe I'm missing something (usually not the case, but who knows?). OK, it seems as if you do not know what type of blade you want. In fact, you very specifically say so. As most of us are more familiar with, or even highly trained in (eastern) martial arts, responses have been geared toward katanas.
You say you are trained in multiple styles. Do you know which is your "best"? While some may argue that there is no best style/form/art/whatever the case may be, NO ONE can say that there is no strong point for an individual. You should probably know yours. This should dictate what type of sword to buy. If you do not know your strongest style, you are probably NOT very experienced. If you are not very experienced, you should NOT even CONSIDER using a sword to defend your home, especially considering you have a family (or at least a wife, as you pointed out in your post).
I hope you do not consider this an insult. I certainly would not want to use a sword for home defense if a gun was another option. As I am a high school student, a minor, and living with my parents, that is not an option for me. I would use my Ontario katana as a weapon if it came to that, but I would use a gun if I had one.
In summation, if you are not good enough to know what type of sword to buy, please do not bet your life on its use, as you stand a great chance of losing what most people would consider to be quite a valuable gift.
Good luck in your search.
Howie
 
Thanks everyone. Points well taken, Howie, but I have already thought that through and your post misses the mark, but thanks anyway for the heads up.
I am most proficient with the Katana, and would consider smaller for indoors. Perhaps a long and a short, the short for indoors.
Anyway, thanks much for all the ideas.
The thing is, I live next door to Bugei. If they are not all that bad, maybe I should just go over there and buy one from them. I would like to hear more about Bugei. Good and bad. I was expectign to hear that they are "junk" and all hype, but I guess I was wrong. I like those guys a lot over there, so would not mind going over and talking to them and buying from them.
I am l;ooking inot the others, they all sound very good, but my preferred one is apparently not taking orders.
I had considered a Mad God sword, but they just ain't that pretty.
 
Your best source for info is swordforum without a doubt. I would suggest going there and asking the folks on there forum.


Regards,

Tom Carey
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Wally Hayes www.hayesknives.com , I saw a cable damascus katana that he was delivering to a customer at the NY show recently and it was incredible. It was a real user so the damascus wasn't prominent, you really had to get up close to see the pattern. But it was a serious user, and very traditional iron tsuba, beaten cooper habaki and all that.

Another guy to look at is Steve Corkum www.hawkknives.com . He was taught in japan and he also has "walked the walk" and knows what makes a good user. I handled his stuff and it's really tough. He uses simple 10 series carbon steels and traditional clay tempering of the steel. Gorgous hamon line's on all of his knives and swords. Plus he does different styles of blades and yari's and naginata's.

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~ JerryO ~

Cogito Cogito Ergo Cogito Sum


 
If the higher-end Bugeis are Howard Clark's forged blades, those are good pieces. The Chen metallurgy has been..."uneven" at times. Read the most recent Swordforums *magazine* article comparing several pieces including the Kris Cutlery Katana and a pair of low and medium grade Chens.

However, the Howard Clark Bugeis use his "prettier" blades with a nice hamon. The *ultimate* would be Bugei furniture on an L6 Clark blade; Bugei might be willing to special-order that configuration and lemme tell ya, that would kick *major* tail end.

Jim
 
Yeah I've always wanted a Howard Clark L6 banite sword. But now that I'm ordering one, I want the 1086 blade.

Howard's 1086 blades are already tougher than anybody needs. You would have to be a psyco sword wrecker to need a L6 banite sword. Plus 1086 has a great hamon and hold an edge better. But wouldn't it be cool to have a L6 European sword from Howard? That would really kick butt!

Meanwhile I found yet another great article on how to chose a sword for martial art's needs. I don't agree with everthing it says, but hey, the man's a 10th Dan.
http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Pages/articleh.htm
 
Ok, I feel I have to throw in a Correction here. Bugei's top line swords are made by Japanese Master smith Sugita Yoshiaki, whom is a living national treasure of Japan. The price for a katana starts at $18,000 and goes up from there. These blades are made using the exact same process as used to forge katana for hundreds of years. They are even made of Tamahagane, the steel blend used in actual Samurai Swords. For more information on these blades/works of art, call James Williams (one of the two owners of Bugei) at 1-800-437-0125.
These are INVESTMENT quality blades, and as such will lose monetary value from use, but a sword like these are truely is a work of art, perfectly blending form and function.

Thus endeth the sermon.
Joe
 
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