I'm a rip someone off- Sword appreciation thread
- Thread starter God'sFist
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I have three swords right now:
a ceremonial longsword
a roman gladius
and a WWII era Japanese NCO sword
The first two are rather cheap replicas that are nonetheless cool to look at, but the third is authentic. It is currently the only one I have hung up right now. It is beat to hell, but all the markings are there to prove its authenticity. It was a gift from my grandfather before he pasted away.
a ceremonial longsword
a roman gladius
and a WWII era Japanese NCO sword
The first two are rather cheap replicas that are nonetheless cool to look at, but the third is authentic. It is currently the only one I have hung up right now. It is beat to hell, but all the markings are there to prove its authenticity. It was a gift from my grandfather before he pasted away.
[a href="http://imgur.com/zARRwJC"][img src="http://i.imgur.com/zARRwJC.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" /][/a]
I like the shorter thrusting weapons like a nice ancient Greek or Roman-style gladius, to be honest. Failing that, there are some ornate Scottish dirks that look quite appealing.
There's also the other end of the spectrum, the grim, simple and deadly:
One of my friends managed to find a used Kukri in excellent condition on one of his trips abroad. It looked like this specimen:
Knives are like guns in that I find them fascinating to look at, study, draw, disassemble and reassemble, but I'd cringe at the thought of looking down the length of them at a living thing.
There's also the other end of the spectrum, the grim, simple and deadly:
One of my friends managed to find a used Kukri in excellent condition on one of his trips abroad. It looked like this specimen:
Knives are like guns in that I find them fascinating to look at, study, draw, disassemble and reassemble, but I'd cringe at the thought of looking down the length of them at a living thing.
I have a stage rapier, a longsword, two katanas, a wakizashi, a tanto, two LotR-style Elven short swords, and about six daggers. I really want a khopesh. But yeah, a big fan of swords here.
I actually own something that I can contribute to this thread:
I 'made' the smaller of the two knives in 2003 with my Cub Scout troop back in the day. I picked the green/blue handle because I thought it looked very pretty at the time. I still like the look of that knife, even though it needs sharpening.
The larger is a reproduction of an AK-47 bayonet. It is very sharp but I can see I need to clean it.
I've never really desired anything larger than a bayonet. Swords take up space and are a pain when you're moving.
I 'made' the smaller of the two knives in 2003 with my Cub Scout troop back in the day. I picked the green/blue handle because I thought it looked very pretty at the time. I still like the look of that knife, even though it needs sharpening.
The larger is a reproduction of an AK-47 bayonet. It is very sharp but I can see I need to clean it.
I've never really desired anything larger than a bayonet. Swords take up space and are a pain when you're moving.
I love the Flamberge, or flame bladed sword:
The theory is that it combines the superior cutting power of a curved blade with the superior thrust and reach of a straight blade. Whether that is true or not it's a ruddy beautiful piece of smithery.
The theory is that it combines the superior cutting power of a curved blade with the superior thrust and reach of a straight blade. Whether that is true or not it's a ruddy beautiful piece of smithery.
I own several swords. Mostly katana's. I have a no-dachi that is as long as I am tall. Thanks to my training despite the massive size I can unsheathe it in the same manner as a katana(as an attack) and quickly. My other pride and joy is a Paul Chen Hanweii practical pro elite katana: http://sbgswordforum.proboards.com/thread/4963/hanwei-practical-elite-katana-review
I also have a replica of Kadaj's sword from Final Fantasy: Advent Children. Its a replica, and not practical, but it is neat to have a dual bladed katana all the same. I also have the full set of United Cutlery's Samurai/Ninja 3000 series swords: http://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/Samurai-3000.html Not practical combat weapons, but far more solid than any other replica type swords you run into and they do look awesome.
I also have a replica of Kadaj's sword from Final Fantasy: Advent Children. Its a replica, and not practical, but it is neat to have a dual bladed katana all the same. I also have the full set of United Cutlery's Samurai/Ninja 3000 series swords: http://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/Samurai-3000.html Not practical combat weapons, but far more solid than any other replica type swords you run into and they do look awesome.
The Falchon: good for choppy choppy action- a bit like a machete but with longer reach. My first sword of choice for a zombie apocalypse.
I'm a fan of hand-and-a-half swords/bastard swords personally. You can hold the hilt with two hands, which I think looks and feels better, but they're not so big as to be unwieldy or look over the top like greatswords. I own one, a replica of Longclaw. I also have something of a soft spot for sabres.
Guess I have to weigh in on this thread too, then.
Of those, my favorite aesthetically is the katana, 3rd from the bottom. Custom ordered with a blade made of differentially tempered high-speed tool steel (the kind machinists used to cut untempered steel, back before carbide tools). Can't remember what the place that made it was called, but they were contracted through sword-buyers-guide.com. Quite the effective cutter, the edge is unmarred despite all of the bamboo, plastic, fruit, meat, green wood and... occasionally dirt... on accident... that I've cut with it. Couple of scratches in the final polish I haven't gotten around to buffing out, but I use it as more of a workout tool than display piece.
The most effective dueling weapon among them, though, is probably the Hanwei rapier I keep second to the top. I don't actually know much more about it (I bought it off a neighbor for far less than it was worth, back when I lived in the city. He wanted to be rid of it. Had a kid), other than a little bit of classical fencing and the fact that it's pretty easy to put it straight through a piece of relatively thick hardwood. Getting it back out is another matter.
...and to any Wheel of Time fans... yes, the one on the bottom is a Windlass Heron-mark blade. Not a bad cutter, but not terribly well-balanced, sort of a thin yet tip-heavy slicing blade. It apparently has a lot in common with a Korean longsword, or Janggeom. Far from well-suited to the sort of swashbuckling, blade-clashing style depicted in the novels.
Never was fond of the longswords, arming swords and such that were so popular and effective in middle-ages Europe. Thankfully, they're more workout tools and dare I say... toys... to me than serious weapons (though they are more than capable in that department, of which I am very aware).
As I'm a fair-to-middlin' swordsman of a couple styles less than well-suited to open warfare... this entry wound up somewhat less serious than the one in thegunfirearms thread. Those are my tools.
Of those, my favorite aesthetically is the katana, 3rd from the bottom. Custom ordered with a blade made of differentially tempered high-speed tool steel (the kind machinists used to cut untempered steel, back before carbide tools). Can't remember what the place that made it was called, but they were contracted through sword-buyers-guide.com. Quite the effective cutter, the edge is unmarred despite all of the bamboo, plastic, fruit, meat, green wood and... occasionally dirt... on accident... that I've cut with it. Couple of scratches in the final polish I haven't gotten around to buffing out, but I use it as more of a workout tool than display piece.
The most effective dueling weapon among them, though, is probably the Hanwei rapier I keep second to the top. I don't actually know much more about it (I bought it off a neighbor for far less than it was worth, back when I lived in the city. He wanted to be rid of it. Had a kid), other than a little bit of classical fencing and the fact that it's pretty easy to put it straight through a piece of relatively thick hardwood. Getting it back out is another matter.
...and to any Wheel of Time fans... yes, the one on the bottom is a Windlass Heron-mark blade. Not a bad cutter, but not terribly well-balanced, sort of a thin yet tip-heavy slicing blade. It apparently has a lot in common with a Korean longsword, or Janggeom. Far from well-suited to the sort of swashbuckling, blade-clashing style depicted in the novels.
Never was fond of the longswords, arming swords and such that were so popular and effective in middle-ages Europe. Thankfully, they're more workout tools and dare I say... toys... to me than serious weapons (though they are more than capable in that department, of which I am very aware).
As I'm a fair-to-middlin' swordsman of a couple styles less than well-suited to open warfare... this entry wound up somewhat less serious than the one in the
Okay, I gotta ask: What is it about a khopesh that makes you want one? I just don't see the appeal.Aris Khandr said:
- Feb 7, 2011
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I don't own any swords, but I'd like to have a nice scimitar, something along the lines of this:
or this
Then again, I'm not that big on swords. I prefer knives, since I can actually carry and use them with some frequency.
or this
Then again, I'm not that big on swords. I prefer knives, since I can actually carry and use them with some frequency.
Might wanna be careful about those claims... bladed polearms are often just known as long-handled swords. I see your quarterstaff and raise you a naginata.Reiper said:
Also, with the proper technique, an unarmed combatant can overcome any quarterstaff!
...or sword...
Melee combat is funny that way.
I don't own any swords, per se... and I kinda wished I did... mainly anything that's a
or a
since the formal just looks cool to me while the latter just feels nice to hold...
Oh well... I guess I'll guess stick with
for the time being...
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l-bIPLXNVAI/T3unomgxAEI/AAAAAAAAASE/ermidPqYO8Q/s400/katana.png
http://www.photo-dictionary.com/photofiles/list/2028/2643rapier.jpg
Oh well... I guess I'll guess stick with
a foam copy of this
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/be/6c/1c/be6c1c78013667ce7c6051efbe4c142f.jpg
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/be/6c/1c/be6c1c78013667ce7c6051efbe4c142f.jpg
As someone who doesn't own swords, I'm just wondering. Do you use these swords (if so, in what capacity?), or are they more of an ornamental/decorative thing?
http://www.templ.net/pics-weapons/151-sword/151-corpus-v.jpg
Templ has some of the most beautiful swords I have ever seen.
Templ has some of the most beautiful swords I have ever seen.