Good that you didn't buy a sword from there, those often tend to be rubbish. Or in my case, the swords sold at the closest equivalent of one. Worst case, they're stainless steel rat-tail -tanged Sword-Like-Objects with a price way over what it should be (which I'd say is somewhere below their weight in that stainless steel). I tend to do all my weapon purchasing (which is basically all of my money not required to stay alive) custom-ordered from smiths I've heard good about from serious collectors. Naturally something cheaper first to see if there's any truth to that, and only after getting a good look-see at the steel I get into the more expensive stuff.
Yeah, I know that it doesn't really matter at all if a sword-shaped piece of steel actually works or not if you just want to hang it on a wall and look at it, but I personally loathe to buy something that looks like a sword but is actually a poorly made aping of one. Give me the most pragmatic, ugly yet functional carbon steel full tang blade over a gorgeous stainless steel piece, and I'll be happier than ever. Of course, coming from Northeastern Europe means I get to have a lot of
Hmh, my first sword is pretty much that butt-ugly thing. I still have her, and she's more or less a completely unadorned, honestly ugly sword. There's balance, there's a solid form, but there's also the fact she looks like the victim of an assault with a hammer. I've never seen an uglier pommel, and the guard is somewhat asymmetrical. The handle has uneven risers (most of which I'm sure are not even real risers but some accidental mishap) and the whole thing's basically bad to look at. So it's amazing that she makes up for it so well in hand. Nevermind the ugliness, she's good to hold and has a great swing. Doesn't fight against it, doesn't punish for hitting a target. I've no idea what transpired to create this steel lady, but she's a dearie. I still display her beside blades that cost me ten times that. Bought her from a friend way back. Apparently, she was some apprentice smith's first serious attempt at a sword. He really focused on function over form, I guess. Or it was an accident. Nevertheless, these are the happy mishaps I try new smiths for.
On a sidenote, whereas that sword is the lady, the "sir" is quite different. Probably the most expensive sword I will ever have. In a way, they're both very, very nice. I can't pick a favorite.
Yeah, I'm going to stop creepily talking about my swords and why you shouldn't buy certain swords now and let you all get back to talking about renfaires. Oh, I should probably wax up the newest blade again. He's a bit of a brute.
