Does Veeky Forums own a sword? Is it fully functional or just for show?

I own several, but I wouldn't use them. Two super old cavalry sabers and a ceremonial piece with the Knights of pythias emblem on it that is like ridiculously old or something. No idea where it came from or what the Knights of pythias are.
I do however have a dory that I could use.

...

I have a wall-hanger rapier that sits on the mantle with a bunch of my gf's stuff, because someone was moving out and didn't want it anymore, and when life says "Do you want a free sword" you say "yes". That said, I don't think I would ever pay for one. It wouldn't really fit with my current decorating as a design piece and for the price of a "functional" sword, I could just buy a decent shotgun. Not much interest in HEMA.

I've got a couple wall-hangers as well, and a very nice dirk I bought at a music festival a year or two ago. It's the only really functional one of the lot.

Not anymore, but I'm looking to remedy that. Gonna buy a reenactment quality 1908 pattern cavalry sword. Stabby bugger.

I have a wooden sword somewhere

dad has a decorative one he got from india when he was in the navy

I own a sword from when I was an idiot teenager who thought owning swords was the coolest fucking thing. It's a piece of shit oversized steak knife excuse for a sword bought from a mall kiosk back in 2001 or 2002, that my then-girlfriend bought me for my birthday.

I sometimes think about getting rid of it, but then remember that it is a sword, and I own it, and I become an idiot teenager again.

Got a machete somewhere, does that count as a sword?

Yah, used to do historical fencing, bought a hand and a half locally for $180.

Two wall hangers, two technically functional ones.
Hangers are a rapier and a claymore. Other two are a viking longsword and a basket hilted scottish thing, both I had to grind dull due to very stupid children who forgot swords were weapons.

I've got a couple that are somewhere in between wallhangers and fully functional. I made them myself but I don't have the equipment needed to temper them (I know all I need is a fire, my neighborhood is full of assholes who call the cops if they see you do anything).

But they're definitely more than just wallhangers, reasonably tough and very sharp. Except for one that I purposefully dulled to put it in an artshow. I guess that one is literally a wallhanger

You've got a highland broadsword? I've been meaning to get one.

swords are cool, be they wall hangers or something you could actually fight with, but the simple truth is I have no reason to own a sword, so I don't.

People look down on you for owning a wall hanger sword, and I wouldn't know how to use a real one so I have no reason to own one of those either.

It's the same reason I've never owned a gun really. I don't feel the need or desire for one and they are expensive, so I don't have one.

I do like to watch Matt Easton's videos, but I don't there there is even a place nearby that teaches that stuff, and I doubt it is legal to have a sword on the train, even if it is a blunt training sword with a tip guard.

As long as you don't keep it concealed, and don't whip it out and swing it around in public, it's perfectly legal to carry a sword.

Depends on where you live, in the U.K. carrying a butter knife in public will get the CCTV man to flag you and send a bobby after you to deliver a sternly worded lecture about why pointy metal things are dangerous and should not be in public.

>keep it concealed
in my state concealing weapons without a permit is very illegal, and there are special provisions regarding trains*, as well as knives longer than two inches. A sword would be longer than two inches.

Now I could argue in court it is an unsharpened training sword with a tip guard and show proof I am enrolled in HEMA classes, but I would rather never ever have go to court.

*the law for the trains specifically calls out practice hand grenades that look like the real thing but don't contain explosives. Like really? Who would have a thing like that let alone bring it on the train? Yet a law so specific means it had to have happened once...

He said DON'T keep it concealed.

oh whoops

still illegal to bring on the train, and would still raise questions for being a knife longer than 2 inches.

In my state owning a baseball bat is technically a legal grey area. As long as it is only ever a sporting instrument, it is perfectly legal, no checks or ID required to buy, but the moment you treat it as a weapon (like if you wanted it for home defense or something) it becomes a felony to own. Yet guns are OK as long as you pass the background check and are of age.

>and I wouldn't know how to use a real one
Stick it in things you want dead, it's not rocket science, and this isn't the middle ages where you are likely to meet someone who knows how to defend themselves against a sword.

Or if you meant you wouldn't know how to use it for martial arts it's the same thing. Martial arts exist to counter other martial arts, not so you know how to properly cut things, cut shit with your sword for fun while wildly flailing like a sperg and it's all the same.

>cut shit with your sword for fun while wildly flailing like a sperg
I try to keep my inner sperg in check as much as I can and not bother other people

You can always sperg in the privacy of your home/backyard.

I forgot about this one.

So does machete counts as a sword?

I also own a Regenyei. Been getting a bit rusty though.

Buying a sword might as well come with a free fedora and trench coat user. Do not go down that path.

Not all swords are katanas.

will a normie (or fedora tipper for that matter) be able to tell the difference?

I broke my sword in combat more then 10 years ago. I still have the pieces somewhere.
It was a crudely made durasteel claymore, probably made in 90s. One of my friends said he found it in swamps during one LARP, and gave it to me as present.
It was a good sword, 1.5 long, weighted about 1 kg, and I was able to use it one-handed and swing really fast. And if I switched to 2 hands, I could knock out my opponents in one blow, escpecially in on case when my opponent faced me wearing chainmail, shield, hauntlets and axe - but no helmet. I knocked him out nearly for half an hour, and we had to pour almost half of vodka bottle into him. Only after that he came into his senses.
Good times.
Sometimes I think that I need to repair and reforge this sword.

>durasteel
Duralumin

It's pretty much down to fedora fag or LARPer

Which do you want to be user?

That's still not a thing

You also do not "forge" aluminum

I own a spear, it is fully functional. I put the United Cutlery Colombian Warrior Spearhead on a 6 foot ash shaft with a metal cap on the butt to protect the end and counterbalance the blade.

Here is the only photo of it I could find while away from my home computer.

I have a pretty massive knife collection, very few of which I use, but for some reason the idea of having a sword I'd never use still seems strange to me.

But you'll also need to buy a horse...!

I had two sabres and a sexy as fuck spadroon. They were genuine used weapons, but i wouldn't dare use them.
Ex has them now (presumably still) not likely to get them back and can't afford to replace anymore.

If you are looking for a reenactment type sword Hanwei (paulchenhanweiswords.com/) makes excellent blunts. Cant say whether the sharp ones are good, havent touched any of them

fabri-armorum.com/english/

Got my sword for HEMA here(recommended by my fencing teacher) . Dont know if he ships outside of Europe and his English isn't all that good. But the swords are quality. He has much more stuff than what he shows on his website so even exotic things like katars and the like. He also does custom stuff if you give him pictures or drawings.

Depends on what you mean by "ridiculously".
The Knights of Pythias are a fraternity-deal, like the Freemasons or Jolly Fellows.
They were founded in 1864, so it could be as old as that, I guess.

If I were to get a sword, that would probably also be right at the top of my list. Or the 1913 Patton saber. So sexy.

I just got a nice new Regenyei about 2 months ago, it's still got that new Feder smell.

First night I was using it I dropped into Alba and my opponent runs right into it.

I flick up the tip straight into his mask and bust his damn lip open.

it was beautiful.

only blunt ones for hema training.
Or to be more psecific, one sword and one messer.
Also have several daggers, some of them blunt some of them sharp.
Probably I will get a feder in the near future IF I can manage the time to have a constant training partner for that

>I enjoy hurting my training partners
Classy.

There's something about messers that gets me hard. I haven't the slightest idea why. They aren't particularly fancy or anything, but there's something about them that seems just so damn sexy. Anyone else feel the same?

they are practical and down to earth, at least most type.
Also probably the asymmetry has something to do with it

I have a talwar-style sword I inherited from my great-gradfather. He was issued it in the indian army. I use it as a decoration.

Several.

Two are functional for combat, one is a demonstration sword.

Museum Replicas Limited, or go to swap meets.

At the time it was made swords were alraedy pretty ceremonial, but it's still sharp and usable. Very pretty, though it was useful than his rifle at the time..

I've had foam swords since I was ten, starting with home-made ones. I decided back then I wasn't ready for a "real" sword, and avoided buying even a wall-hanger.

After receiving a boken as a gift, I came to the stark realization that I likely would never have any use for a "real" sword, since I couldn't even use a boken against my friends.

Now, I've got two Calimacil swords, and each of my friends also has one, so we can spar whenever we meet up. While they were all in the $100 range, I've already gotten their worth out of them, and they still seem good to go for another few yeas.

British Light Cavalry Saber, 1786 or something like that. It's a great sword, much heavier than I thought it'd be.

As cringeworthy as some of his content is, Skallagrim might have some decent recommendations in his videos.

>1786
1796 more likely. Cavalry sabres tends to be heavier than infantry ones in general.

I have 2 practice/cutting katanas.
Musashi and Hanwei.

I just bought them because it was being made illegal to buy and sell them in the UK about 10 years ago and I wanted mine before the ban.

They're both full tang and razor sharp.

Two swords, but they're both in storage. One was a tourist-trap zinc-alloy sword from Japan - meaning I could actually bring it back from the country without it being confiscated or considered a national treasure. Not at all sharp or full tang. Another katana as a gift from my friend back during university, but from The Last Samurai, which we used to watch the shit out of while drinking because weeb and quotable.

Any "Hhmmm yes I am a true Euro-historian and I am also trained in real swordfighting skills" swords? Haha fuck no. I don't even have the ego to think I know shit about weeb stuff outside of what I've seen in Shogun Total War.

None myself. But my brother is an officer in the British army and he has his regimental sword and a small collection of antiques, cavalry and infantry sabres, small swords and a sword bayonet. All of them "functional" and from reputable cutlers, though most built with ceremonial dress as the first thought.

I have a halberd.
Cold Steel Sergeant Halberd, it's pretty good.

i have a bunch of pretty shit wall hangers i bought in my teens when i thought it was cool as fuck, most of those are stuffed under the bed in the spare room drag them out sometimes if a character i'm running used something similar to sort of get a "feel" for it and better describe his fights

I do own a very nice replica french rapier that i saved up for, a nice decoration or for those times i want to play hero in my living room.

Think its either in storage up at my farm or hanging on my nephews wall, but an 1897 Pattern officers sword from when I was in the army. Its not sharp, it 'could' be sharpened but mostly I have better things to do.
Do have a 3/4 size long-axe I made after hanging out at a friends place and blacksmithing some stuff for his enactment shenanigans- it is some serious shit and very sharp

Cold steel is often very crappy regarding swords. The balancing on them is crap.

halberds and axes are good though

a store i can recomment is kult of athena. Big seletion. The pricing/quality ratio is great. I highly recomment some swords designed by tinker

Aye, I bought it from there.
I personally hate Cold Steel, but their knives and polearms are fine, not enough metal to fuck up.

So instead of fedora it'll be a trilby then?

I own a couple genuine napoleonic sabers.
Also a Gras bayonet, that would brobably qualify as a sword since the blade is 51cm long. Pretty nice blade all things considered, not too heavy or unbalanced.

kultofathena

Visit that website.
Avoid stainless steel, buy spring steel.
Get a blunt sword, you don't need it sharp to play with it.
You can always sharpen it your-self.

Yes, two in fact. Both original 19th century cavalry sabres. One from Hamburg and Sons, the other from Wilkinson's.

I've been considering getting some kind of old United States cavalry saber or officer's sword.

Not sure what kind though. Want to help me decide Veeky Forums?

>1913 Patton saber
>called a saber
>isn't curved and has two sharp edges

Nah, nearest thing that I've to a sword is a machete that I bought for gardening purposes.

This guy knows what he's talking about. Best priced site for functional stuff on the net and you can always Google the model you're interested in for a review

Avoided Deepeeka poo in the loo swords. Windlass is good and affordable as are several other brands like the Hanwei Tinker line or any of the Czech makers. For a bit more you got Del Tin and Dark sword Armoury which are made in Italy and Canada, respectively

>durasteel
Aye? Another bugger from the future here to screw yer own grannies eh?
>half of vodka bottle
That's how you treat unconsciousness and possible braindamage? Are you Russian?

bump

Alright, so, I'd really like to get an oldschool weapon rack with legit items as a display piece. A few spears, sword, axe, etc. Real forged and functional pieces, oldschool wood rack that uses wrought iron bits. I have no fucking idea why. I just want it.

Is this too Fedora core?

>Asking Veeky Forums for advice about getting sword

Go visit some of your nation's reconstruction forums instead. And if you happen to be American or Canadian, then either British or Norwegian sites are the best options for you. French will do, too.

And avoid HEMA freaks

>And avoid HEMA freaks
Why?

Daily reminder English language calls every single sharp piece of metal sword, including sabres.

>Why should I avoid overbearing autists trying to be more papal than the Pope?
I have no idea, user.

People from reconstruction movements are already hard to deal with. HEMA freaks are the reconstruction movement equivalent of fedora tippers.

Britbong historical reenactor here. If you want a weapon that's safe and reliable to use for sparring, there's a Scottish workshop called ArmourClass makes relatively cheap but exceedingly well-made swords for a variety of periods. All their weapons are blunt, EN45 sprung steel and have no more point to them than a 5p piece, which fits pretty much any specification a re-enactment or HEMA group will have for spar-ready swords.

Same user here, but this is obviously assuming you have somebody to fight with and aren't just looking to dick around with the sword solo. You can probably get a wall hanger for a good bit cheaper and still have sword-related fun on your own with it.

Yes. It's more of a machete than a sword but whatever. Can't afford a more accurate one right now. My friend has a grosse messer.

Kult of Athena is a good site.

Just a simple cavalry saber, mostly just a wall hanger with crappy alignment. I wouldn't use it in combat.

I'd instead use my grandfather's tomahawk which he passed to me before he died. Just have to sharpen it and it'll be ready to use

>Fancy looking
Scots, Italians
>Durable
Slavs in general, Germans, French
>Well-weighted
Norwegians, Swedes
>Cheap
Slavs
>Quality craftsmanship
Norwegians, some Slavs (mostly Poles)
>Authentic materials
Norwegians, Swedes, some Germans

In short - pick your smith by what you need. Nobody is cheaper than Slavs - we are talking about disparity of 5:1 on average, often even 8:1, but the sword will be most likely made from old leaf spring or something similar (this doesn't mean it will be bad). Nobody has better workshop than Norwegians, who go into almost autistic amount of research to do things right and it will be all done with handwork for sure. Want just something looking nice on the rack? Italians are your best pick.

Avoid like fire American "historical" weapons, unless they are selling American cavalry sabres.

>Slavs
>Cheap
Slavs are even cheaper if you are Slav yourself. Because what they consider "export price" is cheap overally, but roughtly ten times what they charge other Slavs. You can literally get a top-quality sword for 40 euros if you just happen to be a Slav.

interesting take on it, but I'm rather sceptical of your singing praises of the norwegians.

I can list some of the best smiths in the world as my friends and peers; Swedes, finns, brits, italians french, german, czechs, and americans. (peter johnsson, JT Pallikko, Leo Todeschini, Owen Bush, Marco Danelli, Fabrice Cognot, Steffan Roth, Patric Barta, Rick Furrier, Jake Powning.)

cant think of any norwegian smiths of their standard.

This is not a singing praises. I'm just pointing good side of each of those.
Because you see, the Norwegians might make a really great, historically-accurate weapons, with all the great craftsmanship...
... but you can buy a new car for the money they will charge

If anything, I would rather suggest to get something from Slavs.

To elaborate - Slavs provide by far the best quality-to-price ratio. Even if their handiwork might not be that great, for the money they charge it literally doesn't matter, while their swords aren't for show either. Shitload of guys from Silesia in Poland are pretty good, while doing this shit for pennies due to euro-zloty exchange ratio.

>Because you see, the Norwegians might make a really great, historically-accurate weapons, with all the great craftsmanship...
... but you can buy a new car for the money they will charge

Name one.

Name one of these Norwegian smiths who have this level of quality.

As I say, I know Peter Johnsson - the man considered the world's best at medieval arms. I know Leo Todeschini, Fabrice Cognot, etc, etc.

I've met most of the best smiths in the world. the list of the people who I sort of know a bit by talking with them online is a longer list by far. Yet I cant think of any Norwegians.

So, educate us. Who are these smiths you're talking about?

For the price of that foam LARP sword, you could've gotten a quality synthetic HEMA sword that is much closer to the balance and handling of a real sword.

1: cheap-ass katana/wakazashi/tanto set I got when I was 16 becuase I was 16
1: show-replica of Conner's sword from Highlander
1: show-replica of Mugen's sword from Samurai Champloo
1: full-tang steel claymore; cheap, but full-tang.

I fully intend to collect weapons once I'm in a more stable financial situation.

As a construction worker, I own one very large and extremely functional knife, and a collection of hammers of various weights and functions. My personal favorite is the 22-lb sledge.

i have a display sword and a few display knifes