ive seen some cheap katanas go for about $200 and the responses just say that they arent sharp but other than that they have possitive things to say. could you buy one and then sharpen it for it to be worth using or would it be better to go for a higher value in the thousands?

Dear r/SWORDS Redditors,

I have a sudden feeling out of nowhere that I should practice swordsmanship, now that I have a strong will that I want to do it, I want to know where I buy my first sword, I prefer a katana. My first thoughts are Mini Katana, but I have a feeling that it's really overpriced. I want a katana that's still affordable but has Good Quality as well and also has a reasonable shipping price to somewhere in South East Asia. Please help me!

Sorry, and thank you!
- Future Swordsman

Been restoring this saber to it's former glory, need help getting rid of these black spots which I assume is pitting

I have been thinking about buying a sword, and found one for about $200, but I am wondering what you do with swords, do they mostly just act as display pieces, and is there more to do with them than buy copious amounts of fruit to cut.

I wish to own a katana, in the near future. I wish to live in New York City with my katana, yet the laws governing this area make it complex. I know in New York you can own this weapon, but not carry, though I don't understand what the legislations for the city mean. Help? I want to possess one, not for weapon purposes

Side note even if it’s not historically accurate I still think something about it is very beautiful.

Basically i have a katana made out of steel it's not really that heavy but I want to do cool tricks like swirls and anything cool that could fit in a let's say choreography.The balde is dull and not sharp at all.Will I have to get an aluminium sword which is mostly what people use for these kind of stuff or a bit more heavy steel katana is enough if I practise.

EU resident here, never bought from KoA before so that's the reason for this stupid post.

Browsing through KoA website and they have some items I'm interested in. Going through the checkout I see (besides the massive shipping cost) that they ad export fees and export taxes. Are these the calculated VAT/import fees to a EU country? I.e. they already include the fees in the price, so I don't have to send a request from our "border force" when the shipping reaches my country (and thus pay additional VAT)? Otherwise I was under the impression that the US don't enforce export taxes.

A fine thrustcentric day to you gents.

Having Gotten off from playing a session of the Pen and Paper Role Playing Game Blades In the Dark, this question came up. As the titles obviously shows, Blades In the Dark is a system that relies on stealth as you explore a Victorian inspired setting and you do various freelance jobs like assassinations, thefts, etc. And going back to the title, the best character stealth functions like sneaking and critical hits often use short blades of varying sizes from pocket knives to small swords. Longer weapons are available like clubs and sabers but have a big penalties and are only used as last resort when you are cornered by police nigthwatch and militia, etc.

I also remember in the Thief Computer games,you have a longsword available as weapons and while you can do surprise attacks, you really can't do insta kills while walking up to an enemy from behind consistently. The games' equip you with a knife by default and its extremely easy to score one-hit kills with a successful backstab.

So I ask if there's any truth to knives and other short blades smaller than a Gladius really are much more suited for stealth attacks than say a one handed axe or a generic arming sword?

So many movies like the silent film World War 1 J'Accuse often has a scene where the hero sneaks into the bad guy's camp with a knife and plenty of Sci Fi literature like Dune has elite soldiers like the Fremen who often go into enemy trenches, camps, and even fortifications, and wipe out entire platoons of soldiers equipped with the latest machine guns and laserguns using a knife like weapon.

Even in real life its super easy to find the use of knives as the dominant weapon by commando types. All you have to do search online about the special forces officer Bull Simmons who was dropped into Iran with a sharp object in his hand which wasn't even a proper military knife for intel gathering missions before his actual commando team attacked a facility in Iran to free two hostages and safely transport them back into the US. Thats doesn't even touch the icing of the cake of how knives are used so much in real stealth situations.

So I really ask, what advantages do knives and other short blade class weapons offer over swords and spears and other proper battlefield weapons for sneak attacks and other stealthy scenarios and espionage? Whats the reason why people armed with more effective weapons like gangsters with baseball bats and Medieval Crusaders would prefer to sheathe their swords or keep their bicycle chains in their vehicles and pull out a knife as they go around sneaking an enemy base? Why do even modern professionals like Italian Mafia and SAS commandos cut adn stab enemy with knives instead of using a bayonet or a heavy walking cane when they infiltrate secret locations?

This Is pretty accurate to manga (except for the gaurd) and I want to ask if anyone have bought this item or gotten a sword form this website because I wanna see if there are any problems with this sword.

Ive been browsing for a new Katana or Odachi, but the quality for the prices are crazy. I am looking for a usable katana or odachi (not a wall hanger) any suggestions? My price is $400-$600 range

When I was 11 or 12 I bought a 3 piece set (tantō, wakizashi, and tachi) for less then a $90 and they’re falling apart now. I’d like to replace this set and get a better one, any advice as to where I might find one? The set will be a display set. West coast USA. $500 price range.

I know this picture Isn’t very good, but it’s the only one I could find of it without knowing the name. I’m not sure if it’s even classified as a sword, but I’ve seen drawings before of similar weapons in murals. To me it looks like a giant steak knife, but not sure it’s name, or if it was ever a common weapon. Any help at identifying would be appreciated

I myself am a Star Wars and my sister has decided to buy me one of those neo pixel lightsabers for my bday.

I in turn would like to buy her a sword. What website would be good for buying proper metal swords that's based in the UK?

She wants either the grifindor sword from HP or a large medieval style sword.