Functional swords I'd recommend for $150-300
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- Опубліковано 1 чер 2024
- The previous recommendations video (under $150): • Some recommendations f...
The swords in this video that I'm comfortable recommending:
3:00 Hanwei Tinker bastard sword
ww4.aitsafe.com/go.htm?go=kult...
3:48 Hanwei Tinker Norman sword
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4:18 Hanwei Tinker Great Sword of War
ww4.aitsafe.com/go.htm?go=kult...
4:54 Hanwei Tinker longsword
ww4.aitsafe.com/go.htm?go=kult...
5:35 Ronin Viking sword and arming sword
ww4.aitsafe.com/go.htm?go=kult...
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6:28 Dynasty Forge swords
ww4.aitsafe.com/go.htm?go=kult...
8:12 Windlass Classic Hoplite sword
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9:12 Windlass Spanish falcata
ww4.aitsafe.com/go.htm?go=kult...
9:52 Legacy Arms (aka Generation 2) swords (note that these are tough but overbuilt and somewhat clunky)
ww4.aitsafe.com/go.htm?go=kult...
11:00 Windlass Swedish Viking sword
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12:58 Traditional Filipino Weapons
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13:53 Valiant Armoury
www.valiant-armoury.com/
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My favorite online store for buying swords (worldwide shipping):
ww4.aitsafe.com/go.htm?go=kult...
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You aught to make a budget sword shoppers catalogue, ide subscribe to that shit.
I have a bucket of pommels, pick any sword you want -- it's futile.
I pick the double pommeled sword.
pommel jokes definitely aren't getting old, or anything dumb like that
@@punishedwhispers1218 how about now?
@@Matt_PunchEnthusiast_Morris haha
Can you make a video for the mid-range? $300-600 or so
Judging from the last time, we still have 2 years to wait 😂
Can't wait 🤣
Please cause I've been looking and zombie tools is the closest I've come to what I'm looking for as far as quality
Saw that they had große Messer - got excited.
Saw that they were made by Cold Steel - raised an eyebrow because that label ringed a bell.
Saw the weights - head met desk. :
Their stuff is always over heavy... Even the Cold Steel Tanto I have is pretty heavy, but it can take a beating I guess
jamzacez
Okay but I rather not beat my spine as well in the process. ;)
+44WarmocK77 I wasn't endorsing it, I was saying their knives can take a beating is all. Their swords are terrible, maybe their axes aren't bad, but I've not done any research into them.
I have one. It works, it's hefty but still usable. Don't discount them too quickly, their Italian longsword is nice, same with the American Lawman knife.
The Cold Steel Messer is actually quite good. It's nowhere near the quality of Albion of course, but still pretty solid considering the price difference.
ronin katana……viking sword
sure, why not…
I am a Christian who is born again and living in the faith of Jesus. I live by Chivalry and “internalize” it as people today might say, I view it as very near to the real center of my inner self. With Jesus, The Spirit, The Father, The Word, and the Gospel being at the very center. Only reason I describe this is because I want you know where I’m coming from. What I want to say is that I love you, I love your channel, I love what you do, I love that you are perhaps the last line of defense on UA-cam when it comes to helping people understand what needs to be for them to have a real genuine actual sword and not be junk, and for placing honest reviews from a place of intelligence about what all these different market products represent. Thanks!
I definitely trust his opinions. I just wish I could find newer reviews like this
I was actually like praying that you would make this video! I really liked your other one but I wanted some higher priced/quality ones. So thanks love your vids!
Glad you have fairly good things to say about Hanwei Tinker swords, I just ordered one and I'm hoping its at least decent. I've heard other reviews saying they are pretty good too.
Oh, Skall. Big doof forgetting video timelines. Thanks for putting up this video for us amateur sword collectors! I appreciate it. Keep up the fantastic content! Quick question: Would you consider doing more Zombie Tools reviews? I don't see many reviews for their products such as the Ferrous Wolf/Big Bad Wolf. I'd be interested to see your take on those swords in particular.
Thanks bro. I was looking into an entry level European sword and this helped me get the general feel for them.
thank you for making this, I've been wanting something and this is price range. one of those Ronin Katana might be what I will go with or maybe the Windlass Viking swords you pointed out.
Thanks for taking us window shopping. Right now all I have is a display sword I got for my birthday a few years back. But I would like to get a rapier, side-sword, bastard sword, and a Roman/Greek style short sword down the road.
thanks for the video (especially on your opinion about rapiers) . will be sure to check some out
Hey Skallagrim, I just wanted to give a shout out and say Thank you for this piece of Information on the Swords, I am actually in the market for a couple Rapiers because my Wife and I are into the whole Renaissance Faire Scene and she asked me to keep an eye out for any websites, web stores or any type of Dealers that sell Rapiers regardless if they are descent cutters or just good for wall hangers or for the Ren Faire Scene and it sounds like Kult of Athena fits the category just fine in any which case, but again Thank you for the Info.
I bought the Hanwei Rhinelander a few months ago (around $240) which seems similar to the regular Tinker longsword but, with a nicer handle/hilt. Pretty good cut/thrust sword and has held up after using on light to medium targets.
I really want to help you make subtitles(close caption)
Truly wish to help, not just joking around
This would be incredible. We could open up the world of pommel throwing to the deaf!
Just in time for my first sword purchase....I've been drooling over Kult of Athena swords ever since I found your channel and decided to take up historical European martial arts. Even tho I will be training with a blunt sword I want a sharp proper real sword to just..... have. 😅
You totally missed the Cold Steel Italian Longsword in the list when looking at the medieval list. I have the Italian Longsword and the MAA Arming Sword, and those are ridiculously well made for the price. In my experience, all the previous complaints of loose hilts seem to not be an issue any more.
One of the few helpful videos I found on the subject
Like, subscribe and save earned
I hope you will also continue the weirdest knives series. it's what made me subscribe originally.
Kult of athena's website looks like it was made in the late 90s - early 2000s
hey pkease do again the old blade shop
yeah!
Hey Skallagrim, just wondering: What is your favorite sword from Oakeshott's typology? Personally, I'd go with XVIIIB, long handle leads to a lot of leverage, better handling/speed, and the blade is pretty long, but not overtly large.
About Devil Edge I own 3 of there blades and can say they are quite good value for the money. I have only done light test cutting on water bottles and jugs but they preform quite well for that
Skall, Universal Swords just released a few sabres that are made of 1055 steel instead of EN9. They make really pretty swords and if the steel changed to something better, it might be worth retrying. I for one would be really happy if you reviewed one.
Hey thanks for bringing back this idea!
Great vid Skall. Take care as always.
you should do another video showing your collection
the last one was a long time ago.
Could you do a video on sharpening swords, blade geometry and the like? I understand that swords are treated differently than knives, and would love to see a video on this. Thanks!
Ahh you came so close to clicking on the Hanwei Cawood sword. I am looking to buy that one and was hoping you would talk about it.
My inner kid always wanted a Rapier, after watching Zorro and The three musketeers. Im 31 now, and that inner kid still wants one, but not a low quality sword like my lotr anduril. I want a sharp and usable one, but its hard to prioritize it over other more useful things
I've handled a few wulflands they're pretty good. I have had 3 darkswords and all 3 of the cross guards have broken. The hilt fittings are soft and brittle. One of the pieces I broke I cut with a hack saw and it was far too easy took me maybe 5 strokes. I showed the metal to my dad who's a welder and he said it looked like white metal. They said the blade is spring steel and I'm unlined to believe that the blade is extremely sturdy so I would only recommend them for cutting and cutting only. The peened one I had turned out to be threaded and then half ass peened over top and the pommel ended up getting pulled off but I couldn't pull the grip off even after slamming it in a stump and pulling as hard as I can so at least there's no danger of the blade flying out, I fixed that problem by putting a nut and tightening it on top of the pommel. I'm not sure why you think the blades are flexible because I've heard and witnessed the opposite. Normally their blades are really stiff. If you do the test of the darksword test please murderstroke something and wear a mask. I want to see if they fixed that.
Well with the Dark sword you just hit r1 and never block anyways:|
Can you make video about basic sword maintenance, care and storing. That would be interesting
Hey Skall! Guess what !!! It’s bo 2022 and we want another budget sword list!!!
Unless you’ve done one and I didn’t realize, THX BRO!!!
DAMN that Legacy Arms Celtic sword was going to be my first sword. Now that you pointed out that handle I'm back to the drawing board.
have you tried out blacksmithing, it is very fun and I highly recommend it.
Those Ronin swords look really good
The Valiant Armory arming sword looks really nice too.
Nice work on the video Sallagrim
the sharpness is cool and all....but can you unscrew the pomel?
+Matthew Ward that shit really took of with the fanbase didnt it XD
What video is that from again?
ua-cam.com/video/jETLCm7k3sU/v-deo.html
I own like 8 longswords and the Balaur Arms 15th Century Longsword is probably the best I own at $250. It's the same design as the Albion Brescia Spadona.
Very little information on Balaur Arms out there, but I was impressed enough to purchase all of their swords. They're all fantastic quality and feel very functional.
Have had a chance to handle the Windlass Battle Cry series?
Nice to see you suggesting Ronin swords - I know Katana's aren't your thing, but for sub 1000$ swords, Ronin is probably the best I've seen, and their Pro line is easily the best bang/$ for sub 300$ swords and Wakizashi.
Their Viking sword I've only seen once, but I was impressed for the money.
This could be a great line of videos, as I myself would like to see your recommendations on swords in the say 500 to 1000, and 1000+ mainly, as I have grown out of the 300$ swords and only have kept a couple (my first ones for nostalgic reasons only). I know that Dynasty has many in the 500ish category, but knowing other options, and specifically which custom/semi custom makers are the best value would be great videos.
What are the best rapiers to get in say 500 to 1500$ right now?
A mono-tempered spring steel katana from KTC Custom Katana is about $250. I haven't used one but they're supposedly produced to be a great beater/test cutter. If you're into the Japanese stuff...
he ain't into katanas at all :)
Yuri Arantes Oh, I know he isn't. My post was more for the general audience. Some of them probably are into katanas.
On a side note, I think his subscribers should be called "Skallaholics."
+North Olmsted oh sure that makes more sense,my bad
This is pretty helpful, and it's given me a few ideas. I personally own the Hanwei bastard sword - Antiqued (Not the same as the "Hanwei Tinker bastard sword" for those who are wondering. You can actually see it on the list at 3:46.) and I enjoy it. It's not the greatest at cutting, but it's not terrible. Though I will say I was a bit saddened that the guard had come loose after an accidental strike against a log, but that was also one of many hits and it's still functional. It's also not a "traditional" bastard sword like the title claims. In fact it's larger than most claymores on KoA. What's funny is it bears resemblance to the bastard sword from the Souls series games. Overall you could find better, but there are worse as well.
Anyway Skall, here's a question for you. Would you happen to know where one might find a Kriegsmesser similar in size to your Knecht? There seems to be very few that are available at all that I've found I.E. three. -The Knecht, which is FAR out my price range. -The Hand-and-a-half sabre from lutel-handicraft, which is going through legal trouble with a past associate and so it's far too confusing. -And the ColdSteel messer... Need I say more?
So yeah... a bit limited.
For decent rapiers you can get them from Alchem Armoury, Darkwood Armoury, Zen Warrior and Castille Armoury. They are around the 200-300$ price range and serve pretty well on sca or hema sparring.
I definitely plan on buying a second windlass hoplite sword at some point. my first one, i was a noob and, prepare to facepalm and get pissed, i banged it against a very thick oak tree. just to practice striking, but yeah, no surprise that the pommel is now loose. and i'll definitely get it from kultofathena because the site i originally bought it from did not offer to sharpen it and was more expensive. as far as accuracy goes, it doesn't take a genius to tell it's not exactly greek style-- the pommel looks more european. that said, it is certainly beautiful. speaking of the pommel, it's wood wrapped in leather, which is great, except the leather on mine did fray and come off. i ended up re-wrapping it in electrical tape, just because i thought it was a nice look.
the scabbard is without a doubt my favorite thing about this particular sword. it's wood wrapped in leather, so very nice, and it's also just a beautiful design, i think. that said, it is pretty tight around the blade. I have to grip it at the flats if i even want a chance of getting the thing out
So glad I have a friend who is a blacksmith.
Hey man would you do an awesome cheap pirate sword list? Cutlasses and Sabres? Thx if you ever get to it lol keep it up bud, God bless.
The A Trim Falchion is the BOMB!Love that blade,definitely a mail chopper!
You've done a few reviews on "sword machetes" . what is your overall opinion on these. If I'm not mistaken usually you review condor but Cold steel also makes a line of them(not the most accurate but cut well) and I'm sure you know more manufacturers than I do. Thanks for any info or a future video on the subject. Thanks for the vids in general great content . glad you look to have healed up well.
How do you feel about the Windlass Battlecry swords? I've been disappointed on my windlass purchases (except Roven) Great video tho man thanks for uploading!
I'd love to see you do a review on the Cold Steel Hand and a Half Sword :D
Thanks a lot for making this video
I stumbled across this page and I love it. Can you give me any recommendations to someone who has never done any thing with a sword
Seconding everything you said about the Hanwei tinker Norman sword. I own it, great balance and solid heat treatment. Really simplistic but mostly accurate. Had to do a few dyi projects to get it the way I wanted to, and still doing a few - just needs sanding down on the crossguard and pommel to get rid of that mirror polish and the leather is fairly atrocious, so I'm in the middle of replacing the handle leather. The edge definitely needs a sharpening and the point could be a little more dull to be historically accurate. Nonetheless, for that level of perfection out of the box, expect to drop a few hundred more. For what it's worth, I've only spent about $10 on it after the purchase ($240+$10 = $250) and it's halfway there to being a phenomenal sword.
8/10, just needs a little work. Disregard the sheath it comes with, it's trash.
In regards to Hanwei- I have the Rhinelander Bastard Sword and like it a lot, I think it runs about $220 on KOA. It's well made and functional, and very sturdy.
The Windlass Homildon Hill deserves a mention. One of my favorites, and nicer than its price-class.
one thing I have noticed is that deepeeka seems to be putting out some more functional weapons. I'd love to hear your opinion on some of their new stuff like that William marshal sword.
Skall, have you ever tried the Hanwei Edward III sword? I own it and it is my favorite medieval European sword that I own.
I've heard Hanwei scottish claymore is good, thinking of picking it up
Well done on the description information, not enough youtubers but any effort into it (Y)
Hey Skallagrim. I was wondering, about threaded pommels, is the issue you have with them that they come loose during use, or that the overall fit of the blade isn't tight? If they just come loose during use, have you ever tried using loctite on the threads to help keep it together, and did it work well at all? Thanks!
I own a Darksword Amory Two Handed Norman Sword. it isn't what I would call a two handed sword. It is a long sword. I read a lot of reviews, and watched a lot of videos before I bought it. There's a lot of videos by a guy, who although he's not really knowledgeable, just really abused this sword. Splitting wood and cutting down tree's and similar very abusive things. He finally had to replace the grip; but it took a lot of abuse. While I'm not going to play lumberjack with mine, I feel it is well made and handles well. the balance is good. My bank has a stupid thing on my debit card that won't let me do an online purchase of more than $500 so I bought it unsharpened. It had a decent edge while not sharp. I was able to get it very sharp quickly. The scabbard is decent. The flex seems right to me. This is my first battle ready sword, so may I don't have the enough experience to really say. Oh yeah, the peen is very well done.
My brother just bought his first sword from Kult of Athena because I remembered it from your show, I am going tomorrow. They should send you money.
Skall, question for you. I have checked out some of those traditional Filipino weapons, they seem nice and I like the style, but all of them have a disclaimer about the wood potentially splitting and cracking that's made me too nervous to really consider buying one. Has this been an issue in your experience? And I won't be abusing them, BTW, I'm just worried about them cracking while on my wall. Thanks!
I have the Hanwei Tinker Longsword. For the price, it's an awesome blade. Very nice balance. Not the sharpest sword, but that's easy to fix.
I have been wanting a katana for awhile, yet I want one that is affordable and won't break. generally because of this I have been looking at the cold steel ones, but they weren't quite there yet to get me to buy one. however I noticed in 2016 they released 2 new katana's, the "gold lion" with has damacus steel and is light and the "mizutori"which is 1095 carbon and more similar to their warrior in weight, they both look very nice to me and even have the clay-tempered hamon, which makes it look sweet.just waiting for a review on them, so far nothing anywhere. wondered if you heard anything about them possibly? since you are the swordmaster!
If I wanted a rapier I could sharpen and use, any idea what price range or maker I'd have to go up to? On a LOW budget, and while the midrange like Del Tin's look awesome, I'd prefer something less expensive if it can be found! Was thinking about the windlass but after your "floppy" review and seeing how the blade bent, not so much...
Important question um I'm deciding to get a hanwei long sword but the threaded on I've seen break at the Tang so should I get the peened longsword I would like your suggestion Because I've asked a lot of people but I trust you the most based on your knowledge and your research so I would like to know if the peened hanwei longsword is better than the threaded one , so I would like to know which on should I purchase ,, if u can plz get back to me thank you🙏
Do you have experience with Cold Steel? I have a few of them that are well put together, but I have no idea how good their rapier is. Sharpening is OK with them, about the same as their knifes. It will cut paper well.
can you do a video explaining how to properly sharp a sword plase?
Great channel!.
he has stated in previous videos that he doesnt believe he is skilled enough for it yet
yes i know but perhaps he got better :-P
He has a vid about a sword sharpening machine he purchased, however.
Hey skall I was just wondering how good are the ravernarmoury swords. They have the most beautiful collection which a very high price tag. would like to know your thoughts about them before I possibly buy one or more of their swords
Any idea what a good functional practice grade saber might look like? Where it might be found? Just want to keep it affordable for now but plan to get one for classes soon. I'm gonna invest in some of your clothes merchandise soon because I've seen so many of your videos LOL.
Wait, has Skall always had a pierced ear? not sure how I missed that.
On to the video:
Great to get some first hand reviews on cheaper more entry level swords. I'm tempted to just go buy one now.
he has both his ears pierced one ear has two holes, and he has had it a long time :3
He also has a beard.
+lukutiss1324 Really?!?! I thought it was just some oddly shaped nose hair. Thanks for letting me know.
thanks for the recommendations :)
I got a windlass “17th Century Duchaux Style Swept Hilt Rapier” For under $300 and its great - not whippy and I’ve done some moderate abut I’ve stabbing into both Pine and Oak tree rounds among other softer targets backed by wood. It flexes well I think and would be a hell of a skewer. I’m not sure about the handling but it feels similar to an Italian smarra (I think it’s called). I’m curious if you would be able to review this sword somehow**
I am new to sword collecting and I'm looking for a two handed European longsword for a price up to 300 dollars, something that is really tough and sturdy but also well balanced so you could actually use it against other swords in a fight, sparring. If you got recommendations please let me know that would be really helpful.
Hi Skall, did you ever have a look on the swords from Valiant Armoury in Signature/Special collection?
It seems they are far lighter than other manufacturer, will it be a problem on durability?
Thx
Skallagrim, the only KOA items I've been looking at, are the sword canes, & the only one that I like & isn't back-ordered, is the Dragon King - Damascus sword cane with a hidden knife. the problem is, it's $569 USD, would I be crazy saving up for it? It's really nice...
Thanks. This is good content.
you should do a how to sharpening series, light, medium, and major
Hey Skall, have you seen the new game Mordhau? It's basically Chivalry 2.0. The combat looks really, really good, though not neccisarily historically accurate. Although they've already said that they take inspiration from HEMA, (like the murderstroke, or halfswording) but aren't going for complete historical accuracy. Either way, I think it looks really good.
Do you recommend the cold steel hand and a half sword?
If you can get ahold of the older proper hand and a half grip model on the pre-owned market, then absolutely. If you can only find the erroneously long 2 hand grip model.... Well, that's up to you, but I hate it.
Del Tin is the only maker of Side Swords that I can find on Kult of Athena. The quality of their blades doesn't seem to be up to snuff, though. Pitting visible in their pictures, inconsistent shaping and wrapping. And this is in the $500-$600 range.
3:17 Never thought you would run over my actual sword I wanted. Well I guess this is just more reassurance
What's your thoughts on 15th Century Ring-hilted Longsword Battle-Ready? Asking because I'm on a budget and I like it aesthetically, but I also don't wanna be buying a cheaper weapon that may need repairs after light use. The pommel is peened and it's EN45 high carbon steel. Not many videos of it and fewer reviews. No manufacturer is listed on KoA except that it's from India.
One thing I can say, looking through the Ancient swords on the Kult of Athena, the Bronze Swords aren't listed as Battle Ready because for the time they were made, they ARE battle ready by bronze standards, but they can't hold up to modern battle ready standards especially compared to the steel blades, and they note that on the bronze swords.
I'm looking for a nice dagger to carry at renaissance fairs as I usually am dressed as a well-off merchant, but don't think I should be carrying a sword, but need some level of protection per say. What would you recommend?
I have the Windlass viking sword that has a pattern welded/ damascus blade, it seems pretty good
Great vid! though have a question what has been in my mind for a while. I noticed cold steel are quite..... boasty.... A lot of sellers/ history nuts and others use comparisons what they have done to promote a product.... It kinda annoys me and I dont have anything against the people per say but the practices they are doing.... eh I just am not a fan, quality of most of their swords and marketing..... what do you think skallagrim, oh great swordsman of our age?
Coming from a Wu Shu Kung Fu Martial Arts background, I am wondering where functional Asian curved swords have been found. The technique for handling a curved sword is generally different from a medieval blade (mostly in the wrist functionality). Im curious if you have any information on reliable and potentially functionally curved swords.
Can you recommend any "modern" battle ready swords for those not too concerned with historical accuracy? Also, what materials/designs would be best for a modern sword? Thinking stuff like ergonomics, modern alloys, possibly rubber grips, etc.
In regards to Darksword Armory- Their blades tend to be over-built. They are absolute tanks and will probably never break, but they are in general a bit heavy. Additionally, they always come with some sort of cosmetic defect. I bought their 16th century two-handed sword (which was poorly balanced and very heavy, the Cold Steel La Fontaine Sword of War is a far better pick, although it's heavier it is balanced very well, meaning you don;t actually notice the weight that much), and it was actually deformed, with one of the edges being malformed (it was about 1/8th of an inch shorter from the spine, and thicker, as if it hadn't been completely finished, as well as the fullers being uneven and having some scuffs and rust marks). I would not recommend them for the price, but I am drawing my experience from only one sword. I sent it back and replaced it with my first Albion (the Ringeck).
A 200$ sword from out of EU will cost me 500$ with tax and shipping so damn.
Have you tried any swords made by Baltimore Knife and Sword? I live within driving distance of them and was hoping you, someone I watch regulary, had the chance to give their productions a good 1, 2.
No reccomendation specifically for the Windlass Battlecry line? The stone-washed finish isn't for everybody, but it's really, really solid, especially for the introductory pricing.
I'd also take a look at the Towton and Arbedo swords from windlass I've heard really good things about them and I have a towton on the way and they're like 200-220
@Gary York I also ended up getting the towton! It wasn't that sharp for me but I touched it up. Thinking about getting the arbedo next
I have the Christus Imperat Rapier. Its a touch more flexy than i would have liked, but other than that, i think it is decently well made.
Have you demonstrated the Chinese Hook sword on its practicality, pros and cons? Single or double wielding.