Sword Buyers Digest:

Issue #187, March 2024

Welcome to the February March edition of the Sword Buyers Digest (apologies for the typo in the January FEBRUARY issue of the digest last month - guess the 3 month hiatus was a couple of months too long)! Lot's of new sword related movies and TV shows, new swords and new media to check out this month, so without any further ado lets get straight into it!

Just in case you were wondering what the world record is for balancing swords on your body is - it's 30 blades, up from 28 for the previous Guinness world record and ushers in a new holder of the title 'Human sword rack world champion' (and in case you were wondering that those swords look kind of familiar, those blades look a lot like the Hanwei Scimitar, which has been widely adopted as the 'go to' sword for the Belly dancing community!)

Your eyes are not fooling you and that distinctive side profile is not AI generated. Facebook top dog Mark Zuckerberg recently ACTUALLY learned at least a little of the art of Japanese swordsmithing and tried his hand at Tameshigiri with a sword he apparently helped to forge himself.. But if he REALLY liked swords, maybe he would lift the ban and allow sword businesses to advertise? (never going to happen, but it is a little hypocritical)..

SoCal Swordfight 2024

Still the largest HEMA tournament, Orange county hosted the 12th annual SoCal Swordfight with hundreds of interested spectators.

3D Printed Collapsible Toy Swords for 2024

It's a fun hobby that the whole family can enjoy, and with these 6 designs and links to download the 3D printable blueprints you too can make banana swords and telescoping Katana and everything in between right from the comfort of your home.

Lego's latest medieval addition

Another fun family tradition is Lego, and with the recent addition of a medieval town square to the Blacksmith and Lion Castle, including a tavern, a shield painting workshop and even a goat for good measure..!

New 'Red Sonja' inspired humorous comic Babs coming to shelves near you soon

A new tongue in cheek six issue comic series is soon hitting the shelves with a Barbarian anti-hero loosely based on and inspired by Red Sonja, 'Babs' and her sentient sword 'Barry' written by Garth Ennis.

Welcome to Sword School, St Johns in Canada

Just featured on CBC, the Terra Nova School of Swords by Phil Swift teaches HEMA full time and let's hope gets a few more new students from the exposure.

10 Best Medieval Sword Movies, Ranked

While as usual I don't necessarily agree with the order the movies are ranked in, there are indeed some real gems in this list that some of you may not have been aware of before. For that reason alone it is worth a look!

Why Did the Creators of One-Piece Give Zoro 3 Swords?

In a 'piece of one piece trivia' what on earth inspired the writer of the series, Eiichiro Oda, to give Swordmaster Zoro not 2 but THREE swords? The answer has something to do with a certain historical Ronin who was infamous for his 2 sword fighting style..

Badly thought out plan to teach kids swordsmanship in schools ends in lawsuit..

Normally we encourage kids to learn traditional swordsmanship skills in a SAFE and responsible environment. But when a teacher with good intentions, but lacking in grey matter, brings a couple of sharps to school with no safety equipment and tells the kids to spar with them for 2 mins without any training, it will end in tears (and blood, lawsuits and job termination in this case). Just - wow..

Dune Part II Out Now

The second part to the acclaimed remake of Frank Herbert's Dune has just hit the cinemas and is a hit with the critics. While it is not a traditional 'sword' movie, Holtzman shields have made most projectile weapons less than effective, but cannot block 'slow' moving knives and shortswords - which for sword fans means a LOT of sci-fi sword fighting!

Best posts from the official SBG Sword Forum

Howard Clark Current Lead time

You might be surprised to learn the relatively short lead time of legendary American sword maker Howard Clark.. But more than this, it's also a window into the world of elite level blades and their furniture/fittings.

Albion's Packaging (less than desirable)

While their blades are a perennial favorite, with packaging like this they might not always arrive in pristine condition (and seems odd to risk damage after a significant 9 month+ wait time).. Know before you buy..

If you had $10,000 to spend on 3 custom swords..

Always a fun thought experiment, if you suddenly had $10k to drop on three custom swords, what would you buy? Forum members share their suggestions..

Cutting Stands 101

What forumites use, how they make their own and some good things to be mindful of and avoid when using them. Solid info.

Technically it might be more about a 'smallsword' than a rapier, but there is always something interesting about seeing a master of one style of swordsmanship explore the blades and techniques of a totally different style.

This video of Japanese sword master Seki Sensei - a follow up to his earlier exploration of the European longsword - is a delight to watch as he compares the rapier/smallsword to some Japanese weaponry and quickly learns to respect its deadly point..

Click here to watch the earlier viral sensation 'How Would a Samurai Master Fight with a Longsword (Shocking Findings)'

Rapiers are making a comeback at Hanwei, with two classic rapier designs, the Taza and the Gustav sword models, returning to the shelves after MANY years of absence (the designs were lost in the Hanwei factory fire of 2011, and have taken this long to be resurrected - a trend Hanwei is hoping to continue as the year progresses)...

And not to be left out in the 'sword renaissance of renaissance swords' - Kingston Arms has also created a swept hilt rapier and matching main gauche for what was one of the most deadly and effective close combat sword fighting methods in history..

Best part is, the NEW Kingston Arms renaissance swords will be sub $300 at SBG when they are finally available in just a few weeks time.

Speaking of many years of absence, the COOLEST little leaf blade fully functional replica of the Halfling STING sword is getting the Legacy Arms makeover treatment, with a crisp 'freshly hot from the forge' new model poised to hit the shelves around the same time as the Hanwei and Kingston Arms Renaissance swords

Such a fun little sword and a steal for around $200 or so..

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Hope you enjoyed this issue of the Sword Buyers Digest. Until next time, Happy Swordening all!

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