If you are new to sword collecting, there is a small chance that you have never heard of Paul Chen.
Paul Chen is known around the world by sword collectors and martial arts practitioners as one of the best sword smith for those looking for high quality swords at affordable prices.
Who is Paul Chen?
Paul Chen started is company back in 1997 were he specialized in forging replica of the Edo period Japanese swords. All of the swords were forged using only traditional methods. His company instantly became a huge success simply because he was offering high quality swords at great prices.
He soon expanded in manufacturing Chinese and European swords as well.
If you are interested in learning a little bit more about Paul Chen swords, read the following article i have written for you.
Article: Paul Chen Swords are Great Values
Fantasy movies or stories are extremely popular and also very diverse. There are many different settings, story lines and fantasy swords available and so everyone will like one weapon or the other. However, there are also many unique collections of fantasy swords which are simply creations based on the artist’s imagination and not a real story.
There are different fantasy swords on the market, some based on weapons you have seen pictures of before and some not. One of the most famous series of fantasy swords are those belonging to the Lord of the Rings. Other famous movies or books with swords include Conan the Barbarian, Blade, Kill Bill and King Arthur. Some of the swords are completely based on ideas from the author, whereas others are more historical in nature.
If you are a collector of fantasy swords then you will be on the lookout for the most unique swords that you can find and these are often the ones that are made up by someone. A great example of this would be the fantasy sword collections of Kit Rae. These are very unique and there are a series of swords that create a single collection so you will have plenty to put on display. Since the collector’s value is important and not the functionality of these weapons, the swords are unfortunately not suitable for purposes such as reenactments, demonstrations, competitions, training and practice. This is because they are not battle ready, heavy and will lose their value if damaged in some way by cracking or chipping.
Since fantasy swords may one day become collector’s items and therefore increase in value it is best to look for special and limited editions. These have the best chances of increasing in value. Swords from movies should also include a certificate of authenticity and official licensing rights in order to one day be worth more than you paid for it. One of the biggest problems with finding the right fantasy swords to invest in is that you simply don’t know what will one day have cult status and what movies will just be forgotten.
If you are looking for high quality handmade Japanese Samurai swords, then i have just written an interesting article that might just interest you.
The following article is about Thaitsuki Nihonto Japanese swords. We are not talking about simple Japanese swords here, but high quality ones that are hand forged with the best materials and the highest quality.
To learn more about these amazing swords, read my article.
Feel free to leave your feedback, i always like to hear from you.
Not all swords are made the same or look the same. Under the term sword you will find that there are many different sub-categories, one of them being swords known as rapier. A rapier sword is very distinct because it has a very long, thin blade and an ornate and highly decorative hilt. The hilt is usually a complex design and is eye-catching, but it does have an important purpose and that is to protect the hand of the sword holder.
A rapier sword is one of the more modern types, only having its origins in the 16th century. Today it still has many of its original purposes. For one it is often a piece that is displayed for all to see in a central place of the home or workplace. A rapier makes an excellent piece for any collection because it does have a different look and a very ornate appearance. The extremely elaborate hilt is sure to stand out in any collection.
Of course a rapier sword is also useful as a thrusting weapon. This is especially important in certain sport arts that are still practiced today and the most popular and well known is fencing. Many fencing enthusiasts have not only their standard competition weapons, but also practice with a rapier. This sword is perfect for this because it has the right shape, is lightweight, not too long and is easy to use with just one hand. This allows the holder to maintain speed and flexibility that is essential for sports and training.
There are also many gatherings and clubs where medieval enthusiasts meet and reenact the old times. A rapier sword makes a great weapon to take to such meetings, because it is interesting and still looks like the originals from centuries ago. If the rapier is made of high carbon steel it can also be used to have a duel with another sword of the same type.
Role playing fans that love to dress up as pirates will also find that a rapier sword is the perfect choice of a weapon. It is what real pirates used to have with them and its elegant and decorative look completes the picture.
I am often asked what is the the tang of a sword and what are the difference between the various types of tang. So in order to get that information to you i decided to write this little article.
What is the Tang of a Sword?
The Tang of a sword is the part of the blade that goes through the handle. Then handle in turn is attached to it.
There are different types of tang, here is a little resume that will help you understand each of them.
- Full Tang:The strongest of them all, swords with full tang are considered to be very solid constructions. The Full tang terms mean that the grip follows the exact shape of the tang which is a solid piece of steel. The handle was then attached to this part using various methods.
- Hidden Tang:This type of tang is also called rat-tail tang, This technique results in a much weaker type of sword. A Rat tail or hidden tail can be described as a thin, round bar of steel with a threaded end is welded to the blade shoulder. While this technique is often used to produced very effective and solid knives, it cannot be used to produced battle read-swords. the sword being a completely different weapon requires a full tang to endure the stress of use. Swords with Rat-tail tang are often considered as decorative swords.
- Sub tang:This type of sword is the exact reason why you need to know how to differentiate the various types of Tang. a sub tang is described as a very short piece of metal (less than an inch) that is inserted in the grip or handle. It is then fixed to the grip with epoxy. This technique is used to produce cheap swords in great quantities while reducing the amount of metal required. This type of weapon is for display only, any use of these type of sword is considered extremely dangerous.
There you go, now that you know what the various types of tang are, go get yourself a real sword and improve your collection 
As i am always looking for new swords i am searching everywhere on the net to find new sources to better improve my personal collection.
The following site is , in my opinion, just amazing. I strongly encourage you to go and take a look at the swords this guy makes. I am not sure as i just found this site, but from what i can see so far, you cannot find them anywhere else. Each sword seem to be hand forged and so each of them are unique.
The website is called the Darksword Armoury. The armoury as been created by a guy named Eyal Azeral who spent his whole life studying the secret of forging medieval and renaissance swords. He started his own business in 1996.
Eyal specialise in recreating true to size swords that are able to withstand the rigors of battle. Some videos can be seen on his website that proves that durability of his swords. Each of the swords forged by his company are reproduced based on swords found in museum or private collections and other various historical sources.
I strongly suggest you head over to take a look at their site, each sword is amazing and should be consider a great addition to your current collection….I know they will be in mine.