Best Sword for under $300?

Add a pommel (I know, not traditional, but your story reveals their need - could save your life in a battle too)

-Shorten the blade, to somewhere between 16 and 19 inches; somewhere in there, maybe 20 or 21.
by First Freedom


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You just described the khukuri.;)

The Gurhkas are / were the premier fighters with the khukuri. There are many documented stories of their blade defeating the Japanese with katanas in combat during WW11. Hell they held the British to a stalemate in Nepal in the 1800's. Their modern style variant is called Bando.

You would be happy with a Sirupatti or Chitlange 21" - 22".
 
You just described the khukuri.

The Gurhkas are / were the premier fighters with the khukuri. There are many documented stories of their blade defeating the Japanese with katanas in combat during WW11. Hell they held the British to a stalemate in Nepal in the 1800's. Their modern style variant is called Bando.
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That has long been my house and trunk "knife". In the trunk I can easily refer to it as an all purpose machette and camp tool, for which it has been used. In the house, before getting my permit to own (NY) it was my bump in the night reasurance for me and the wife. Inside the close quarters of a hallway or dark room I have no problem with the Khukuri. You can get the old issue ones, packed in cosmoline, for around $20. They are freaking indestructable and can easily lop off an arm.
 
No, I don't think that describes a kukhri, which has a severe bend for some reason, vs. a straight blade. Very different for that reason. And a kuhkri has a single hand handle, not a double. And it's not double-edged either - but blade length, yes, I described a kuhkri's blade length in my ideal. But I'm dyin to hear the explanation for the forward bend in the khukuri, which is the opposite of every other bent sword in history, be they sabers, scimitars, falchions, or katanas.

But very interesting discussion for me - I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get the practical ninja-to from Paul Chen soon. But close second choice is that Cold Steel Chinese War sword...

http://www.kultofathena.com/product~item~CS88CWS~name~Cold+Steel+Chinese+War+Sword.htm

But the tip of the Chinese War sword is notsomuch good for thrusting attacks. It would be the ultimate for slicing attacks however!
 
Actually, the forward curve on the khukri is pretty straight forward--no pun intended. It's all about leverage to the cut angle. Simply put, you never want a cut angle that is at 90 degrees to the cut subject--you loose the leverage of the cut. The curve on some blades counters this with a sweeping slice, meaning as you draw the blade down, the curve maintains the original angle of the cut through the draw of the slice (sabre, scimitar, katana, etc.) The Khukri takes a slightly different approach to the same issue. The forward curve serves two purposes--it puts more blade weight forward of the contact point AND keeps the angle of the cut inside the slice arch all the way to the point while pulling the blade through from ahead of the cut point rather than drawing it from behind the cut. It's a brutal weapon design, seriously--and yes, there have been full-length khukri style swords used that were both one and two handed in design. One might ask "If it's such a great design, why didn't it become more popular?" Because it's less wieldly. The weight leading the point rather than following makes it more difficult to control, harder to recover, and more tiring to use at lenght. As a single combat weapon, it's pure carnage.
But on those lines, maybe consider this route... :D It's a variation of the viking bearded axe I hammered out a few years ago. You get the distance and reach of a medium length sword, the weight and leverage of something much larger, besides being a weapon in itself the solid ball pommel balances the blade to be used one or two handed very easily, and at close-quarters you can choke up under the blade for a real nasty CQB weapon. It's a lot of fun! LOL
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FirstFreedom, just a tid bit of info that is on Himalayan Imports webb site.

A khukuri is beleived to have developed from the Greek kopis, brought to India by Alexander the Great. My 25" Sirupatti is very close to the kopis sword, and I have it handy in the back bedroom.

There are a wide variety of lengths, weights, and shapes of khukuris. A martial artist type is called a "Kobra". It is light and thin, & very, very fast. I have a 18" kobra in my travel bag, and a 30 " kobra in my garage I use for practice in the back yard away from neighbors. It's size puts in the sword catagory. It does have room for two hands, but too big for the house. I took it out 3 am one time when two black dressed people were snooping around the bushes next to my house. They ran so fast, it was amusing. I know no pistol would have frighted the intruders like that. Of course my 1911 was in my back waste band out of site.

My katana is a straight blade but more of a Indonesian type than a Japanese type. All the blades are hand forged from a small company in Nepal that has been doing bussiness in the US from Reno Nevada, owners house.

The foward weight & the curve increases the cutting ability tremendously, and has the added advantage of doing camping chores as well as self defense. Some styles are close to neutral in balance. They all need to be respected and you have to "get familar" with the blade. I have 15" khukuris for fishing and canoeing. A side wack is deadly on the big ones, and a swing will slice the head off. :D I keep an 18" handy in the jon boat to keep my courage up around those pesky gators. [ A .44 is in my bag when permitted on the rivers.]

Also check out Mineral Mountain. They make a "speed stick" I think you would like. I bought a Brush Hog from them and is sword like, but a bit heavy for the light palmettos down here. Good luck in your quest.
 
FirstFreedom: www.himalayan-imports.com is a good place to start, they are a supplier of khuks that are hand-made in primitive conditions in Nepal; their blacksmiths (kamis) are such by cast (i.e. generation after generation after generation) They claim on that site that it takes 6 people (usually one master kami and a crew of less qualified 5) working very hard for two days to make one blade, if memory serves me right. You can't tell it by the price though: in Nepal they have slightly different idea about wages.

I own few of their blades and can attest that quality is typically excellent but may vary as with all hand-made products.

A great think about khuks is versatility - due to design and forging methods (each part of blade is forged to it's preferred hardness) it can be used for most outdoor tasks if used properly. From peeling potatos to cutting wood to beheading zombies. :) You may call it Jack of all trades and master of none; yet that's exactly what makes it practical, familiar to the bearer, and consequently makes bearer proficient with it. I hear that ghurkas don't allocate much special time for training with khuks, they just have them by the side since early age for all kinds of chores, household or otherwise. You wouldn't do that with a katana or a bastard sword, hence you need training regiment to familiarize yourself with either.

Keep in mind though: typically, khuk is not a 2 hand shaft weapon. There are examples, but those would be more of an exception, made for ritual purposes, and very unwieldy.
 
Wow, Rangefinder! I have been trying to articulate the physics behind the double-recurve design of the khukuri and the yattighan for years now. Thank you for FINALLY putting it into words. That's EXACTLY how it works...

Firstfreedom, I like this idea. If you're not going to train with a Samurai sword full-time, then you ought to go with something a little more "user friendly." The khukuri is a good idea.

Also, look at something called a yattighan (forgive the spelling). It's essentially a turkish saber with a double-recurve. They were designed with large pommels, which gave them great balance properties. I have one that's several hundred years old, made of original damascus. (I keep it on a display stand in my home, handle it only with leather gloves, and only take it down to rub it with clove oil.) I don't know if you can find any still being made, but if you can, they are pretty neat.

Remember this: Handling a sword is DIFFICULT. It's NOT something that you can pick up in a few days, a few weeks, or even a few years. I've been training HARD for nearly a decade, and I'm STILL not that good.

When in doubt, read my signature line.
 
samoand, that Kris Kutlery has a ninja-to style with a 19.75" blade, which sounds even better, but I can't find much on the quality of these swords.....
 
samoand, that Kris Kutlery has a ninja-to style with a 19.75" blade, which sounds even better, but I can't find much on the quality of these swords.....
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I'd like to know that myself... never saw any of their blades live, just came across the site and items there looked promising at least.
 
A double edged sword is just that. Any people that have practiced ken do or similar art know about having their weapon bounce back a smack them in the head. Control and practice are a must. ;)

An alternative to the sword is a tomahawk in my opinion. Not a whole lot of skill needed. There are versions out there based on the VietNam era issue tomahawk. Currently being used in Iraq as well. They will cleave deeply into a Kevlar helmet. Very light and compact. :D

I wonder what a Samurai would think of an opponent wielding a pair of American Indian Tomahawks while inside a close quarters enviroment? :eek:
 
CAS Iberia

I can't think of much real use for a sword around here, but I got two CW swords hung on the wall. An old Army ceremonial sabre. A Japanese cavalry sabre. Some kind of stainless steel Celtic sword with a short heavy leaf blade. Well that was only 20 bucks. And a CAS Iberia River Witham medieval sword that I got cheap from some guy at a gunshow. Double edged but one hand type. Carbon spring steel blade they claim. Not super sharp but has an edge from factory. Might look on CAS Iberia website. They sell thru alot of wholesalers and I am sure they have plenty of styles of two handed swords. I had some kind of two handed Knights Templar cruisader sword with a tapered to a point carbon steel blade for piercing armor. Not super sharp but the tip sure was! They are out there. The CAS sword is definitely not a toy or stage prop.
 
Tomahawk sounds interesting.

I have it narrowed down to these 8, I think:

1. Cheness Cutlery, Type 23 Katana, Onibasu (Demon Lilly), 21" curved blade, 1060 steel, 10.5" handle, with scabbard & display stand, on sale for $170:
http://www.chenessinc.com/onibasu.htm

But know very little about quality of Cheness; seems good, but haven't read much yet; read some good though...

2. Cheness Cutlery, Type 7E Wakizashi, "Musha Bessaku", 21" curved blade, 1045 steel, 10.5" handle, on sale for $100:
http://www.chenessinc.com/mushabessaku.htm

3. Cheness Cutlery, "Shura" Ko-Katana (or Chisa Katana), 9260 Steel (better), 21" curved blade, 10.5" handle, on sale for $170:
http://www.chenessinc.com/shurakokat.htm

4. Kris Cutlery (read much good about them), Ninja-to, 19.75" straight blade, 9.0" handle, with scabbard, for $145:
http://kriscutlery.com/japanese/ninjato.html

5. CAS Iberia /Hanwei, Paul Chen design (read a lot of good also), Practical Shinobi Ninja-to (White Same), 23.75" straight blade, 10.25" handle, with scabbard and small display stand, for $160
http://www.swordsdirect.com/paul-chen-swords-hanwei-ninja.html
http://www.americancart.us/bladecenter/index.php/action/category/id/23/subid/86/

Note: Some places show this as 22.75" blade, not 23.75", but I think it's actually 23.75.

6. Generation 2, BWT Shinobi Ninja-to, 22.75" straight blade, 10.25" handle, for $280:
http://www.swordsofhonor.com/ip-026-2.html

7. Himalayan Imports Tibetan Sword - Short, 22.5" blade, 9" handle, for $195:
http://yhst-7333098713883.stores.yahoo.net/tiswsh.html

8. Kris Cutlery Phillipine Pinuti, 20.5" curved blade, 6.5" handle, for $115:
http://kriscutlery.com/philippine/pinuti.html


Leaning toward 3, 4, 5, or 7 right now, so really want to compare those. #4 is the most compact for close quarters...

Slugthrower, thanks for the info - yeah, don't want that sharp edge bouncing back into my forehead - decided to go with single edge - it's worked for samarai/shogun/ninja warriors for centuries for a reason. Seems to me now that the only way they could improve on the Ko-katana (chisa Katana), or the Shinobi Ninja-to, or any Japanese sword for that matter, would be to add a more prominent pommel, in case you lose your grip.
 
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OK, I ordered #3, the Cheness "Shura" Ko-Katana, for $170, with free shipping, as a Christmas present to myself after reading some good about them at the sword forum. Plus they come with a nicer display and use real rayskin for the handle wrap (before the cloth "ito" outer wrap), instead of synthetic.

But now I'm already thinking that maybe I should have ordered the Hanwei Paul Chen Practical Ninja-to - especially since it has a nicer engraved "tsuba" (handguard) than the Cheness. And, more importantly, I didn't notice until after I ordered that the Paul Chen is only $125 at this site:
http://www.by-the-sword.com/acatalog/Cas_Iberia_Practical_Katanas.html
It's $160 everywhere else!! Doh.... maybe I'll get both as funds permit and compare them.

In any event, in addition to the real rayskin and display rack, I do like the shorter blade length, the reputation for excellent customer service, nice scabbard, the premium 9260 silicon-alloy steel, and alleged sale price of the Cheness. I'll keep y'all posted, those that are interested. Amazing how, in 3 days on the net, you can self-educate on a type of product you knew nothing about...something that would have taken a 20-year subscription to consumer reports to gather that much info, in pre-internet days.
 
something that would have taken a 20-year subscription to consumer reports to gather that much info, in pre-internet days.
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oh yeah.. role of internet in precipitation of efficient consumer information :) Congrats on having made a choice, let us know how it works out.
 
Awe man, very good choice. It's gorgeous. I feel the need to warn you though, it's just like guns: You get one and the next thing you know there's a dozen or so of them accumulated and they're multiplying like rabbits. I almost hit 40 before I hit the breaks for a while... So enjoy the new addiction. :D
 
...like rabbits? :eek:

I KNEW I shouldn't have put that albion in the safe with the last legend!!

what's that gonna cost me?

Hey, wait a minute. Maybe I can sell the litter.
 
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