Sword Buying Tips
Due to the many choices, buying a sword can be a bit confusing. At Zwaardkopen.nl we have done our best to put everything together.
We have an extensive selection of swords in different price ranges and have a selected number of forges so that everyone can make good choices.
What is the purpose of your sword purchase?
There are actually four categories: functional swords, training sword, re-enactment or decorative swords.
Functional swords
Functional swords are sometimes named as Battle Ready swords. Functional swords are real sharp swords made from carbon steel. Steel is an alloy between iron and carbon, and carbon gives hardness to the steel. These steels have traditionally also been used to make real swords. The hardness is necessary so that the blade is hard and strong enough to get sharp. Functional swords are therefore suitable for safe cutting and cutting exercises if you take the correct safety precautions.
Carbon steels must always be maintained otherwise they will rust. Functional swords are usually full tang, this means that the blade runs deep into the handle and is properly secured in it.
Functional swords have also often undergone heat treatment, such as hardening or differential hardening. Differential hardening means that the sword on the back is covered with clay and then tempered, so that the cut becomes harder than the back. This ensures that the sword does not break as soon as it has very hard contact with another sword or target.
These swords are often a lot more expensive as decorative swords, and the price difference is often in the steel, heat treatment, polishing and often better and nicer fittings. A functional sword usually starts around € 200.
Functional swords are of course also suitable as decoration and often even more beautiful as the swords that are only made for decorative purposes.
We sell functional samurai swords from Paul Chen (Hanwei), Cold Steel and Fuji Forge. It is also possible to purchase functional Viking swords, knight swords and Chinese swords. The Japanese swords contain some of the best katana, wakizashi and tanto sets that you can buy today.
Training swords
These types of swords are often used during training of sword fighting arts, this can be done in karate, iaikido, iaido, katori, muso. You can also do training with European swords. These swords are often made of wood or polypropylene. The advantage is that you can train safely and as a result you often get your techniques to a higher level faster. With Japanese sword fighting arts you often use a bokken , which is an oak wooden training sword that has the same dimensions as a katana. The training swords of Cold Steel are made of super strong polypropylene, without very sharp points or edges. That is why these extremely durable Bokken are suitable for contact training and sparring. Our Chinese swords are also often used during Tai Chi and kung fu training and many are also suitable for functional use.
Re-enactment
Reenactment is the replay or portrayal of events that have taken place in the past. In general, re-enactment swords are blunt and have no sharp edge, then they can be fought with. Today there are many associations with different historical perspectives, such as: Romans, Vikings, Middle Ages, Eighty Years' War, Napoleonic wars and much more.
Decorative swords
These swords are for ornamental and usually very cheap. It is often dangerous to store somewhere with these swords because they are not built like a functional sword. The weld seams are often bad often it is the material stainless steel, which is very soft without machining, or made of non-hardened carbon steel.
You often see stainless steel in this category because the swords will look nice for a long time to come. These swords are mainly used as wall decorations, displays, home or office decorations. This makes them perfect as home decoration and conversation pieces, as well as a nice collector's item for the sword collector or enthusiast.
Because the swords, due to the softer steel and poorer finish, are only suitable for decoration, it is also very important not to use them.
This category also often includes fantasy swords or swords from films. We have a range of official Lord of the Rings weapons in our range, including famous swords from characters such as Aragorn, Frodo, Legolas and more. We also have limited edition items such as the Sting Sword, Anduril Sword and various weapons from the prequel series, The Hobbit. With our selection of Lord of the Rings weapons and Hobbit weapons, fans of the series have everything they need to put together a great collection.
If you do not know for what purpose you want to buy a sword, and you have an idea of what budget you have, you can start looking specifically.
We can choose from many styles, perhaps you want a historically accurate sword, or perhaps a specific culture such as a Roman sword, a Viking sword, a Scottish sword or a Japanese sword?
We hope that this brief guide has answered a number of questions and can make you a good choice. If you have any questions, we can be reached via whatsapp, telephone or email.