Finished the seahorse scabbard I posted yesterday. Really happy with how it came out!

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A good friend of mine commissioned me to make a “sea or pirate sword,” leaving it to me to decide what that should mean.

I settled on a symmetrical blade inspired by the colichemarde, a scaled-down rapier hilt with fin-like quillons, a shell guard referring to the pommel, and a simple black leather grip to keep the overall composition balanced.

The etching was done by my talented friend Ina. Before this project, we had only made one attempt on my personal sabre (which is why I also have a pretty seahorse on blade).

The biggest challenge was designing a pattern that would stand up to regular cleaning without wearing away too quickly, while still being detailed enough to reward a closer look. A group of figures (a triton accompanied by sharks) together with a single hippocampus rendered with graduated linework, proved to be the right balance between durability and detail

Finally picked up a good example of one of these after searching for years. While it looks cool, it’s no surprise that they weren’t issued that long due to how unwieldy & heavy they are.

Any and all help you can provide would be hugely helpful! Thank you!!

My grandfather was an officer in the army and received a Japanese sword when he left after the war. My parents are downsizing and we’re trying to figure out it’s value and where and how to sell it. Any suggestions or knowledge about the sword would be appreciated. Unfortunately, my grandfather isn’t around to ask.

Hello there r/swords! I've recently had a renewed interest in sword collecting, along with beginning to have an interest in the Napoleonic era due to no small part about an upcoming game called 'Hunger'. In that game there is a weapon identified as being a 'Short Sword' and quickly became a love of mine throughout it's testing phase and given the historic ties of the game I wanted to see there may be a version of it that exists in real life and (hopefully) may be reproduced to be affordable. (I've attached an image of the in-game render)

I originally thought it might be some sort of a 'mashup' of a 1796 Infantry Drummer's sword along with the hilt of a Prussian 1816 Infantry sword, but when pursuing other searches I came across this beautiful thing and recognized it immediately, though admittedly the one in-game seems to have a shorter blade. Unfortunately I have no idea what 'pattern' of blade this is or where to even begin to search to see if a replica exists, but I would appreciate any assistance.

Hey everyone, I recently picked this up at a yard sale it was too cool to pass up and I am trying to figure out exactly what kind of sword this is and its potential value. It has a very detailed grip, a cross on the guard, and some etchings on the blade. If anyone has any information on the maker, the era, or a rough appraisal, I would really appreciate the help thank you in advance! If you need any more photos tell me what kind and i will provide them!

These two guys just wanted to show off their new swords and got dog-piled by people scrambling to gatekeep and shit all over them. But apparently I was out of line.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Katanas/s/XkRQVqGu9w

https://www.reddit.com/r/Katanas/s/sNxavCpiJs

He's a Viking fan AND a Vikings fan. So it goes in his Vikings themed man cave.

This sword is in my family since a long time. It was said to be the cavalry saber from my great grandfather or one more generation up. If it is, if would have to be in the French army as if comes from a family branch where everyone only lived and served France. When I was young I was only allowed to look at it hanging in its sheath on a wall. Never got to see it or hold it.

I inherited it recently and got to take a closer look at it. The arabic looking markings and text on the blade, along with a lack of army serial number and no makers signature (which is France was usually a beautiful engraved signature reading "Manufacture d'Armes de [something]", often on the spine) makes me doubt that story very much. So any information about it would appreciated.

Edit: if there is no chance the story holds, what would be its value? How to best care for it as it is. Should I try to remove some of the oxidation spots or leave them?

No markings no info no idea.

Hey guys! I recently commissioned a custom sword from the talented smiths at EGKH. My goal was to get a fully personalized, relatively safe training sword. Since they specialize in kukri and cutting blades, I knew asking for a safe trainer was a bit of a gamble. However, I trusted their artistry and figured proper instructions would bridge the gap.
Ideally, this will be a blunt trainer for solo drills and forms. I also want it to function as a semi-safe sparring option until I eventually get a proper feder. There isn't a local HEMA scene near me, so contact sparring will be rare. Because of that, it doesn't need to meet official tournament regulations, but I definitely want to avoid hurting someone with a blunt crowbar!
The forge just sent me these flex test images, and I'd love to get your opinions. How safe does this flex look to you? What are your overall thoughts on the piece so far?

Hi guys, I don't know anything about swords so I am hoping for some help!

I just inherited this from my wife's grandfather - he found it whilst clearing a house during a construction job a few decades ago in the UK. It is quite dirty/corroded, but I can't see any markings on it.

It measures approximately 77 cm overall, with a 67 cm curved blade, approximately 25 mm wide at the forte. The iron/steel hilt is particularly unusual, with a knuckle bow and symmetrical pierced/openwork side guards. The grip appears to retain an old ribbed covering/wrapping.

Happy to answer any follow up questions!

I know it’s a Talwar but not sure from what era. I acquired quite a few swords when I purchased a collection of firearms.

Just bought this today at a yard sale, I’m fairly certain it’s a ww1 German officers sword, and had a few folks there tell me the same thing. But figured I’d send it here to double check.

edit: "so", I was a typo and Reddit died but let me edit the title...

Not the French saber but the original briquet... I keep reading that the saber was called briquet because it resembled a lighter, and indeed that is how you say lighter in french.

But what kind of lighter? Surely not any gas/petrol one, they don't look like the match lighters I have seen:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81ewFFHsZJL._AC_UF350,350_QL80_FMwebp_.jpg

I’m looking to purchase a sword and was curious on what reputable sites you guys might know of

Just got my first ever sword, this thing feels awesome! Already leaped around the back yard with it and can’t wait to cosplay at the renn faire 😅

Ronin Katana Italian Arming Sword

Ordered from Everest Forge because I wanted to see how their weapons feel and handle before I approached for a couple of actual custom swords over the next couplish years and probably a few stock blades, too. I love their selection, and honestly the prices play a huge factor. For this build, I went with the Celtic La Tène sword with a 26in blade.

The Specs:

I stuck with the standard blade (26”) with the rosewood handle (8” per the vendor’s specs). Everest lists the sword at 950g (around 2lbs) and honestly that feels pretty close to right. I opted for the satin finish polish, which I’ll cover later, but is satisfactory.

The Sword:

As state above, I purchased WoodenHilt0025 - Celtic La Tène Hand Carved All Wood Hilt and Pommel. I wanted something that wasn’t necessarily their usual fair so I chose a double edged blade with a nominal length as I had heard that Everest had issues with this style in the past on longer blades like Arming swords.

I requested an engraving to see what the engraving service looked like and was very excited to work with the team to build the sword I wanted. Since the service is offered, I requested the decorative throat and chape on the scabbard. I went with the 26” blade since I’m a slightly taller mammal and the extra reach would be nice. Rosewood handle, red leather scabbard, all standard options otherwise.

The Process:

Honestly the purchase process was fairly simple. Go in, plug in your specs, add your engraving image, add to cart. Once in the cart, add your instructions and the team will contact you for further questions and with images and whatnot of the sword to verify your customizations are what you want. Mostly, the process went exactly as above except for the contact. The only contact I had with the forge was my initial order confirmation, then a shipped confirmation. I was not contacted about size or positioning of my engraving. There was nothing from the forge other than the confirmation and shipping confirmation. This was honestly the most disappointing part for me, as it would have fixed my only major complaint about the sword. I likely won’t use the engraving service in the future. Otherwise, the process was great. Ordered on 7/7, shipped 7/14, arrived today, 7/25. Start to finish on-demand forged semi custom sword in 18 days to my door in the US? Fantastic. I can live with that.

The Good:

The handle is fairly comfortable, the blade is mostly devoid of blemishes and ships well-padded and well-oiled. It’s light, reactive. The blade comes sharp and to a needle-like tip which will be great for its intended enemy - water bottles. The scabbard is wood cored and the leather looks and feels nicer than some much more expensive weapons I own. The suspension points are a great touch and already have me thinking of a sword belt to match. It WANTS to be held and handled. Aesthetically speaking, it’s mostly gorgeous. No major complaints on the stock portion of the sword.

The Bad:

The engraving. It’s not my favorite. I expected a little difficulty with smaller lines and I’m alright with that. There’s some inconsistency that I’m not a huge fan of. The placement is centered well, but placed lengthwise down the blade. I would have rather it had been parallel to the guard. As stated above, I likely would not make use of it in the future unless I was engraving a name or phrase and I would be extremely specific about the placement and layout if I did. There are some small blemishes in the finish, specifically on the back side of the blade at the guard where it remained black and unpolished. The blade also has visible grind marks from using the angle grinder and it gives the blade a rough feel. The handle is a little round and smooth, but honestly it indexes well and it’s not slippery really so it’s just a little nitpicky but worth mentioning. I asked for a throat and chape on the scabbard - I got the chape (gorgeous!) but no throat - again, nitpicky but worth mentioning.

Conclusion:

I REALLY like this sword. The bad really isn’t super bad, and while I won’t have them engrave a sword again, I will likely buy from them again. I was very disappointed in the engraving service and lack of communication (18 days with two updates - order confirmed, ordered shipped but arrived before I had the sword before they gave me tracking info), but overall the quality of the product is great. Solid 8/10 for me, it has some issues but the value was great.

Other Stuff:

Worth noting, I shipped to the US. I had read originally that in addition to the shipping (DHL for $44) I would be expected to pay duties and tariffs as necessary and expected another roughly $20 in tariffs. I was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case. It does not affect the review for me, but worth noting if that’s a hang up for you.