Additional thoughts, information and hints for our sword lines and products, including detailed introductions of new swords as they come in, special discounts and more.
For the last 13 years or so, Archery expert Chris Palmer has been making short bladed swords inspired by history, fantasy and tactical applications – becoming so busy that he had to transition away from bow making to produce blade full time. And so it was very disconcerting when several other sword makers and hobbyists more or less crucified him for a mistake made when a customers heat treatment on one of their ‘longer than usual’ blades that they had been experimenting with as part of the Doomsday line..
I won’t go into all the sordid details – if you have a morbid curiosity you can see the thread yourself here, but long story short is that Scorpion Swords found that their longer bladed swords could not quite meet current customer expectations – so they have decided to re-focus on what they do best.. Short bladed historical and tactical sword designs – and while all of the longer bladed designs were discontinued, new designs are being made to replace them – and at the same time, two NEW designs have just become available.
This is the hand to hand weapon of choice for the Filipino Marine Corps – and just one look at it reveals why this highly versatile blade would be so popular.
The second is a sword from Classical Antiquity of which variations were found amongst almost all their neighbors, and that is the Xiphos – a leaf blade shortsword made for the 21st century by Scorpion Swords, and complimented with neat deer leather wrapped handle.
Looking forward to sharing with you the design replacements for the swords discontinued from the Doomsday line. But in the meantime, let’ hope that when people post on forums and social media they do not forgot basic courtesy and respect..
As shipping chaos continues to prevent most of our suppliers from being able to restock as they have in previous years, we will take any good news we can muster. And while this limited restock is VERY limited – to just a handful of items and with very low stock levels (about a dozen swords for each model restocked) the color and variety these popular items add to our selection will pretty much guarantee that they will not remain in stock for very long..
So without any further hoo-ha, here is what has come back to the shelves in limited quantities..
The fittings are based on a famous historical example – the blade, a very clean length of 65mn spring steel and the price, still just $129.99 despite increasing price pressure..
Not just horses would fear this meaty chopper – pretty much anything you put in front of it had better get out of the way or risk getting swept aside with just one of its powerful chops or cuts. Check out the video below of the Kiangxi in action while being tested at the forge in Longquan.
And finally, for those of you longing for and missing the discontinued Cheness Oniyuri – we bring you the budget alternative with a differentially hardened 1060 carbon steel blade:
Doesn’t get much better than these – and while we have had to shrink our margins to the tightest and lowest profits ever, this time at least we avoided a price rise. But with so much demand, freight prices almost doubling and the inability to restock continuing with no end in sight, it is only a question of time before we have no choice but to pass on the cost increases – so get getting while the getting is good!
It has been a very hard year to keep anything in stock – indeed, last month Ronin Katana had to actually temporarily close its doors as it had literally run out of swords to sell!
So it is great news to announce that they have just restocked almost every product in their line – however, the reprieve may be short lived. Demand for well made, good value functional swords is still unseasonably strong – so for some of the most popular swords, especially in the European sword line, are not likely to remain stocked for very long..
As sword stock levels continue to erode down to unprecedented levels it is good to see a little ray of sunshine here and there – and that is exactly what Paul Chen’s Hanwei delivers with three brand new sword designs.
The first is a new addition to Hanwei’s selection of Wakizashi – a companion sword to the Classic Tiger Katana made from premium quality Swedish Powder Steel, allowing collectors in search of an authentic, premium quality Daisho set to be able to pick one up from a trusted and reliable supplier.
Elegant and deadly in its beauty – the MSRP retail price on this finely crafted piece is $1,050.00 but you can pick it up for just $769.99 at the SBG Sword Store:
Next up, a brand new Katana – and it looks like another winning design.
Made from T10 tool steel with simple yet elegant fittings and a relatively long handle – this is a fantastic sword optimized for Tameshigiri – and the complete package at a very reasonable price point.
Normal price on this one is $550 but it’s available for just $379.99 at the SBG Sword Store:
And finally a highly effective cutting sword that is not a Katana – and indeed represents a rare type of sword that is very hard to find outside of a custom sword making project, and that is a fully functional replica of a civilian version of the Russian Cossack Shaska Saber.
Optimized for the cut and widely in use in the Ukraine and Russia from around 1713 to the dawn of the 20th century. This civilian version has a classic Caucasian style with the hilt sunk deep into the scabbard when sheathed and is based on a high end, non-regulation piece that, instead of silver, is decked out in more practical (and affordable) stainless steel. Great value at $385 but an absolute steal at our price of $279.99:
It’s been a very, very strange time for the sword industry this year. Normally the first few months after Christmas are pretty slow, but due to the general trend worldwide towards online orders – we have seen a double whammy of a massive increase of the number of people trying to buy swords and an unprecedented inability to restock them anywhere near as fast as they are going out the door..
I have just emailed everyone on the official sword store mailing list the ins and outs of this double whammy, so rather than try to reword the same thing, here are some excepts from the newsletter to get you all up to speed as to what is going on behind the scenes.
From the SBG Sword Store Newsletter
Once again it is a mixed bag of news for the sword industry – some good, some bad – though none truly unexpected or out of the blue.
The bad news first? There are not many swords left after the ‘great sword buying frenzy’ of the last few months. Stock levels everywhere are quite dismal – to the point that two of our most important partners are about to close up shop, one temporarily – and one for good..
Ronin Katana is taking a short break from the 15th of this month until June the 9th as their shelves are more or less bare and after months or working at maximum shipping capacity – they are kind of beat.
But sadly, our friends at Cheness Cutlery have become a causality of the inability to restock – and announced late last month that they will NOT be restocking and once they have sold their existing stock – that’s it – there will be no more.. So the next few days and weeks are your LAST CHANCE to pick up what is remaining from stock at both of this suppliers – one temporarily closed and the other preparing to close its doors for the very last time..
While stock levels in the US are for the most part at the bottom of the barrel, Longquan is working overtime to try and restock everyone. And with all this activity – we are finally catching a break and preparing to relaunch Project X Japanese and Forge Direct Chinese, last available in August and June 2020 respectively..!
An early bird special offer will be made for Project X Japanese to subscribers of the Project X exclusive newsletter – so if you are finding it hard to track down a reliable source for a high quality Katana at the moment, your golden opportunity is looming on the horizon – and it will be happening sooner rather than later..
And lovers of high quality traditional Chinese swords will also get an opportunity to secure a master smith forged blade from two premier forges – have a look now to see what is about to be re-released:
The re-release of all these swords is scheduled to occur around or before this time next week, so stay tuned..! It’s great to be able to bring back as many of these awesome swords as possible – especially in a time when many of the best ‘stocked’ swords are all sold out, so it makes sense to have something made to order.
The only caveat – delays are to be expected. But we have prepared and positioned ourselves to minimize any delays as much as possible – but in these all too ‘interesting’ times, a spanner may appear in the works at any time slowing things down – and people need to be aware that the environment is challenging and unpredictable. But we would not offer these again now if we did not think we are 99% clear of the worst of it..
