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In tough economic times like these, you really do want your dollar to stretch as far as humanly possible – and since their release a few years ago, there was a sword model by Ryujin that I felt would be extremely popular at times like these – and that was the original Ryujin ‘Hatamoto’ Katana.

THE ORIGINAL HATAMOTO KATANA

This $150 sword with its very traditional ‘Hatamoto’ style iron fittings and differenttially hardenened 1060 carbon steel blade was a popular seller, but was priced too low to be sustainable and despite numerous requests to bring it back, it has remained in production limbo ever since..

But from its winning concept and design comes the next generation of Hatamoto Katana – with the Hatamoto II Cutting Katana and Training Iaito (steel blunt).

Unlike the original Hatamoto, the Hatamoto II has a spring tempered blade forged from hard wearing 65mn spring steel and is available in both sharpened and iaito configuration, allowing you to train or spar relatively safely with an unsharpened blade that weighs and handles almost identically as your cutting sword, ensuring the way you practice and actually use the sword for real is exactly the same.

And while both blades are monotempered to leverage the durability and strength of modern steels, they are adorned with an attractive and subtle cosmetic hamon that is so well executed it looks like the real thing.

Like the original Hatamoto sword, the Hatamoto II series decks the blades out on both models with best of breed fittings – with real rayskin, iron tsuba, iron fuchigashira and rayon ito wrap and sageo – and is available for $150 for the cutting sword and $130 for the Iaito – making a complete training package for form work and frequent (and even abusive) cutting priced so that nearly anyone can afford it.

So if you are in the market for some real workhorse blades at bargain prices – the Hatamoto Series is for YOU!

Check them out below for all the details, pics and specs:

Hatamoto II – Cutting Katana ($149.99)

Hatamoto II – Training Iaito ($129.99)

Over the years, Missouri based budget friendly blade maker Chris Palmer has continued to expand his rage of available sword models – and today we see another 2 blades join the line up, bringing the total number of available swords and large knives in his repertoire to 34 different models.

The first new addition to his blade family is a short but deadly replica of a Roman Legionaries Gladius that packs one heck of a punch..

As is often the case with modern replicas, if the Romans actually had a sword made from this quality steel and tempered like Scorpion Swords do, their Empire might have expanded even quicker than it did – as this modern recreation would literally chew up and destroy any contemporary sword that dared to stand against it..

As always, it is a quite the bargain at just $249.99..

And the next one is a the SECOND variation of a VERY utilitarian blade design, the Dark Filipino Ginunting (click here for the original version).

The name itself effectively translates to ‘Scissor blade’ as they are reminiscent of one half of a pair of particularly savage looking scissors, and as you might suspect, they are optimized for deadly shearing cuts and quick, deep flicking hacks. So much so that these blades are a principal sidearm of the Filipino Marine Corp, making them the only military in the world widely that still arms itself with swords (and boy, do they know how to actually USE them!)..

And again, it is bargain priced at just $259.99..

Check out the full Scorpion Swords line up below, if you haven’t taken a good look before you are in a for a treat..