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.
It started with the Wolfsbane, then the High King Sword – but the two most recent GoT inspired creations have taken it to another level..
Well, one of them has taken it to the highest level – with a one off, one time 1:1 scale replica of ‘the Iron Throne’.
Only one has and will be made, and with a $15,000 price tag, it might be a while before it finds its final home. But there can be no denying they did and amazing job of replicating it.
And then there is another sword, this time a hybrid of fact and fantasy – a sword never seen in the series, but attributed to one of the most important characters, Daenerys and called the Mother of Dragons Sword
The owner of Darksword Armory, Eyal Azerad, has travelled extensively to museums around the world and was inspired by this particular blade he saw at the Wallace Collection in London (see below, click for the full size image)
In the video below, Eyal explains how it all came about, how it feels in the hand and what made them decide on its final form.
As you can see, they pulled it off very, very well..
As is always the case, the SBG Sword Store offers the best deal on this blade – normally the price is $510 for sharpening and the Deluxe scabbard plus shipping and 15% sales tax for Canadian customers. But at SBG you can get it with all the bells and whistles, no sales tax and FREE SHIPPING for just $485!
It’s always exciting to report the release of a new sword – but doubly exciting (or quadruplely exciting technically, though as far as I know that’s not actually a valid expression).. Anyway, clearly I am excited – here’s why.
The first sword is a what is commonly called a Wing Chun Butterfly Sword, they trace their lineage back around 200 years and variations were used in many Southern Chinese Kung Fu styles, such as Hung Gar, Choy Li Fut and others and were often used by revolutionary fighters and rebels, small enough to be concealed in a sleeve and often (but not always) used as a pair.
Our version, brought to you by our good friends at Ryujin, has a differentially hardened 1095 carbon steel blade with brass handle and is one of the best made functional Butterfly Swords on the market. Normally sold for $229.99 each, order 1 for just $159.99 – or TWO or more and the price comes down to $139.99 each.
Here’s a couple of budget Katana that don’t look cheap..
Most of our swords at SBG are at the mid to high end of the market, but when we saw these basic monotempered 1045 carbon steel blades (which could be passed off as ANYTHING by some unscrupulous sellers) the overall designs and totally unique fittings, we just could not resist..
First one is the most subtle, black saya with a Geisha print, blue ito – subtly painted tsuba – stylish and classy all the way.
But the second one, some might say is garish or over the top. But me, well – I love it!
It’s called the ‘Golden Dragon’ due to the Dragon on the Saya, but there is a lot to take in on this one that you probably haven’t seen on any other sword.
The blades are well tempered and have bo-hi, weighing around 2.2 -2.3lbs, so they are fast and responsive should it come to cutting. But I would think that they are instead “functional sword art” on special and available at a fraction of their true value (both are under $80!).
And finally, a classic reproduction
And finally, from one of my favorite childhood TV series and the movie – Shogun Assassin – the Dotanuki of Ogami Itto from Lone Wolf and Son.
If you haven’t seen the series or the condensed version known as ‘Shogun Assassin’ first, go see it. NOW! Here’s a few scenes that barely do it justice..
Anyway, it was THIS series that inspired Sword Artisan Frenchie Jin from Dragon King’s interest in swords, and so he has created a faithful replica from the series down to every detail.
A tad expensive at $1,199 – naturally at SBG we have slashed the price to the bone, and you can pick it up for $779.99. Limited stock on a truly collectible blade for die hard fans of one of the best Japanese Sword Stories in Manga, TV and as a movie.
Based on Norse myths of the ‘light elves’ and the light elves in the works of J.R.R. Tolkein, the Vindaaris is a stunning fully functional fantasy sword designed by Terry Maranda who has been working closely with Darksword Armory for the last 10 years as a weapon designer, and according to his website, is one of his favorite creations to date.
Available in two versions, one a limited edition run of only 50 pcs, while large and heavy, it is balanced exactly at the Ricasso – allowing surprisingly good handling while delivering almost unstoppable blows. Below are the two versions available.
The differences between the two are subtle, with the script and fuller of the Dean Marino limited edition version running the full length of the blade.
Includes a stunning and very suitable scabbard embossed with the Elvish script and overall, is a design that any lover of fantasy swords will find very hard to resist.
A few more pics, first one showing the blade without the wood core handle so you can see the thickness of the tang.
As usual, we offer the very best deal on these blades – with FREE sharpening (usually an additional $30) and FREE shipping (quite often considerably MORE than $30) plus it comes with our standard satisfaction or your money back guarantee.
Back in the day Legacy Arms was known as Generation 2 – and it was Gen 2 and Windlass Steelcrafts who dominated the market for affordable, fully functional replicas of medieval and European historical swords and weaponry.
I loved them – they were solid, dependable and hand hammered they were at least as resilient as the historical originals, if not more so.
The problem has been production schedules. The family forge where they are made in the Philippines is tiny, nothing even remotely close to Hanwei’s mega factory in Dailan or the big three forges in Longquan. So it takes them literally an age to make, forced to shut down for most of the rainy season – and you just never know when or if they will show up again..
Well, the good news is – they have. The bad news, we have no idea how long they will be in stock – especially the rarer and more popular models.
If you have been around SBG for any length of time you will surely be familiar with our friend and official sword tester, Jason Woodard. Here’s one of his most recent videos on YouTube where he put two of our latest SBG exclusive Scorpion Sword designs through the wringer to see how they held up..
But Jason is more than just a sword tester – his first design many years ago was the sword from the movie ‘Sleepy Hollow’ – and in the years that followed, he has designed several swords for Darksword Armory – including the Vampire themed Carpathian Sword.
Needless to say, having tested so many swords of all types over the years, Jason has a very firm grasp on what makes a good sword and what to avoid. And now in this new collaboration with Scorpion Swords he has taken all these years of experience and distilling it into his own line of swords, the Doomsday Line..
The first in the series is known simply as Sword #01.
It starts off like all Scorpion Swords as thick sheet of 1095 carbon steel that is cut to shape.
From this sword blank, it is then painstakingly ground to shape by hand, heat treated and the wooden handle, in this case made from premium quality Walnut Wood, affixed in place with a series of internal pins, gorilla glue and three additional heavy pins to ensure that the handle will NEVER become even remotely loose no matter how hard you use and abuse it.
And the end result? A very powerful two handed blade weighing over 3lbs but with a point of balance just slightly over an inch from where the handle begins, the perfect combination of power, durability, speed and maneuverability.
Not to mention, grade A intimidation factor (and the ability to seriously damage any other standard blade that might get in its way).
Considering all the work that went into it and the fact that its hand made in the USA, the $279.99 price tag makes it an absolute steal..