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.
I must admit to being a little skeptical of the Man at Arms series from Kingdom of Arms at first. While they were designed as budget blades made to the specifications of Bruce Brookhart made at one of the best forges in India, I kind of fobbed it off because one of the limitations of Indian forges is that they are prohibited to ship blades with sharpened edges, and that means not being able to just take it out of the box and use it straight away.
However, as interest in the elegant blades of the Renaissance era continues to increase in 2024 and Indian export law doesn’t say a darned thing about how pointy an export can be, Indian tempering expertise and affordability lends them to making a faithful and very lethal replica of thrusting blades such as rapiers, and that is exactly what the latest offering from Kingdom of Arms Man At Arms Series has brought to the table, a very attractive and affordable (and ambidextrous) 17th century Rapier along with a companion main gauche available as a discounted package deal!
The Rapier is available for $359 (discounted down from $389) HERE and the Main Gauche sold separately for a very reasonable $144 (marked down from $169) HERE, but if you order the rapier there is an option to have the Main Gauche included as a package deal for just $68.55 more..!
Definitely a bargain, and did we mention that no matter which way you want to swing it, it comes with FREE SHIPPING!?
Along with yesterdays rather large restock came not one but FOUR super cool ‘still hot from the forge’ swords that appeal to a fairly wide cross section of the sword collecting community. But anyone who appreciates quality, great value and loves swords in all shapes and sizes will be hard pressed not to pull the trigger on one or more of these beauties..
Some are not technically ‘new’ swords, but classic all time favorite designs that have been out of stock or impossible to source for one reason or another, but two are literally brand new.
Dragon King Modern Wakizashi completes the Modern Samurai collection…
First there was the Dragon King Modern Katana, a re-imagining of the traditional Japanese Katana whose design had remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years by using state of the art modern materials such as paracord for sageo, G10 ergonomic handle, modern crucible steel but still with the art and tradition (and ancient science) of claying and differentially hardening the edge..
MODERN KATANA
Following hot on its heels was the practical Modern Tanto – made in the same style and following the same principles.
MODERN TANTO
And now, we are delighted to offer you a complete 3 piece set with the Modern Wakizashi.
NEW: MODERN WAKIZASHI
Once again, they create “a contemporary interpretation of what the renowned Samurai would look like in our time. Using the best of the latest technological materials, the low maintenance of this Wakizashi is perfect for the urban warrior of today.”
Could not agree more, and it’s available at the current bargain price of $244.95 right HERE at SBG:
This little sword is a favorite of mine for many various reasons – and it was always very frustrating that over nearly two decades that the original forge was producing these blades, they never made enough and they were always sold out within a few weeks and unavailable for years at a time..
Well, that has all changed now with the current forge who makes them (with even better steel and crisper attention to detail) capable of keeping up with demand, so let’s see how many other collectors out there also appreciate this sturdy but fast and lightweight leaf bladed shortsword and elegant matching scabbard for just $199.95..
This is one where when I first saw the photo I had a little trouble figuring out what was happening in the hilt. The blade was straightforward, and looked like a lovely length of spring tempered steel, but details of the hilt had me confused.
However, it quickly became clear when reading the official product description which stated “The Kingston Arms Rapier features improvements on the guard design where it joins the blade for more strength and reenforcement for the thrusts” and it all made so much more sense, and made me drool a little, when more photos emerged showing how that improved hilt all comes together and looks in the hand..
This will no doubt be THE most popular decently made budget rapier to emerge in 2024 because at the current SBG price of $274.99 (MSRP is $389).
Not to be left behind, Hanwei brings back one of the designs lost in the factory fire of 2011 that has been years in the re-making, and if you are like many collectors developing a burgeoning interest in Renaissance era swords and have a few extra dollars to spend (not a huge amount more, but still not an insubstantial amount) the Hanwei Taza Rapier is worth the upgrade just for how nice it looks (and it packs one very lethal thrust).
For the asking price of $519 it looks like it is actually worth more, and for just $399.95 at SBG it’s definitely outstanding value for money..
A rather large restock of popular swords and other blades just landed for the Hanwei Forge, Kingston Arms and Dragon King – to such an extent that as of this moment, the stock levels are even higher than they have ever been in the 2020s and even better than they were in the teens!
There has NEVER been such a wide selection of swords available to cater to almost any taste and budget from these three big names of the sword industry. Here are some of the most notable restocks..!
Hanwei Forge L6 Miao Dao
One heck of a big sword – and made from nearly indestructible L6 Bainite for under $700 is why it is not going to be in stock for very long. Grab it, because it’s likely to be the first item to sell out from the restock..
It’s a stunning piece overall, and with a Swedish Powder Steel blade is one of Hanwei’s finest. A little on the expensive side, but a bargain when you consider what you actually end up getting.
Beautiful steel, beautiful sub $300 price – and no wonder it is never in stock for very long! Add it to your collection today, you will be glad you did..
Not the cheapest sword on the block, but with a mix of T10 and 9260 spring steel, Dragon horimono on the blade, gold with black wrattan wrapped saya and the attention to detail we have come to expect from Dragon King, the limited edition Kinryu is worth every penny..
Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg – all three brands are literally bursting at the seams with new stock, so check out the long lists of what is available and grab your favorites at our everyday special prices to lock in the bargains while they last..
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.
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:
The 2020s have seen sources for Tatami cutting mats pretty much go dry and they have become almost as rare as hens teeth. But if you are quick, we just secured a small shipment of 10 boxes of 20 mats per box and despite their rarity and an incredible amount of backlogged pressure, they are STILL available at the bargain price of $209.99 which works out to be a very reasonable $10.49 per mat (and as you probably know, you can stretch the mats further by rolling half mats with a bamboo core).
