The Forge Direct 9 Dragons Jian is made by rank 1 master smiths at the esteemed Baojian forge, but even Baojian has its off days..
Made in November last year, one of these swords arrived in less than perfect condition, with a few cosmetic marks on the folded and differetially hardened blade near the hilt..
And there is also a cosmetic gap in the hilt fittings that should have been finished better..
Normally a pristine new version of this sword would set you back $1,300 and you can order a new one for $975 at the SBG Store here – but otherwise, for these two issues one lucky and quick person can get these Dragon themed blade at the marked down price of just $390
Kingdom of Arms is closing out and discontinuing two unique blades from their Brookhart collection, the 15th century Sidesword and one of the nicest Falchions ever seen on the market. And to help them move, both are marked down by 15% until the end of February and while stocks last.
Second of the February Flash sales sees the two ends of the spectrum of the Dragon King Katana line go on special until midnight Valentines day..
At the high end, the stunning Kawanakajima Katana, a folded mix of T10 tool steel and 9260 spring steel with prominent clay tempered hamon and ornate, silver fittings make this blade a treasure.
And indeed, with a MSRP of $1,500 (and our everyday low price of $1200) it is very much at the pinnacle of what a production Katana can be. But with the Flash sale you can pick it up for well below WHOLESALE for just $799.99 until midnight Valentines – a HUGE saving of over $400 of our already discounted pricing and $700 off the usual MSRP!
To the high end Kawanakajima, the next Feb Flash sale item is Dragon King’s most AFFORDABLE entry level blade – their differentially hardened 65 MN Spring Steel ‘Yanone’ Katana:
Sure, it might be made from a fairly simple (yet very robust) steel and the fittings are very basic by comparison, but with the flash sale price of $249.99 (marked down from $299.99, which was marked own already from the MSRP of $439) it’s Dragon King quality at the price of generic blades and well worth a closer look..
Simplicity can be beautiful – and this is very much the case for the newly released 1045 carbon steel blade Tanto in Shirasaya by Ryujin Swords:
The blade is a factory tempered and sharpened 1045 carbon steel affair with a bo-hi and faux hamon – more than sturdy enough for a blade of this size. It is housed in glossy wooden fittings with a simple black band that defines the seam between hilt and blade and looks fantastic as a display piece that is also functional should the need arise. Great value at $49.99 with $5 shipping.
At the same time, we are also delighted to announce that the Suguha hamon 5160 Spring Steel Katana line by Ryujin are making a comeback.. The blades are the same as they always were, extremely attractive spring steel with a straight ‘suguha’ hamon temper line, one of the most difficult to make cleanly. And these are very cleanly defined..
Such a great blade ideally should have great fittings, and the ‘Matsu’ Katana (so called because it has a traditional Japanese ‘Mastu’ Pine tree theme on the solid iron tsuba and the fuchigashira fittings) is no exception. All fittings are very well made, and the cotton ito is incredibly tight, made using hishigami triangles which is nearly unheard of at this price point..
And the best part, it’s STILL just $329.99 – so if you want a seriously well made, frequent use cutting sword, you could do a lot worse than the Ryujin Matsu Katana.
February looks like it is shaping up to be a busy month, so to kick things off we have the first in a series of ‘Flash Sales’ this month where we take 3-5 different swords from three of our most respected brands -specifically Dragon King, Kingston Arms and APOC – and run a short but very SHARP sale on a hand picked selection of their very best offerings.
Here’s the first swords on Sale until midnight February the 6th:
A sturdy 5160 monotempered beater that stands at the pinnacle of through hardened spring steel blades, save $100 and grab it at the bargain price of $279.99 while the sale lasts.
For those who prefer a more traditional blade, the T10 tool steel Fletching Katana with its utilitarian and yet attractive fittings is a steal at $299.99, a $50 saving of its already low everyday price of $349.99 (MSRP is actually $500).
It is one of their most popular and refined Katana with a MSRP of nearly $1400, with silver fittings, rattan wrapped premium saya and a blade to die for, it’s normally $927.95 but is on sale until midnight Feb 6th for the bargain price of just $750.00
It is the only product on sale from a different brand line, but the deal is so good that if you are a fan of extremely tough sparring blades for steel on steel combat (these are EN42J Spring Steel spring steel blades after all) they are almost being given away, marked down from $390 to $250 for the next few days only.
With the way things are going in the world, who knows when you might really need one of these in your bug out bag.. Normally on sale for $175, you can snap one up for just $137.99 while the sale is in effect.
