Custom Katana – Batch 40 Now Taking Orders

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We just closed off on batch 39 of the SBG Custom Katana, due 17th of August – and have opened up Batch 40 accordingly. Batch 37 is now in the final stages of assembly, all the blades have been done and once assembled should ship by the end of the month and start to arrive in Canada for inspection and final shipping in June as scheduled (though I have been told that bad weather in Longquan and across China generally is causing delays with saya drying times on pretty much everything there and at many other forges, though hopefully it will not slow things down too much on batch 37 and batch 38).

You can check the status of the most recent batches here (just updated).

Additionally, because we now have 3 brands of custom katana and each one is similar but ultimately very different, we added a new page to our blog “Custom Katana – Similarities and Differences” here

Paul Chen Golden Oriole Daisho Set Half Price Sale..! (Expired)

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OrioleSALE EXPIRED 22nd May

The Golden Oriole Katana and Wakizashi are a Hanwei classic.. These were some of the first swords made from T10 tool steel, and with features such as iron, gold inlaid fittings, rich blue saya and imported Japanese cotton ito, they were – and remain – some of the classiest Dojo ready cutting swords currently on the market..

But from now until the 22nd of May you can pick BOTH the Katana and the Wakizashi for less than the cost the Katana itself typically sells for elsewhere – just $880 with FREE SHIPPING in the USA..

If you have ever wanted a top quality Paul Chen Daisho set, THIS is your “Golden” opportunity..

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388942_329742907042669_539075567_nClick here for more information

Available While Stocks Last

Forge Direct is Back…! Plus a new ELITE Custom Katana!

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Forge-Direct-BannerForge Direct 2.0 was officially launched on the 4th of May, and in many ways while it was sad to see the old smiths stop taking new orders last month, what has come out of the ashes as it were is potentially even more exciting to even more people than ever before..

I posted about the new swords in a post on the 31st of March appropriately entitled “the Future of Forge Direct” but to make a long story short, this vision became a reality on the 4th of May, with all the sneak previewed swords I mentioned in that post now available to order, and some new ones, including some rather big surprises..

In addition to the 4 traditional, heirloom quality Chinese swords, we added two Japanese style blades to the mix – the first one, a stunning Nara period Tachi..

And the second, our most elite custom katana to date, the Forge Direct Elite Choji Midare Hamon Custom Katana

This Katana has the most customizations of ANY custom sword we have ever offered at SBG and the nicest blade.. And what is even better, the price – we squeezed our margin to an insanely low level for this introductory offer and this time the smiths do not mind as they understand our “deliver maximum value possible” philosophy..

Since this new addition brings us to three lines of custom katana at the SBG Sword Store, I did a bit of a special write up to help clarify what the differences are that you can read here.

In the meantime, well..

Check out the Full Forge Direct Line Up Here!

Coming Soon – New Cold Steel Swords..

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Cold Steel are adding some additional swords to their line up, and while they are not yet in stock and probably won’t be until next month, here is a bit of a sneak preview of what is coming down the line..

MAA – Arming Sword

MAA Arming Sword

MAA Arming Sword

From their Man At Arms (MAA) series, with all black fittings and blade – the first of Cold Steels New Swords is the Arming Sword, a classic one handed arming sword with upturned quillions and wheel pommel, this basic sidearm of the medieval knight is certain to be a popular addition, and an affordable one too.

MSRP $369.99 – Our Sale Price, likely to be $229.99-249.99

MAA La Fontaine Sword of War

MAA La Fontaine Sword of War

MAA La Fontaine Sword of War

Luke La Fontaine

Luke La Fontaine

Perhaps the most ornate sword to grace the MAA line up, the La Fontaine Sword of War has a massive 37″ blade with a total length of slightly over 52″ and weight of 4.9lbs, this is a one beast of a sword based on a design by Luke La Fontaine, who you may know from the Deadliest Warrior Series 1 and 2 and the owner of Weapons Action Resource Studios (WAR Studios).

Truly a monstrous sword for only the strongest swordsman, it has a MSRP of $549.99 but we will likely stock it for around the $330 mark.

English Backsword

English Backsword

English Backsword

The first of the next two swords are both Renaissance era blades, a sword category that has been sorely lacking in recent years as sword manufacturers have scaled back production due to the poor economy, and great to see making a comeback.

Their Backsword is essentially an English Mortuary Sword, seen on the battlefields of the English Civil War and looks remarkably well done. In truth, these are some of my favorite one handed swords, the protection offered to the hand by the basket hilt is extraordinary, and apparently the Cold Steel team can’t put it down as it flows so effortlessly from the hand it is a true joy to wield.

Price on this one is MSRP of $399.99 but we should be able to bring it to the market for somewhere around the $250 mark.

Cavalier Rapier

Cavalier Rapier

Cavalier Rapier

Another Renaissance Sword and a category of blades that all but disappeared from the market, the highly ornate Cavalry Rapier is a transitional rapier from the 1600s, something of a hybrid between a true rapier and a smallsword. With sharpened edges and needle like point, this refined gentleman’s sword is considerably more expensive than Cold Steels usual European sword offerings, with a MSRP of $799.99 and not so much wiggle room for us to discount, but will likely hit the store for around $500.

But considering the dearth of choices for enthusiasts of Renaissance era swords these days, is well worth the investment if you are in the market for a quality, fully functional replica.

Custom Katana Batch 38 closes, batch 39 opens

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We just officially closed off batch 38, due 17th of July, and opened up on new commissions for batch 39, due August 17th.

There will still be a couple of days where existing orders can make any last minute changes, so if you placed an order recently and want to make any modifications to the final design of your SBG custom katana, shoot us an email and we will make the changes before all the orders are locked up and sent to the forge.

Talk to you all again soon!