Custom Katana Update

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Hi everyone,

Some good news on the custom Katana – after pausing taking new orders last month the forge has had enough time to catch up. Batch 27 is heading out the door on/slightly ahead of schedule and batch 28 is on its way and well ahead of schedule, as of a couple of days ago we have taken the brakes off and new orders can be placed for Batch 30!

The ONLY possible issue with Batch 30 is a slight chance of delay due to Chinese New Year 2015..

The forge will close down for roughly one month from the 24th of January 2015 – and while batch 30 will almost certainly be out the door before then, there is a small chance that if we encounter any delays batch 30 could end up running up to 2 months behind schedule..

It is unlikely that a delay will occur (due to the pause the forges workload is light enough for them to concentrate on this batch) and once batched up in November the swords should arrive on/around the 15th of February. BUT, if for some reason we get bogged down and the batch is not complete it will arrive around the 15th of APRIL..

Anyway, while it should be fine – it bears a mention – and the sooner we can get all the orders in the better as the next batch, batch 31, will most DEFINITELY be impacted..

So long story short, we are ready to take your order – and the sooner we get it locked in the better!

 

FREE SHIPPING to the USA has ended.. Kind of..

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Ok guys, a quick dose of anti-waffle so I can get straight into this post.

First up, and there is never any easy way to break it (we did make a brief mention in the P.S. of the Sword Buyers Digest Online Magazine, click here to read the October issue online), but as of the 1st-2nd of October you may have noticed that we no longer automatically offer free shipping to the USA on all of our swords..

Before anyone objects too strongly (a little grumbling is fine) bear in mind that we have absorbed shipping costs for years while our suppliers have not, and the time had come to charge.. BUT, as it is only really intended to offset rising costs on single sword orders, we still pass on any savings made from shipping more swords at one time.

So, if you order 1 sword the shipping is a reasonable $15 flat rate to ANYWHERE in the USA.

If you order a second sword, no additional charges – it is still $15. And if you order three or more swords – we will pay all the shipping fees!

Sure, it is not quite as good a deal as free shipping across the board, but it is the fairest deal we can offer just shy of it. Plus, to kick it off – we introduce the following addition to our REWARDS PROGRAM:

FreecaseFrom now until further notice, order any three Hanwei Swords (excluding Tantos, Accessories, etc) and get free shipping plus this gorgeous deluxe sword carrying case by Hanwei valued at $100.

Actually, it is not just HANWEI swords – you may have noticed that we have also added some Legacy Arms and Kaneie swords to the Hanwei banner, and all of these new swords count towards the three sword total!

Grab some longsword blunts and a Sword of War, a high end Kaneie Katana, a Ninjato and a Practical Elite or mix and match. With our great base rate prices, free shipping and a stunning 3 sword carrying case valued at $100 there really isn’t a better deal out there!

Plus, if you are a registered customer, any PREVIOUS Hanwei purchases count towards the total. I am not 100% on that, but you can try it out in the checkout until you see the following circled text pop up:

rewardsAnyway, check it out – and the newest additions. When things are a little quieter I will muse a little on the new offerings, but for the time being why not just have a look?

There are some golden oldies making a comeback and – as I mentioned – Hanwei’s latest collaboration with Kaneie Sword Art who have re-entered the market with some solid 1060 monosteel cutters and mid to high end T10 tool steel blades with stunning real hamon.

For all the details click here.

Lots going on, so stay tuned for another post shortly!

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General Update

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Ok, a little overdue for an update – quite a few things to cover in this post so I will try to make it short and sweet.

First up, apologies to everyone who received slow responses to inquiries and shipping last week. The entire SBG team all got sick at the same time, Merritt with a cold, Marco with a stomach bug and yours truly with a minor injury (it never rains but pours!) so right now we are playing catchup..

Thankfully, catch up is working on the SBG custom Katana – batch 26 is now out the door minus the usual straggler or remake here and there, and batch 27 – due on the 15th of October, is completed, has arrived and is being prepared for shipping.

As such, we should be taking the brakes off on accepting new orders within a week, so if you are on the SBG custom Katana waiting list, expect an email very, very soon!

In other store news, we have re-categorized our products and over the next few weeks plan to add some new, carefully selected products to expand our range of offerings. There will be a few surprises, so stay tuned for that.

Ok, need to get back to the catch up – will post again with another update shortly!

– Paul

6 New Swords added from Cold Steel

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Expires Midnight Friday September 12th

Expires Midnight Friday September 12th

For many years people have been asking “why don’t you sell Cold Steel Swords at the SBG Sword Store?” – after all, they seem to be right up our alley, with a solid reputation for:

  • Blade toughness and overall durability
  • Variety (Cold Steel tend to make types of swords that few other manufacturers bother with because they are kind of “specialized”)
  • Price (well, depends where you buy them – the MSRP is, at least in my opinion, way too high. But if we could get them for a decent wholesale price – we would, as we always do, pass on the savings).

Well, I am pleased to say that the time has come – we have been able to source them at a great price, and after seeing the New Man at Arms Collection, we have kicked off with a selection of 6 of the best. As always, priced as low as we possibly can. And as always, selected by answering the basic question “would I buy these myself at this price?”..

So let’s take a quick look at what we chose!

P.S. To celebrate the new additions to the SBG Sword family, you can take $10 off each and every sword order placed between now and midnight (EST) Friday the 12th of September with the coupon code shown right! Have fun!

 

New Product: Cold Steel Gim Sword

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The Gim was the first or maybe second Cold Steel sword in my personal collection, and I must say, it is a very impressive and attractive piece.

The blade is scary sharp, and the sound it makes as it cuts through the air loud and intense – which is quite rare for a sword without a fuller.

But as you know, it doesn’t just cut air..

Cuts pretty much anything you care to put in front of it

Cuts pretty much anything you care to put in front of it

These days it can be hard to source at the original review price, but we have done our best to price it as low as we possibly can – and considering what you get (the rosewood scabbard is STUNNING just in itself) it is an absolute steal.

Click here for my original review on SBG