For the last 13 years or so, Archery expert Chris Palmer has been making short bladed swords inspired by history, fantasy and tactical applications – becoming so busy that he had to transition away from bow making to produce blade full time. And so it was very disconcerting when several other sword makers and hobbyists more or less crucified him for a mistake made when a customers heat treatment on one of their ‘longer than usual’ blades that they had been experimenting with as part of the Doomsday line..
I won’t go into all the sordid details – if you have a morbid curiosity you can see the thread yourself here, but long story short is that Scorpion Swords found that their longer bladed swords could not quite meet current customer expectations – so they have decided to re-focus on what they do best.. Short bladed historical and tactical sword designs – and while all of the longer bladed designs were discontinued, new designs are being made to replace them – and at the same time, two NEW designs have just become available.
This is the hand to hand weapon of choice for the Filipino Marine Corps – and just one look at it reveals why this highly versatile blade would be so popular.
The second is a sword from Classical Antiquity of which variations were found amongst almost all their neighbors, and that is the Xiphos – a leaf blade shortsword made for the 21st century by Scorpion Swords, and complimented with neat deer leather wrapped handle.
Looking forward to sharing with you the design replacements for the swords discontinued from the Doomsday line. But in the meantime, let’ hope that when people post on forums and social media they do not forgot basic courtesy and respect..
As shipping chaos continues to prevent most of our suppliers from being able to restock as they have in previous years, we will take any good news we can muster. And while this limited restock is VERY limited – to just a handful of items and with very low stock levels (about a dozen swords for each model restocked) the color and variety these popular items add to our selection will pretty much guarantee that they will not remain in stock for very long..
So without any further hoo-ha, here is what has come back to the shelves in limited quantities..
The fittings are based on a famous historical example – the blade, a very clean length of 65mn spring steel and the price, still just $129.99 despite increasing price pressure..
Not just horses would fear this meaty chopper – pretty much anything you put in front of it had better get out of the way or risk getting swept aside with just one of its powerful chops or cuts. Check out the video below of the Kiangxi in action while being tested at the forge in Longquan.
And finally, for those of you longing for and missing the discontinued Cheness Oniyuri – we bring you the budget alternative with a differentially hardened 1060 carbon steel blade:
Doesn’t get much better than these – and while we have had to shrink our margins to the tightest and lowest profits ever, this time at least we avoided a price rise. But with so much demand, freight prices almost doubling and the inability to restock continuing with no end in sight, it is only a question of time before we have no choice but to pass on the cost increases – so get getting while the getting is good!
It has been a very hard year to keep anything in stock – indeed, last month Ronin Katana had to actually temporarily close its doors as it had literally run out of swords to sell!
So it is great news to announce that they have just restocked almost every product in their line – however, the reprieve may be short lived. Demand for well made, good value functional swords is still unseasonably strong – so for some of the most popular swords, especially in the European sword line, are not likely to remain stocked for very long..
Almost 12 months ago one of our most popular, best selling premium sword lines – Forge Direct Chinese, ground to a screeching halt due to production and shipping issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
While worldwide the pandemic continues indefinitely, in the last few months we have been working hard behind the scenes to bring both Forge Direct Chinese and our elite Japanese line from Project X back online. And we are delighted to say that with this post we announce that Project X and Forge Direct Chinese are BACK and taking new orders..!
Project X
For those of you not familiar with it, Project X was founded 10 years ago and grew out of Ronin Katana’s Elite Soshu Kitae Laminated Katana sword series with many extra tweaks and upgrades, eventually supplanting the Elite line in 2019.
With many customization options, there are 9 basic models in the series ranging from normal Katana styles to O-Katana, Gunto and a basic stripped down model known as the ‘Kihon’ – but all have several defining important characteristics.
While every aspect of this sword line is as premium as it gets, naturally the blades are a special focus for extra attention to detail and do not disappoint with a complex lamination known as ‘Soshu Kitae’ complimented by a clear and expertly polished hamon line and option to add elite folding to produce the most traditionally constructed Katana possible outside of Japan – at a fraction of the price it would cost to have it made there.
Due to our policy to providing the best quality at the lowest possible price point, and the fact that we can only make these swords one or two times a year, and it’s no surprise that when we offer the chance to have one made, available spots fill up VERY fast – and the majority are reserved for subscribers of a dedicated Project X newsletter – so that by the time we make THIS announcement, many of the available spots are already taken.
Indeed, this is where we are at in terms of the forges comfortable production capacity at the time of the general re-release of these swords to the sword buying public:
In previous batches when we reach this point and open up to the general sword buying public – it is expected that all available production slots will be used up within the next 3-5 days as demand far exceeds our ability to produce the swords (a common problem with the industry generally right now).
So long story short, if you are a fan of high end production Katana with a lot of great customization options designed to minimize bad designs or unappealing component combinations – you should give this batch serious consideration while there is still time..
At the same time we re-release Project X – it’s offshoot, Forge Direct Chinese – has also just come back online, and celebrates its return with a 20% discount on every model until midnight the 9th of June 2021.
In addition to the classic line up from Master Smith Zhangshu Ji from the Baojian Forge and Master Smith Xiaolong Jiang, Master Michael Ye has also partially returned from retirement early in the year with two new elite level ‘Wuxia’ fantasy designs of his own that he has become famous for with the Windsteel blade ‘the Sword of the Monkey King’ and the very unique, one piece forged Damascus Steel Warsword ‘the Sword of the Ancients’:
While we intend to be able to offer Forge Direct Chinese on an ongoing basis for the foreseeable future, the 20% discount sale must end on the 9th of June. So to secure the best deal possible on these swords, now is your opportunity.
As sword stock levels continue to erode down to unprecedented levels it is good to see a little ray of sunshine here and there – and that is exactly what Paul Chen’s Hanwei delivers with three brand new sword designs.
The first is a new addition to Hanwei’s selection of Wakizashi – a companion sword to the Classic Tiger Katana made from premium quality Swedish Powder Steel, allowing collectors in search of an authentic, premium quality Daisho set to be able to pick one up from a trusted and reliable supplier.
Elegant and deadly in its beauty – the MSRP retail price on this finely crafted piece is $1,050.00 but you can pick it up for just $769.99 at the SBG Sword Store:
Next up, a brand new Katana – and it looks like another winning design.
Made from T10 tool steel with simple yet elegant fittings and a relatively long handle – this is a fantastic sword optimized for Tameshigiri – and the complete package at a very reasonable price point.
Normal price on this one is $550 but it’s available for just $379.99 at the SBG Sword Store:
And finally a highly effective cutting sword that is not a Katana – and indeed represents a rare type of sword that is very hard to find outside of a custom sword making project, and that is a fully functional replica of a civilian version of the Russian Cossack Shaska Saber.
Optimized for the cut and widely in use in the Ukraine and Russia from around 1713 to the dawn of the 20th century. This civilian version has a classic Caucasian style with the hilt sunk deep into the scabbard when sheathed and is based on a high end, non-regulation piece that, instead of silver, is decked out in more practical (and affordable) stainless steel. Great value at $385 but an absolute steal at our price of $279.99:
