October has been a crazy month, so many irons in the fire right now – and fires that need putting out – a crazy month in a crazy world..
But it is what it is…
Forge Direct is finally reaching the last of the backorders that killed production for months, some products are selling way too fast to keep in stock for much longer, and in general ‘it’s a jungle out there’..
But it’s not all doom and gloom, just 24 hours ago we FINALLY were able to start selling the Project Sword at times we thought was not going to be able to be completed – our collaboration with BCI to create our interpretation of Links Masters Sword..
And as the month draws to a close, the late Cas Iberia shipment originally due in September is about to land – so stand by for the last restock of the year..! As CAS are the distributors for Hanwei, Dragon King, Legacy Arms, Kingston Arms (and many more) stand by to see a lot of unique blades come back in stock, some for the first time in a long time..
Will update you all again soon. Take care out there.
Over the years, Paul Chen’s Hanwei forge have produced some awesome value for money swords, some average ones and occasionally a flop – but the Albrecht is a true classic and in a league of its own.
In continuous production now for over 15 years, it seems with this replica of a XVIIIa.1 “The Sword of Albrecht II” from Oakeshott’s typology, they got it right the first time..
Here’s a picture of old school SBG member JP Franco with his Albrecht, just to give you an idea of scale.
While very big, it weights a mere 3lbs and is balanced only 4.5″ from the guard – making it exceptionally good for thrusting, but it is no slouch in the cutting department either.
But moreover, it’s really well constructed – in the official review on SBG, Shootermike Harris mentioned:
“the Albrecht probably made 1,000 strikes on the tire pell. One of the things that really impressed me was it’s ability to cut little chunks out of the tire treads.”
Shootermike Harris
When you consider you get all of this for just $289 at the SBG Sword Store – it’s already exceptional value for money.
But from now until the end of the month, you can get it for a ridiculously low price of just $229.99!
Timely in a slightly disturbing way – CAS Iberia, the master distributor for such brands as the Hanwei Forge, Kingston Arms, Legacy Arms, Citadel Swords, Rawlings Red Dragon and of course, the A.P.O.C. line, did not restock in September as we initially expected and the big restock for 2020 is delayed until early November 2020.
However, they did receive a small shipment to top up stock for Kingston Arms (most notably, the extremely popular Renaissance Side Sword and the Oakeshott Type XIV Arming Sword) and of course, the A.P.O.C. series.
Almost every blade in the series has been restocked. And joining the line up, a new, extremely practical design – the Tac Brutus Gladius
While many lay collectors, biased by pop culture references such as the Walking dead, think that the Katana is the best tool in a zombie apocalypse or post apocalypse home invasion – experts all tend to suggest that a Gladius is much more practical.
Here’s some reasons why a Gladius is the ULTIMATE sword for self defense in the 21st century:
Historically, thrusts to the torso were ‘fight stoppers’ while cuts did not stop a determined attacker.
It is almost impossible for an attacker to get ‘past’ the tip of the sword.
It is extremely versatile – while optimized for a thrust can also be used to hack, slash and cut as the situation allows.
Is extremely fast, multiple attacks from every angle imaginable are possible, quickly overwhelming an opponent.
Can be combined with a shield to fight an opponent by blocking a doorway or with a second, smaller blade in the off hand for dual wielding (such as the A.P.O.C. Last Chance Bowie or the A.P.O.C. Wayward Camper).
All of these reasons make a Gladius a good choice, but the A.P.O.C. Tac Brute has a lot more going from it than most other Gladii on the market..
For a start, it is made from 9260 Spring steel and is constructed so that it is effectively a solid piece, with the full tang sandwich style handle. Furthermore, it is thoughtfully designed by none-other than the legendary Angus Trim – so is one of the most optimized, practical Gladii to ever hit the sword market.
Normal price for this baby is $159 but as always we cut our margins to the bone and offer it to you for just $129.95. Check it out firsthand, you will be glad you did – at this price, it truly is a bargain.
You may remember that earlier this month we gave you a glimpse at one of the latest swords designed by Clyde Hollis’s latest venture, Kingdom of Arms – the Irish Kern Sword..
Funnily enough, as it turns out, the KERN will have to be restocked next time as only a couple were ordered and are already spoken for. Indeed as far as restocks go – out of the four products we had initially listed, 3 have been restocked – the Crecy Sword and the Maintz Gladius
But rather than just being a restock, it is an EXPANSION and ESTABLISHMENT of their line – and its very cool to see some premium quality, battle ready replicas made by the fine artisans at Blade Culture International in the Philippines again!
So let’s have a look at the new swords – and it is refreshing to see some truly awesome looking historical designs, from Ancient Rome to the Knights Templar..
The oldest sword, apart from the Celtic blade, is the Iberian Falcata – a true timeless classic.
$525
The basic design clearly very ‘natural’ as the basic shape and concept has resurfaced independently time and time again. For example, the Greek Kopis, and of course, the Gurkha Kurkri which has also been replicated by Kingdom of Arms and BCI..
$450
Anyway, getting back to a more ‘chronological’ order – the Roman counterpart to the Falcata is the Hispaniensis Roman Mainz Gladius and when you add all their various Gladius designs together, it almost immediately makes Kingdom of Arms one of the leading makers of Fully Functional, truly battle ready versions of Roman Gladii replicas on the planet!
$623
Following the trail of history, there were a few samples of a Viking Sword – though not enough to put in stock this round (But here it is for future reference).
Still following a historical timeline, we enter the era of the Holy Wars and Crusades with a powerful arming sword – the Crusader Medieval War Sword
$690
It is one powerful and rather hefty long 33″ bladed sword that only the strongest dare to wield – but it counterbalanced in every way, from early Crusades to the end with the Last Crusader Medieval Longsword a beautifully crafted Oakeshott XVIIIa Longsword with black wire wrapped handle.
$608
And finally, a blade that is STILL an important part of Scottish Culture and tradition to this day, the Sgian Dubh
$94
Like we said, this one is more than just a restock – the Kingdom of Arms has arrived.
Full Restock of the $229.99 Ryujin Custom Sword Series
A lot of people have been waiting for this FULL restock of our wildly popular SBG/Ryujin Custom Katana line – and I am pleased to say that it has just landed and that ALL components of the Custom Katana series, including the Solid bodied blade version, are once again available:
Additionally, a couple of non-custom Ryujin swords also restocked at the same time, namely the $149.99 65MN Spring Steel Blade Two handed Tang Dynasty Silver Jian pictured below:
And the very reasonably priced ($69) Classic Ninjato from the 1045 carbon steel ‘art swords’ line:
Still more restocks (and some NEW swords) pending, so stay tuned everyone! September is definitely restock month…!
