Cas Iberia Price Rise: We knew it was coming, but didn’t know it was so close..

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As many of you know, 2019 has been a rough year for the sword industry in a series of bad years that started around 2010-2011, but this time the pressure on the industry, which is about as small and ‘niche’ as any market you can imagine, has passed the point of no return..

Trade wars. Loss of access to international markets due to severe and new shipping restrictions specifically targeting swords. The loss of trade agreements with India and lower volume of sword making around the world due to predatory trade practices – all of this has reached the point of no return, and it’s either put prices up or go out of business..

So effective immediately, ALL product lines distributed by CAS Iberia (including Hanwei, Kingston Arms, A.P.O.C. and Dragon King) will be going up by 10%..

That’s the bad news..

The good news? Well, if you use the following coupon code you can get back the original prices PLUS a further 5% discount..

15% OFF COUPON CODE: FINAL15

The coupon code applies to ALL products from the following product lines:

A.P.O.C. Tactical Swords

Hanwei Forge (Paul Chen)

Kingston Arms

Dragon King

True, it might not be as good as the deals that were on offer during Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Anyone who got in on one of those deals should consider themselves VERY lucky. But this is the next best thing – the best we can do.

Just enter the coupon code FINAL15 (all capitals, no spaces) and get one last chance to save..

And so, another year is coming to a close..

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While there may be some last minute frantic sales here and there elsewhere, anyone who has read our official guide to buying swords at Christmas time will know that if you want a smooth Christmas sword buying experience, you need to get in early.

Many of our customers purchased during November, and right now we are winding down for the holidays as I will be taking time off to concentrate on spending uninterrupted time with my family – something I rarely do as the time demands SBG put on me are intensive to say the least..

No more products are planned to be launched this year, and as you can see from the holiday schedule above – we are about to close down in a few days time. However, during the holiday period there WILL be a skeleton crew manning the store to process and ship orders whenever possible – but please be aware that delays are to be expected (as many of the shipping services and warehouses we use are also on holidays during this period) and email support will be very limited.

Thanks for your understanding and Happy Holidays!

Coming Soon – the Chinese New Year Forge Direct Mega Sale..

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If you have been thinking about buying one of the beautiful traditional Chinese swords from Forge Direct, you may wish to hold off a little bit..

During Chinese New Year, the entire country pretty much grinds to a halt for a one full month – no shipping, no sword production – nothing. But when they come back from the long holiday, the Master Smiths come back re-energized, the weather is perfect for sword making – AND it’s during this time we collate as many orders for them as possible by negotiating and offering steep discounts (typically around 25%!) on each and every sword in Forge Direct Chinese.

But with the new Baojian forge now on board, even MORE swords will be joining the line up. So here is a sneak preview of some of the swords that may well be joining the line up for the mega-sale..

A really thick bladed Ming Dynasty Dao
Another Dao, this one a classic willow leaf style
Warring States Period Two Handed Sword
A truly beautiful Kiangxi Horse Killing Dao
A beautiful example of a Octagonal blade profile late period Jian
A highly ornate Tang Dao
A much simpler, more common Tang Dao
Another beautiful Ming Dynasty Jian
One of the meanest, coolest looking Warring States swords I have seen.. (this one is my personal favorite)
And a simple looking but beautiful two hander

Hope this whets your appetite for what is to come..! In the meantime, we still have a few more days left on the Yue Maiden Sword with a massive 50% discount (expires on the 18th) – so unless it’s the Yue maiden calling you (as this is the best price it will EVER be listed for) – then keep your eye’s open for the mega-sale starting in mid to late January 2020.

Last Call: 50% discount on the Yue Maiden

The Yue Maiden – Down from $900 to $450 – but only for two more days..
$450 Yue Maiden

Probably the Last Sword in Time For Christmas (and it’s a real bargain)

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From a sword sellers perspective, it is getting AWFULLY close to Christmas. As per our Official SBG Christmas Sword Buyers Guide – the earlier you get your Christmas orders in the better:

  1. Because the sheer amount of packages going everywhichway tends to result in much rougher handling than usual, and the chances of parcels getting lost or stolen skyrockets.
  2. If there’s a problem, it will be almost impossible to correct before its time to present the gift.

But this one comes from the Ryujin warehouse – and they are poised and ready for super fast shipping (so much so that if you change your mind and try to cancel, more often than not your order is already packed and out the door on its way to you..)

Anyway, you can (and should) read all that over on the main site here – in the meantime, here it is – one of the last new swords for 2019 – the Ryujin 65MN Spring Steel ‘TakWak’ Machete Sword.

Unlike most other blades in this price range and style that are made from stainless steel, this bad boy is made from oil tempered and hardened 65MN Spring steel and combines modern tactical style blades with ancient tradition with it’s unique handle – a full wrap of synthetic black rayskin bound under black rayon ito wrap (and even brass menuki!).

It’s an excellent little modern styled sword – but even better, the special introductory price of just $59.99!

Here’s a few additional high resolution pics of the blade and fittings.

Stock is limited and it’s already proving itself to be a great selling sword, so if you want one, get in quick!

$59.99 Ryujin ‘TakWak’

A New sub $200 Chinese Broadsword in time for Christmas..

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This is one of the last offers of the year, and it’s a sword I have been looking forward to for some time..

I love a well made Chinese Dao – especially those from the Ming Period onwards that are commonly seen in surviving Kung Fu styles and systems. And for the money, this is one of the best around..

There is nothing fancy about this sword – it is pure functionality. The blade is made from well tempered 65MN Spring Steel, an affordable but very tough steel and weighing in at just 1.8lbs is fast in the hand but balanced so that each cut delivers maximum force and cutting power.

Originally the Chinese Dao was a straight bladed single edged sword such as the recently introduced Forge Direct Yi-Dao (pictured below) and were more often than not double handed, though shorter single handed versions were not unheard of.

However, after ‘encounters’ with the curved Mongol blades and after the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty where the Mongols controlled all of China (1279-1368) in the early Ming Dynasty the Dao took on a curved shape, some curved only towards the tip (Goosequill saber) but most were like our version, subtly curved along the entire length of the blade and were known as Liuyedao (willow leaf, named as such for the blades resemblance to the leaf of a willow tree) such as this ornate version from the By Metropolitan Museum of Art, online collection (accession number 14.48.2a) pictured below.

Personally, what I like most about these swords is that they are exceptionally good cutters. Sure, the tip is quite lethal, but it is in the cut where this sword really excels. And when used by a skilled martial artist, they come alive like few other swords, spinning, whirling and wooshing through the air – each movement unpredictable and almost too fast for the eye to track.

While the video below is done with a lightweight Wushu training sword (which are the whippy blades designed purely for sporting purposes) it gives you some idea of how versatile a single handled Dao can be.

https://youtu.be/6xdO-NyyPNY

Here’s another couple of useful Dao related videos you might want to check out, the first one a basic introduction.

And another from forged in fire where functional Dao are put to the test..

In the meantime, here are some higher resolution pics of the sword we are offering – not $389.99 but just $149.99!

Pretty amazing bang for your buck, but as with each new product – we are never sure how fast or how well they will sell, so as stock is limited and with Christmas just around the corner, if you want one you had better act fast.. Just click the link below for all the details in our store.

$149.99 65MN Spring Steel Dao