The next few weeks are going to be quite exciting ones, with several new fully functional swords poised to become available..

I sent out a quick overview to subscribers of the Store Newsletter a couple of days ago, but here is sneak preview for those of you watching at home..

The order of the appearance of these new swords is pretty much the same as pictured above – and so we are delighted to announce the availability of the massive 37.25″ blade Sword of St. Maurice by Hanwei.

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With an interesting backstory that gives insight into the medieval mind – St. Maurice (also known as Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius) was a 3rd century leader of the legendary Theban Legion of the Holy Roman Empire under Maximillian – but this sword was a typical cavalry sword from the 13th century.. This was not so strange at the time as medieval manuscripts and paintings always depicted much older scenes from history with contemporary weapons and armor.

For example, medieval depictions of Jesus Christ himself often showed him in the attire of a contemporary medieval King.

Regardless of its actual origins, the sword was over time attributed to the Saint and sequestered away in his tomb, finally being kept for future posterity by the Museum of Turin in the mid 19th century.

While originally designed to be used to deliver devastating cuts from horseback, hence the extra long blade and forward balance, this is not a graceful sword by any means but a brutal chopping machine that can deliver nearly unstoppable blows.

A typical Type XI of the Oakeshott medieval sword typology, it is described by Oakeshott in “Records of the Medieval Sword” as: “distinguished by having a slender blade, generally long in proportion to the hilt, with a very narrow fuller running to within a few inches of the point.”

While its origins and its lineage may be a little hazy, this faithful recreation by Paul Chen’s Hanwei forge is a stunning example of their best medieval replicas – and while the MSRP of $500 is still quite reasonable, at our introductory special price of $329.99 it is a bargain for the amount and quality of steel you get..

Next Release – the Two Scorpion Sword Bad Boys..! So update you guys again very soon..

Gus Trim is a legend in the sword industry – not only is he famous for his own high performance swords – but in recent years has shared his expertise at sword design with the likes of Valiant Armory, Dragon King (i.e. the recent A.P.O.C. Tactical series) and as we will discuss in this post – Dragon King..

The first attempt at making these two new swords kind of went awry. Some either missed the memo or misread an email or otherwise messed up the specs of the first two swords – and they ended up with the wrong color leather handle, pommels switched over, and heavier and generally off spec..

Here are a couple of side by side pics demonstrating what I am talking about:

THE KNIGHTS SWORD

Apart from the pommel and leather being wrong, the Knights sword is 3oz heavier than Gus’ specs and with the point of balance 1″ further down the blade towards the tip.

THE ARMING SWORD

Same as the other one, but 5oz overweight, 1/2″ too short and a point of balance 3/4″ further down the blade than what it should be.

Well, the good news is that the correct specification swords finally just landed and, unlike the first attempt, are spot on to Gus’ demanding expectations.

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Click for more info

Not only are they to spec, meaning they have optimized handling and cutting ability rarely – if ever- seen at this price point, but in every respect they are head and shoulders above any other medieval swords seen near this price point.

Here is what the official distributor, Cas Iberia, has to say about it:

Atrim Design Swords

We spent a lot of time discussing with Gus his methodology for developing what he would call a “performance-oriented” sword. Without getting too deep into it Gus, along with Tinker Pearce, was one of the pioneering sword makers to incorporate the notion of harmonic balance into his sword designs. Informed by historical examples and his own experimentation Gus has been making swords for decades now that seem to float in your hand. For this sword Gus left the aesthetics and materials up to us, it was the design (weight, balance, taper, harmonics) we had to get right. It took several rounds of samples (not to mention a botched first run) but we finally nailed it.

Not satisfied with just getting the design right we wanted to push it farther. We had the fundamentals down but chose to take the materials and fit and finish a step ahead. The blade is hand forged mono-tempered 9260 spring steel, flat ground with a handsome satin finish. The fittings are high quality stainless steel exactly matching Gus’s design. The grip is a solid wood core, cord-wrapped for strength with a textured leather over-wrap. The scabbard is a solid wood core, with stainless steel chape and stitched leather wrap.

Bottom line, these are the best performing production medieval swords available.

Oh, and for the bargain hunters reading – there is at the time of writing this post around half a dozen of the OFF SPEC swords available to purchase with a $110 discount.. Not bad for some minor deviations from Gus’ design – and GREAT value if you take them at face value – expertly tempered, super tough 9260 Spring Steel blades!

But if you want to grab one of the discontinued Off Spec Swords – you had best get in quick. Once they are gone, they are gone for good and are rare enough that they have true collectors item potential.

Click for more info

Click for more info

As the sheer number of pre-orders demonstrated (we sold out of our allotted quota in a couple of weeks) the 9260 Spring Steel Swords designed by Gus Trim and brought to life by the good people at Dragon King are proving to be too popular for their own good. Or at least, too popular for those of you who don’t pull the trigger on these while they are actually available..

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Click for more information

Well, now is your chance. The pre-orders have all gone out and we have an extremely limited last chance supply of both the Cutlass and the Katana in stock and ready to ship.

The only catch is that demand far exceeds the current supply. And the swords are as good, or even better than many people expected. Here is a quick customer submitted review on the Katana (5 out of 5 star rating):

Alright, finally even though the shipping was earlier than expected. First of all the sword is solid and symmetrical! Sheath is a good intial concept. Just the right amount of weight not too light and not too short. This is sharp as can be. I will re review after a cutting session. And yes this is tatami and bamboo capable from the feel.

Shout outs to Dragon King and SBG for running the interview. And props resonates through out!

• JSamurai

So long story short – they are finally here and in stock – so get them while you can..