# real sword that is hand made



## TallAdam85 (May 23, 2005)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43338&item=6533109184&rd=1

is this real if so to good to be true


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## 47MartialMan (May 24, 2005)

Yeah, seems kinda odd that such old/nice swords are being sold from the same guy priced so low.


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## TallAdam85 (May 24, 2005)

yes thats why i was not sure cause he has so many and there not that much money maybe i will have to get one and find out


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## Digger70chall (May 24, 2005)

watch out for that shipping and handling....56 bucks if you live in the US

 not sure if the sword is still cheap for 80 bucks since i have no idea how much they normally go for.


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## 47MartialMan (May 24, 2005)

Digger70chall said:
			
		

> watch out for that shipping and handling....56 bucks if you live in the US
> 
> not sure if the sword is still cheap for 80 bucks since i have no idea how much they normally go for.


Older swords (WWII-Officers), such as what he has pictured, should fetch a minimum of $300 in rough shape. His looks in grand shape....

Here is someone else selling such;
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20272&item=6534698947&rd=1

and

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4080&item=6534848330&rd=1

and

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4080&item=6533774124&rd=1



and the Tsuba (guard) alone;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=73466&item=7324168184&rd=1


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## Swordlady (Jun 1, 2005)

TallAdam85 said:
			
		

> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43338&item=6533109184&rd=1
> 
> is this real if so to good to be true


eBay is full of fakes.  The starting bid and shipping cost sets off a lot of alarms.


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## 47MartialMan (Jun 1, 2005)

Swordlady said:
			
		

> eBay is full of fakes. The starting bid and shipping cost sets off a lot of alarms.


True...but such as a fake could br priced high to be masked as real.


So, the thing is to know what to look for.

Anyone have any tips?


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## swiftpete (Jun 1, 2005)

have you noticed how his english is rubbish in the start of the advert to make you think he's japanese say, yet perfect when it comes to the terms and conditions lower down the ad? I'm sure this sword is the sort of thing you'd see on a market stall somewhere. it did make me chuckle a bit though. *Blade is pure steel shining dazzling gleam.* that's early on... then later

*In the event that a product is listed at an incorrect price due to typographical, informational, technical or other error, We shall have the right to refuse or cancel any order for that product.*

seems to have picked up a bit..! ah well it made me laugh anyway.


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## 47MartialMan (Jun 1, 2005)

swiftpete said:
			
		

> have you noticed how his english is rubbish in the start of the advert to make you think he's japanese say, yet perfect when it comes to the terms and conditions lower down the ad? I'm sure this sword is the sort of thing you'd see on a market stall somewhere. it did make me chuckle a bit though. *Blade is pure steel shining dazzling gleam.* that's early on... then later
> 
> *In the event that a product is listed at an incorrect price due to typographical, informational, technical or other error, We shall have the right to refuse or cancel any order for that product.*
> 
> seems to have picked up a bit..! ah well it made me laugh anyway.


Yeah, I often browse Epray for classic car parts. Specifically for a Dodge Charger. Knuckle heads there list things as for example;

*"Hemi-Dodge-Mirror"*

It is for a door mirror, as if "hemi" is a mirror or a particular type of mirror.
I know, it is a mirror that has a lot of horsepower!


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## Charles Mahan (Jun 1, 2005)

47MartialMan said:
			
		

> Anyone have any tips?


Don't purchase swords on e-bay.  Stick to the reputable dealers.


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## Swordlady (Jun 1, 2005)

Charles Mahan said:
			
		

> Don't purchase swords on e-bay. Stick to the reputable dealers.


Well...if you play your cards right, you can get a good deal.  I bought an Atrim, a PPK, and a Paul Chen Nami iaito on eBay - all for considerably less than retail.  You just need to know what you are looking for.  Do your homework before you search for swords on eBay.


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## 47MartialMan (Jun 2, 2005)

Swordlady said:
			
		

> Well...if you play your cards right, you can get a good deal. I bought an Atrim, a PPK, and a Paul Chen Nami iaito on eBay - all for considerably less than retail. You just need to know what you are looking for. Do your homework before you search for swords on eBay.


Any pointers/tips?


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## Swordlady (Jun 2, 2005)

47MartialMan said:
			
		

> Any pointers/tips?


For me, it has been a bit of (expensive) trial-and-error.  I started buying swords on eBay six years ago, when I didn't know any better.  I bought cheap stainless steel decorative swords, which I thought at the time were the real McCoy.  I was rather proud of my collection of stainless steel junk - until I started posting on Sword Forum a year and a half ago.  There, I met fellow sword collectors and swordmakers - and I learned what constituted a "real sword".  Since then, I upgraded my collection from stainless steel SLOs (sword shaped objects) to mostly Atrims and Hanwei pieces.

Get familiar with different swordmakers and production sword brands (like Cold Steel, Kris Cutlery, Paul Chen/Hanwei).  I've even met a couple of swordmakers in real life, and handled some of their work.  That has helped me to figure out what I like.  I like many of Angus Trim's work.  He's one of the swordmakers I met in person.  Nice guy.  I own five of his European swords and have a Atrim katana on order.

Some good low-end production pieces (about $200 - 400): Windlass, MRL, Kris Cutlery, Cold Steel, Paul Chen/Hanwei (some models), Last Legend (some models)

Mid-range production pieces (about $500 - $1000, folded steel): Hanwei Bushido, Orchid, Tiger.  Some Last Legend.

High-end semi-custom: Bugei, Liveblade.

Stay away from Rittersteel and Valiant Armory.  Though their blades are "carbon steel", their construction is pretty poor.  Not only that, their swords are also butt ugly, IMHO.

When looking for a sword on eBay, don't search for "battle-ready sword".  You'll probably get a LOT of junk in return.  Run a search of a _specific_ swordmaker or brand name (e.g., "Paul Chen katana", "Cold Steel katana", etc).  Though Atrim swords rarely pop up on eBay, I have gotten lucky a couple times.

Watch out for paartist86 on eBay.  This seller uses a LOT of hype in his auctions, and uses the same pictures in every auction.  He also uses buzz words like "jiagang", which really doesn't mean anything.

I hope this helps!


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## Grenadier (Jun 10, 2005)

The old adage of "you get what you pay for" holds quite true in the world of swords.  Still, though, as swordlady pointed out, you can get some decent swords starting around the middle 200 dollar range.  

About a decade ago, Kris Cutlery did have some decent swords that started in the mid 100's, but with the cost of steel going up (gigantic demands in China and India aren't helping), along with several other factors, such swords start in the same mid 200 range.  

The fact remains, that especially on eBay, 50-100 dollar swords are generally not going to be considered "combat capable."  Many of these katanas are made with rat tail tangs, and in many cases, the blade is poorly welded onto that rat tail tang, resulting in a very unstable blade, indeed.  Dangerous to everyone around the would-be swordsman.


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