Canada makes good swords
- Thread starter PhotonGuy
- Start date
So... Have you worked with this guy? Or just talked to him? Have you worked with anyone in the various HEMA groups like ARMA? Or just wandered around renn fests? Done anything with these blades other than your own YouTube inspired testing?
Look, Cold Steel makes a lot of solid blades. I'd trust them to hold up to quite a lot of use and abuse... but folks in the know through actual training say that some of their swords are off. Their balance isn't quite right, they don't handle quite the way they should. At the same time -- some of their stuff is great, and people equally in the know love it.
All I'm after from you right this moment is simple: some evidence that you actually have some sort of qualification to have an opinion beyond wandering around and chatting with people. I mean, I've wandered around jewelry stores -- but I couldn't give you a reliable estimate of the value of a diamond or do an appraisal. I own a house, and can do a fair bit of maintenance, from carpentry to plumbing -- but that doesn't mean I'm skilled enough to do a pre-sale home inspection or appraisal.
Look, Cold Steel makes a lot of solid blades. I'd trust them to hold up to quite a lot of use and abuse... but folks in the know through actual training say that some of their swords are off. Their balance isn't quite right, they don't handle quite the way they should. At the same time -- some of their stuff is great, and people equally in the know love it.
All I'm after from you right this moment is simple: some evidence that you actually have some sort of qualification to have an opinion beyond wandering around and chatting with people. I mean, I've wandered around jewelry stores -- but I couldn't give you a reliable estimate of the value of a diamond or do an appraisal. I own a house, and can do a fair bit of maintenance, from carpentry to plumbing -- but that doesn't mean I'm skilled enough to do a pre-sale home inspection or appraisal.
So, basically, you don't know anything about swords except what you learn from talking to Ren Faire people and a guy who claims his swords are magic.
Do you still wonder why people don't seem to take you seriously?
I've talked with Daniel and I have seen him do sword demonstrations, specifically the demonstrations on the tatami mats that I mentioned earlier and I've bought some of his products. I have been involved with ARMA and I've taken classes with them. I've also done tests of my own although not on tatami mats and I don't have any videos of myself doing tests.
Anybody can have an opinion, you don't need qualifications for that. I never claimed to be an expert. All Im saying is that Im happy with the swords I've got but Im not saying everybody else should run out and buy them.
I've also been to knife shows and as I stated in my previous post, I've taken classes with groups such as ARMA with people who are very knowledgeable on swords. As for Daniel saying his swords are magic, I never heard him make that claim.
'Renaissance Faires'...I can't imagine what one looks like, 'faire' is to do/make in French and renaissance is rebirth so what on earth one does I have no idea. It sounds either commercial like 'Ye Olde English' which is awful or it's people poncing around in tights pretending to be De Medicis?
This is the Renaissance, nice long read but better than 'renaissance faires' James Franklin: The Renaissance Myth
Chris Parker
Grandmaster
Leaving off the rest of that post, the properties you're mentioning are not universal across all sword types, and "trying the sword on rolled up tatami mats" is not a test of the sword.
"Battle ready" means nothing. What does "functional" mean to you? Surely it refers to "being applicable to a function/usage", so you first need to ascertain what usage that isÂ… "makes a good weapon"? What criteria is that? What makes a sword a good weapon? What would make it a bad one?
Reviews can mean nothingÂ… especially if you're dealing with "hand forged" (anything that has enough consistency in models isn't really going to be "hand forged", you realiseÂ…).
What do those videos show? To my eyes, all they show is a real lack of understanding of how a sword is usedÂ… I mean, none of it was in any way "testing" the item itselfÂ…
How do you know that you know how to use a sword correctly? Nothing here is filling me with that ideaÂ… And what type of sword? It really does make a difference...
It's not a test of the swordÂ…
What do you use the swords for?
So you're saying that you've learned most of your stuff from someone who most would consider controversial (to say the least)Â… and you're unsure why you're being called out on what you actually know?
What tests have you done? What have they tested? How have you ascertained their performance?
And no, you don't need qualifications to have an opinionÂ… but you do if you are wanting your opinion to carry the weight of expertise and knowledge.
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Xue Sheng
All weight is underside
You mean this guy
Yup, he's awesome.... but for some reason many of his students never finish the training...or for that matter ever seen again
I've stated earlier in this thread what I look for a sword and what my criteria for buying a sword is, so what do you consider a good sword? What do you look for?
Well then, how is a sword used? What is a good test of a sword?
I've taken lessons in kendo, iaido, and kenjutsu, sometimes with a live blade. I've also taken classes with this organization called ARMA (Association for Renaissance Martial Arts), an organization on european medievel sword fighting and yes, a katana is used very differently than a european longsword. Now, might I ask what's your background on this stuff?
Right now I use them mostly as wall pieces although I want them to also work effectively as weapons should the need arise. For training and drills I mostly use wooden practice swords.
He is not the only person I've learned stuff about swords from. As I said before I've spoken to many people who make and sell swords for a living, and I've taken lessons as I mentioned above.
For my opinion to carry such weight in this case doesn't matter to me. I like the swords I've got. Im not saying everybody else has to agree on that or that they should buy them.
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Then why don't you preface your posts and threads with 'I think'? You make blanket statements instead of indicating that it's your opinion. there's various phrases you can use 'In my opinion', 'I believe', 'I find' 'I think', then it's a basis for discussion instead of you making a statement that something is true and us having to say well no it's not.
Then I should make my posts like that, I stand corrected.
It would make life easier or less combative at least on here. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but no one is entitled to their own facts.
There is also a big difference between being happy with an item, and the item being good.
A hiker friend of mine was coming up to meet me for a hike on Saturday. When she was more than halfway up to the meeting point, she realized she forgot her trekking poles. She drove by a Wal-Mart just as it opened at 6am and picked up a pair for about $25. My friend was going on a multi-day backpacking trip and wouldn't be down until Monday. But I was just joining her for the first peak so it was only a day trip for me. We agreed to swap. I gave her my $100 Komperdell poles, and took her cheapo poles.
Was I happy with the cheap Wal-Mart poles? Absolutely.
-- Using them meant my friend had the better poles for a more rigorous trip, and had a better chance of completing it safely. That gives me more peace of mind.
-- The cheap poles were beastly heavy and had a shock absorbing mechanism -- neither are attributes I care for. But that gave my arms an extra workout on a hike where such a thing was not unreasonable.
The cheap poles are certainly better than nothing. They are a great value for $25. And because she bought them, that meant we could swap poles and neither one of us had to worry about trekking without them. Considering Wal-Mart was the only place open in rural NH at that hour, it was a sound purchase.
So, yes, I was happy and so was she.
But are they good poles? No. Absolutely not.
A hiker friend of mine was coming up to meet me for a hike on Saturday. When she was more than halfway up to the meeting point, she realized she forgot her trekking poles. She drove by a Wal-Mart just as it opened at 6am and picked up a pair for about $25. My friend was going on a multi-day backpacking trip and wouldn't be down until Monday. But I was just joining her for the first peak so it was only a day trip for me. We agreed to swap. I gave her my $100 Komperdell poles, and took her cheapo poles.
Was I happy with the cheap Wal-Mart poles? Absolutely.
-- Using them meant my friend had the better poles for a more rigorous trip, and had a better chance of completing it safely. That gives me more peace of mind.
-- The cheap poles were beastly heavy and had a shock absorbing mechanism -- neither are attributes I care for. But that gave my arms an extra workout on a hike where such a thing was not unreasonable.
The cheap poles are certainly better than nothing. They are a great value for $25. And because she bought them, that meant we could swap poles and neither one of us had to worry about trekking without them. Considering Wal-Mart was the only place open in rural NH at that hour, it was a sound purchase.
So, yes, I was happy and so was she.
But are they good poles? No. Absolutely not.
Cirdan
Senior Master
No shame in going to Valhalla, especially if sent by the hands of Master Sven himself.
And then there are the Valkyries..
Sure they are. But to think that there's any historical accuracy in them, or that you can learn anything about sword making by chatting up a few people at them... that's foolishness.
