Hi there.

I need a sword (who does not?). A functional one, not only for decoration. Home defense with firearms here in Canada will often relieve you of your gun licence, $50,000 in legal expenses and your peace of mind. So I need something that can be used against predators, if required.

What say the Sig Forum collective wisdom? What type of sword? What shops/makes?

Bring “pretty” is an asset, of course. I don’t want to hang a plastic-hilted machete on my bedroom wall.

Thanks,

Steyn

Look no further. I have 3 of their blades including a long knife called Felon.



https://www.zombietools.net/

What type of training do you have?

Preferred type of blade?

Do some research at sword buyers guide.

Definitely don’t buy any cheap wallhangers (i.e. 420 steel, stainless steel, etc). Stay away from ebay. A good sword will not be $29.95.

I like the Zombie Tools. But prefer this place:

https://sbg-sword-store.sword-...Japanese-Swords.html

Katana, Broadsword, Gladius or whatever.

Inside the house, I suggest wakizashi or cutlass length

The nice thing about a basebat bat is no one can criticize you for merely having normal sporting goods in your home...a ninja sword, maybe not so much:-) The other point is that the bleed out from a sword defense will mean your home will smell like rotten meat until you move.

Good luck !

Their website (ZT) is hilarious. I kinda want a gladius now.

When I lived in Canada for nearly 2 years, it took me 14 months to get a PAL and physically have a bolt action rifle and semi-auto shotgun in Canada. At least in Alberta, the law was your firearm had to be kept separately locked from your ammo which made SD with a firearm slow.

I ended up going the sword route (purchased identical ones for each level of house from Amazon Canada). I selected Cold Steel’s Gladius machete because:

short swords are more practical indoors (eg can get full swing without hitting ceiling and easier to hide around the house)

Romans used this length sword and tgeir armies captured continents

I could buy several of these for price of one short samurai

they sold a poly trainer so I could practice and answer some practical wuestions (eg can you actually swing it in MB closet?)

Never had to use it thankfully

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

... over morning coffee, the following advice is provided ...

My first recommendation, is a wooden practice sword - a bokken in aikido/kendo or mokgum for Korean jingum. Often a hardwood like oak.

bokken - Japanese word for wooden sword ('bok' and 'ken'). Also called a bokuto.
mokgum - Korean word for practice sword ('gum')
jingum - Korean word for sharp sword.

Like this one:
Wooden sword

Yup, just as useful in a home defense situation if trained and familiar, in a narrow/confined space if familiar with use ... yes, depends on the intruders, intent and what they are armed with. But likely to result in a lot less questions/charges. Find someone trained in the use and get advice/guidance.

I also have sharp swords, but don't consider these for home defense. These are stored out of sight and well out of reach of curious eyes and fingers.

So, if it's a sharp sword you must have, I recommend a Korean Haidong Jingum.

Korean sword

I use jingums for practice cutting at a martial arts school; and practice at home with bamboo, paper and straw mats.

Yes, there are other cheaper swords around. Often disguised and named as Japanese katanas, these are more wall ornaments. These will bend or flex, not hold an edge at all, will fail when least expected and shortly become a wall ornament or relegated to forgotten storage.

Avoid the swords advertised as top quality, high quality, collectable or genuine ... a lot of the $2000 swords from China are not worth the 'free' shipping.

Occasionally, Kris Cutlery pre-owned swords are are on ebay, these can be worthwhile, particularly if a jikdo - this is a somewhat straight Korea sword. Generally, I don't buy sharp swords from ebay vendors. You will be disappointed.

As a guide, under $500 is a wall ornament, in my opinion. At around $800, you can find a suitable sharp sword, but, the length of the blade, the tang and handle will vary and result in a sword that maybe too short, too long for correct cutting.

Read and research, maybe you have a friend who can help?

Do remember, that which ever you choose, if/when used in a defense situation, will more than likely result in being seized as evidence. And likely not seen again until charges/court and all appeals have been exhausted. A lot of people forget, or don't want to know about that part.

You decide what is legal for you.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
Their website (ZT) is hilarious. I kinda want a gladius now.

The names are genius.
"Trauma-hawk"
"Taint-o"

Warren Thomas carbon fiber katana.

http://wtknives.com/warrenthomasswords.html

Not sure about the cost, but pretty sure they ain't cheap.

This is a great thread. Y’all are gonna make me spend some money.

I would recommend a Kyocera Damascus ceramic 8 1/2 inch blade as it would get the job done and also help with the sashimi in the kitchen.

You can slice a fish in two and then slice the piss out of an intruder. Be sure to wash the knife to avoid cross contamination.

A katana will definitely work for self defense, as it has for about 500 years - some of those mentioned, real steel, not wallhangers - but be prepared to spend a few hundred for a weapon-grade. And as also mentioned, a wakizashi (shorter, same form) is more practical in close quarters. And as with a firearm, knowing how to use it would be more than a good idea, and the skill to even competently wield a katana will not be a short road - local dojos and hands-on being almost a requirement. And no edged weapon will defend you reliably against a firearm even incompetently wielded. And killing someone with a katana is close-up and bloody, and unlike a firearm that you can point from a distance and maybe reasonably subdue an opponent with a threat, striking distance with a katana almost requires you to use it - you will be face-to-face, shaking hands. Unless the sight of a two-foot razor in your hand causes an attacker to scamper off, and if it doesn't, so your opponent doesn't disarm you and carve you up with your own weapon, you will need to strike off limbs and heads as quickly and efficiently as skill allows -- there is no "shoot-them-in-the-leg" katana. And the sight of a dismembered corpse on your floor will not be a mitigating circumstance to LE, who might not understand the fine nuances of the above.

A movie, but you get the idea:

A good quality kukri should do the job. Good enough for the Gurkhas' as well as....



I have a 15" Himalayan Imports Ang Khola as well as a 14" Becker Patrol machete. They work!

Just don't do what I did.

Bought sword. Took outside, chopped some random stuff in my yard (actually worked pretty good for trimming bushes out front). Put away without cleaning it.

Anyone know how to fix this?

As I understand swordplay, the two basic styles are either stabbing or chopping. And, one hand or two?

In a confined space, maybe even grappling, the stabbing seems preferable. The sword should not be too long to manuever or develop thrust. A longer sword maybe good for defending a hall, stairs, or door. If you need to swing/chop then the sword should be shorter for a clear arc, with the weight up front. Maybe a kukri, or greek kopis (which I would like), or a gladius.

As above, the gladius seems best for both styles of use. A claymore or other two-hand sword would be badass if practical.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

Anyone know how to inserted: [clean] fix this?

I don't see any special distinctive 'hamon' - the demarcation between the edge and the body of the sword. Similarly, no distinctive patterns or etchings.

Can you provide an image of the tip of the sword?

There is a sword cleaning kit for Japanese swords. This uses a special paper, polishing powder and oil.

Do not use Olive Oil or similar, as these have too many minerals and will damage or pit the blade.

Camelia oil with cloves (choji oil), is a great mix and leaves a nice smell.

Depending on the material of the blade, sometimes a little lime juice and a lint cloth makes for a good cleaning. But this method does depend on the blade.

Rust can be picked off with a toothpick and choji oil.

Don't store the blade wet with oil.

And never use abrasives polishers. The blade will look horrible, and will require a professional and a lot of work polishing.

My jingums are simple blades. I use a little Flitz and a lint cloth. After cleaning, the sword is placed back into the gumjip (Korean for sheath, aka Japanese saya) in a repurposed and split large pillow case, - high thread count cotton material - before storage. A teeny small bag of dessicant - the kind found in pill or vitamin bottles - is in the bottom of the sheath.

If you want to try Flitz, use it on a small area first, before you go to town on the blade.

While I don't have any right now (thanks for the reminder!), a rubberized eraser embedded with very fine abrasive something like 1200/1500 grit. Worked well to clean up the blade that had a little tarnish after bamboo cutting. The the choji oil and cloth.

Hope this helps!

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Just don't do what I did.

Bought sword. Took outside, chopped some random stuff in my yard (actually worked pretty good for trimming bushes out front). Put away without cleaning it.

Anyone know how to fix this?

The traditional way:

Whatever that sword/blade was in the movie "Book Of Eli"

Scorpion Swords and Knives LLC will make/have one,
they even have a hook handle model so you don't drop it when practicing and hit the ceiling fan.