Issue # 120, December 2017 - Christmas Edition

You will have to forgive me if parts of this issue seem a little rushed - in the last few days while writing it there have been some major developments (in a bad way) for the sword industry as a whole and it has been hard to write this and keep on top of all the changes and flow on effects rattling the industry. But it is not all bad news, after all this IS the Christmas issue of the Digest - and some of what has been keeping me busy is actually really good news..! So in the classic style of getting the bad news out of the way first so we can get to the good (and believe me, there is some really good news mixed in with all the messy stuff going on) - let's put the eggnog on hold just for a moment and deliver the bad news first and get it out of the way...

Sword Industry Woes Pt 2.. Getting Worse Before It Gets Better

In last months edition of the digest we mentioned how the sword industry has been having a particularly tough time keeping its pommel above water this year, and how things have become markedly worse with pressure on all sides. Unfortunately, it looks like things will get worse before they get better.. Now I don't want to dwell on it too much in the lead up to the so called 'festive season' - but there are some issues that you all need to be aware of, especially if you are buying swords direct from China on eBay (which we generally don't recommend anyway, especially for novice sword buyers - see this article for reasons why its usually not such a good idea). For a start, ALL domestic shipping in China of swords was recently banned, if you read last issue you will know this already. But last month, the shipping ban has extended to all of EUROPE - so if you have a sword order with an eBay 'forge' they probably can't get it out to you and I would recommend contacting them to arrange a cancellation and refund as soon as possible (they may try to stall you until you cannot get a refund processed - so if you have paid by PayPal, we recommend you open a dispute if you think you are going to get ripped off). Fortunately, this does not effect US, Canadian or Australian orders - and hopefully it will stay that way.. In our case, as I alluded to in last months issue, we can circumnavigate the ban by shipping to the US and then to Europe from our US warehouse. But as this double shipping is so expensive, we need to re-evaluate our options moving forward.. (swords are notoriously expensive to ship overseas due to dimensional weight - i.e. BIG boxes). In addition to this, the shut down of all major Katana component makers in China (and many medieval fittings too) has finally hit and all the brass, copper and zinc alloy fittings that have flooded the market are no longer being manufactured and no-one is certain when they will be back. This directly impacts several of our own product lines - most specifically the forge direct custom Katana series which has now been archived and is not available to order for the foreseeable future (customers who have existing orders need not worry, we secured the components before they all ran out, but no new orders can be taken..) I explain all of this and more in detail on the SBG forum. Click here for the details on the SBG Forum But for now, in a nutshell, if you have a custom order in with a China based seller, you need to make urgent contact with them and be EXTREMELY careful about any stalling tactics as many are about the leave the industry and they could well take your hard earned money with them.. Now that's the bad news out of the way.. Eggnog time..

Time to shift gears - while it has been a very tough year for the industry overall, Christmas shoppers help to sustain and prop up the industry for leaner times. Especially with future supplies a bit uncertain - now is definitely the absolute BEST time to stock up! For not only are there some really great deals around right now, but local sellers especially really do appreciate your support! Savy sword buyers have already secured some pretty amazing deals over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday Period. Nearly every sword seller had something on the table - and with a bit of desperation in the air, the discounts during this period were unprecedented. But as anyone who has ever read any of our Christmas guides will know - the real secret of making your Christmas the best swordy one it can be is to get it all sorted as EARLY as possible. So the number one tip really is - if you haven't already got your Christmas sword shopping sorted NOW is the time to do so.. And to help you avoid the pitfalls and get the most out of the lead up to Christmas 2017 - be sure to check our Christmas Sword Buying Guide for 2017.

Christmas Sword Buying Guide 2017 Our Christmas Sword Buying Guide is designed both for experienced collectors looking for the best bargain buys this Christmas season as well as people looking to buy a gift for someone they know loves swords, but has absolutely no idea what to... Read more www.sword-buyers-guide.com

Video(s) of the Month

In the colder months, there really are not all that many opportunities for test cutting as there are in Spring and Fall (unless you are particularly brave). But one rather demanding challenge you can try to that will improve both your speed and accuracy is putting out a candle with the wind generated by a horizontal slash.

To succeed like in the video above, you need to both be extremely close to the candle and move the sword as fast as possible. And no, it doesn't count like in the video to the right hand side.. (no offense to the guy doing it, but I guess I can see why comments were disabled for that one)..

Umm, no... Not quite right..

SBG Fantasy Swords Project Update Behind the scenes, work has continued on both the supporting site for our Fantasy Swords Project AND the Swords themselves.. Slower than expected, but still making very good progress.. But some things are happening faster than others, such as the absolutely stunning pattern welded 'Odins Oar' by Longship Armory.. (pictured right). This sword will actually be taking pre-orders AHEAD of the official Beta launch of the site (which is now planned for January next year).

The backstory is quite rich - and in our story this sword was forged by the Volcano Demi-God Blacksmith in the 'Lands of the Northmen' for a young female warrior named 'Runa' - who uses it to confront the creeping evil overcoming her once proud people.. In a tragic twist, Runa is killed in battle against yet another manifestation of the DeathKnight - but as he gloats over her, the sword strikes home and changes the fate of the world - preventing the gathering Northmen horde from overrunning civilization, and becoming a martyr - her actions leading to the formation of the lands that are later known as Stormwater.. And speaking of Stormwater, another sword is shaping up - the design of Celegon, the Serpents Bane which is being made for us by an up and coming, very talented sword maker based in the USA.. Here is a sneak preview!

Of course, being painstakingly make in the US, these will be some of the true high end elite swords in the $1000's - but the affordable ones are also coming along. You saw some of those by our friends at Scorpion Swords in the Halloween issue, but here is how the 'Aelutian Gladius' is shaping up over at BCI in the Philippines (rough ground to shape, still far from compete of course, but you can see it taking shape!).

So keep an eye on this space, because of all goes to plan - well, by the February issue the Beta site should be up and running and you can all see what we have been up to the last 6 months or so...! In the meantime, keep an eye out for the first round of pre-orders on that stunning Fantasy Viking Sword by Longship Armory..!

Finishing on a Positive Note GREAT news for lovers of medieval swords..

Ronin Katana made quite a splash with their medieval line of European Swords a couple of years ago, so much so that they should probably rename a split off company as "Knight Errant Swords" or something (for those of you who don't know, a Knight errant is the European equivalent of a Masterless Ronin Warrior). Right now they are starting production of 3 additional new swords to their line up, investing massive quenching tanks for the heat treatment, and have just received three new prototypes that should be available in Winter/Spring 2018 (pictured below)

But ahead of the prototypes comes the long anticipated RESTOCK of their European line, just in time for Christmas. And not only that, but they are introducing a new Deluxe series Longsword called the Crusader - pictured below..

This 'ready to cut straight out of the box' sword comes with a beautiful premium quality leather belt and suspension system that is head and shoulders above what was seen on the previous models. And the fittings of the original models which have just been restocked (including the incredibly popular #7 Longsword) have also been re-tooled, as have the scabards. But the blades, and the price, remain the same - just $249.99 for the basic models and $324.99 for the new Crusader with upgraded scabbard. Check them all out here Can't think of a better gift idea for Christmas than these..

Well, that about wraps it up for 2017.. Who knows what 2018 will bring, but let's hope that things start to move in the other direction and get a bit more positive. That's the best thing about a new year, its a new chance to reset, refresh and start anew. I will be taking a break from writing the digest in January, so until the February edition..

May your days be filled with peace, hope, joy (and swords!) this holiday season. As always, stay safe and happy swordening!

SINCERELY, ALL OF US AT SBG Dedicated to Missy Hillian 1972-2017. R.I.P. dear friend. You are missed by all.