Welcome to the June issue of the Sword Buyers Digest Online Magazine!

With the on again, off again, roller-coaster ride that is the tariff trade war, writing the digest and ensuring it is actually up to date with current events has been more challenging than ever before! In just the last few days of the month, the tariffs were briefly over-ruled and now again re-instated, adding to the general sense of uncertainty and chaos..

No matter which way you cut it, now is a very dramatic and unstable time for the sword industry with more twists and turns than a badly heat treated 9260 Spring Steel blade..

So sit back relax, or indeed - strap yourselves in and grab the popcorn and let's see what is going on in the world of swords as we hit the mid point of 2025.. (is it 2030 yet?)

(Continuing from our May update, here’s where we stand as June begins…)

In May, we reported on the severe industry-wide disruptions caused by the April 2nd trade war, an event that sent shockwaves through the world of sword manufacturing. Now in June, those tremors have not settled—in fact, they continue to paralyze supply chains, stall manufacturing, and leave businesses grasping for clarity on how to proceed.

"May you live in interesting times" as the old Chinese curse goes.. And for the sword industry right now, things are far too interesting..

To this date, almost no large sword manufacturer has restocked since the tariffs took effect.

For the most part, the factories and forges are still, waiting for definitive regulations, but the expected charges remain fluid—changing unpredictably, making large-scale production incredibly risky and too unpredictable to reliably undertake. Those who were poised to release new swords have had to delay their projects, modify them or even abandon them indefinitely, and even established product lines are in a kind of limbo.

Put simply: the sword industry remains largely frozen, and no one can yet predict how—or when—it will properly thaw.

Despite these challenges, this industry has never been built on easy roads.

From historical artisans to modern sword makers, craftsmanship has always survived uncertainty, setbacks, and obstacles. Even now, we see innovators, suppliers, and collectors adapting, searching for solutions, and refusing to abandon their craft.

While many things will take time to sort themselves out, what we can promise is this - SBG will continue to do our best to stay around to keep informed and help navigate this situation for as long as humanly possible (even if it does change on an almost daily basis!)..

While many of our own projects are negatively effected by the ongoing trade war, other new possibilities that we had not seriously considered previously are slowly dawning on us, as it is with other sword makers and sellers. It will take longer than a couple of months for these potential new projects to take off, and naturally some will succeed and others will not work out the way anyone had anticipated (sometimes for better, sometimes for worse - you know how these things go). But regardless of which way the road takes us, we will continue and adapt - hoping for the best yet planning for the worst..

So stay tuned folks, and importantly..

In difficult times, a strong community is everything. That’s why we want to express our deepest gratitude to you, our subscribers, who have continued to support us despite the industry’s turmoil. Your patience, your passion, and your belief in what we do mean more than we can say.

Like any great sword forged through heat and pressure, we will endure, adapt, and sharpen our resolve. Together, we move forward...

With prices poised to shoot dramatically northwards due to the usuriously high base rate of 145% on Chinese imports, deals like these should be snapped up whenever you can!

Positive sword stories to counter some of the Negative Nancy hoplophic (weapon-phobic) nonsense out there these days that passes for 'news'..

Unique African swords lineage traced

African swords are some of the most unique and distinctive sword types around. But for years researches were uncertain if they were locally made or custom ordered from Europe. However recent non-invasive techniques have solved the puzzle once and for all.

Why does the UK have such a hatred for Japanese swords in particular?

It's an interesting and thought provoking piece, but why has the United Kingdom repeatedly focused on and essentially has demonized Japanese swords and weapons over every other type of sword? Hmmmm..

Behind the scenes of armored MMA

Dressed in full armor with steel blunts and no holding back, armored MMA continues to gain popularity. Find out more about this unique rising sword sport.

Returning a sword, restoring a tradition

Fascinated by his Grandfathers WWII trophy, this article traces the heartwarming tale of a man who decided that the sword should be returned to its rightful owners in Japan..

Stronger than steel super-wood?

Scientists recently made a breakthrough, creating lab grown wood that is stronger than steel! So the question is, who will be the first ones to make a bokken or waster from it!!!

First peek at Zoros New Swords from One Piece, Season 2

Fans are super hyped to see some new swords that will appear in the live action adaption of the worldwide hit anime and manga series, One Piece.

Trine universities 'cast in steel' 2025

The team at Trine university opted to create a stunning replica of George Washington's Cuttoe sword using investment casting, 3d printing and other unique and fun techniques..

Retro classic - Usagi Yojimbo

I am showing my age, but I lost count of how many hours I used to play the Commodore 64 game 'Usagi Yojimbo'. Take a trip down memory lane and find out how this comic book character and the iconic game came about (now I can't stop whistling the theme song!).

How much did Napoleons Saber sell for??!

It was expected to be auctioned off for between 700,000 to 1,000,000 euros, but boy oh boy - did they underestimate the final selling price.. Find out how much it actually went for..

Hats off to Matthew Jensen on this one..

Rather than post the full review, there is a critical part of Matthew Jensens review of the Shadowdancer S5 shock steel swords that opened a rather juicy can of worms..

Matthew sent off the broken tip of the sword he was testing to a lab, and the results are not surprsing to those of us who know how some Chinese based sellers operate..

I hate to say I told you so, but this is something we have been warning people about for years but that a lot of people seemingly did not take it seriously..

This deserves it's own article, and I will get to that, but in the meantime the forum has understandably blown up because of this controversy, so let's try to get to the bottom of it all.

ShadowDancer Controversy Thread

Here is the original thread discussing Matthew Jensens expose of ShadowDancers use of standard steel and calling it whatever the market thinks is hot. What surprised me is how many people were seemingly caught off guard..

So if the shock steel was fake, how about the Tamahagane?

After being caught out lying about their use of super steels, now forumites understandably question their integrity for other 'high end' steels they offer - specifically, Tamahagane. Read it guys, this is important..

How to fix broken trust

Matthew Jensens follow up video and discussion with forumites about what these brands that have been exposed lying about their steel types can or should do...

Best Way to Get Rid of old Wallhangers

Forumites discuss some of the ways they prune down their collection or dispose of wallhanger swords they bought early on in their collecting journey.. (or an option for anyone wanting to dump their S5, S7, L6, 1070 carbon steel Shadowdancer blades..)