Sword Buyers Digest:

Issue #196, December 2024

Welcome to the final issue of the Sword Buyers Digest for 2024, and what a year it has been...

In this issue we will both recap the past and look towards the future, as the NEXT issue of the digest in February will celebrate SBG's 20th anniversary. And man, do we have a lot of things planned for 2025...

But for now, let's take a look at the latest happenings in the Sword World, starting with...

At first glance it looks super exciting - the U.K's Raven Forge working in conjunction with Ubisoft to create an official replica of the Sword of Altair from Assassins Creed for just under US$300. A shame it is stainless steel, but it's one of the better official prop replicas I have seen in recent years.

These lists of 'top 10' or in this case, top 15, movies with notable sword fighting scenes can often be a bit predictable. But this list by Den of Geek has some classics worth seeking out over the holiday period that you may have forgotten about or may have never otherwise have known. Check it out.

Discount on the Official Zelda Sword at Amazon makes the news

It's another official stainless steel prop, but as stainless steel props go it's also one of the better ones seen in recent years, and apparently quite hard to get, but is being re-released on Monday with a $10 discount.

Japan cracks down on - er, Harry Potter Swords..

Despite it being the home to arguably one the best types of swords ever made, Japan has a hang up with weapons these days. And most recently, have outlawed the rapier-esque Harry Potter sword as it's a little too pokey for the authorities liking and now requires a special permit to own.. (sighs)

And recalls Harry Potter swords at Warner Bros Studios, Japan

If you were one of the 351 people who bought the now outlawed $200 Godric Gryffindor Sword from Warner Bros Japan, they want to speak to you.. And take it back.. The plot thickens.. (sighs yet again)

Become a Play-tester for a sword forging game - Bladesong!

Coming soon to steam, the sword crafting game Bladesong looks like it would probably interest a lot of gaming sword collectors, and they are looking for play-testers this month! If you know your swords, maybe you might want to lend them a hand with your own $0.02 worth..

MSN money article: How to fix a sword hole in a wall!

It happens to the best of us, eventually if you collect swords one might end up doing its best impression of Excalibur by burying itself in your wall.. Here's some practical advice on what to do when that inevitably happens...!

10th Century Pommel cap found in the Netherlands

It's remarkably intact, and in this article researchers try to piece it back together and show what it might have looked like 1000 years ago..

Season 2's New One Piece Sword spotted?

Zoro's newest sword, the so called Yubashiri, has just been sighted ahead of the much anticapted second season of the live action adaption of the world wide anime and manga smash hit that is One Piece.. Check it out and see what you think!

February 2025 will mark SBG's 20th Anniversary, and while we finish the year in a bit of a strange place due to the termination of all dealings with Ronin Katana in late October, this may well have been a blessing in disguise..

As the old adage goes, as one door closes, another door opens - and in the case of SBG, it's a bunch of doors all opening at the same time..! Not only has this incident forced me to re-evaluate the site overall, but it has given me the drive needed to make the 20th anniversary a real pivotal turning point for the site instead of 'just a number' and over the coming days, weeks and months, I am pulling out all stops to update the site, the forum, the store and much, much more...

Some of these changes I am keeping under my hat for now, but here's what I can talk about ahead of the Special Anniversary edition of the digest planned for February 2025.

Every few years we update the main site and immortalize the best reviews submitted to the SBG Sword Forum - and as it has been quiet some time since we have saved a bunch of top notch reviews, this will be a priority in the coming weeks and months.

There is nothing sadder than to see a detailed and informative sword review get lost because the image hosting service gives up the ghost and all the images end up looking, well, like this...

Though better that than what we have seen sometimes, which is absolutely nothing...

So stay tuned to see which reviews make the list and how the site will be re-organized and updated accordingly..

Another thing we have started recently, and plan to expand rather massively in 2025, is our 'review team' concept, in that members of the SBG forum are invited to apply to receive a free review sword in exchange for putting it through it's paces and letting the community know, warts and all, what to expect if they buy a given sword..

The SBG sword store has been EXPLODING with new products and new suppliers in the last quarter of 2024, but the truth is 'you ain't seen nothin' yet!'..

JUST SOME OF THE NEW SWORDS RECENTLY ADDED

Tameshigiri Series Model 1

Polish Saber

XIVA Longsword

This is something that I won't be revealing in too much detail here other than to say that behind the scenes we are working on bringing you guys a veritable tsunami of new, unique and high quality, awesome value for money swords and sword accessories.

And in the meantime, we also are re-tooling some of our Flagship products, including revisiting the deep past to bring back and revitalize many SBG projects that fell by the wayside over the years..

Here's just a little taste of what is brewing away behind the scenes..

BLACK DRAGON FORGE 2.0 (COMING BACK SOON)...

As the year of the Dragon approaches it's tail end, it is only fitting that we re-awaken the slumbering 'Black Dragon Forge' - and this time, we are working closely with one of Longquan's oldest and most respected forges to bring this archived line back and expand it to cover a range of fantasy swords and high end traditional Chinese blades, with the first offerings to be available sometime THIS month...

COMING SOON (Preview)...

FORGE DIRECT AND PROJECT X (RETURNING SOON!)..

Forge Direct and Project X went on hold when we severed ties with Ronin Katana and is now in the final stages of re-tooling with a relaunch/reboot expected either late THIS month or early next month..

In the meantime, here's a little taste of what to expect...

SOSHU KITAE (New Project X Blades, Coming Soon)

But this is just the tip of iceberg, to stay up to date sign up to our store newsletter for the best deals and special newsletter exclusive offers..

The annual guide to Buying Swords for Christmas in 2024 is now online - see our recommendations for the cut off date to order in time for Christmas delivery, the BIGGEST mistakes you can make when buying swords for someone else as a gift, plus our top 10 product categories and top brands for 2024.

Whether you are looking to simply take advantage of the sales on offer this year and buy a new sword for yourself (after all, you deserve it!) or are looking to gift someone else a blade, check it out to make Christmas sword shopping in 2024 both painless and totally awesome!

We STRONGLY advise you to take advantage of the discounts and special deals on offer all around the internet at this time, as the odds are that in 2025 prices will go up once more and there may be significant levies and taxes on what are currently bargain imports - so word to the wise, get what you can while you can as what you are seeing now are historically low prices that are very unlikely to be repeated ever again..

For the next 6 days only, we have multiple sale items on right now as well as a store-wide 10% discount compound code in effect:

You can find a bunch of heavily marked down swords and blades from several well known, respected brands on sale right now in the HOT SPECIALS section of the store:

And find a bunch of brand new swords in the NEW ADDITIONS section:

You might be pleasantly surprised at what you find...

Best posts from the official SBG Sword Forum

3D Printing of Tsunagi for Koshirae?

A Tsunagi is a thin piece of wood shaped like a blade that is inserted in place of the blade to display a Japanese swords fittings (Koshirae). And in this thread the OP asks the forum about the possibility of 3D printing these..

Rayskin substitutes...

While most collectors greatly prefer genuine rayskin on the handle of their Katana, are there any alternatives (both modern and traditional) for those people who prefer not to have any animal products in their swords.

Tactical Sword Recommendations

In the last 5 years or so 'Tactical' swords have created their own sub-niche within the sword industry. In this thread, forum members talk about the different makers out there and provide their own recommendations on where to begin your own Tactical sword collection..

How sharp do forum members like to make their swords?

With a long thread and poll, forum members discuss what is the final grit polish level they use when sharpening their own swords and what kind of edge do members like for their backyard cutters.

In this timely video, Shadiversity takes a dive into why Amazon.com (first in Australia, and then the USA) is generally not a good place to buy swords - and man, do they find some crazy overpriced deals... The audacity of some of these sellers truly is hard to believe..

And they also take a look at Alibaba, which is better, but also rather hit and miss.. Caveat Emptor...

That about wraps up the last issue of 2024. Next issue will be the big one, celebrating SBG's 20th anniversary in February!

So until then, happy holidays and happy swordening all!

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