Sword Buyers Digest - Issue 148, July 1st 2020
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It has been a very tough month for us in June..
I don't want to go into all the details - some are not clear enough to report on yet, and some are of a personal nature - but right now SBG is in the middle of several major crises and I am continually putting out fires..
Just one example, international shipping is now pretty much no longer an option for us at the moment, Forge Direct and Project X are closed indefinitely due to a major backlog from the flow on effect of previous Covid-19 closures, and personally, it sucks being stuck even in a beautiful country like Cambodia because I need to attend to some urgent business in Hong Kong that if not quickly attended to will cause severe damage to the patent company (and my damn teleporter is on the blink again)..
This also of course has a bit of a flow on effect into the digest as due to all these not so pleasant things happening at the same time, the digest is slightly shorter than originally planned, but I still hope you find at least a few things of interest..
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Swords in the News
Positive Sword Related Stories in the News
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Later in this issue of the digest we have an article is that suggests we may be entering a true golden age of good quality, fantasy sword related TV shows. Here's the next one following hot on the heels of 'the Witcher'..
The premise sounds interesting enough I suppose 'what would be the best Katana for surviving an Apocalypse' - but the answers are absurd.. And the marketing, bad taste guys..
I am showing my age here, but when I was a kid, Masters of the Universe were all the rage. I never did get Castle Greyskull, but I'm a hard core fan - and so apparently is the writer of a script that Hollywood just doesn't want to touch..
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Netflix just announced a second series to introduce a whole new generation of kids to the sword of Power that will appeal to kids and old fans alike. Good luck Mattel!
Feeling a little blue these days? Well in medieval times that would not do, for blue was the color of loyalty. And what about the bad guys? Dressed up in black no doubt right? So why is the guy in green always the villain? Fascinating article..
Hank Reinhardt could not have been prouder. I this article by popular mechanics, we take a look at how these guys used evidence from Bronze age battlefields with practical experimentation to see if they could re-discover some of these ancient sword fighting techniques. Who said science is boring!
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No doubt you have heard the story - but who were the people known as the Nizar, what did it mean to be a
'Hashishin' and was it all Marco Polos fault? Interesting article by national geographic attempts to delve into this secretive, short lived group.
It seems witch hunts and excommunication are back in the digital age with a vengeance - only the names and the methods have changed.. See if you agree.
Its really just a video link to an 8 minute making of a Gladius by Miller Knives. I don't know about you, but I find watching blade making very relaxing for some reason.
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Skallagrim is a prolific reviewer of swords - so it should come as no surprise that one of his latest videos has been selected as this months Video Review of the Month. Here he takes a close look at the Maintz Gladius by Dynasty Forge - a 1060 carbon steel, quite historically accurate blade but perhaps just a little too heavy..
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Not all 'Business' Newsletters are Boring..
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If you are a sword buyer, no doubt you have probably signed up to the odd store newsletter here and there. Some of them offer incentives to sign up, not a practice I atually really agree with as it suggests if you don't hand over your personal data you pay extra for it.. (hey, no offense to any marketers who do this - you do to do what you got to do. Just saying I don't like to do things on my site that annoy me personally, like pop ups, etc).
Anyway, long story short - the vast majority of store newsletter out there are just a featured product and then a long llst with lots of pics of swords and other things of varying levels of quality. I'm sure you are familiar with them.
But recently, Darksword Armory have changed the paradigm - and while the mailings are frequent, the marketing takes second base to interesting historical and sword related facts and a little relevant marketing at the bottom.
Their most recent issue hot me thinking, and is the reason why I am mentioning their newsletter at all right now.
The issue entitled:
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Fantasy Television: The Golden Age?
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When Game of Thrones premiered in 2011, George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series was a modestly popular series of novels that most people had not yet heard about.
After the conclusion 8 years later you’d be hard pressed to find a household that didn’t have strong opinions about the War in the North. Two years after the premier of Game of Thrones, The History Channel started their extremely well-liked Vikings series.
And while many people had at least heard of the Witcher video game series, Netflix launched Geralt of Riva into homes around the world. Even more epic fantasy series are coming, and so we had to ask ourselves – are we living in the Golden Age of Fantasy Television?
For years, fantasy series and films were low-budget, corny affairs. However - more and more studios are learning that if you put Henry Cavill in leather armor (or in a bathtub) your viewers tend to go through the roof – and so do your profits. You can’t argue with success, and Hollywood seems to have noticed; a Lord of the Rings series, a Wheel of Time series, and season two of The Witcher are on their way.
If season two of The Witcher is anything like season one, it will be another landmark in fantasy television. From the exquisite set and costume design to the superb writing and directing, from the absurdly catchy bard songs to the incredible swordplay (what some have called the best sword fighting ever shown on television), the first season of The Witcher set the bar high for season two – and for the fantasy series that are coming after it!
It’s hard to say what will happen to the genre in the coming decade or two. However, fantasy as a genre has a rich assortment of tales waiting to arrive on screen. As fans of many fantasy series, we at Darksword Armory are as eager as you are to see what comes next!
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If you enjoy what you read, it seems worth signing up for. Not sure how long they will be be publishing it, but they also cover articles like 'on this day in history' and when it comes to swords, there re ENDLESS things you can write about them. There are multiple places to sign up on their site (
Darksword Armory) - so check it out (this is an unpaid endorsement by the way. I just personally think it is interesting).
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I just realized that as I was going through last months issue of the digest, while there were a few videos, the May issue was so jam packed overall that I skipped over it.
So to make up for it, here's not just one video - but three - on a unique hand to hand combat weapon that, as you will see in this scene from the classic New Zealand movie 'Once were Warriors' in a short, but powerful and moving scene..(I've skipped through the talky bit, but for some background - one of the the younger members of the family is going off the rails, and is brought into line by an old school teacher with some serious 'mana -
WARNING - contains explicit language').
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As you can clearly see by what would in Eastern martial arts be called a 'form' - the Taiaha (fighting spear) though made of wood is NOT something you would want anywhere near you if it was moving or thrusting at high speed. But it is not the only unique weapon in their arsenal...
And the principles and skills they discuss are echoed in every effective weapon art throughout history. Because they work.
VoM Part 1: How to Use Maori Weaponry
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VoM Part 2: How to Use Maori Weaponry
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A fascinating war like culture, and one of the few native civilizations not only strong enough to hold its ground against European Colonists
Indeed, in one case, even when outnumbered nearly 5 to one and facing artillery and cavalry - the Maori prevailed!
Click here to see one more very interesting and very detailed video about this battle and just how clever and fierce the Maori were at the battle of Gate Pah.
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Angkor Wat Article Delayed
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Thanks to everyone who gave me great feedback on Part I of my article on my personal visit to Angkor Wat in the Kingdom of Cambodia.
Due to time constraints and unexpected issues popping up, we will have to save part II until next time - until then in case you missed it you can read the back issue here
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Within the Oakeshott Typology there are quite a few swords that fall under the broad classification of 'Longsword'. In this poll and discussion, we discover which sword forum members like best. What about you?
I've never liked 'sword snobbery' and while there are many questionable blades out there, every now and again someone finds a sword of their dreams that speaks to them, and only to them. Here is one such tale, and why there is absolutely nothing wrong with liking what you like in a sword! To each is own!
Is there such a thing as a 'universal' saya? What kind of experiences, both good and bad, have SBG members had with new off the shelf saya.
It's an interesting and long thread - why DO people abuse their swords. And what constitutes abuse anyway? Have a read and make up your own mind.
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Forge Direct and Project X on Hold
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I mentioned it briefly at the start of this newsletter - that due to a nasty backlog we were forced to completely close down on taking new orders for Forge Direct series and Project XJapanese, which was supposed to re-launch this month, has also been pushed back indefinitely..
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All customers effected are getting what I hope are regular updates (I am doing my best) and there is light at the end of the tunnel (lets hope it's not a freight train!)...
But in the meantime, we think it is more important to take care of existing customers than load more into an overloaded system.
Annoying, but that's the way it goes sometimes - and monitoring it is taking up a lot of time, but with a plan and persistence, we will get there in the end..
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Sorry this issue was a little shorter than usual. We have a LOT to get through this month, and so I need to get straight into it.
So until next time, stay safe and happy swordening.
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