Swords!

I'm sure most of your know this already, but in case you don't pay attention I'll tell you anyway. I'm into swords. Bladed objects of all kinds, really. Actually, even non-bladed weaponry. Okay, really just weapons in general. Where was I? Oh yes. Swords.

I started collecting swords essentially as soon as I had money of my own and the means to get somewhere that sold weapons. Oddly enough, my first true swords were purchased in France and Spain. You would think I'd have started a bit closer to home, but there you have it. I got a really cheap stainless steel katana, some kind of miniature Spanish sword and a U.S. cavalry saber. The saber was made in India and is actually made of a pretty decent material and fairly well constructed. Not amazing quality, but it took frighteningly large gouges out of the katana when a friend and I played with them in the backyard once. After that, I continued buying swords. I wasn't at all concerned with quality, really. I just kept buying them and leaning them in corners or putting them on shelves. I currently own now fewer than two dozen swords, I'd wager, and only two of them are of anything approaching functional quality. These are the cavalry saber (which got badly rusted over the years due to poor care on my part) and a hand-and-a-half sword (also called a 'bastard sword') I got from my parents for Christmas one year. I have very nearly a full set of cheap knock-off Lord of the Rings swords, including a really tolerable Witch King sword. To sum up, I was after quantity, not quality. My primary concern was cost. If it was cheap, I'd buy it. I didn't have any money and I didn't realize at that young age that having a ton of really cheap swords wasn't actually all that great. Now I have more swords than I know what to do with, so most of them continue leaning in corners or sitting in boxes.

As my age advanced and my wisdom grew (and as I started making enough money to buy cool stuff) I got a little less interested in buying just any sword. Now, I do research. I do a lot of research. If any of my friends are unlucky enough to be around when I get on a research kick, they will learn more about that topic than they would ever care to know. Those who were talking to me a few months ago when I first got back into the idea of buying a nice sword were treated to a link to this site: Sword Buyer's Guide

If you are even a little interested in buying a sword that you can use to cut up stuff in your back yard without it flying apart in your hand, this is the place to go. They have really in-depth reviews of a lot of swords, including videos of people cutting with them. They also have some really neat articles about the history of sword-making, various styles of sword, how they're made now versus historically, etc. If you like swords, you'll love this site.

I like this sword, the Tenchi. It's a fully functional katana. It comes sharp and based on what I've read, it is extremely durable. I like it. It's simple, tough, functional and has a good look to it, I think. I'm definitely excited about it.

I'm also excited for trivia tonight. Woo-hoo!