Swords are getting so affordable now

[rawnshah]

I just looked over the recent CAS/Hanwei catalog, the US distributor for Paul Chen/Hanwei swords. CAS is the top distributor of these swords in the US and they typically sell only to retailers who then sell to people. Many of the same swords that you see listed by other martial arts stores typically resell the stuff from CAS. In any case, the product comes through CAS.

The interesting thing about these Paul Chen swords and many other sword manufacturers in general is how much more affordable they are getting. It used to be several years ago that a basic cutting sword cost $500-$1000 at minimum. A good sword of higher quality ran $3000 and above. And a sword from a Japanese traditional swordmaker started at least $5000. Beyond new swords, the category for used or antique swords were all over the page. Antiques are hard to tell from a web site, and even then hard to tell unless you've been a practitioner for a while. Antiques go anywhere from a few hundred to even a hundred thousand or more.

The last category, which you really should not bother with, is what I call the "costume" category. These are the swords mass manufactured and widely available in knife stores, replica makers, etc. These are not ones you want to use for actual cutting. They typically start really cheap around $40 and go up from there.

In any case, the swords from Hanwei today are getting to the point where for $1800 you can get a marvelous cutting swords. The Tamahagane & Bainite swords replicate the materials and processes of traditional sword makers, as well as go into advanced modern materials. These ones seem to be on par with some of the high quality ones out there, even compared against some traditional swordmakers. I already have two swords which I like quite a bit, so I find it hard to justify why I'd need to get a Praying Mantis, but I can wish I guess.

For the most part, I would discourage people from buying a high-end katana right away. It's better to get a basic, practical one that is cheaper. That way when you are first starting to cut, you focus only your own performance, than use the crutch of a better sword, rather than making yourself better as a swordsperson.