Decorative and Functional Fantasy Swords“A buyers guide to getting the best possible value for money fantasy blades”Fantasy swords, being products of the imagination, naturally come in all kinds of wondrous shapes and sizes.
In our sub US$300 price range, there are a plethora of swords to choose from with a fantasy theme. However, only problem is, most are nothing more than display ornaments – and many are so poorly executed that they fail even at that... However, scratch below the surface – and sort through all the junk - and you can divide fantasy swords into two main categories: high quality display swords and functional fantasy pieces. Both of these are quite rare in the sub US$300 price range, but they are there if you know where to look. So take a journey with me now through the looking glass into the world of high fantasy, both magical and futuristic, as we meander through the exotic mindscapes of the pure and unfettered imagination...
Now as I mentioned, there are a lot of very cheap fantasy styled swords available that are extremely questionable... Most have extremely shoddy construction and are made for cents on the dollar in Pakistan or China, which becomes even more apparent when you ‘pop the hood’...
Unfortunately many of these swords look ok when they are photographed for the web, but are a major disappointment when you get them in your hands. And like many cheap stainless steel swords, the biggest problems with these swords is that they are constructed very poorly, often with loose or soon to be rattling hilts, fragile or brittle blades (that can sometimes be sharpened – which is not only a bad idea – but potentially lethal to the wielder if used!) and a complete lack of attention to detail. Watch the video below to see what I mean...
Fortunately, you don’t have to pay a huge amount of money to dramatically improve the quality. While the number of quality decorative blades is much less than the ‘piles of crap’ you can pick up for $20, there are some that stand head and shoulders above the rest. But there is one name that comes up time and time again, Kit Rae.
Kit Rae is has been a designer of decorative fantasy swords and knives since 1984 and it is his designs that are the most commonly imitated with cheap knock offs.As can be expected, the knock offs don’t even come close to the real thing, and to make matters worse, some highly unethical sellers actually put up an image of original and then ship a $20 knock off instead, so be very careful where you buy them from... Anyway, Kit’s work creating fantasy knives, swords, axes and other hand weapons has a certain distinct flair and flavour – with an attention to detail that is extremely rare at this price point.
Considering that you can pick up the original designs for just under or just over the US$100 at such sellers as Replica Dungeon and Kult of Athena they are truly excellent value for money, and while the swords are not ‘battle ready’ (made from stainless steel, they are definitely not to be used for cutting - see our article on battle ready swords to know why it’s not suitable) they more than fulfil their function as true three dimensional fantasy art and blow everything else right out of the water...
There is something very powerful and ‘magical’ that happens when you fuse fantasy with functionality... Personally, I feel that by making fantasy swords functional, it somehow seems to bridge the gap between the ethereal and the real – bringing an otherworldly design to life and giving it a very real presence that you just can get from a stainless steel decorative piece... Despite this though, truly practical fantasy swords are very rare in the sword market, though most of the major manufacturers of historically inspired battle ready swords make one or two each. Part of the reason for this rarity has to do with design constraints. In other words, many of the typical blade geometries depicted in fantasy simply don’t work in the real world. However, let’s take a look at a few swords that DO work in the real world. And as we will see, some of these fantasy swords work very, very well indeed...
WINDLASS STEELCRAFTS Windlass Steelcrafts have probably made more tempered carbon steel, full tang fantasy blades than just about every other manufacturer. Only problem is, as is often the case with Windlass, many of the best ones have been discontinued... However on the bright side, there are still several designs that have withstood the test of time. And many more that have either just come out or are around the corner. The majority of their fantasy designs are based on either role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons (ah, memories of a misspent, proudly geeky youth!) or official replicas based on books such as the Heron Mark from the wheel of time. Below are some reviews of some classics that are still in production.
While Generation 2 concentrate primarily on historically inspired medieval swords, they have made and still make a few nice fantasy pieces – especially several Lord of the Rings inspired works such as the Ranger sword, Sting (now discontinued) and an High Elven King Sword (also discontinued). But they also have a very big and mean fantasy blade aptly named the Sword of Chaos, pictured below.
While their range is limited, the functionality of these swords is not, as you can plainly see from the reviews below...
HANWEI FORGE While Hanwei only really have one sword to contribute to our functional fantasy line up, it’s one of the best (and the cheapest around).
I am talking of course about their tough as nails Dark Sentinel Sword, a hybrid between a Japanese Katana and a European duelling sword, which you’ll find a detailed review of below:
When it comes to a tough blade, Darksword Armoury pretty much have the market cornered. Yes, their fantasy swords are heavier, bigger and meaner than just about everything else out there on the market. And they make some excellent fantasy designs, both original and inspired by classic fantasy fare such as Lord of the Rings – and are the ONLY company to offer a replica of the famous Anduril Sword, complete with runic engravings (below).
Due to their weight, these swords may not be to everyone’s taste, and some models of their fantasy swords are not without their issues. However, for the collector of functional fantasy blades, you can do a lot worse.
Further Resources If you are into fantasy weapons in general, I can heartily recommend the semi regularly updated blog Darkblade’s Blog as great source of news and information. I should also mention that there is some crossover between Fantasy swords which are based more on art and pure imagination and those which are replicas of blades seen in various movies, comics and Japanese Anime of course. So for more fantasy swords that are based on the latter category, check out our guide to TV, Anime and Movie swords here
I hope this information on fantasy swords has been helpful.To return to the SBG Homepage from Decorative and Functional Fantasy Swords, click here
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