Sword Buyers Guide Blog

Oct 10, Windlass Dark Age Sword Review

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:28:39 GMT

Skallagrims hands on review of the Windlass Dark Age Sword

Oct 8, Windlass Erbach Sword Review

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:22:49 GMT

Hands on review of the 16th century Erbach Bastard Sword

Oct 6, Windlass Verneuil Sword Review

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:46:19 GMT

Hands on review of the Windlass Verneuil Type XVIIIa Sword by Bill Goodwin

Sep 23, Away from a few days

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 03:51:09 GMT

Just a quick note to let you know that I'll be interstate for a few days from around the 24th of September to the 1st of October and as a consequence there may be delays in answering emails, etc. Thanks for your patience. - Paul

Sep 2, Custom Made Swords at a Fraction of the normal cost...

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:23:38 GMT

Review and testing of the SBG exclusive sub US$300 custom made swords! T-10 tool steel Katana with natural hamon and YOUR choice of options for a flat rate price...

Sep 1, Global Gear G-802 Viking Sword Review

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:34:56 GMT

Review of the unique and innovative Global Gear G-802 Differentially Hardened Viking Sword!

Aug 27, A type of Japanese sword for cutting Tatami the Practical XL Light Katana R

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:22:21 GMT

The Practical XL Light Katana by Hanwei is the type of Japanese sword that cuts Tatami mats like a lightsaber. In this review, we take a look at this razor sharp blade and examine the pros and cons.

Aug 25, Decorative and Functional Fantasy Swords

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 06:17:24 GMT

Don't buy fantasy swords until you read this first. Some are functional, more are NOT - and unless you know what to look for, the chances of ending up with a piece of crap are fantastically high....

Aug 24, Darksword Anduril Sword Review

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 03:37:16 GMT

Hands on review of the functional replica Anduril sword made by Darksword Armory

Aug 24, Chaos Fantasy Sword Review

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 02:00:37 GMT

Hands on review of the Generation 2 fantasy sword classic - the Chaos Fantasy Sword

Aug 23, DSA Ranger Sword Review

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:45:53 GMT

Testing and review of the functional Ranger Sword made by Dark Sword Armory

Aug 15, Elf Sword Review Twinkle

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:19:51 GMT

Hands on review of Drizzt Do'Urdens elf sword Twinkle from R.A. Salvatore's Forgotten Realms

Aug 12, Heron Mark Sword Review

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:55:50 GMT

Hands on review and overview of the replica Heron Mark Sword by Windlass Steelcrafts

Aug 8, Hanweis Dark Sentinel Double Review

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:58:42 GMT

A review from two perspectives of the Hanwei Dark Sentinel Fantasy Japanese/European Hybrid sword

Aug 6, Kit Rae swords Mithrodin Review

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 02:58:53 GMT

Hands on review of the decorative elven Mithrodin by Kit Rae Swords

Aug 4, Guardian Fantasy Sword Review

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:40:24 GMT

Hands on review and durability tests of the DSA Guardian Fantasy Sword by its designer, Jason Woodard

Jul 28, Coming Soon...

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:13:27 GMT

All seems quiet on the Western Front but behind the scenes SBG is laying the ground work for quite a bit more material... Over the coming weeks there will be several fantasy sword reviews added to the site that will come together in their own dedicated section once they are all up. So stay tuned for the first of many! But in the meantime, I am doing a bit of a sitewide 'spring clean' and general site spruce up, including updating some outmoded information and a general quick facelift. So while there may not be any major updates here for a little while, trust me - it's as busy (if not MORE busy) than ever behind the scenes. ^_^ - Paul

Jul 15, Strongblade Knight Protector Review

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:47:49 GMT

Hands on review of the affordable sub US$150 Knight Protector Sword

Jul 11, Hanwei King Edward III Sword Review

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 05:50:01 GMT

Hands on review of the King Edward III sword by Richard Williams

Jul 10, Ulfberht Viking Sword Review

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:27:06 GMT

Windlass Steelcrafts Ulfberht Sword put to the test

Jul 9, Atlanta Cutlery Civil War Swords

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:16:16 GMT

Hands on review of the $40 replica Civil war swords by Atlanta Cutlery

Jul 5, Masahiro Shadow Warrior Sword Review

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:54:45 GMT

Hands on review of the alluring and affordable Masahiro Shadow Warrior Katana by Kieth R

Jun 30, Kopis and Seax Machete Cutting Tests!

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:33:07 GMT

Pictoral review of some heavy testing of Cold Steels Kopis and Seax Machete

Jun 30, Machetes the Ultimate Cheap Choppers Put to the test

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:40:22 GMT

Three of Cold Steel Machetes are put to the test. And we find one that may be as ugly as they can get, but that has the kind of chopping power of an axe...

Jun 28, Albion Ritter Sword Review

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 06:57:34 GMT

Definitely not sub US$300, but well worth looking at to know what you get for the extra money. And if it is worth it or not.

Jun 27, Hanwei Chinese Broadsword Review

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:38:20 GMT

Hands on review of the elegant, and very affordable Hanwei Chinese Broadsword

Jun 25, Ryumon Dragon Katana Review

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:07:33 GMT

The Ryumon Katana never got the coverage they deserved when they first come out. And as you will see from this review, that was a shame on several levels...

Jun 14, Hanwei Banshee Sword Review

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 05:32:34 GMT

The Hanwei Banshee Dha... Versus a .45 ACP caliber handgun by Shootermike Harris...!

Jun 12, Windlass Sword of Auray Review

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:14:56 GMT

The Auray is one of Windlass Steelcrafts best swords to date. Unfortunately, it looks like it has been discontinued just a few months after its release...

Jun 10, Windlass 15th Century Long Sword Review

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:52:39 GMT

Hands on overview of the Windlass 15th Century Long Sword Replica

Jun 3, HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE SBG SWORD REVIEW TEAM

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:09:24 GMT

And Qualify to get Yourself a steady stream of FREE SWORDS!!!

May 28, Global Gears Japanese Swords - the Chikara

Wed, 28 May 2008 06:20:51 GMT

Hands on review of one of global gears Japanese Swords, the Chikara Differentially Hardened Katana

May 26, Windlass Pirate Cutlass Review

Mon, 26 May 2008 02:15:49 GMT

The Windlass Pirate Cutlass review is one of my favorite SBG member submitted reviews. Both informative and highly entertaining, check it out.

May 23, Kris Cutleries Roman Gladius Review

Fri, 23 May 2008 07:18:17 GMT

A hands on review of Kris Cutleries Roman Gladius by SBG Member Richard Williams (RicWilly)

May 22, Windlass Pompeii Gladius Review

Thu, 22 May 2008 04:28:26 GMT

Review and hard testing of the Pompeii Gladius by Windlass Steelcrafts

May 21, Deepeeka Falchion Review

Wed, 21 May 2008 11:24:45 GMT

The Deepeeka Falchion was perhaps the cheapest Falchion on the market. And while it is nothing special, and had its share of problems, it wasn't all bad...

May 19, Windlass Damascus Steel Viking Sword Review

Mon, 19 May 2008 07:45:56 GMT

Review of Windlass Steelcrafts Damascus Steel Viking Sword

May 17, Musashi Swords Poison Ivy Katana Review

Sat, 17 May 2008 05:51:32 GMT

A review of the famous Wind Katana's more attractive (and cheaper) cousin, the Poison Ivy Katana

May 15, Practical Tai Chi Sword Review

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:40:16 GMT

Review of the inexpensive yet well regarded Practical Tai Chi Sword by Hanwei

May 14, Beowulf Sword Review

Wed, 14 May 2008 04:16:53 GMT

The Beowulf Sword by Windlass Steelcrafts certainly looks like some nice eye candy. But in this hands on review, we see how cheapening out on a component that gives this sword its character is a no no

May 12, Windlass Steelcrafts German Bastard Sword Review

Mon, 12 May 2008 03:50:38 GMT

The German Bastard Sword by Windlass Steelcrafts is a sword that sellers pictures never do justice to. But as you will see from this review, it is both a solid and beautiful piece indeed...

May 12, May is Sword Review Month!

Mon, 12 May 2008 03:27:11 GMT

As the title says, this month will see a whole slew of new sword reviews added over the course of the month to the main site. Most are from SBG visitors and members, though I'll hopefully have time to pop in a few new ones of my own. As each new sword review is added you'll find it updated on this page, so stay tuned - or better yet - subscribe to the newsfeed.

Apr 27, New Look SBG Sword Store

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:12:33 GMT

Well, after a few hairy moments, the SBG Sword Store is back and bigger and badder than ever before. With improved functionality and a clearer appearance, I hope you'll like it as much as I do. ;-) Thanks for bearing with me during the downtime.

Apr 25, SBG Sword Store Downtime

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:32:44 GMT

Hey all, A bit of behind the scenes tecjy stuff is going on with the SBG Sword Store and it may dissapear off the map for a short while during this time. Hopefully, it will only be for a few hours - but you never know with this kind of thing (fingers crossed!). There will be some additional changes and upgrades there over the next few weeks, so stay tuned! Thanks, - Paul

Apr 20, Back from Japan!

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:19:42 GMT

We had a great trip, and personally - I can't wait to get back there! But yes, just a quick note to let you all know we are back again, though it may take a little while to catch up and get back into the swing of things. Again, updates may be a little slow on the main site - but I'll be doing my best to bring you some more content before the end of the month. - Paul

Mar 27, Off to Japan!

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:09:13 GMT

Hey guys, Just a quick note to let you know that there won't be any significant updates for the next couple of weeks or so as I will be off visting friends and family in Japan with my wife and daughter. The SBG Sword store will still be open for business during this time, and while there may be a very slightly delay in processing any orders that come in, it will be very minimal. Anyway, will try to pop in on the forums when I have a few spare minutes to say hello. Thanks all, - Paul

Mar 23, Valiant Armouries Samurai Swords: The Ko Buke Katana Reviewed

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:22:08 GMT

With a differentially hardened blade and natural hamon, and a price tag well under $300, these Samurai swords certainly seem to offer some great potential. But how do they stack up? Find out here...

Mar 21, The German Swords of Darksword Armory

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 08:07:38 GMT

DSA's Gothic German Swords, reviewed, dissasembled and put to the test (and then some)

Mar 21, Windlass Sticklestad Sword Review - Ver2.0

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:24:51 GMT

When I originally received the Windlass Sticklestad sword from Reliks, the sharpening service was very sub-par. But thanks to this review, some very important changes have been made..

Mar 19, Sword Fighting and Training Basics

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:41:43 GMT

An overview of Sword Fighting and training methods, both Eastern and Western, with several free instructional ebooks, training tips and further resources with the absolute beginner to intermediate ent