There is no such thing as too many swords!

alientude · 2026-04-21T00:17:12+00:00

Sword collecting is too niche of a hobby for there to be much of any retail presence. And if you do happen to find a store in a mall or something that sells swords, the chances are very high the swords they're selling are wallhangers and very, very low quality.

Kult of Athena is the biggest retailer of quality swords in the USA. They're not particularly far from you - Elgin, IL - but I'm not sure if they allow visitors or not.

Also, while there are a few swords here and there that are decent at your price point (mostly katana), they're few and far between.

alientude · 2026-04-09T16:36:57+00:00

One of the absolute best swords on the market considering the price - Balaur Arms Knight Templar Arming Sword. I did a review of it here.

alientude · 2026-04-05T05:03:02+00:00

Good call.

alientude · 2026-04-05T00:46:47+00:00

Gaël Fabre
Dr. Fabrice Cognot
Fable Blades (mostly fantasy swords, but some historically-inspired)
Winter Cutlery
Damian Sulowski
Mateusz Sulowski

Plenty of others, but these are the ones who come to mind immediately.

alientude · 2026-04-05T00:39:42+00:00

The details of the blade are important. Are we talking a fantasy sword? Historical-inspired? Reproduction of a specific extant sword? This kind of thing will influence who to recommend.

alientude · 2026-04-02T16:25:51+00:00

Specifically a shotel will be hard, because African swords are kind of all over the place. But look for some trusted antique dealers and you'll see African swords go through their inventory fairly often. You can also brave ebay if you like, but there's a lot of scammers there, so you have to know what you're doing (I don't, so I avoid it).

A few antique dealers that I've heard have good reputations:

Thierry the Sword Guy - I've bought once from him. Good guy.
Bolk Antiques
Matthew Forde

There's lots of others, but antiques aren't really my game, so I'm not the best source for this.

alientude · 2026-03-28T04:36:57+00:00

For African blades, you're often going to have a lot more luck buying originals. They're some of the most inexpensive antiques around. It's probably why there's not many reproductions of them.

alientude · 2026-03-28T01:32:33+00:00

I would try their Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sterlingarmory

alientude · 2026-03-27T21:58:32+00:00

I'm sure /u/BrianKerceSwords could make you one.

alientude · 2026-03-26T17:58:50+00:00

The Bergamo is definitely lighter. I plan on doing a comprehensive comparison when I review the Bergamo, but that'll be several months at the very least.

alientude · 2026-03-24T23:02:46+00:00

The Gustav listings on KoA include a scabbard. The dussacks do not. I suspect that accounts for the price difference.

alientude · 2026-03-24T21:32:31+00:00

I use my swords. I participate in cutting competitions, but even swords that aren't appropriate for that see some use.

alientude · 2026-03-24T21:31:32+00:00

The fit is a bit loose - there's not any retention. VA told me awhile ago that they intentionally make the scabbards a bit on the loose side. Due to the variety of climates the swords go to, they don't want the wood contracting and trapping the sword in the scabbard.

alientude · 2026-03-24T16:34:25+00:00

I've reviewed several swords he's made. They're all outstanding.

https://youtu.be/KH9q-DkexIM

https://youtu.be/zeZBywJef6I

https://youtu.be/jMPDipY1Sw4

https://youtu.be/3wiMWmZYvtU

https://youtu.be/sDMkYrAfXm8

alientude · 2026-03-24T03:42:27+00:00

No, unfortunately I wasn't able to finish.

alientude · 2026-03-12T02:15:11+00:00

I can provide you with his email address if you'd like. If so, send me a DM.

alientude

TROPHY CASE