"Buying Swords Online" by Spencer Adams

Anyone interested in owning swords of their very own knows that it is extremely difficult to find a shop that sells quality swords. This only leaves one place to buy…the online marketplace. So, if you’re not interested in history, or have never seen any action or fantasy movie, you’re probably asking, “what is a sword?” Well, a sword utilizes a blade that can be made of various types of sharp metals. Swords were commonly used weapons before firearms became popularized. Different cultures, regions, and timelines have popularized different types of swords, such as the katana, wakizashi, and tanto in Japan, the tai chi sword in China, the gladius in Rome, and the claymore in Scotland.

In this day and age, you may be wondering, “ Why would anyone in their right mind want to own a sword?” First, and foremost, one doesn’t need a license to own a sword, nor is there any application process or background check. One major group of sword owners are actors of plays and those in the theater business, which will give their shows a more realistic look than duct tapped cardboard cutouts. Another group is those who just want to have them, whether for collecting or decorative reasons. Surprisingly enough, it is not unheard of people wanting to hunt using swords, whether they want to emulate being an ancient warrior or being just for fun. This paper will explain the dos and don’ts to buying quality swords online.

Before one decides to buy a sword, they need to consider the responsibilities that are required to own a quality sword. Owning a sword is, in many ways, like owning a car; without proper upkeep, our sword will begin to slowly deteriorate to the point of becoming unusable and a useless hunk of metal. That being said, if one should choose to own a sword, they also would need to invest in wax and a very soft cloth, in order to polish and wax their blade to the fullest. Without doing this, your blade will tarnish and even rust beyond repair. Along with wax and a cloth, one also needs to invest in a blade sharpener. Without a sharpener or a regular sharpening, the blade of your sword will become dull, eventually to the point that your blade will no longer sharpen. There are many different types of handles and blade guards, depending on what type of sword you have. Some sword’s handles are actually apart of the actual blade, which makes upkeep easy, as all one really has to do is keep a cord wrapped tightly around the handle. Other swords have handles that are separate. These are usually made out wood that is screwed into the blade. What you need to do is make sure that the blade is always screwed to the handle, or your blade will fall out of the handle, or on occasion, even snap.

Only buy a sword that will fulfill what you need it to. For example don’t buy a theater quality sword, if you’re going to go out and try to cut a tree down, because the chance that the blade will shatter upon impact is great. The same goes for vice versa; don’t buy a battle ready blade in place of a theater blade, for the risk of someone getting hurt is incredibly high.

Once you’re prepared to take care of your sword, now you need to find a quality website. Don’t just buy from the first website you see; actually try to find three to four different sites, just so that you have a variety to choose from. Don’t buy from the most expensive site that you see, thinking that the quality will be better. In all actuality, some of the cheapest sites have the best quality blades. Also, you want to buy from a site that has what you’re looking for. For example, you don’t want to go to a site like coldsteel.com for a sword that will be used in a play, for Cold Steel produces some of the strongest, sharpest weapons around, that would easily decimate any theater weapon.

Before picking a site, look at the reviews for the site. If there are poor reviews, or even no reviews, then this is probably not the best site to shop at. If you want to go a step further, check the Better Business Bureau. If a site is there, and has a grade of anything less than a “C”, then it’s more than likely not worth your trouble. While checking the BBB, keep in mind, not all sites can be found, but this does not necessarily mean that a site isn’t worth checking out; there are plenty of reasonable sites that can’t be found at the BBB that will more than likely have exactly what you are looking for.

Once you have the site that you want to use, and you have everything you want in your shopping cart, go back and check everything, one by one. As stated before, you should make sure that everything that you are buying will accomplish its purpose. Check the materials that go into making each sword. A quality site will show you the type of metal used for the blade, and the materials that are used in the handle. You don’t want to wait until your package comes to you to find out that your sword intended for “heavy play” is actually made out of a weak steel, and has a handle made of wood that is surrounded by plaster, and tied with a cord that is the same quality as a shoelace. If you are unsure of what a material is, always look it up.

Before you make your final purchase, always compare prices with other websites, because you can almost always find the same sword that you want for a lot cheaper, if you just take the time to go through a few sites. As stated before, you want to buy wax and a soft cloth for the upkeep of your sword; most reputable sites will either sell these as a package deal, or will give them away for free after a certain amount is reached. You also want to make sure to always look for sales. Many sites have a refurbished or clearance section, which has blades up to ninety percent off. Usually these swords just need to be waxed and polished to bring them to a point in which they are almost new.

When you actually have your sword in your shopping cart, you want to look at the details of it to make sure that you can handle it. You don’t want a sword that is overly huge, or too heavy to accomplish what you want it to. You also need to make sure that you have the experience needed to handle the blade, so that you don’t harm yourself or others. If you’re not quite ready for an actual sword, you may want to invest in a bokken, which is a wooden practice sword, or a shinai, which is a bamboo practice sword.