Production Sword Information and the Market in General

The Sword Information contained within this site is essentially focused on functional production swords, in other words readily available ‘off the shelf’ swords that are produced in a non-custom (one of a kind) manner.

There are plenty of forums and the like dedicated to custom swordsmiths, most notably Sword Forum International(SFI). However until SMG, the amount of concise sword information on the production market has been scattered all over the place and hard to find, especially for the beginner.

In this brief overview we will be taking a look at how to select a manufacturer based on your own requirements and budget, with the info categorized by the basic type of sword that you are interested in getting. But before we do, there is one very important question...

WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET?

The first question really is one of the most important - how much have you got (or are willing) to spend?

Like our sister site, Sword Buyers Guide.com, Sword Manufacturers Guide has a special focus and affinity with providing sword information for the budget minded individual looking for a sword around and preferably under the US$300 price point, and you’ll find that the bulk of the info on both sites is geared towards this end of the market.

While many of these swords are often a bit rough and ready, there are a few real ‘gems in the junk’, and many more that make acceptable knockaround swords (called ‘beaters’) or as the raw material for a customisation project.

If you can afford between the $300 to $600 price point, you’ll generally find that there is significant jump in quality – especially for European/Western swords. Within this category we find swords by Angus Trim, the Squire line of Albion swords and several other manufacturers who place more emphasis on the correct handling and performance characteristics of a good medieval European sword.

From the $600 to $1000+ price point, the rule of thumb is that both European and Eastern swords start to become considerably more authentic and refined. While to a beginner, the differences between these swords and some of the $200-$300 beaters may seem to be minor, in reality it is these minor differences that add up to create a considerably better performing and more reliable product.

In most cases the old adage “you get what you pay for” is very true when it comes to swords.

However, there are significant variations between different sword manufacturers and specific models – but to explore this further in any detail, we need now to divide the information into the following main (and rather broad) categories.

For information on Ancient Swords click here

For information on Asian Swords click here

For information on European swords click here

For information on Post Renaissance Military Swords, click here

I hope this Sword Information and general overview has been helpful. To return to the Sword Manufacturers Homepage from Production Sword Information and the Market in General, click here