Why Swords Are Expensive (And Well Made Blades In General)

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For this topic I figured it would be great to have a talk with an actual bladesmith, and Adam was kind enough to make some time in his busy schedule for joining me for this video. People are sometimes confused by the price of swords (and higher end knives) in reviews and don't see the point of owning anything more than a $20-50 machete. So we talked about the cost and value of high quality swords compared to inexpensive mass-produced blades, to explain where the price comes from.
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#Swords #Blacksmith #Quality

[@jimnickles2347]

"Restores your Soul, but destroys your bank account". LMAO! Well Said!

[@bobsquaredme]

I like the dynamic between you two. Good video, Skall.

[@AFCAWorldBodybuildingArchive]

He is very well spoken and obviously comfortable around a camera! 💪

[@kristinradams7109]

Thank you, Skall and Adam. It is always a pleasure to see people who are passionate about their craft. This may indeed be a niche market, but it's certainly not obsolete. Cheers!!

[@Matt_The_Hugenot]

Knowing that's cut down from a longer conversation makes me appreciate how good your editing skills have become.

[@bryanc2262]

Still waiting for my Albion sword, ordered it last spring, and knew it was going to take a year to fulfill. I have no problem paying a premium for quality product.

[@BaronVonQuiply]

Which one did you get? I think I want an Ringeck in antique greem.

[@giggityguy]

Adam is a very well spoken guy without being overbearing, I like him

[@dominicf7304]

I was just looking at the Etsy page and I'm pretty darn sure I've seen his work at an Icelandic festival in Manitoba! Cool work dude and thanks for the vid Skall, I'm wanting to get into blacksmithing and it helps knowing challenges I might face in Canada

[@joynelbonetdelgado4952]

We need a analysis on Medieval Forges, how did the blacksmiths did the swords back then (I mean aside from the hammering thing) like a in depth analysis.

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

Thanks, Skall & Adam. I enjoyed this conversation quite a bit!

[@cullenhutchison6528]

I personally only use the highest quality swords when gardening.

[@mr_h831]

Cullen Hutchison that's an interesting spelling for your last name. Do you know where it comes from?

[@Ranstone]

Introverted Skall physically invited a friend over. Good job Skall, you're growing. :)

[@AfterDeath1986]

Nice video guys, great content as always Skall.

[@ImmortalStoat]

I just got into nunchaku here in michigan, because it's a great way to toughen up your upper torso, while building muscle in your arms. Taking pride in building my own pair myself.

[@randybowen4675]

I LOVE my DSA 15thC Gothic Two handed. Got it a few years back for $777USD (shipped west coast to east coast with scabbard and belt) Feels lovely in the hand. the pommel is peened and its shape allows for a comfortable grip one handed if you wanted some extra reach.

[@Nerobyrne]

so this makes sense for hand-made blades, but there are production facilities that make military-grade steel products which are of a level of quality that are way beyond anything a sword would need. So I guess I kind of wonder why they can't just make them there. Most likely, in my amateur opinion, the demand for swords isn't high enough to justify the cost of such a high-end production facility.

[@jimandaubz]

Three reasons. Very accurate machines, are not very flexible, they generally can only move in 3 axis(in/out, up/down, left/right), as adding an axis to the cutter (like the ability to tilt a cutter so you can make a distal taper) adds a point where accuracy can be lost, so they are uncommon. (Bridgeport, and wells index make just such machines, they are more afforadable then a brand new car. But more difficult to learn Fyi) Hardening can and will twist the metal, and is still very highly skilled. The bridgeports and wells index machines that can cut the shapes required for a sword reasonably well, and quickly enough are far less forgiving then the more common machines that have all of there axis of movement on the work piece, an example of a common machine that cannot make a sword reasonably fast enough(even though you'd think it should) is a HAAS 5 axis; it just does not have enough tilt with a large enough movement where it would need it. So you need a contouring style of mill. And most of the contorting styles of mills have 4+ axis that are only manually controlled and the issue starts to cycle back around to the point where your paying just as much skilled labour as a blacksmith. Oh. I suppose I should introduce myself Im a machinist, I have work on NASA, SpaceX, and U.S. air force contracts, I specialize in the less forgiving machinery, like the afore mentioned Wells Index, and HSRA's, high alloy steels.

[@ivanm.346]

@@jimandaubz me no understand big words!

[@wolfspirittotem]

@@jimandaubz blades require hardening and tempering or they are pretty useless I won't use a tool without a proper temper. Blades are more of a hobby and a requirement for what I do.

[@jimandaubz]

@@wolfspirittotem exactly! And that process is skilled, and more skill is required for a blade with complex tapers like a sword.

[@jimandaubz]

@@ivanm.346 computer controlled mills (usually) can only make square cuts. Trickle down effect on price from there. Lol. You've cracked me up, I do ramble. 😅

[@keithrimer8415]

Great video! More of these interview educational videos! 👍🏻

[@chadherbert18]

Great video, Adam and Skall! 😂⚔️🤪

[@fransthefox9682]

It was quite obvious for me. The craftsmen have to pay for the material, shipping, extra fees, etc. Plus, they're gonna have a lot of work to make a good or even decent sword out of it. And inconsistency is another factor. You just need to cross your fingers that the product you ordered will meet your expectations. A sub $400 sword, China made or not, can be a very great piece, while a $600 one can have more flaws and problems, because there's always a chance for that. I have a katana (made in China), folded and clay tempered that cost me $435 + shipping and custom taxes. The Tsuba and Saya are loose, and the blade is poorly sharpened. I can fix the Saya problem myself, and have the blade resharpened and repolished at a local blacksmith (or workshop if I want to save money), but fixing the Tsuba might be a problem. Despite its problems, I like my sword. The blade itself is consistent, beautifully polished, and pretty strong. The Tsuka is well made, Ito is well wrapped, tightly, and comfortable in the hand. I see reviews of the same company where they made a nearly flawless piece for the same price range. This is a good example of inconsistency within companies. My next sword will be a longsword from Lutel Handicraft. Then I might consider a rapier with a matching dagger from the same company. Or that 2 meters long Zweihänder from Regenyei Armory. (For a relatively "low" price, which is actually a lot of money here in Hungary, so it could be very good quality) And some laminated Tamahagane blades from Sinoswords (possibly a custom Tachi too). By the way, I don't know if you tried any weapon from Lutel Handicraft, but I'd like to see you review one of their swords one day. I hear they're great.

[@wolfspirittotem]

I want a longsword preferably a Scottish or Irish one. Already has the perfect name. Angelbane

[@Blurns]

The real reason: low demand.

[@AFCAWorldBodybuildingArchive]

Explain that to Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Longines etc 😊

[@Blurns]

@@AFCAWorldBodybuildingArchive The only one of those I've ever heard of is Rolex, but there really isn't much demand for analog watches. If the supply was adjusted to meet the demand for Rolexes, profit would decrease, since the demand for them comes from their artificial scarcity and perceived social value as a luxury item. If the manufacturing of Rolxes increased so any their watches could be bought for $5 without any loss of quality, the demand would die because there's no scarcity. Swords on the other hand simply lack demand, so there's no incentive to improve manufacturing methods enough to make them cheap. If a $200 sword could be mass-produced with more modern techniques to bring-down the cost to $20, the demand wouldn't change enough to justify the price change.

[@TheLiamis]

Pretty much. Most countries with disposable income it's illegal to carry a sword or any weapon for that matter, making them practically useless and making demand almost non existent. The countries that allow weapons to be carried opt for guns. Again making sword demand almost non existent. It's only the avid collector that buys a sword these days.

[@AFCAWorldBodybuildingArchive]

@@Blurns Rolex sells slightly under a million watches a year. Hand made that is.

[@Blurns]

@@AFCAWorldBodybuildingArchive What's your point?

[@northumbriabushcraft1208]

The way he explained how the sword machete was made is how I make machetes. I can't hammer forge. But I cut out the basic shape, drill holes for the scales' rivets, grind a basic edge shape, heat treat and quench, then hand sharpen, polish attach handle scales, then finally use whetstones to make the edge. Usually use 1035-1055 but have made knives out of d2, never used stainless. The most sword like thing I've made is a Dadao from 6mm thick steel. (I can't put a distal taper on machetes I make they don't need them, but a lot of swords would.) but I love swords and have a lot of sword-machetes. I've made, a gladius, dao, 20" blade messer, and a sabre (with a fuller!) and get a leathermaker who is a friend of my stepdad to make sheaths for the machetes and knives I make and will use in the bush. Sword making would be an art is love to know. My current project is a tuck sword machete with a simple brass handguard. Never made any guard more complicated than a disc guard knuckle bar or normal sword guard with a messer nail. Love this video keep them up and God (maybe the gods for you) bless you. You should get a tuck sword (like the civil war era sword) which looks like a later 17th-19th century sabre Edit: I mean English civil war, that's what we Brits mean when we say that not the American civil war, which was 200 or so years later.

[@ignitedmergo]

Today we have a guest here

[@erichusayn]

Great video!

[@MikaruXDenka]

I like Adam, he seems really nice and calm and a smart guy. I feel like he could make a good teacher... But yes, I totally understand that a good sword might cost a bit of money. Doesn't need to, but might.

[@googleisacruelmistress1910]

Alternate opinion: supply and demand, I do some smithing in my free time, frankly I'd be down with selling my stuff for 100 but if people are willing to pay more why not?

[@Demon_Pig]

A sword for $100? Maybe if you can make one in 2 hours - then you would probably just break even, and only if you used cheaper materials.

[@googleisacruelmistress1910]

@@Demon_Pig nah a normal sword made over 3-4 days, I mean they're not as good as 1000$ swords but I'd say about the same as the ones that go for 250$

[@googleisacruelmistress1910]

@Smoking Dragon only locally and not during winter seeing it's too cold to smith in my garage then

[@wolfspirittotem]

I do a niche craft too and its hard to buy tools when nobody buys wooden figures that much.

[@googleisacruelmistress1910]

@@wolfspirittotem Well as a blacksmith really making my own tools isn't too hard for the most part, really the only things I've bought are an anvil and an a oven for heat treating

[@lorddemonoss3945]

I'm still trying to get a good crusader sword. The RONIN brand sword on amazon looks promising.

[@gautiergary8604]

super informative video. Thanks :D

[@catdogfishdogcats]

2:34, gud reference to the legendary Blitz Blade

[@TheStraycat74]

As a knifemaker/blacksmith it's hard friggin work.

[@paladinpv8460]

Agree

[@lcg3816]

Next video plz share budget swords!

[@adamsnpc4657]

As someone who makes knives (not swords) it completely makes sense to me why they cost so much when hand made. It takes me up to a half a month to make one nice knife, about 14 hours in total. Note that the only power tools I have are a $100 4 inch belt sander, a drill, and a angle grinder. The rest is just filing and hand sanding.

[@grrizzzy7]

Great stuff man keep up the good content. Just curious, is English your second language?

[@juergenstunz4815]

Hi Skall I am a longtime fan of your channel. I've learned much about medieval weapons threw your videos and want to get into collectiing weapons myself but i have an small budget and know many people with the same problem. I therefore wanted to ask if you could make a series containing 3-5 budget weapons of each category (1h swords, 2h swords, crossbows, ...). With small budget i mean anything up 350€. If you read this comment thank you wether you pick up the idea or not. Greetinga from Germany

[@patrickbrett66]

With regards to the blade feeling right I don't have a lot of experiance in this but as a reenactor I have handled enough swords to know when one feels right in a fight and to demonstrate this I will tell you about my own sword. When I first started fighting I bought a blade that I could only just afford as my first fighing sword, it worked well enough but was a bit heavy and though it rang like a bell little did i know at the time what was wrong with it, I had tried playing with other peoples swords and they all were better than mine but none of them felt good. A man (Rodger) who was a well known name in the circles at the time who taught sword fighting and made all of his own and many other peoples blades came to one of our little shows and we had a fight, he was incredibly fast and accurate, his sword didn't ring on contact and just 5 hits into the battle and my sword changed it's tone then the top 7 inched of the blade took a path the rest of the sword wasn't on, it landed 20 feet away. I was gutted to say the least my only sword was now broken and upon further inspection I found out just how bad it was (welded crossguard and rat tailed tang) and when I tried to contact the maker he had vanished amid a torrent of complaints so I never got my money back or the blade fixed. Rodger felt so bad about breaking my sword that he lent me the one he had been fighting with and as soon as I picked it up and swung it about a bit i was in love, this sword not only felt good in the hand but it didn't take a lot of effort to weild, my ability to fight jumped several levels in one day. I asked Rodger how much the sword was but he refused to tell me, instead in a fit of pure kindness he let me buy it from him for the price I paid for my broken one as long as I promised to sell it back to him if I ever stopped fighting. I found out later on that the sword I now owned was 23 years old when I bought it and was made from EN24 steel, the cross guard was a friction fit and the pommel was peened on with the grips applying the pressure on the guard. I have never found another one that feels as good as this one does, by the way her name is Beauty and she is a part of a matched pair that I am still trying to convince the other owner really belongs in my keep LOL. I still fight from time to time even though the blade is going on 53 years old which is just one year older than I am! You really can feel a good blade when you find one!

[@shlamimk4664]

Skallagrim, make a replica sword of your Swordchette! That would make the perfect set of Baat Jarm Do! That would be sick, bro. Might as well...

[@shlamimk4664]

(Butterfly Knives)

[@ravenengland9232]

Off to etsy 😏

[@beckymurphy4714]

People don't understand why hand-made items are so much more expensive than something that is mass produced. "Oh, a bottle of acrylic paint is only two bucks at the store. Why are you charging $100 for a model horse?" Because it's not just the paint. It's the paint, the primer, the sealer, the body (mold you're painting on), the brushes, the time you spent learning the techniques to accomplish the colors and realism, the time taken out of your days to prep, prime and paint the model. "But you already have all the supplies. It should be cheaper." Sigh. "Well, my cousin's best friend can paint, too, and she doesn't charge as much." Fine. Go have her paint for you, then. And don't come complaining to me when you have a model horse with no shading, brush strokes, no blending, flat one-color eyes and paint so thick the mold details are obliterated.

[@fk80189]

What is the music in the very end of the Video? Sounds so nice and relaxing and I think I know this kind of melody from medieval festivals.

[@matthewmarting3623]

I see drop forging as a possible way to reduce cost but you’d need a whole lot of orders to break even on making those dies. CNC machining would help but there’s still machining time, Albion does that. There’s ways to make them more cheaply but the economy of scale just isn’t there. In the US you can get a reasonable AR 15 (which has around 200 parts, some with significant machining time) for 500 USD - half the price of some Albion swords.

[@orsettomorbido]

Ahh, so interesting!

[@theAbyssSoul]

Never forget many countries have polices that higher quality productions are not for export.

[@archibaldc.1833]

If someone wants to get into this niche market, making swords for combat and testing, where would one start? What if low budget?

[@erinsaunders2787]

good one

[@HeapOfBones]

Adam is so cool.

[@jasperc6101]

How do I deal with people who always swing for the legs?

[@Harshhaze]

Go for their legs

[@lauri6052]

don't get hit on the legs easy

[@Aerostorm56]

A wide swing like that is slow and telegraphed. A quick headstrike would stop them, if you can time the hit when they drop their guard. Practice

[@Ranstone]

I'm 90% sure this is a PewDiePi reference, but in case you're serious, one leg forward, toe facing the opponent, rear foot perpendicular, shoulders width apart. When they go for the foot/leg, void the front leg at the same time as you advance for an attack. Strike just as your foot touches the ground again. This is a gambit as once your foot leaves the ground, you have to commit to the advance, but against leg-snipers, this is my go-to tactic. In short, your feet can void faster than their arms can attack, and in order to go for your feet, they're wide open for a counter attack. Disclaimer: This is not something I've seen in any manuals, or taught to my knowledge. It's just what works for me. Try at your own risk.

[@lauri6052]

@@Ranstone he stabs the knees

[@Evilgood1]

Skal, I’ve been wondering. What is the difference between a short sword and a long knife? Some Bowie knives from the American Civil War had a d-guard, which basically made them swords. Same for machetes and kukris. When does it stop being a knife and become a sword?

[@ryangshooter_1682]

I don't know man all I know is I have a 20 inch Bowie knife and it's pretty great lol.

[@scottmacgregor3444]

There is no hard and fast rule for what constitutes a sword vs a knife. Eg: Often a full tang + handle scales was an indication of a knife, but then what about messers and some Chinese and Phillipino swords? Is a fighting machete a sword, a knife, or neither? Etc.

[@ObsoleteVodka]

There's no rule, because all the classification and categorizing is more of a modern thing done by archeologists and historians. Back then they didn't made much of a difference, in fact i think the german term for sword is something like "great-knife"

[@herrmannotto9817]

The German term for sword is "Schwert" and not "großes Messer". As far as I know there used to be laws prohibiting non nobles from carrying a sword, hence the distinction between a "warknife" and a sword.

[@CarlMarx]

I say use and purpose is what seperates the two.

[@Halucigenija]

Are there any examples of swords where all parts are just 1 piece of metal( blade pommell handguard are actualy the same peace of metal and impossible to seperate withouth a saw) and what would i call them.

[@kieranlock3070]

What your opinion on schilts? I find quite a lot of Hema folks argue over whether a schilt matters, i know its all personal preference but you find a lot of people give you quite a bit of condescension because you don't use a sword with schilt

[@travisbussey1611]

Yeah I have been trying stock removal for over a year and still can't make a distal taper. Honestly just making wooden training swords that are balanced correctly can be struggle.

[@Lavourrin]

One word: manhours. You'll need less manhours per piece for a mass produced sword. So it's cheaper. Plus materials and quality of the product may be worse. Plus manhour in India is cheaper than in US/Canada.

[@dambro1359]

I only make knifes for myself he has a good point about it wont make you rich. To put it into perspective a knife takes me about 20-30 hours. At 40-60 bucks a knife your only making about 2 dollar's an hour. I plan to make one for Skall one day but i want to get a bit better first as im still a novice even after 2 years lol.

[@m3tr0id86]

I am from Texas and I am not sure of any smiths that would be good or not. Are there any smiths that you would recommend by reputation? Update: I have been looking for the sword of the Witchking from Lord of the Rings, but I have heard the Darksword Armory is not very good and I am looking for someone who will be willing to forge one of that design with good quality.

[@MrZetor]

@m3tr01d86: "I have heard the Darksword Armory is not very good" - Well, see if you can spot any difference e.g. in the fitment of the guard b/w DsA and a quality manufacturer... www.darksword-armory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/the-witchking-fantasy-sword-1324-2.jpg dhs1n389ze6jv.cloudfront.net/img/product-large/1531370475d212e6570deb297e31b7434b2ca794c8.jpg

[@einarrjamesson9643]

What’s your budget?

[@RVRgeek]

Maker of the curvy sword in the video here, I could give it a go

[@m3tr0id86]

@@einarrjamesson9643 As long as I have info on material costs, time and the like, it would be good to get information. I can get the information of the general dimensions, but as l can get a good idea on a quality functional replica of that blade, I'll see what I can do.

[@m3tr0id86]

@@RVRgeek generally I just need a rough estimate of what it would cost for it could be forged and the materials and I can see what I can do from there. Until then I would hold off before anything is actually done. I would really hate for you to do any of that work for nothing.

[@MarcRitzMD]

Is his audio a bit off? It's a bit difficult because Skall's voice is louder than his.

[@tieshianna8833]

"Knowledge isn't exactly free." A good friend of mine is a historical dressmaker and she get's often asked why she is so much more expensive then modern dressmakers. The answer is simple: she won't use modern patterns. She constructs most of these by herself by studying paintings, museum pieces, etc. If you give her a "living history" pattern and say: "do this", it will be cheaper^^

[@TheRealAb216]

Things of quality that you don't actually need will always be expensive because the market is extremely small so each product needs to have a larger mark up to make a profit.

[@Gabriel-tx6gx]

i live in canada and want to buy a karambit but i dont know if it's legal help?

[@gaelmichaud8766]

My 16$ machete I bought at my local hardware store took me 10 hours of hand sharpening and then cut like a 50$ one, but I steel need to sharpen it more often with use because of poor quality steel

[@hazardous0887]

Skall. You have to do a review on Vortiger from For Honor! Pleeeease?

[@drytoon820]

What's the sword Adam is wielding at 00:39 ? It's nice

[@AlvaroRM90]

The true craft seems like an art.

[@bucksorel6805]

Ahhh! The baronyx kingfisher Machete!!! Can you sell me yours skall 😇? I been searching and searching for months... I love machete because for poor people it's a good cutting weapon and good fighting weapon too! Those cold steel kukri and jungle machete i find really nice to practice fighting with

[@DeDraconis]

Hey, that's not fair. Brush IS an opponent, and sometimes it DOES fight back. I'm not a ***** because the brush beats me sometimes. xD

[@BaronVonQuiply]

When I was in middle school, one of my friends got into a fight with a tree and lost. When I was in high school, another friend got into a fight with the "don't ski here" line at the ski slope and probably still has a bit of a neck scar from it.

[@creaturetransylvania8943]

Cool.

[@casimirojulianangelo4804]

I read the title as "Why sword experts are expensive", am i the only one?

[@DaddyClown4805]

I began to learn smithing in high school when I saw how much swords cost and quickly learnt why they cost so much lol

[@stonegiant4]

I was looking for a steel mjolnir. He did one better and has a Damascus one available. That's pretty sweet.

[@Tkoutlosh]

It depends... sharp swords are expensive or shitty very often, but I know about some suprisingly cheap and yet quite good blunt reenactment swords...

[@exexpat11]

QC - Quality Control. Good QC an Inspector either chucks out a really bad piece or the QC Inspector hand finishes the flaw out himself to bring it up to spec. I am talking about swords or high end crafts like hand made furniture.

[@highlandergod982]

I have a big question is highlanders sword reasonable (for honnor. By the way love your streams

[@tiacho2893]

I build guitars as a hobby and it is annoying that a non guitar player will buy a guitar for 100$ and think that it superficially resembling a +2000$ handmade instrument, is somehow getting a steal. Violins are even worse. As a favour to a friend, I put about 4 hours getting his daughter's first guitar (a gift from Granddad) into playable shape. Setups after transport are often necessary but this was basic stuff like making sure the frets didn't cut you while you're playing and that the frets where uniform in height. She will probably want to move on to a better instrument in a couple years.

[@zecekobold2140]

"You're making something that's built to last, you're making something that you can take pride in." You're making a piece of art.

[@Riceball01]

Regarding what you said about made in NA/US vs made in China, you see that sort of attitude a lot in the tactical clothing and equipment community. Often times when a new product is announced people will comment that the item will be crap simply because it's not made in the US, as if somehow it being made in the US automatically means that it's a quality item. Like you, I've always disagreed with this idea, just because something is made in the US doesn't automatically mean that it's going to be great, likewise something made in, say, China doesn't automatically mean that it's going to be crap. Personally, I don't have a lot of spare cash to spend on things that I like/interest me so I'm not going to pay a premium for something based solely on where it was made. This is especially true for tactical gear/equipment, I'm buying for wearing while hiking (on trails), (car) camping, and maybe to the range, I'm not going out to the middle of nowhere to chase down members of DAESH, my life doesn't depend on my gear or clothing so there's no need to spend hundreds of dollars on some high end stuff that's made in the US when something that's half the price and made in China will do just fine.

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Riceball01 The situation is actually the other way round: When making a shit product as cheaply as possible, you have to make it in a very low cost country like China. So most of the crap is made there, thus reducing the average quality of stuff from there.

[@undertakernumberone1]

reminds me of a Simpsons sketch kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6TMXoeEba6eg5o

[@taekwondotime]

Based on my experience, the "junk" swords usually fall into the sub-$300 price range. If you're buying a sword at the bottom end of the price range, then one or more of the following is what you'll get: - bad quality steel / wrong metal altogether - very poor quality handle and fittings such that the sword can actually come apart during cuts (extremely dangerous) - unsharpened blade - balance point being completely wrong - sword being undersized (too short to be legit or too thin to be a serious battle weapon) Once you get above the bottom price range, things change quickly. You can get very good swords in the $500 price range. One thing you have to be careful of is paying large sums of money for decorations on swords. The difference between a $500 sword and a $100 sword is enormous. Think Grand Canyon enormous. However, the difference between a $500 sword and a $1000 sword is small. The difference between a $1000 sword and a $5000 sword is microscopic. The difference between a $5000 sword and a $50,000 sword is simply "art" and "name". ie: Who made it. Who owned it. How fancy does the artwork look? That type of thing. You're paying for art at that point and not for a weapon any more.

[@BeingFireRetardant]

He said it- Khatmandu has some amazing smiths. I had a matched pair of customized Khukuris made beautifully, but you have to know what you're getting... But your 'quality threshold price' is much, much closer to $200 with the right maker. Of course you are limited to one style, mostly. Unless of course you are convinced of that style's superiority to all others, in which case... "Keep Calm And Khukuri On"

[@taekwondotime]

@@BeingFireRetardant I guess I should mention that I'm in Canada, so our dollars don't go as far as US dollars. :)

[@hallohallo2743]

Can you make a Video about the vinland saga trailer it has intressting fight's in it . The might Interest you

[@TheReTurnersFlips]

The market dictates the price. You are looking at a very niche market of people with more money than they need and are willing to spend a lot of money on items they will never use. Aside from hansforged swords from local blacksmiths, the price of swords shouldnt be so high and the mass produced process is no different than making a machete, but people arent willing to spend hundreds on a machete to go out and cut down foliage in their backyard so the prices reflect that. But us sword folks are willing to spend hundreds on a sword to go cut water bottles in the back yard, and the market reflects that.

[@darkmage07070777]

"Why swords are expensive" Because you're paying a skilled craftsman to create a large custom item that demands high precision and quality in its manufacture. Yay, I just saved someone 12 minutes. You're welcome!

[@uticacrib1664]

The BYX 👹

[@MMMadman0991]

The thing with Machete's is that they arn't ment for prolonged combat that the 14-trillion different styles of swords are. Mechetes are, by all accounts, a tool. Good for camp gear so you can process wood, cut through brush. and if you ABSOLUTLY HAVE TO, bite down into someone's leg if they attack you with a knife.

[@doratheexploder286]

I`m just happy swords are not in high demand. Being able to find a 150 year old infantry sword for 110 euro, or a 200 year old cavalry saber for $200 is way better than having your newly made repro at a low cost.

[@averynewtown2782]

does anybody know any place i could commision a cosplay sword of decent quality for a not terribly expensive price?

[@Tkoutlosh]

What exactly is "cosplay sword"?

[@rmwtsou]

I only go into battle with swords costing $1,000 or more.

[@JediSamson]

No one fights with swords anymore? Well...I mean you're right but...if all these people talking about the end of the world have any credibility *scoff* ...well, barring any really crazy ideas, bad things do happen and in a survival situation, melee combat will be more common than gunplay since no one is gonna want to waste ammo that they could use for hunting. So having something like that Kingfisher or an Albion Berserkr would raise your odds of surviving a fight against someone armed with a bat, crowbar or handaxe(s). I know the bit about the crowbar is gonna earn me some heat (or maybe the fact that I even mentioned the end of the world or survival stuff) but hey, free speech right? Never hurts to have an objective look at the world anyway.

[@caleballen3536]

Those who live by the sword die by the sword.

[@bobleonheart9600]

Short answer. Sword making is a craft which is in short supply. It's the same reason why a hand made wrought iron gate s so expensive. You're paying for the craftsmanship. Honestly Skall not a question I'd expect many people to ask because it's pretty damn obvious. As much as I appreciate a video from you Skall and a guest appearance I'd much prefer a topic that wasn't kinda inane. I mean 20 mins discussing something that most of your commenters can refine to one comprehensive sentence.

[@Ranstone]

I don't want a short answer, I want Skall's rambling.

[@bobleonheart9600]

I too want Skalls ramblings. I want to hear him rambling about something that isn't completely obvious. Grammar Nazi time - No need for the apostrophe in Skalls by the way. The apostrophe is used to indicate one or more missing letters. In the case of "...'s" it usually represents an "i" meaning your sentence would read "I want Skall is rambling"... and that's stupid (see how it works there?)

[@TheReTurnersFlips]

But high up there on your hirse arent you? If you don't like the video dont watch it. It's skall's channel and he can do whatever he wanta with it. Not ti mention that just because you know something doesnt mean it is as obvoous as others.

[@kovi567]

@@bobleonheart9600 Wrong grammar nazi-ism there buddy. 's is though can be an indicator for missing letters, an i in your case, but it's also an indicator for possession. If you don't put the ' there, it would make Skall plural... which, is not correct.

[@bobleonheart9600]

Why the butthurt D.M.? I mean my comment was a pretty innocuous criticism from a fan to a creator. One might in fact call it feedback... and more so... honest feedback. " Not ti mention that just because you know something doesnt mean it is as obvoous as others." Well it is economics 101 and is demonstrated that most people do find it obvious by the various succinct comments that I referred to in my original comment.

[@rudre9901]

What do you think about twinblades from dark souls 2?darksouls2.wiki.fextralife.com/Twinblade I am referring to a simplified design where one end would be for thrusts, and the other for cuts. I'm not talking about whirling them like an idiot, but rather about disarming / distracting opponent or to counter edgy ones who teleports behind you back.

[@randelldarky3920]

I have a Gladius machete. It would work well in a machete fight. A good sword starts at $500

[@Tkoutlosh]

Not necessarily at 500... it is more likely about 300..

[@arihyvarinen9924]

Well this made some comments. Perhaps if the price is too high, you dont actually need that sword.

[@blackdeath4eternity]

@11:25 you havn't fought the local blackberry bushes have you? its a ongoing war every spring! :P

[@edwardteach6157]

As far as the skill level of the blade Smith goes in my perticular industry 90% of be a mechanic is knowing how to fix your screw ups.

[@silverspeak4813]

Just wondering if you will consider doing a video on gladiators at some point 😬😬

[@Tennouseijin]

Running into similar issues when ordering hand-made plushies for €500 and having to explain to people what's the difference when stores sell plushies of similar size for €10. Yeah, like you can buy a painting for €5 and a painting of same size for €5000 or more.

[@TheCuriousNoob]

Do all swordsmen have ponytails?

[@thepriestpucci4988]

No

[@TommiHonkonen]

people who dont do actual real work dont undestand expenses. people like us real workers understand the time effort and all that go into something.

[@Wolvenworks]

at this point i'd even appreciate getting a wallhanger. there are no known blacksmiths making swords in indonesia

[@Tkoutlosh]

Just order one from different continent.. globalisation could be useful at least in this...

[@Wolvenworks]

@@Tkoutlosh sure....wait till you see the exchange rate and customs fee. it doesn't help that there are basically no laws regarding sword ownership in indonesia because the most likely place you'd ever see one is in the army...dont even think the army museum ever had any swords. at this stage i doubt it's economical to go thru the hassle that is the indonesian customs bandits...

[@Tkoutlosh]

@@Wolvenworks As I can see it is Income tax 2,5%, VAT 10% and Import duty another 10% which is not good, but in case of 175USD sword it will still be more expensive to pay for transport, right? What if "friend" send you a "gift"?

[@Wolvenworks]

@@Tkoutlosh you forgot to account for corruption and the occasional "re-appropriation". with my current finances i'm in no position to order a blade

[@Tkoutlosh]

@@Wolvenworks OK, I am from CZE , which is something like "reenactment Eldorado" and it is possible to get blunt but well balanced and properly made longsword for price about 175USD, so if you want something like that I probably could help you with it....

[@zacharymoye7272]

I lean towards the economic side of the argument. I bought an exceptional "real steel, combat ready" original patton saber made in 1918. I got lucky and won it on ebay for 350 bucks. Some sword collectors turn their noses up at weapons under 1000 dollars. I don't believe you need an albion blade to have a great sword.

[@wadecochrane2237]

thank you for the video

[@L0stEngineer]

This is the difference between profit based production and passion based art. So in the end, are you going to buy a tool or a masterpiece?

[@defaultcamo4288]

What are the user pros of having a finished sword, rather than a cookie cutter blade that still works

[@rubbers3]

As someone who cosplays a bit (even though most of my outfits are my own post-apocalyptic designs) a lot of that resonates with me quite well. Last year, I made myself a postapo version of a 17th-18th centaury hanger - Raw materials (mostly an aluminium flat stock) were around $10-15, but overall I spent on it around $40 (not counting the stuff that I already had, like a jigsaw, angle grinder, vice, hammers, and not counting electricity) and two weeks of my time (around 30hours overall of just making + who knows how much of research). With the knowledge that I have now, that I acquired during the making of it, I could now do it in 10-15 hours, I wouldn't have to waste money on tools, I wouldn't have to waste time and money on disposable materials that don't work as good as some others et cetera. Knowledge is money. If I had to count all the costs that went into making this sword would add up to $400 + research time. From $10--15 aluminium flat stock to $400 to make a sword. If I were to sell it, I'd probably want around $50-80 so I can make some money back, but still be able to sell it at all. I'd have to make 5-6 of them just to get even on the investments needed to make it in the first place. If anybody's interested, I have a video of it on my channel.

[@kakabangboomstick]

Swords are expensive because the market for them is small and therefore the quality products will skyrocket in value because of the small selection. Basically it isnt profitable to mass produce a quality blade, a good enough blade maybe