Excalibur - impractical or absolutely necessary?

rschuch

rschuch

Joined
Apr 18, 2014
Messages
709
https://imgur.com/a/ALvTbHw

Just thought I’d ask the experts. I normally collect folding knives because they’re practical and, I guess to me, they’re pocket swords (which is why I like big ones). I have a few regular sized swords (a couple cheap replicas and a couple authentic civil war era musician’s swords), but they’re so impractical, BUT I also want something that’s not a rat tail tang that’s going to fall apart if it drops on the floor. And there’s the whole “want” vs “need” argument, so maybe I just need someone to talk me out of it…

SO, I recently watched The Green Knight, which really put me in the mood to watch (take a look at my avatar and guess) Boorman’s 1981 “Excalibur” (and then Monty Python’s Holy Grail, but that’s another story). I’m at a point in my life where I could probably drop $650 on the Darksword Armory version, which from the reviews seems pretty well made, and not feel it too bad. Maybe this is the wrong group to ask, or maybe it’s the right one. Seems most of the decent “working battle ready” swords are going for the same amount, movie replicas or not.

Just wanted a show of hands who’d actually get one and who wouldn’t and why or why not. Thanks in advance for your opinions!
 
I would totally buy it if you wanted it. Swords are funny things. Very, very, very few of us NEED a functional one. However, almost everyone on blade forums can appreciate a well made one. I'm starting to poke around the whole sword thing. I feel like I'm 15 again, since I used to buy all kinds of garbage flea market junk when I was a kid. 25 years later, I'm back to adding them to my collection as I have sort of collected most of the practical stuff that I can EDC or press into camping use.

I lean more toward Claymores, but this is a very handsome sword:) Also, The Green Knight is on my weekend watch list. I LOVED the story as a kid, and "Excalibur" is an underrated and oft forgotten flick:)
 
Steely_Gunz said:
I would totally buy it if you wanted it. Swords are funny things. Very, very, very few of us NEED a functional one. However, almost everyone on blade forums can appreciate a well made one. I'm starting to poke around the whole sword thing. I feel like I'm 15 again, since I used to buy all kinds of garbage flea market junk when I was a kid. 25 years later, I'm back to adding them to my collection as I have sort of collected most of the practical stuff that I can EDC or press into camping use.

I lean more toward Claymores, but this is a very handsome sword:) Also, The Green Knight is on my weekend watch list. I LOVED the story as a kid, and "Excalibur" is an underrated and oft forgotten flick:)
Click to expand...
You'll enjoy Green Knight! Very mystical and misty and at the edge of understanding. Certainly got me thinking and I'll definitely be watching it a few more times.

Yeah, some of the swords I have are the junk you get in high school, not even wall hanging quality. Now that I'm older (55) and divorced, it seems like a "now or never" kind of thing. $650 is a chunk of change, but will it really contribute to my retirement fund? Will I enjoy just looking at the sword? I just wish it would glow green like the one in the film! But thanks, for the "yes" vote! I'm keeping a tally.
 
If I can suggest, there are other sword makers in that price range or thereabouts that make a superior product. They don't make the Excalibur sword but...

You might try looking at kult of Athena to find something or double your money and get three times the sword from arms and armor or albion. Albion does have a sword called the Discerner sword that was based on the same sword as the Excalibur movie sword, but its a bit more pricey...
 
Since nobody really knows what Excalibur looked like, any sword you buy can be your Excalibur. Just get something that's a real sword.
 
Triton said:
If I can suggest, there are other sword makers in that price range or thereabouts that make a superior product. They don't make the Excalibur sword but...

You might try looking at kult of Athena to find something or double your money and get three times the sword from arms and armor or albion. Albion does have a sword called the Discerner sword that was based on the same sword as the Excalibur movie sword, but its a bit more pricey...
Click to expand...
I've heard of the Discerner... I think it's close to the same price, maybe in the $700 range. I'll take a look. Thanks!
 
SimplyMinded said:
Since nobody really knows what Excalibur looked like, any sword you buy can be your Excalibur. Just get something that's a real sword.
Click to expand...
Yeeaaaahhh, I know. Excalibur is a fairy tale and not only does no one know what it looked like but never existed except in poetry and legend....AND movies! That film really captured my imagination and, in my mind, THAT'S Excalibur. I know it's pretend and just someone's idea of what it should look like, but when I see it, I see that green sheen and the Lady of the Lake holding it up and, to me, it's the sword of kings from the dawn of time.
From the reviews I've seen on YouTube it seems to be pretty well made. If you think I should get something else, let me know what's wrong with it.
And I do want to learn how to wield it. Not sure where to go for that. I've taken tae kwon do in the past, but we never trained with weapons. I seen some people using a similar type of sword like a katana cutting tatami mats, so I guess a martial arts studio would be a good place to start.
 
rschuch said:
I've heard of the Discerner... I think it's close to the same price, maybe in the $700 range. I'll take a look. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Actually its in the 2200 dollar range, and in my opinion has an aesthetically displeasing looking blade, but I thought I would mention it. I hear you on that Excalibur being THE Excalibur in your head. It seems like Ian mac Allen or someone used to make an Excalibur from the movie years ago... Maybe one of those is floating around.
 
Triton said:
Actually its in the 2200 dollar range, and in my opinion has an aesthetically displeasing looking blade, but I thought I would mention it. I hear you on that Excalibur being THE Excalibur in your head. It seems like Ian mac Allen or someone used to make an Excalibur from the movie years ago... Maybe one of those is floating around.
Click to expand...
Yeah, just saw that, $2200 for the sword alone and another grand for the scabbard! I can barely justify the $650 for the replica!
Never heard of Ian Mac Allen. I know Darksword Armory has them available. There are lots of other versions out there, but most are cheaper and look gaudy and are probably rat tail type replicas. Not interested.
 
rschuch said:
Yeeaaaahhh, I know. Excalibur is a fairy tale and not only does no one know what it looked like but never existed except in poetry and legend....AND movies! That film really captured my imagination and, in my mind, THAT'S Excalibur. I know it's pretend and just someone's idea of what it should look like, but when I see it, I see that green sheen and the Lady of the Lake holding it up and, to me, it's the sword of kings from the dawn of time.
From the reviews I've seen on YouTube it seems to be pretty well made. If you think I should get something else, let me know what's wrong with it.
And I do want to learn how to wield it. Not sure where to go for that. I've taken tae kwon do in the past, but we never trained with weapons. I seen some people using a similar type of sword like a katana cutting tatami mats, so I guess a martial arts studio would be a good place to start.
Click to expand...
I have no recommendations for a specific sword however what you want insofar as training is to find a HEMA club or school - Historical European Martial Arts. There's tons of videos online and probably something near you as well, it's become pretty popular.
 
There is sword cutting competition for European swords. And functional swords definitely exist.

So google cutting swords.

That is where I would start.

Apparently cold steel do one. No idea if it is any good.
 
Last edited:
rschuch said:
Yeah, just saw that, $2200 for the sword alone and another grand for the scabbard! I can barely justify the $650 for the replica!
Never heard of Ian Mac Allen. I know Darksword Armory has them available. There are lots of other versions out there, but most are cheaper and look gaudy and are probably rat tail type replicas. Not interested.
Click to expand...

I have no idea if these are good or not.

Cutting Swords

casiberia.com casiberia.com
 
IMO : swords , cars , guns , girls ,etc ...if you can't play with them , I ain't interested . :p

The whole artsy thing is not for me . Not anymore . No more wall hanger / safe queens . Life is short .

Trouble with dropping a buncha money is then you might not want to play hard . Not really use the thing .

Where's the fun in that? ;)

YMMV .
 
You have a good point. One way I was going to justify doing it was selling some of my traditional knives I never use anymore (GEC and Case for instance) and raise the money that way (no safe queens, right?), but essentially I'm trading knives I COULD use that are practical for a dream blade I'll barely ever use, barring zombie apocalypse. Plus the GECs are worth money these days, and Excalibur, not so much.

Just beginning to seem like waste of money. So Im still undecided...
 
rschuch said:
You have a good point. One way I was going to justify doing it was selling some of my traditional knives I never use anymore (GEC and Case for instance) and raise the money that way (no safe queens, right?), but essentially I'm trading knives I COULD use that are practical for a dream blade I'll barely ever use, barring zombie apocalypse. Plus the GECs are worth money these days, and Excalibur, not so much.

Just beginning to seem like waste of money. So Im still undecided...
Click to expand...
Come over to the darkside, you know you want to! Seriously, swords are completely impractical in the world of today. Show me a guy that wants to use a sword for combat or self defense and I will show you a guy that is about to come out second best in a gun fight. That's not why we collect swords. There's the occasional martial artist of course, but for most of us, swords provide a tangible connection to the romantic past just like the movie that you watched. That's good enough.
 
I DO want to! It won't take much twisting if my arm. AND I just found a couple of reviews on Sword Buyers Guide and it seems the Gen 2 / Legacy Arms version is better constructed than the DS version, plus it's cheaper. $475 is almost $200 less than the other one. Some of the Hanwei medieval weapons are $290 and that seems to be the cheapest I'll get away with a battle ready sword, but they're made in China and I read some reviews that the quality is so so, plus they don't LOOK like the Boorman film sword. For me this'll be the last sword I get (famous last words right? A quality katana would be nice too!!!) but for under $500, I think I may scratch that itch.
 
Hanwei swords are good if you want something better than what is offered on the flea market table by a good stretch.

I say that as an owner of a Hanwei Claymore that I really enjoy. It's very stout, peened pommel, and swings like it could take a horse off at the legs. The last 3" of the blade has a slight 4-5 degree bend. It's not really noticeable and certainly doenst affect performance. Also, for $300 what can you expect.

I can see myself getting a few more swords and stepping up into the $700 range, but that my limit for something that I won't use much/at all.
 
Well, I should have known better than to ask here for the strength to resist buying a sharp object! I got the Legacy Arms Excalibur. I did some research and, while most say it's too heavy to practice with for a long period of time, for me to look at from time to time and say, "Holy crap, that's a BIG sword! That must be Excalibur, sword of kings from the dawn of time! When when death was but a dream.." and all that nonsense. The reviews from DS were saying there were production flaws and for almost $700, that's uncool. The Legacy version is supposedly improved from the Gen 2 version, lighter with a better temper, plus the blade is truly full tang and peened, whereas the DS version is screwed on and bolted and then the bolt is peened, which doesn't seem right. BUT there seems to be a LOT of LA cutting swords for around $300 that handle a lot better, so I may be looking at a new collecting craze?!? Stop me!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top