Here's something that practically every fantasy lover should be fascinated by: SWORDS! Now, spiritually speaking, we should all probably be pacifists, but there's nothing so drawing as a good blade, and there are plenty of works available that show them off. To that point, something I'm definitely fascinated by is the replica business. I love how you can still actually buy functional/near-functional swords today, and while I have one already, I wouldn't mind starting a small collection down the road.
That being said, I'm rather at a loss where exactly to look for them - that is, where to find GOOD replicas for GOOD prices. I'm a bit skeptical of anything that sold for less than $100, but while that would essentially mean that I would be looking to spend at most about half a grand on a single sword, I would prefer to get my money's worth. Does anyone know any good, respectable places to find real quality swords?
Personally, I have a couple options in mind:
-There's always Museum Replicas (https://www.museumreplicas.com/), which dishes out some high quality stuff from good dealers like Windlass Steelcrafts; their prices, however, can be sort of steep to casual shoppers
-There's going straight to the dealer, like the aforementioned Windlass Steelcrafts (https://www.windlass.com/)
I'm not sure though if some of these other sites are giving out the same high standards or are just rip-offs. Some of them look legit, but I'd like a second opinion:
-Marto Swords Toledo (https://www.martoswordstoledo.com/)
-Replica Dungeon (https://www.replicadungeon.com/)
-Heavenly Swords (http://www.heavenlyswords.com/)
-Paul Chen Hanwei Swords (https://www.paulchenhanweiswords.com/)
And that's only with a little bit of searching. Have you found anywhere else? What are your preferred shopping grounds?
I definitely like swords from every culture and time period, but right now, my fascination is the rapier, mostly because I've been won over by The Three Musketeers. I'm not ready to spend all that money on it right now, but I'd like to find a good place that I can keep in mind. I'm looking for a really good rapier, something distinctive that really speaks to me. Any good suggestions?
Museum Replicas might be one of the best places to get functional bladed weapons at decent prices. They are owned by Windlass Steelcrafts. Also look at https://www.atlantacutlery.com/ Atlanta Cutlery is also owned by Windlass, I believe.
Otherwise, best thing I could do is point you to the Sword Buyers Guide. It should help and guide you to actual decent blades: https://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/