41 replies to this topic

[man with many guns]

There was a gun topic, so I thought what the heck, why not. Post pictures of your knives/swords here. I'll post my collection:
Feel free to post 1 at a time or all at one.

[Pineapple]

That's my collection. Carried on me 24/7, except when I'm flying on an airliner (placed in check-in luggage). I never go anywhere without my Leatherman.

It's been used 1,500 feet up in a Cessna, and used 8 feet underwater (pool grating repair). I've tightened manifold nuts, pulled out thorns from my work shoes, and even use it to yank out hooks from the fish I catch. I can't recall how many times it saved my hide when I otherwise would have been stranded/ needed assistance.

And the best part...it fits most all Nerf screws on blasters.

I guess the practical side of me keeps me from buying extrordinarily large-bladed "Rambo" type knives, partly because I'd only get one if I were to really need it (for gutting game animals, etc.), and I'm not one to try knife-fighting in an urban defense situation (I'd just shoot them with my pepper spray fogger and whack them with the folding baton). So my knife is primarily a tool.

Swords? Not me. Except for my son's lightsabers.


-Piney-

[euphemism]

I've got a couple razor knives (box cutter and utility) a folder and a small saber that I removed the hand guard from due to its size. The saber is about as sharp as your average spoon except the tip, I tried sharpening it with my dremel bbut I don't have the right bit.

EDIT:picture

Edited by euphemism, 26 November 2005 - 07:30 PM.

[man with many guns]

Wow, those are nice. Your right pinney, I don't really need them, but I want them.
Those are awesome euph, I love the sword. I have a box cutter just like that, but I didn't post it.

[NinjZ]

This is half of my collection. I have 50 other various pocket knives in addition to this.

Vikingish sword, Full tang Ninja sword, Samurai sword, x2 blowguns with rapid fire atachment, set of throwing knives, set of shuriken, kusari-kama, manriki chain, batman fist weapon thing, buck knife, crazy curved knife thing.


The pride and joy. The Last Samurai replicate Samurai set, Ninja master sword ( two shuriken hidden under hand gaurd, two daggers hidden in sheath, two blades hidden in dechable end cap wich can be stuck into the end for a spear.


Note the various action figures and dork parafaphanalia(sp) in the second picture...Thats right, a Raphael clock(!), 10" Gambit, Hand grenade, and a 10" Snake Eyes!! And no, that is not dust in the second picture, it's actually sand...I had this whole rock garden thing going on on the top of my computor desk before it was all moved downstairs. I also know my room is a mess, as I said, just moved everything downstairs.

I win, everyone loses.

Edited by NinjZ, 26 November 2005 - 08:21 PM.

[ompa]

Are they like, just basic stainless steel replica? Or some really nice quality steel swords?

Because, well, frankly most of those swords look like cheap swords I've seen on e-bay. Except the ninja-master sword.

I'm loving that huge-ass viking sword.

~ompa

Edited by ompa, 26 November 2005 - 08:22 PM.

[NinjZ]

The Last Samurai movie set is of great quality. I mean, the blades werent folded 1000 times, but they are quality. The Ninja Master Sword is also of decent make quality. Everything else is sub par but not garbage.

[tenesee23]

NInjz, that's a sweet collection. I have a cool dagger, but my digital camera isn't currently working.

I like the Ninja sword, and also the fact that you differentiated between the samurai and the ninja sword. So many people pass them off as interchangable

It makes me angry

[NinjZ]

Any Ninja would probably take a Samurai sword if they could so in that sence, they are. Ninja swords were usually of poor quality, so a Samurai would most definately stay with theirs.

[tenesee23]

I know that. By interchangable, I mean people think they are the same thing or sell them indeifferently.

Samurai were essentially soldiers and there swords took months to make and were made of steel. Where ninja's were assassins and ussually freedom fighters. Farmers can't afford steel, so of course there swords were crap, and would gladly steal a nice one from a Samurai if it was possible. Also, the samurai swords were curved so they could slice, where as farmers again couldn't afford the technology to do such and made straight swords.

Enough with the history lesson, all I am saying is that they are 2 very differents types of swords, one of a Ninja, and one of a Samurai, and I appreciate you acknoledging (sp?) that.

[ambushbug]

I used to be into collecting bladed things when I was younger. Most weren't very good quality - good quality blades are pretty expensive. I was particularly into the Japanese swords but alot of the replica stuff is pretty much crap, the blades are the typical stainless steel "made in Taiwan" stuff. They look good but don't really have a nice balance. That's cause most have a very short tang (the portion of the steel that is hidden in the handle.

At around first-year university I started studying Japanese sword arts/ways (Kendo and Iaido) and kept up for about 4 years (Kendo - only 3 years Iai). I pawned most of the stuff I had for a Iai-to (a practice sword for Iai). These are typically alloy blades - can't be sharpened and a little flexible - but the look and feel are (so I'm told) very authentic. Because Iaido practice (the "way of drawing the sword") entails alot of use (swinging, not cutting), replicas pretty much break after a couple of weeks and their uneven balance makes for really sore wrists.

Anyway, I haven't kept up but I still keep the Iaito on display. The fittings are plain black and its got a pretty nice tsuba (the circular handguard) molded in a design that looks like a crane with spread wings. I also have a spare tsuba that is pretty plain but it was used by my (former) Sensei so I keep it around for sentimental reasons. I always told myself that "when" I got to a reasonable skill level I would use it - yeah right!

I also keep a folding (lockback) knife for my camping/hiking stuff. Its made by Cold Steel. It cost me an arm and a leg but its definitely the strongest/most reliable blade I've owned.

I have an old balisong (that's the filipino name for a butterfly knife). The handle is ox horn/brass but is coming apart. The blade is very strong but quite rusty. These are actually illegal in Canada but I only keep it at home.

Also I have two machetes. One I got when I was doing research in Trinidad (a Martindale brand). Everybody there (including old ladies) uses them as all-purpose gardening/farming tools. That one still comes with me to camping trips (its a very functional camp hatchet and campfire prod). Also found my dad's old "bolo" machete from the Philippines. The thing is so rusty that it looks like it was salvaged from the Titanic. Again, not used but kept for sentimental reasons.

That's it - Sorry, I don't have pictures handy.


And my two cents on the whole ninja stuff. Though (overly) glamourized by hollywood, there's not very much account of any ninjas and any particular prowess with the sword. They were mostly spies (notably for Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the wars preceding the last Shogunate) who probably had to do some fighting but probably with a whole mish-mash of different weapons (i.e. whatever was available). So I don't think there is very much evidence of what a real "ninja sword" should look like.

[NinjZ]

I am very well aware of the facts and myths surrounding Ninjas, and the fact that there really arent many facts. This thread is not ment for that and would hate to see it get crapped up by a debate on what is or is not true about feudal Japanese arts.

On a side note, I dont really care about the make, balance, authenticity, or quality of a weapon I buy aslong as it looks nice. It's almost a new year, not feudal Japan so I'm not worried about its balance and ability to be weilded.

Edited by NinjZ, 27 November 2005 - 12:14 AM.

[ompa]

Any thoughts on hanwei swords? I'm looking at their banshee sword, and maybe their practical katana. I'd like to eventually get into martial arts, but the want to purchase is more due to a facination with bladed things.

~ompa

[CheeseNerfer]

I don't have a huge collection but I have the various collection of 20 or so random knives and pocket knives. I recently purchased the gerber fast draw knife:
It has a spring assisted open, which means when you start to open it the spring flips it open. It is essentially a switch blade except it's legal to carry if your over 18. Plus is has the quality of a gerber and a nice combat oriented blade. You can find it here: http://www.rei.com/o...vcat=REI_SEARCH

I hope to get a gerber applegate combat knife sometime and I've also wanted a saber ever since I started fencing 4 years ago. (I no longer do it though)

Edited by CheeseNerfer, 27 November 2005 - 02:12 PM.

[Forsaken angel24]

Gerber eh? Thats strange. The same company that makes killing tools also makes baby food. Is your baby a gerber baby?

[NinjZ]

Actually, I think the companies are completely unrelated.

[AirApache]

Or ARE they?

Watch what's in your baby food next time...

[boltsniper]

My modest collection

Cold Steel Warrior Katana



On it's stand that I made along with a Bokken.







My one and only Katana. It is very well made with traditional methods and materials. The blade is more modern and is fully tempered. It is extremely sharp.



Benchmade 943 Osbourne


This is my current carry knife. It wasn`t cheap but the quality is amazing. Definitely my favorite folder and well worth the cost.

Spyderco


This was my first high quality carry knife. I carried it for almost 10 years straight. it is a lockback and I retired it because it had worn enough where it was not locking very positively and you could break it if you applied enough backward force. I contacted Spyderco about repaird under warranty and they gave me some bull shit about isuse and abuse. They said you should never be applying force to close the knife under normal use. Whatever. Won`t buy from them again. That's why I switched to Benchmade.

I have a few other folders that are no-name-under-$20 deals. They are just fun to play with but are absolute shit quality.

Edited by boltsniper, 27 November 2005 - 08:33 PM.

[ompa]

Where'd you pick that up? I haven't seen cold-steel katanas on ebay recently.

~ompa

[euphemism]

I hate to be the bearer of brutal obviousness but try coldsteel.com.

[ompa]

No, I'm fully aware of their site, I was hoping to get one for an *affordable* price off ebay.

~ompa

[boltsniper]

I bought mine at a gunshow. But at the time their were plenty on ebay at just over $200. Looking now the price seems to be closer to $300

[euphemism]

ompa, on Nov 28 2005, 08:42 PM, said:

No, I'm fully aware of their site, I was hoping to get one for an *affordable* price off ebay.

~ompa

Oh right, I forgot about cold steel's obsession with overpricing. My apologies for my stupidity.

EDIT: It's not really a sword but here's my nerf blowsword:

Edited by euphemism, 29 November 2005 - 06:48 PM.

[Drano]

In 1939 a man named joseph gerber started 'Gerber legendary blades'. I dont think the baby food manufacturers have any relation.

Its a shame really. gerber used to make such great tools. now they are owned by Friskars, and are now one of those second rate companies that rips thier knife designs off of other top shelf manufacturers.



assisted openers can still be considered switchblades. the only places that they are not, are jusisdictions which define a switchblade as a knife in which the blade is opened without touching the blade itself. This cleverly worded definition also happens to include gravity knives.


Bolt: spyderco is a great company with great customer service. You shouldn't have told them that 'if you put enough backward force'. that falls under "spine-whacking" and is a deal breaker. you should have just complained about 'blade-play' and potential 'lock-failure'. But at least you have your 943! axis locks rock balls off of everything!


I'll post pics of my knives later when i get ahold of my camera

Edited by Drano, 30 November 2005 - 11:53 AM.

[NinjZ]

Euph, that blow sword looks like a silver turd on a stick.