What is the coolest sword?

[Kalimutan]

I have an interest in swords. I'd like to hear your opinions on:

1) What do you think is the coolest-looking sword?

2) What do you think is the most effective sword?

3) What do you think is the strongest/most durable sword?




There are two types of Chinese swords, Jian (劍) and Dao (刀). Jian are dual edged and Dao are single edged.

[S1En1]

Dao for me ^_^ Those're the coolest ones.

You left some swords out like the Butterfly swords and Hook swords.

[blozzee]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gliox035U0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gliox035U0

I name it, Excalibur-chan

XD

[psychopompos]

coolest
scimitar

most effective
claymore/zweihander,
even if they didnt cut armour completely(which they could), you where still fucked from broken bones.

most durable
gladius (their entire purpose was to never require maintenance)

asian style swords require way to much maintenance to be either cool or effective, and they are most definitely not durable.

[Fabb]

I'd say either a Katana or a Claymore. They have pretty nice designs and they can cut into things with ease (you need to have some strength obviously). For most durable I'd have to agree with psychopompos on gladius.

[gvbn]

the s-word

[Tiexandrea]

i won't pretend to be an expert on swords, but claymores aren't my thing. i could probably kill my first opponent, but i can't imagine i'd recover fast enough to avoid my second opponent's swing.

i'd probably make do with dual-wielding shortened broadswords. for both offense and defense.

as far as fictional swords go, i'd probably take either the Michael swords from the Ga-Rei series or that Monomolecular blade from the 'Til Death Do Us Part series.

[Satelight]

3 questions...
cant vote for more than 1 sword...

anyway:
Jian, Rapier/Epee, Foil

are my favs... usually due to symboticness and looks
of course, sure, throw in katanas while we are here... kinda expected and maybe over used in games

Bastards and Hand-and-a-Halves for "heavier" types...

I doubt I would ever be able to handle true heavy 2-handed things though I do like polearms/spears.

[Kamigoroshi]

Flammberge hands down.

[S1En1]

as far as fictional swords go, i'd probably take either the Michael swords from the Ga-Rei series or that Monomolecular blade from the 'Til Death Do Us Part series.

If we're going to go fictional then I'll take Sol's Fuuenken >:D

When it comes to swords I prefer speed and not so much power hence the Daos and the flexible blades have far more applications.

[AngelsThesis]

the coolest? Light Saber

the most effective? Light Saber

the most durable? Light Saber

http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/lightsaber1.jpg

[orez23bus]

i'm a collector of swords mostly katana with dragon heads and patterns and also mystical swords like Excalibur etc as i'm into them

[Kiyoya Rei]

My favorite sword is my newly bought Ikkansai Shigetsugu Gendai Katana. It was created in 1915 by renowned sword creator Kasama Yoshikazu. It cost me $7500 x3.

http://www.japanesesword.com/Images/Swords/07/807/807kat3/saya.jpg

[winehousing]

I really like the aesthetics of the scimitar, the saber and the katana. Those are by far my favorite style of swords.

[Fabb]

My favorite sword is my newly bought Ikkansai Shigetsugu Gendai Katana. It was created in 1915 by renowned sword creator Kasama Yoshikazu. It cost me $7500 x3.

http://www.japanesesword.com/Images/Swords/07/807/807kat3/saya.jpg

Now thats a nice sword. Where did ya get it?

[sf101]

1)Definately the rapier. Small, fast, with an excellent looking hilt.

2)Hands to the Epee. Not overtly heavy, excellent for defense, always great for shedding first blood

3)I'm torn between the Keyblade and the Gunblade honestly.

Gimmick limit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urgUVVwuJ9I&feature=PlayList&p=AD820A787B0A2572&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=21

Renzakuken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70yT3alpSvA&feature=PlayList&p=6ECEACCAA72D83E9&index=20

Though I must admit this one scares me
Don't click (http://www.homemade-sex-toys.com/light/)

[minato]

No gunblade?

[animedoll]

i'm torn between katana, rapier and buster..

[Kiyoya Rei]

Now thats a nice sword. Where did ya get it?

Www.Japanesesword.com

They sell tons of swords in many price ranges, most of which were crafted by renowned japanese blacksmiths

[Frost604]

As many would say, Japanese swords are famous for the excellent quality of their blades.
They're light, and deadly sharp.
Rapier's design are also terrific.

If ur thinking a claymore or a broadsword is the best, think again. Heavy, inefficient indoors and only professionals and heavy weight lifters can use such a weapon. I believe its only a fantasy to people cause they see these anime/game characters carry broadswords with MAGICAL ease

[psychopompos]

^ japanese swords are famous for being good in the same way Hollywood bad guys are famous for being unable to shoot straight. as in, its dramatised.

japanese swords are pretty girl swords.
easily damaged, high maintenance, but look good.
the only reason people have issue swinging claymore/broadswords is stupidity.
you dont handle them the same way as katanas, you dont use oriental postures or techniques.

and frankly, if you want to do a comparison for the larger zweihander claymore the only equivalent i know of is an odachi.
and they really dont have the same structural integrity or durability of zweihanders.

the real equivalent to the katana are the shorter one handed broadswords, or regular claymore, and they are very easy to use.
provided the wielder isnt to thick to figure out how to use them properly, which, needless to say, is next to nothing like how oriental swords are wielded.

[LuxVertas]

Depends on the task.

For stabbing a knife or Gladius is just as good as a rapier The knife is probably stronger too... sorry, but swords used for fencing look like the blade will break at any second! and also the style looks a bit... feminine for my liking!

For cutting the Zweihänder is your best bet! it can cut through horses so what are your chances?

For both the humble broad sword is good for me...


but in a perfect real world sword based combat, I'd Choose the Katana, the reputation, weight, cutting power and look breaths authority and respect it's usefulness in combat depends on the one who uses the blade...

as Master splinter said "a Weapon is only as good as the one who wields it"

[realsilverjunk]

The ultimate blade-http://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww264/realsilverjunk/rashintei_01.jpg

[Lord Zero]

I only know how to wield a katana, so its naturally my fav... but then again, a massive two handed european sword is no joke.

Still... best weapon evar!!!

KATANA LIGHTSABER!!! Zero FTW!!

http://img2.allposters.com/images/CAPPOD/MM036.jpg

[Wh1t3y3t1]

What? No D-sword? You guys suck xD

But in all honesty I think the scimitar is most likely they best blade you can use, whilst katanas are pretty their impractical as a whole unless its really well made and you've got the time to maintain the blade.

[neokai]

What? No D-sword? You guys suck xD

But in all honesty I think the scimitar is most likely they best blade you can use, whilst katanas are pretty their impractical as a whole unless its really well made and you've got the time to maintain the blade.

Well D-swords are technically delusions, so they don't really exist except in your head (or mine).

I don't really see a big difference between scimitars and katanas. Both are curved swords made for cutting actions rather than the thrust of the gladius.

Ok i lied. Scimitars and katanas are very much different, because katanas refer to Japanese knives as a collective term. There are many different types of katanas but the ones most people will recognize are relatively light compared to the scimitar. But most people will never have have seen/held a real katana, let alone a scimitar so in depth comparisons are kinda moot.

And i wonder if anyone has made a sexual innuendo involving swords and male sexual organs yet in this channel.....

[AyaKunoichi]

Katana, Ninjuto In Paticular, I do Prefer Daggers though.

[maumastoks]

Like most of ppl, katana.

[Lord Zero]

Anyway, not all katanas are high maintenance tools...
cheap but effective katanas were mass-produced in war time...

High quality katanas are made of iron, not steel, nor composites...

Thats why they get ruined so easily... but still if you get a modern
katana which is an alloy... you can get all the advantages and none
of the flaws of the traditional handcrafted version.

The thing is... is not as admirable and beautiful as a art form.

So... all the problems you seem to think of are pretty much irrelevant
on this matter.

[eddyg17]

1) What do you think is the coolest-looking sword?
I think I gotta go with the katana. Light weight, small, durable and deadly.

2) What do you think is the most effective sword?
It depends. If you are fighting against heavily armored opponents then you need a heavy a heavy sword like a claymore that will be able to crush armor. On the other hand, if your opponent is lightly clothed, a claymore will only slow you down. A better choice would be a katana or rapier.

3) What do you think is the strongest/most durable sword?
The pen. The stroke of a pen can take out entire armies or raise just as many and its effects would be felt for entire generations.

[LuxVertas]

I don't get why folks whine about high matenance weapons, wour weapon if your life!

if you don't look after it it will be the death of you

and besides, only 50% or less of war is fighting the rest is gathering intell, Moving from A to B, setting up camp, eating, using the facilities...
So troops get a lot of downtime (enough to play MMORPGs believe it or not!)

[Hayeate]

Fuck all the weeaboos who voted katana.

https://www.hongfire.com/cg/data/3/medium/a15480.jpg

[roto17]

1) What do you think is the coolest-looking sword?

I'd probably go with either the katana or the zweihander (sp?). Fantasy based, I like the gunblade or lightsaber.

2) What do you think is the most effective sword?

Depends on the application. Everyday life, it'd probably be the rapier or any other very light sword. Warfare, that'd go with the war based weapons like the zweihander, katana, claymore, or any other longsword/greatsword.

3) What do you think is the strongest/most durable sword?

Heck I'd know.....I just know that the least durable is the rapier. If I had to choose, I'd probably go with the claymore.


If ur thinking a claymore or a broadsword is the best, think again. Heavy, inefficient indoors and only professionals and heavy weight lifters can use such a weapon. I believe its only a fantasy to people cause they see these anime/game characters carry broadswords with MAGICAL ease

Claymores aren't as heavy as you think. They only FEEL heavy because you're holding a lot of weight through the blade (let alone we're talking of a greatsword, so it'll be even worse). In actuality, the sword would only be a max of MAYBE 6-7 lbs before it gets to the point of being impractical and as light as, I think, 4 lbs. Also, swordsmen train to be able to use these swords like how you see in some of the shows/movies that actually depicts them properly.

[tsorf]

Nodachi is the best

[Lord Zero]

In fact now i recall being part of a express course on medieval weapons and i remember than the nut on the handle was really heavy and indeed made an awesome good work on making each swing easier.

Instead of other blades, the two handed behemoth handle was basically the axis of a pendulum, so little effort was needed to swing it around.

PS: Fuck u, HayHATE.

[roto17]

....what's a weeaboo anyways?

[Hayeate]

....what's a weeaboo anyways?

https://www.hongfire.com/cg/data/516/weeaboo.jpg

[micky21761]

for me a kodatchi will be good!!!

[danisco]

katana for me

[godofweed]

Katana is the way for me! :neko:

[I1nk]

For me I would have to pick the claymore. After seeing it on Deadliest Warrior I had to pick it. But I still think the katana looks pretty cool.

[Muspel]

The coolest sword I can think of is the Colichemarde.
Thick like a longsword on the bottom and thin like a rapier at the point, somewhat silly looking, but had strength as well as speed.

As for a sword for durability/functionality I'd say whatever you want is made better with damascus steel.

[Lakshun]

So, is the Chinese Dao the same as the Ram Dao?


^ japanese swords are famous for being good in the same way Hollywood bad guys are famous for being unable to shoot straight. as in, its dramatised.

japanese swords are pretty girl swords.
easily damaged, high maintenance, but look good.
the only reason people have issue swinging claymore/broadswords is stupidity.
you dont handle them the same way as katanas, you dont use oriental postures or techniques.
That's BS.
Katanas are most certainly not pretty girl swords. They're not as durable as Zweihanders, since they're a lot lighter and thinner, but they don't break that easily.
Just search Youtube for the video of a Katana splitting a 38 bullet in 2 without getting a scratch.

And Zweihanders weren't used that often because they are ****ing heavy. They weigh like 3.5-4.5 Kg and you need a lot of strength and stamina to keep swinging it through a battle.


Depends on the task.

For stabbing a knife or Gladius is just as good as a rapier The knife is probably stronger too... sorry, but swords used for fencing look like the blade will break at any second! and also the style looks a bit... feminine for my liking!

For cutting the Zweihänder is your best bet! it can cut through horses so what are your chances?
The sole point of a Rapier is speed. If you want to go purely for speed, a rapier is your best bet.
A Gladius is like a worker's sword. Reliable and gets the job done, but not nearly as efficient as some other swords.
And for cutting a Katana is best due to its sharpness. Zweihander cut because of the force, with that weight and the necessary force you need to swing it, there's barely anything that can resist it short of a 20cm thick steel plating.



High quality katanas are made of iron, not steel, nor composites...

Thats why they get ruined so easily... but still if you get a modern
katana which is an alloy... you can get all the advantages and none
of the flaws of the traditional handcrafted version.
Iron? You mean ceremonial/decorative ones?
They can technically be used in battle, but they aren't much compared to those made especially for battle.


the s-word
You mean the S-Rank sword?

Anyway, the deadliest sword might be the Urumi , but it's probably also the most difficult to use.
One wrong motion and you decapitate yourself.

And now that I think of it, the coolest are easily Venetian gunblades.
They just look awesome, not sure if they were made for actual combat or just as decorations.

[Ryu Hayabusa]

Coolest: Middle Eastern Shamshir (think 'Prince of Persia' and you'll get the picture)

Most effective: Claymore (a sword big & strong enough to break steel armor)

Most durable: Claymore (all it needs is getting cleaned from blood stains)


That's the general opinion based on researches, but if you ask for my personal preference I'd go for katanas (check this link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNiX_l-HEGM) and this link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sHTJAKN-5k) and you'll understand why I choose my choice).

[Lord Zero]

Coolest: Middle Eastern Shamshir (think 'Prince of Persia' and you'll get the picture)

Most effective: Claymore (a sword big & strong enough to break steel armor)

Most durable: Claymore (all it needs is getting cleaned from blood stains)


That's the general opinion based on researches, but if you ask for my personal preference I'd go for katanas (check this link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNiX_l-HEGM) and this link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sHTJAKN-5k) and you'll understand why I choose my choice).

Just for the record which kind of weapon does Ryu carry with him ?
Talking about a biased opinion... just like mine :p

[Ryu Hayabusa]

I admit my opinion is biased, but the reason I choose katana isn't because of the character I admire. It's because I've tried some of those swords listed on the poll and I find katana the most comfortable. Weight, material, blade shape, sharpness and etc. combined together really make katana a great sword.

Wouldn't you agree, sir?

[Lord Zero]

I admit my opinion is biased, but the reason I choose katana isn't because of the character I admire. It's because I've tried some of those swords listed on the poll and I find katana the most comfortable. Weight, material, blade shape, sharpness and etc. combined together really make katana a great sword.

Wouldn't you agree, sir?

Im a kenshi... -_-u trained on kendo, iaido and nihon kobudo kenjutsu...
And im a otaku... how`s my opinion suposed to be objective ?

:p

[ebattleon]

My favorite sword is my newly bought Ikkansai Shigetsugu Gendai Katana. It was created in 1915 by renowned sword creator Kasama Yoshikazu. It cost me $7500 x3.

http://www.japanesesword.com/Images/Swords/07/807/807kat3/saya.jpg

You are one lucky dude:)

Many sword smiths consider the katana be to pinnacle of sword craft. It was the strongest sword in its weight class, and had edge durability that could only be exceeded by modern alloys. The convex edge of the blade makes it shear through flesh and bone like no other sword. Also don't confuse the ceremonial katana with a war katana one looks pretty but is fragile and the other is ugly but will cut through the torso of a man and need no sharpening.

Check this site on katanas out:

http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/index.html

drool........

[Kamigoroshi]

I honestly fail to see why katana are so popular these days.... >_>

Even the aztecian Macuahuitl possesses more beauty and brute force than these 'tofu cutters' IMHO.
http://www.macuahuitl.com/pb/wp_ee731926/images/img158344704079f9e374.JPG

@ ebattleon: I looked through that site and found nothing of interest for me.
I'm aware that war katana are some of the more effective swords out there, but that's mainly just because thanks to the traditional art of sword smithery used to force them.
If the same (or similar) art of sword smithery was used for a heavier sword kind, for example an zweihander, then it would with no doupt be superior to katana in nearly all aspects.

[DeathAngel13]

For meh it's Claymore. Anytime, even if I couldn't even swing it right now. lol

[ebattleon]

I honestly fail to see why katana are so popular these days.... >_>

Even the aztecian Macuahuitl possesses more beauty and brute force than these 'tofu cutters' IMHO.
http://www.macuahuitl.com/pb/wp_ee731926/images/img158344704079f9e374.JPG

@ ebattleon: I looked through that site and found nothing of interest for me.
I'm aware that war katana are some of the more effective swords out there, but that's mainly just because thanks to the traditional art of sword smithery used to force them.
If the same (or similar) art of sword smithery was used for a heavier sword kind, for example an zweihander, then it would with no doubt be superior to katana in nearly all aspects.

You should note i used the term "in its Class" thus comparing a 27 inch (70 cm) Katana with a 60 inch (180 cm) zweihander in a clash for clash contest the heavier sword will win hands down. However if you compare a zweihander with a Nodachi of the same size the contest is no longer has a clear winner.

I will agree the Aztec swords are the BOMB man:)

[ayu5385]

vote for Katana xD
agility and speed are the most dangerous thing to kill something
and Katana have that speed and agility (because they made the sword for that purpose)
though it depend on the user xD

[realsilverjunk]

The ultimate blade-http://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww264/realsilverjunk/rashintei_01.jpg

Erm, whats the official name for this blade anyway? It's history?

[Ryu Hayabusa]

Im a kenshi... -_-u trained on kendo, iaido and nihon kobudo kenjutsu...
And im a otaku... how`s my opinion suposed to be objective ?

:p

I understand your point of view and I have no objection to that. All I want to say is that I have my actual standpoint, not some random dude choosing katana just to look cool (many people do, I don't :p).

[Felnaris]

Coolest: Katana
Effective: Katana (light, easy handling, slices with ease, well designed)
Durability: any big and well forged sword?

[Lakshun]

I honestly fail to see why katana are so popular these days.... >_>

Even the aztecian Macuahuitl possesses more beauty and brute force than these 'tofu cutters' IMHO.
That's the point. Katanas don't rely on brute force. They allow for more skillful use.


vote for Katana xD
agility and speed are the most dangerous thing to kill something
and Katana have that speed and agility (because they made the sword for that purpose)
though it depend on the user xD
This.
Also, I want to see the claymore than can split a bullet in 2.

Katanas and swords made from Damascus steel are considering the best swords in the world.

Durability highly depends as these two could easily cut through any European sword (like a claymore).

claymores are maybe sturdier all round, but that's solely to to the bigger size and weight, not due to the quality of the blade.

[Kamigoroshi]

That's the point. Katanas don't rely on brute force. They allow for more skillful use.

Katanas and swords made from Damascus steel are considering the best swords in the world.

Durability highly depends as these two could easily cut through any European sword (like a claymore).

claymores are maybe sturdier all round, but that's solely to to the bigger size and weight, not due to the quality of the blade.

In fact it's a myth that katana are the best swords in the world, since their design is flawed to begin with. It's based on Tang era Chinese swordmaking practices which was largly abandoned by the Chinese btw.

Basically it has three problems:
* One it use the clayhardening technique and leaves the back too soft and prone to bending. Leaves a beautiful hardening lines though. Sword backs should idealy have a spring like temper.
* Second problem is the way it's laminated. There are several forms, but the most popular involved a higher carbon shell and a low carbon or even iron core. This structure also lends to easy bending. A better way would be to use a high carbon core sandwiched between lower carbon sides. This form was used in China and Japan, it just wasn't the predomiant technique.
* Thirdly the Japanese didn't temper their swords which left the edge too hard and prone to chipping. It wasn't designed to cut armor (let alone cutting through weapons such as an claymore). Generally swords of all cultures were not great weapons against armoured foe. You used arrows, spears, warpicks for that.

Due to these flaws the katana was made relatively thick compared with European and Chinese swords to prevent bending. But as martial artists who practice cutting knows they still bend easily if the swordsman's technique is off. This use of extra mass to compensate for a design problem meant the katana was fairly blade heavy. It made making singlehanded swords nearly impossible. You don't see samurai using shields because they needed both hands on the sword.

All in all the katana is a good weapon for its designed uses (horse riding battles and fencing) but is far from surperior to other sword kinds.

[roto17]

Katanas and swords made from Damascus steel are considering the best swords in the world.

Durability highly depends as these two could easily cut through any European sword (like a claymore).

I personally doubt that. Even though there was a story of a WWII Japanese soldier cutting through the barrel of a 1917 Browning Automatic Rifle, that's just legend, let alone that those swords were of crude design. Even an authentic sword probably can't do that. Regardless of that, though, I'm pretty sure that a sword can't cut throug another war sword.

To my understanding, there isn't a best sword, but what makes the sword better than the other is who's using it and their level of competence with their technique. A practitioner in an European style of swordsmanship and is a master of it can beat someone who is a moderate level user of something like Iaijutsu. The same could be said the other way around as well, that is if the Iaijutsu practitioner is a master of his style while the European swordsman is only a moderate level user.

Another thing to note about the katana is that the samurai would noramlly use the Yari (a type of spear) and bows & arrows over a sword since they provide a better advantage over the sword. Swords were used as a last resort weapon on the battlefield, to my understanding.

At the same time, none of these styles have really clashed (at the very least in written history), so it's hard to tell which sword would be best.


* Thirdly the Japanese didn't temper their swords which left the edge too hard and prone to chipping. It wasn't designed to cut armor (let alone cutting through weapons such as an claymore). Generally swords of all cultures were not great weapons against armoured foe. You used arrows, spears, warpicks for that.

Any sword can be chipped if used wrong. Edge-to-edge guarding is a no-no in swordsmanship, and, regardless of the sword and how well it's built, any sword will chip because of that. Doesn't matter what today's sword forgers tell you, but swords made to resemble the authentic piece will chip/edge will be damaged in some way (well, last I understand of it).

But yeah, no sword can be used to cut through armor, as you said, and the only sword that can be "cut" is the rapier, but that thing more bends and snaps over being cut, which is more reason why the rapier wasn't really a battlefield weapon.

Damn, tl;dr.

[darkexiledone]

I vote for a scimitar, I have two. There is no perfect sword. Katana's are good weapons, but there are two methods to making them, one is quite crude and is the cheap method. A true katana is quite rigid due to the tempering. The curve on the blade is from the tempering process. There is only one problem: The katana's strength comes from tension, and the focal point of the tension is on the tip of the blade. If a katana is struck properly then the tension is released and the katana breaks apart. Great Swords are good weapons for removing people who are not well armed and areas where your enemy would not have much of a chance to formulate a good strategic defense. Sabers are an art form and often are not very useful in battle situations. Rapiers are not useful in battle because they lack a surface to use to parry. Machete's are great as tools for clearing a path through underbrush, but are not very useful in combat. Dao's and Falchion's have the opposite problem of the rapier. They are useful for cleaving, but not as a cutting or thrusting weapons. Scimitars are great weapons, when they are made with modern technology, but when they were first made they had a severe design flaw, they were often made of varying qualities of materials.

[Ididdie]

coolest: kukri blades. Though I'm not sure these qualify as swords...

Most effective: I have never used a sword before, so it's hard to judge... Also depends on the armor of the opponent. Heavy armor -> claymore. No armor -> something more light like a rapier.

Most durable: I think that's different for each sword. I really don't know.

My personal favorite is the Gladius, in combination with some heavy armor and a shield, like the romans used to...

[Lakshun]

Basically it has three problems:
* One it use the clayhardening technique and leaves the back too soft and prone to bending. Leaves a beautiful hardening lines though. Sword backs should idealy have a spring like temper.
* Second problem is the way it's laminated. There are several forms, but the most popular involved a higher carbon shell and a low carbon or even iron core. This structure also lends to easy bending. A better way would be to use a high carbon core sandwiched between lower carbon sides. This form was used in China and Japan, it just wasn't the predomiant technique.
*facepalm*
That is the F****ING POINT!
Katanas have a hard exterior with a soft core to be flexible, yet strong.

Also, why are people even doubting the cutting ability of Katanas?
Everyone should have seen that video of a Katans cutting a bullet by now.
If not, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIDWG9Zn8j8

As for the other video vs a machinegun, it's a modern machine gun firing like 1000 bullets per minute with tank breaking shells, what do you expect? If a modern tank doesn't last, how is a Katana supposed to?

[pwrmn2009]

*facepalm*
That is the F****ING POINT!
Katanas have a hard exterior with a soft core to be flexible, yet strong.

Also, why are people even doubting the cutting ability of Katanas?
Everyone should have seen that video of a Katans cutting a bullet by now.
If not, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIDWG9Zn8j8

As for the other video vs a machinegun, it's a modern machine gun firing like 1000 bullets per minute with tank breaking shells, what do you expect? If a modern tank doesn't last, how is a Katana supposed to?

lol whats up with his dubbing voice? its racist!!
and what is the coolest s word anyway?

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpj4c_snl-celebrity-jeopardy-nsc_ads

[Kamigoroshi]

*facepalm*
That is the F****ING POINT!
Katanas have a hard exterior with a soft core to be flexible, yet strong.
*facepalm*

Great, you've not read my post at all it seems... A sword that bends is not flexible at all but weak against any kind of damage dealt to it. The katana is designed to cut flesh and bones and nothing else, period. If you try to cut anything else with it the-sword-will-bend. A bended sword will break fairly easy and fast. Thus you can neither cut through armor, claymores, axes, grossmessers, sabers, halberds, naginata, ec cetera with a katana. Deal with it!

These design flaws I listed are grave issues for fighting with katana. Cutting, thrusting, and blocking are all the more difficult due to these flaws, which make almost any other sword a better weapon of choice for these designed uses in my eyes.


Also, why are people even doubting the cutting ability of Katanas?
Everyone should have seen that video of a Katans cutting a bullet by now.
If not, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIDWG9Zn8j8

As for the other video vs a machinegun, it's a modern machine gun firing like 1000 bullets per minute with tank breaking shells, what do you expect? If a modern tank doesn't last, how is a Katana supposed to?

So what? That gun was pointed at the strongest point of the katana. Of course it can withstand a bullet that way. In fact you can do this quite easily with almost any kind of blade, it doesn't even need to be a sword on that matter. As you appartly don't know, bullets are rather soft because they are not forged. It's not somthing special to cut them if you do things right.

Thus this doesn't support your claim of katana being one of the best swords either! Try better next time.

[roto17]

Great, you've not read my post at all it seems... A sword that bends is not flexible at all but weak against any kind of damage dealt to it. The katana is designed to cut flesh and bones and nothing else, period. If you try to cut anything else with it the-sword-will-bend. A bended sword will break fairly easy and fast. Thus you can neither cut through armor, claymores, axes, grossmessers, sabers, halberds, naginata, ec cetera with a katana. Deal with it!

Actually, that's not quite true. A sword that is hard/stiff/whatever will break faster than a sword that is more flexible since a stiff sword has no way of absorbing impacts. At the same time, a sword that is extremely flexible and bends a lot will have little effect for cutting and stabbing. Qualities of both are ideal in a sword.


Historically, it was better for a sword to be too soft than too hard. A softer blade may certainly become bent, but it will still cut and it won’t snap. They did not have to be nearly as “springy” as many modern “replica” swords now give the impression. Steel springs certainly bend before breaking, but are not the best for the tough and resilient needs of long fighting blades. Medieval metalsmiths were certainly capable of making chisels and other tools with very hard edges from very hard steels. But again, as with springs, these properties alone were not those ideal for fighting blades. A blade of softer steel is harder to break because it will deform and bend instead, but this is not an indicator of its overall strength. Impact strength is a fine balance between hardness and plasticity. Flexibility alone is a poor gauge of these properties as it does not guarantee impact strength in a blade and is less a factor of tempering than cross-sectional geometry.

Source: http://www.thearma.org/essays/How_Were_Swords_Made.htm

[CoconutEdge]

machete. 20".

but its more like a knife to me.

[Karis Fra Mauro]

The sword cutting a bullet video is cool but not really relevant in a practical sense... Anyways I'm going to ask something that is probably really stupid but this is definitely the appropriate thread and I've been wondering about it for a while. Okay to get an awesome sword you need awesome metal right? It certainly doesn't hurt I assume. So, for current military purposes the most badass metal around is depleted uranium. That's what they use to shoot through tanks, and it's super dense I gather. So would depleted uranium be practical for a sword? Has anyone tried? How would it compare to other metals? Just wondering :)

[Tessu]

1) What do you think is the coolest-looking sword?
A/: This has to be the katana.

2) What do you think is the most effective sword?
A/: It has been proved already that the katana is the most effective sword,
combined with excellent technique.

3) What do you think is the strongest/most durable sword?
A:Claymore maybe, it's insanely heavy and made of lots of layers of scrap metal.

[roto17]

The sword cutting a bullet video is cool but not really relevant in a practical sense... Anyways I'm going to ask something that is probably really stupid but this is definitely the appropriate thread and I've been wondering about it for a while. Okay to get an awesome sword you need awesome metal right? It certainly doesn't hurt I assume. So, for current military purposes the most badass metal around is depleted uranium. That's what they use to shoot through tanks, and it's super dense I gather. So would depleted uranium be practical for a sword? Has anyone tried? How would it compare to other metals? Just wondering :)

Depends on how heavy the material is. If it was made into a longsword and it weighed over 5 lbs, then it wouldn't work for a sword since it'd be considered too heavy to use. If you take weight out of the factor, then it could be possible for it to be used in a practical sense if it could be used in a forge. Of course, in the end, it's probably not exactly practical in the overall in terms of having to understand the material and changing how to forge a sword for that specific material and whatnot, if I want to assume correctly.

[psychopompos]

swords of 5lbs are easy to use. at 10lbs you may be pushing it a bit, but your not going OTT until you get to the 15lbs mark.

its only difficult for scrawny little office/service sector workers that dont have the physical strength of those that would have been wielding the swords in the past.

then there are the morons that try to wield them the same way as azn swords, but those people are fuck-tards & i just hope i am around to see and hear their shoulders pop outa their sockets for being so stupid.

just 'cause katana type swords & their associated techniques become useless above 5lbs, does not mean the same is true of the european sword types and the techniques that developed to make use of such weapons.

[ebattleon]

The sword cutting a bullet video is cool but not really relevant in a practical sense... Anyways I'm going to ask something that is probably really stupid but this is definitely the appropriate thread and I've been wondering about it for a while. Okay to get an awesome sword you need awesome metal right? It certainly doesn't hurt I assume. So, for current military purposes the most badass metal around is depleted uranium. That's what they use to shoot through tanks, and it's super dense I gather. So would depleted uranium be practical for a sword? Has anyone tried? How would it compare to other metals? Just wondering :)

Depleted uranium is a ceramic, not a metal and like most ceramics it is very brittle so it would be useless as a sword material. The best all around alloy for swords at the moment would be 440c stainless steel, it is the alloy of choice for replica swords. It is also a lot stronger than the original steels of past.

[roto17]

swords of 5lbs are easy to use. at 10lbs you may be pushing it a bit, but your not going OTT until you get to the 15lbs mark.

its only difficult for scrawny little office/service sector workers that dont have the physical strength of those that would have been wielding the swords in the past.

then there are the morons that try to wield them the same way as azn swords, but those people are fuck-tards & i just hope i am around to see and hear their shoulders pop outa their sockets for being so stupid.

just 'cause katana type swords & their associated techniques become useless above 5lbs, does not mean the same is true of the european sword types and the techniques that developed to make use of such weapons.

True, but all longswords (even european longsword types) are no heavier than 4.5 lbs. 5 lbs is pushing the limit and it probably is possible to use a sword of that weight, but maybe not comfortably for a longsword.

With the 5 lbs thing being easy to use, I think you may be talking more along the lines of greatswords (such as the zweihander) when it comes to that. Also, there really isn't a combat sword (at least in recorded history and what has been found in relics and whatnot) that exceeds 7 or 8 lbs. If it does, then it's a ceremonial/decorative sword and is never used in combat.

[psychopompos]

you may be right in part there, though functional zweihanders up to 10lbs have been known, and not that rare.
the ones that where more often decorating where the zweihander flambards over 10lbs.
i read a history book in school with one estimated to have been over 20lbs before it had corroded quite badly

long swords, great swords, claymores are largely overlapping in design, the names referring more to(but not exclusivly) the 'when' of them being made.

heck i use 3lbs wrist weights when i go running, and its not that bad really.

[roto17]

I have my doubts....

http://www.thearma.org/essays/weights.htm

http://www.thearma.org/essays/2HGS.html

First article is on the standards for swords (not sure if it's for both longsword and greatsword) while the other is talking about the greatswords specifically.

And I never said that 3 lbs was that bad. I have tried swinging around a 5 lb barbell and that does eventually hurt the wrists if you're only used to longswords.

[Karis Fra Mauro]

Depleted uranium is a ceramic? I had no idea, learn something new every day :) Yeah the brittle aspect would make it impractical to say the least. There was some documentary on PBS about japanese swords a few months back and I was intrigued by how different parts of the sword actually use different kinds of metal, like altering the levels of impurity depending on whether you're looking for sharpness or durability.

[redsox0914]

1) What do you think is the coolest-looking sword?
Probably a claymore or some other European greatsword...big sword = big win

2) What do you think is the most effective sword?
rapier...big swords are outclassed by polearms for the most part. small swords for mobility and more general use (outside of the battlefield in no-armor situations for example)

3) What do you think is the strongest/most durable sword?
probably a two-handed sword...strong enough to knock down your opponent when he tries to block you and such
but they're pretty much outclassed by polearms with the use of heavy armor, and rapiers in more civilian environments

[MuffDiver99019]

Where's Zweihander in the poll?

[wildhawk]

katana every time

[KKK666]

1) What do you think is the coolest-looking sword?

"日本刀" Nihon-tou. Oh, do you call nihontou katana (samurai-swrd)?

http://www.be-tackle.com/katana/yagyu8.JPG


2) What do you think is the most effective sword?

Probably, Nihontou. But, the judgment is done by the purpose.

If the person is slashed, Nihontou is better. However, if the armor is chopped, Chinese sword (円月刀) is better.



3) What do you think is the strongest/most durable sword?

It is the same as the answer secondarily.


http://www.katoken.gr.jp/koenkiko/archives/061026katana1.jpg
.

[DiamondDust]

scimitar... strong and swift :evil:

[TannhauserGate]

40K CHAINSWORD
http://www.ateliers-nemesis.com/images/armes/divers/chain-sword.jpg

[NightBirdz]

The one that sephiroth uses in final fantasy 7. XD

[Arashiou]

"Katanas are based on speed and technique while sabers are based on weight and power." Something from playing Fate/Stay Night :happy:

[craniu]

the rapier

a good Offense/Defense ratio

a light weapon for one handed or two weapons fighter style (in combination with a dagger)

a light slashing attack but a devastating thrusting/piercing attack :donotwant:

a elaborated guard who protects the user's hand from the opponent's sword :relief:

[DK3411]

The dual hidden blades used by Ezio in Assassin's Creed 2. While not technically a "sword", it is still pretty much capable of what a sword can do, though it's primary use is in thrusting/piercing, particularly when no one is noticing.

[specter88]

Since the question goes "What is the coolest sword" i'd have to go with the katana.Nothing beats Vergil and his Yamato in being cool.

[StormGod]

Katana hands down coolest

[CDGmaboroshi]

most of you fools pick the katana because of how much a jp-wannabe u guys are.

the scimitar delivers the quickest blows for a one hander.

[BAKALOID]

I picked down katana because the poll only meant "coolest" and katana is hands-down the coolest sword for me. I love the way katanas do have kanji written on the blade itself and the simplicity of it's design yet it's deadly slashing power if you get to use it effectively.

If we're talking about most effective swords, I would've picked psi-blades, coz they can break enemy swords too, and they're one handed. ^^

[masloo]

vote for Katana
agility and speed are the most dangerous thing to kill something