It’s easy to spend a lot of money on a samurai sword cane and end up with a piece of you-know-what.
You can avoid that by being a savvy shopper. The first thing to understand is that not all swords – and this certainly includes sword canes – are created equal.
Here’s a list of considerations to help ensure you don’t end up throwing good money after bad.
Make Sure You Buy a Forged Blade
Some cheap sword canes are made with cast steel blades. No knife, dagger, sword or even prop with a cast blade can stand the test of use.
Casting in an inferior technique that uses low-grade, inferior alloys to save money on production costs. Not only is the finish of a cast blade shoddier than a forged blade, but cast blades are little more than wall-hangers, and ugly ones at that.
Make sure the one you’re looking at has a forged blade, which means it was not “poured” into shape, but wrought into shape by a smith with a hammer or a press. Forging results in a stronger, higher-quality blade – not just for sword canes, but for all blades.
Fun fact – all bladed tools, including knives, swords, daggers, axes, hatchets, tomahawks, saws, and even shovels, have forged and tempered blades – not cast.
Make Sure It Is a High-Carbon Steel Alloy
If you intend to use this samurai sword cane for live practice, it must not only have a forged blade, but a forged blade of an appropriate alloy – such as T10 or 1065 steel.
Low-carbon, high-chromium stainless steel alloys are good at resisting corrosion, but they’re too soft to make good steels for swords.
There is one exception here, though. If you are going to use the sword can as a decorative item, lower-grade stainless alloys are acceptable.
Understand What You’re Getting into in Terms of Maintenance
A samurai sword cane with a high-carbon blade is going to rust if you leave it in the sheath all the time. This is a fact and there’s little you can do about it.
Ideally, you should store the two components separately for longer periods as this will allow the blade to breathe.
However, you also need to remember that you need to keep the blade clean, dry, and protected from high-moisture conditions. The blade should also be kept with a light coat of oil to prevent corrosion.
Understand the Industry Terminology
There is a big, important term you need to know if you’re going to shop wisely for a samurai sword cane, and that term is battle ready.
A battle ready sword will be made from an appropriate alloy (that part has been covered) treated with a temper that will enable it to withstand the rigors of use. That part is vital.
The last thing a battle-ready sword cane will have is a full tang – not a welded tang, not a rat-tail tang. This will also improve its strength and structural stability.
Look for Quality Components
Lastly, if you can, devote some of your attention to the quality of the sword cane’s components. If it comes with a high-quality wooden scabbard and a leather-wrapped handle, those things are worth something. Plastic is alright but as you can imagine it is cheap and lacks class.
Start with a Short List for Samurai Sword Canes at True Swords
If you’re in the market for a quality samurai sword cane that won’t disappoint you, start your search at True Swords. They carry a wide range of high-quality sword canes among other historical and fantasy swords, some of them battle ready. You can learn more on their website or get in touch with them directly.
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