Behind the Scenes at SBG!

The SBG Sword Forum is HERE!

2006-12-05T22:40:00.000+10:30

It's been there for a while in the back of my mind - but recent events have kind of brought it to the forefront...

And now, as of Sunday the 3rd of December, I started drafting the ONLY dedicated sub US$300 sword forum on the internet - the (aptly named) SBG Sword Forum

Already its got the basic skeletal structure in shape and myself and a few other posters are starting to give it a little 'meat'. But while the official launch is a few days away, I thought I might as well let everyone who reads my blog (umm, someone does read my blog don't they?! I know my site gets several hundred visitors a day and I get countless emails, but - sometimes I gotta wonder about who, if anyone reads this. LOL).

Ok, now I have forgotten what I was talking about...

Ah yes! The Forum! Check it out, join up and make a few posts! The only real rules are keep it friendly and keep the focus on sub US$300 swords. But apart from that, ask questions, meet other sword enthusiasts - and above all, have fun!

I hope to see you the 1 or 2 people who read my blog there! Hehe

SBG Sword Forum

Paul

SFI and Newsletter

2006-12-01T10:52:00.000+10:30

Hey Guys,

Well - within the next few hours the December edition of my online magazine, the Sword Buyers Digest is set to go out to my regular crowd of subscribers. But you might notice that one featured section that has been there from the beginning is missing...

Due to my publishing of a 'contraversial' article on Backyard Cutting - which is in the eyes of Sword Forum International is effectively taboo without first getting proper instruction - Adrian Ko from SFI politely asked me to remove the Sword Forum International Logo and links from my magazine (as well as removing a thread about my Shirasaya competition on the forums).

I can see where Adrian is coming from - and generally agree. I think that it is obviously prefferable to get proper instruction before cutting with a sword, because if something goes wrong, you can get seriously hurt or even killed.

But to be fair, my article on backyard cutting start with some pretty important basic safety considerations - and the fact of the matter is, people are still going to do backyard cutting if they are so inclined wherether they have an instructor or not... So better to give some guidelines on what to cut and how to be safe than just say 'don't do it'...

For this and other reasons, I that this clearly marked seperation from SFI was probably inevitable...

My focus is on solidly built sub US$300 swords. And many people at SFI refuse to acknowledge or even look at swords priced under $500.

Yet despite that, I've still heard stories of swords in this price point failing too - and occasionally from routine activities that all the swords I have personally reviewed have handled without any problems at all... So price doesn't always equate to functionality (though the old adage "you get what you pay for" is still pretty accurate, and I am not saying that a $200 sword is better than an $800 sword, but it doesn't neccessarily mean that the $800 sword is four times better...)

Anyway, just so you know - there is no bad blood between SBG and SFI. And I still think SFI is a fantastic resource and will continue to post there from time to time (though I have to be careful not to talk about my site). The Sword Community is too small to be divided against itself, so my thoughts are always - come to SBG for the basic info and begin your journey. Then, if you want to go from the intermediate to advanced levels, participate at SFI! :-)

One last thing before I go.

Since a lot of beginners tend to get shot down or mocked at SFI for posting or asking questions about entry level swords, I am planning to introduce my own forum for beginners and intermediate sword enthusiats within the next couple of month - so watch this space! More is coming soon! :-D

Talk to you all later, and see you inside the next issue of my mag!

Paul

Just Some Updates

2006-11-27T21:30:00.000+10:30

Well, have been keeping busy on the Sword Buyers Digest the last couple of weeks, especially in the last few days - and am now adding the finishing touches to part 2 of the Backyard Cutting Article. Nearly ready to 'lock and load' and its shaping up to be a pretty good issue, especially from a bargain hunters point of view (and for people who like gory pics of chopped up 'meat' - yup, target number 7 is the humble hunk of pork or beef 'ala Cold Steel or the ARMA').

Have also been doing a few minor updates to the various sub articles on sword manufacturers, most notably a new page write up on the pros and cons of Deepeeka Swords - an oft neglected manufacturer of medieval and ancient style swords, but because of their extremely low price tags (often less than $100 a piece) at least more than a cursory look.

While they generally don't compare too well to my faves such as Gen2 and Windlass, $ for $ they are acceptable. And I'd really hate to become one of those sword snobs who says 'save up and buy a Gen2' as it isn't that far from people who say 'save up an buy an Albion', so since they are under the US$300 price point, they need to be taken into more serious consideration than previously. (In fact, the only 'branded' manufacturer of swords that I don't have much time for is Rittersteel. Same prices as Windlass, lower quality than Deepeeka - and they never answered my email when I wanted to give a more balanced look at their products, so I can hardly recommend these guys! I HATE it when people don't reply to an email, it just isn't professional! Phew, rant over and out!)

Finally, now that I got that unpleasantness of my chest (after all, I spend several hours each day answering each and every email I get! Ooops, sorry - back to normalish) - what was I saying? Umm, oh yeah - did a few other updates to the Sword Buyers Directory, it's really starting to take shape now - and changed the nagivation order so everything is a bit smoother. Will be doing alot more to these pages over the coming months.

Finally, I'd like to Congratulate Mr. Ron Salter for his contribution to the Win A Shirasaya Competition for his winning entry for a very swish looking home made customization of the Hanwei Zatoichi sword. A bit of sanding, some twists of rattan, varnish and some meunki and we have a very unique and attractive looking sword! Keep up the good work Ron!

Until next post (which will probably be soon after the Digest goes out) - take care and have fun with sword! ;-)

Paul

Price rises

2006-11-18T21:22:00.000+10:30

Hey guys, just a quick post as I've had a few emails from folk a bit worried about the new pricing structure for Cheness swords.

To sum up, all Cheness sword sales are now subject to a MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) that all resellers must stick to. So as a consequence, I've raised my prices to the lowest allowable price accordingly.

The MAP It makes sense when you think about it - because without the MAP, every Cheness seller would be lowering the price to compete with each other.

And if the margins get much thiner than they are already, pressure would be increased on Mr. Chen to lower his wholesale prices, which would mean that sooner rather than later he would have to seriously cut production costs back at the forge - resulting in a substandard product - something that no-one wants to see happen...

Anyway, I've still made sure that my site is the best place to buy Cheness swords. Because not only have I added more free items to every purchase as well as adding a FREE shipping option on orders over US$350, but I've also kept my promise that if by some chance that you find a cheaper price on a Cheness sword somewhere else (which really, you shouldn't - as everyone is on the MAP) - I'll beat the deal by up to 10%.

The only exception is that right now, Cheness are having a massive Christmas sale with discounts well below the MAP. BUT - my promise of beating a better deal still stands, so if you want to email me with an enquiry - I'll come back to you with my very best offer.

Talk to you all soon!

Paul

Yes, one person CAN make a difference...

2006-11-13T21:20:00.000+10:30

Hehehe - well finally got of my a** (or is that *ss - hmm, either way you know what I mean!) and added some good old fashioned Wakizashi to my Cheness sales page here

What has this got to do with one person making a difference? Well, just got an email from a gent that tipped me to act on this. Have had quite a few email requests from people asking 'do you sell the Cheness Wakizashi' and the answer was of course, yes - since all swords are sent direct from the warehouse and I would quote my best price.

Anyway, to cut a long story short here is my email reply:

Your email was the straw that broke the camels back! :-D I've had a few requests for Wakizashis of late, but once I got your email it was enough to finally tip the scales and get me to put up my Wakizashi page:

http://sbg-sword-store.sword-buyers-guide.com/Wakizashi.html

Yes, sometimes one person can make a difference! ;-)

Sorry for my seemingly frivilous modd, let me know if you have any questions at all.

Kind Regards,

Paul Southren
www.sword-buyers-guide.com

For the guaranteed lowest prices on Cheness Cutlery Katana and Iaito please visit:
http://sbg-sword-store.sword-buyers-guide.com/

Hehe - so sometimes one person CAN make a difference!

Paul

Test To Destruction

2006-11-12T17:30:00.000+10:30

Yup, I've been talking about it for a while - but the long awaited "Test to Destruction" of a Generation 2 medieval Sword is finally up and live on my site!

Basically, the plan was to take a Generation 2 sword (in this case, the Maximilian Sword) and bash it against a variety of hard targets guaranteed to cause damage until it failed. The reason I was to do this was to test how the sword held up to progessively more abusive targets - and as you can see from the results, it held up so well that it was proving almost impossible to destroy using the mediums I selected (e.g. a bar of steel, cinderblock, bricks a tree trunk and more).

Click here for the step by step destruction, vids and all the 'gory' details

In other SBG news (there's that TV reporter voice again!) I've also updated the Sword Buyers Directory with a few 'meet your vendor' links to previous SBG interviews I conducted in the Sword Buyers Digest

Check them out if you haven't already. This is a concept I will be expanding over the coming months so instead of buying swords from faceless websites, you'll get a chance to see what they are about and what kind of people you are dealing with before you hand over your hard earned.

It's not foolproof, but I am only giving this opportunity to already proven and reliable vendors, so should be interesting to see where it ends up.

Anyway, gonna answer a few visitors emails and then unwind with a couple of games of Samurai Showdown! ;-) See ya all next post!

Paul

Poor Old Blog... :-)

2006-11-05T21:20:00.000+10:30

Hehehe, well - I DO occasionally post to the blog - but geez, I must admit its pretty irregular! Oh well...

Anyway, have been pretty busy of late - what with this months edition of the Sword Buyers Digest - speaking of which, I've had a graphic designer make up a nice little 'cover' for it - what do you think? Not a bad job he did eh?

Anyway, apart from loading the new image and promo for my mag throughout my site, I've also been busy working away on the much anticipated Sword Buyers Directory which is basically a carefully researched list of the most reliable and trustworthy sword sellers online for our sub US$300 swords!

Now to make sure that it is up to date, I've included a special form at the bottom of the page. Where if a few people report bad experiences with a particular seller, they will promptly get removed from the directory. And conversely, if I get a couple of emails from people saying 'hey, you forgot about (obviously not a real website - I hope!) then Nice-Sword-For-You.com will get listed.

It's not 100% foolproof - but its not a bad attempt either - and hopefully will weed out some of those nasty sellers out there (I am pretty careful NOT to name names as I don't want a lawsuit on my hands, but trust me - there are some real BASTARDS out there!).

Anyway, that's probably the major stuff I want to talk about. I've got work to get back to! :-)

Paul

Pics, pics - where art thou?!

2006-10-20T22:27:00.000+09:30

Ok, well I don't know about everyone else, but the pictures on Sword Buyers Guide are kind of, dissapearing...

What's strange is that it seems that on some browsers, everything is fine. But on mine, and several others that I have looked at - umm, well the pics on my pages about Ancient Swords and Medieval Swords have pretty much vanished!!

So here they all are for you to put into perspective:

Hehe, just kidding. But its a bit of a worry. If anyone else has noticed it too, please shoot me a quick email or place a comment below. I have some IT gurus looking into it but haven't got an answer as to when it will be restored as it turns out to be quite complicated... :-(

Ah, computers. Couldn't live without 'em, can't live with 'em (reminds me of an old Muppets song, hehe).

Let me know guys.

Cheers,

Paul

Bujinkan Oniyuri Ninja Katana is Back!

2006-10-13T19:26:00.000+09:30

It's been a long wait - but the Custom Bujinkan 9260 Spring Steel Oniyuri Katana is finally back in stock at Cheness and available at the lowest price on the internet at the SBG Sword Store.

Unfortunately, they are no longer available at the US$199.99 price point but are US$249.99 at Cheness and $209.99 at SBG. You can see them for yourself
here

I really don't know how long I will be able to keep them at the US$209.99 price point for as my profits on this sword are as thin as this sword is sharp. So if you want to snap one up at this discount price, you had better be quick..!

That's all for now, will post again shortly.

Paul

Sword Store Goings on

2006-10-09T08:44:00.000+09:30

Well, just thought I'd let you all know that I have finally got around to doing a few minor renovations to the front page of the SBG Sword Store, most notably adding the Cheness test cut compliation to it so that visitors that have come straight to the store without reading any of the reviews will have some idea of what's in store for them (sorry - bad pun!)

I also created another seperate page that opens in another window that gives some basic info on Cheness swords, how they are made and also quite a few of my customers experiences with them.

You can see this page here

As a new shipment of Cheness swords is about to come back into availability, I will be adding a few new products to the store - including the Oniyuri Katana, the classic Kanbai (boy - that one has been out of stock for a while) and the Kochou (probably the only Cheness sword that I'm not crazy about).

I've also got a list about as long as my arm of other things to do on SBG - not least of which is next months edition of the Sword Buyers Digest Online Magazine so will definitely be keeping busy. This may mean that (as it often happens) I may not be able to find the time to post much here for a while, but will certainly let you know about any other noteworthy changes.

Ok, that's it for this post - will keep you guys informed with what's going on as it happens.

Cheers,

Paul

New Vids, Newsletter feedback and more...

2006-10-04T10:57:00.000+09:30

Hey Guys!

Well, first off I'd like to thank everyone for the kind feedback on my new look Online Magazine - very encouraging and makes me look forward to putting together another big one for next month! :-)

So thanks for your emails guys!

After the magazine was sent, I've been busy editing and putting together a few videos from some older clips with Generation 2 and Cheness Cutlery to put on youtube. Definitely was a lot of fun, and I quite enjoy the creativity - will no doubt be many more in the works, especially as I am putting together some orders to try some more swords out and see how they go.

Anyway, here's the vids, with the first one being a complilation of Cheness Test Cuts put to music. I quite like the weird sound my kiai ends up becoming on the final cut, spooky! hehe.

I also put together a few more specific clips for the Kaze Katana. The first one is the Kaze cutting a piece of unsupported paper. Another very weird sound on this one, must have been a perfect Zen cut I reckon! :-P

Another one of the Kaze, this time some typically overzealous, overcommited cuts which were really unecessarily forceful...

And finally, a Gen2 compilation of their medieval swords being abused in some destructive durability tests...

All in all, good clean fun - and like I said, lots more of them in the works so stay tuned.

[official voice] in other sword buyers guide news: hehe, well, I am currently putting together some mini reviews and customer feedback for my SBG Sword Store - so don't mind if the front page looks a little half-nekid, please just politely avert your eyes while it is changing! :-P

(Should be finished within the next 24 hours though).

Ok, that's all for now - catch up with you all soon!

Paul

New Newsletter Format

2006-10-01T12:13:00.000+09:30

After a heck of a lot of trial and error, I am pleased to say that I may have developed a format for my newsletter that really 'delivers the goods'.

Now in a pdf 'Magazine' Format, this months edition of The Sword Buyers Digest is more jam packed than ever before and is an indication of the direction I want to take it in.

Basically, it is now an online version of a print magazine - with the current issue being around 10 pages long and featuring an excellent interview with Lancelot Chan from Realistic Sparring weapons, news and discounts on some of the newest swords from Cheness, Windlass and Generation 2, a review of the practical 'Main Gauche' by Hanwei, tips and resources for customizing your own Katana from scratch, Win a Cheness 9260 blade in Shirasaya Competition, Video of the month (featuring two guys showing some real German longsword techiques), the best forum posts, discount offer on the Differentially Hardened Kaze Katana, site news and probably a few other bits and pieces that I have forgotten to mention...

Phew! As you can probably tell, the latest edition has taken a lot more work than any previous issues - which is kind of why I've been so quiet here - and everything else on my site has had to kind of take a back seat. But I believe it is worth it, and hopefully as I grow my list of subscribers from a few hundred to a few thousand, getting some advertising dollars to give me more time to develop it (and the rest of my site) will be a viable option.

Anyhow, if you haven't subscribed already - you might want to check it out! The more people I have subscribed, the quicker I will be able to convince sword sellers that it is worth advertising in - and this means the more content I will be able to bring you without having to charge you for it.

It's loaded and ready to send at 1am EST, so I hope that you will enjoy it! And please, if you have any comments on it, send me an email - this magazine isn't happening in a vacuum, its for YOU - so I want to make sure that it delivers the kind of stuff you want to read about.

Thanks guys, talk to you all again soon.

Paul

Good morning!

2006-09-29T20:07:00.000+09:30

Hehe - since I fell asleep on the virtual couch a few weeks ago, I haven't been posting much here. But trust me, as usual there's been a whole heap of stuff going on behind the scenes...!

I'm not going to say too much right now, mostly because I am too busy still doing stuff, but promise I will keep everyone updated.

So I guess this is just a quick post to let everyone know I am alive and kicking (well, actually 1 year older, it was my birthday last week!) and will have another much more detailed update very, very soon! :-)

Site Updates

2006-09-11T21:09:00.000+09:30

I just can't help myself...

Simply can't stop tweaking my site - which is probably a gynormous waste of time in some ways, but hopefully has been a bit of an improvement...

The first full page to get another mini overhaul kind of thing is the one on Medieval Swords

Basically, I've improved the site layout a bit here and there to make it clearer and easier to navigate, made the special discounts a little more prominent, and changed the videos to a combination of You Tube and Google Videos instead of the 'take damn near forever to load' vids that were there before...

Over the course of the month I will be doing the same thing for my other pages, and then creating several new and improved pages when it comes time to do my Sword Buying Primer pages.

Boy, I sure wish I could do my site full time! There really is so much to do, it really is a case of get home from work, work on the site, go to bed and then repeat the cycle...! Sure does take a hell of a lot of time - but then again, it's still fun - or why the hell would I be doing it ;-)

Anyway, this is going to be a busy month - there are actually about 1000 things on the drawing board at the moment, just need to manage my time properly to get it all done! Not easy, true - but then again anything worthwhile in life ain't easy either!

Ok, enough semi-philisophical rambling - gone some serious work to do. Then again, I am starting to yawn a bit - maybe I should spend some time on the couch. Yeah, the couch sounds like a good idea...

See ya next post guys! (falls fast asleep)

Paul

SBG Store Back Online

2006-09-10T13:48:00.000+09:30

There we go, all fixed! :-)

While I am posting, I forgot to mention that I recently added a new page to my store specifically for Aussie sword buyers of Cheness Swords here which gives a quick run down of the Cheness swords I have in stock ready to go from Australia and some general info for Aussie Japanese sword enthuiasts (or is that Japanese Aussie Sword Enthusiasts, no - I think it is the first one).

So if you live in Australia and are into affordable Japanese swords, check it out. I am just starting to put together a new restock order including some of the longer swords that can't be shipped to Oz due to Australia Post Size restrictions (the standard sized swords JUST fit, but not by much. In fact technically, the packages are about 1-2cm OVER the size restriction).

Tough to love swords and live in Australia huh...? But with my new page I will be doing everything I can to try and tip the balance back in our favour!

SBG Store Temporarily offline (kind of)

2006-09-10T11:02:00.000+09:30

That $%^@ navbar kept having some trouble, so I've temporarily removed it to have a go at fixing it up 'behind the scenes' as it were.

The actual SBG Sword Store is still up and running btw, just the link from the nav bar ain't displaying right...

Should be fixed shortly (fingers crossed), but thought I'd mention it in case anyone was wondering 'What happened to the SBG Store'.

Last couple of days...

2006-09-09T20:12:00.000+09:30

hey guys, just a quick post to let you all know that all the big discounts on offer in this months edition of the Sword Buyers Digest are about to expire at midnight 10th of September 2006 (US EST) so if you don't know about them already, you might want to sign up and take a gander...

Other SBG News

In other SBG news (Jeez, I almost sounded like a news reporter then!) I've also added one of the latest Cheness products to my SBG Sword Store, the very cool, and very nicely priced Delux Iaito. Plus, I've also overhauled the main page there to add a few more links and make it look a bit 'nicer'.

Unfortunately, for reasons yet unknown the link to the SBG Store isn't displaying properly on my main sites pages. It still works if you click on it, but is coming up with one of those annoying little x boxes (and no, not the games machine. hehe)

Ok, well that's all for now - trying to madly get it fixed, the joy of being a webmaster huh...! ;-)

Will get back into the 'posting spirit' with some more updates. But in the meantime, if you want to grab a real bargain, don't forget to check out the discounts in this months edition of my newsletter.

Ciao for now,

Paul

BIG, BIG DISCOUNTS!

2006-08-28T21:01:00.000+09:30

Next months issue of the Sword Buyers Digest contains more discounts than EVER before...

And I am not talking about piddly little 'ho hum' discounts, I am talking about seriously ground breaking, first time ever seen discounts that are unlikely to be repeated...

I really can't say too much more at this point - other than if you are looking for a real bargain, next months issue of the Digest will have them like NEVER before (and probably, never again! Discounts are an important part of the Digest and obviously very popular judging from the emails I get. BUT, I don't want the Digest to become just another 'save $$$' newsletter. This is a one off. But it's a DAMN GOOD one off, as I am sure you will agree if you see it!)

Ok, that's all for now. I will be too busy putting everything together for next months Newsletter to post again until its finished, so hopefully I'll see ya in the (members) lounge! :-)

Paul

It's Official!

2006-08-21T20:42:00.000+09:30

I am totally stoked! :-D

I have just managed to get the brand new SBG Store up on my site and am happy to announce that it is now 100% operational and ready to sell some of those brand 'new and improved' Cheness swords at the best prices I can possibly muster:

SBG SWORD STORE

Sure, it was a lot of hard work - but it has been a lot of fun too.

And the best part is by launching this site I can provide YOU with what I firmly believe are the best value for money sub US$300 Japanese swords out there as well as help fund my (somewhat expensive) site into the future.

Speaking of which, I just updated my About SBG page to be as transparant as possible about what I am doing and why...

Anyway, I love to take a little time off to celebrate - but there is so much more to be done in all areas of my site its kind of hard to rest on my laurels..

For a start, I am planning on expanding my directory to include EVERY sword seller I know of (as well as dividing them by countries and regions) sharing with you a mountain of useful links to sites about sword training, history etc and getting hold of a few new swords to put through the wringer to see how they come out the other side ;-)

Not to mention of course next months edition of the Sword Buyers Digest - but as usual I am getting ahead of myself (much more on this in another post!)

Sure, its not always easy to find the time (especially as I also hold down a full time job and somewhere around the place I believe I have a very patient and understanding wife... :-)). But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Paul

P.S. Still more work to do on the SBG Store Site of course.. But yes, it's up and running! :-)

Sneak Preview....

2006-08-20T23:21:00.000+09:30

Wow...

Have certainly got a lot done since the last post! In fact, I am so close to completing launching the new "SBG Sword Store" now that this preview is almost not necessary!

Ok, well that's a bit of an exaggeration - as there are still quite a few minor things to do.

BUT that said - I have tested it, and this subdomain site is 100% operational - and extremely close to being finished. In fact, you can even use the new site to order! (THAT side of things is secure and ready to take orders - just a few cosmetic bits and pieces to do, and new Cheness products to add).

So yeah - for those early birds who want to have a look, you can check it out Here

In fact, you could even use it RIGHT NOW to order the trial run of the massive 9260 Spring Steel O-Katana!

Will let you all know when it will be 'officially' launched on my site, but let's just say - it won't be very long now!! :-)

Paul

Some Good Old Fashioned Cutting :-)

2006-08-19T18:31:00.000+09:30

Very quick post - but I just upped my personal record for cutting those nasty, evil water filled plastic milk bottles... ;-)

Actually, its not very hard once you get the hang of it - but I was actually doing it to take some stills for a header on my pending new Cheness Sales site...

So, just for a bit of fun - here it is (will be posting it proper on my own site later on).

It was done using you tube, which is fun to watch and loads easily on my webpages. In fact, I plan on using you tube a lot more on my site as it loads A LOT quicker than my current pages - which means, yup - lots more cutting vids coming soon...!

(Those water bottles, etc should be pretty scared right now! hehe)

Paul

Quick Update

2006-08-16T18:51:00.000+09:30

I haven't been posting a lot here lately, but trust me - there's been a lot going on behind the scenes... (Which is why I haven't been posting a lot here lately!) ;-)

First off, I have been starting to put together a much neater and more professional 'mini-site' for my Cheness sword shop which I am hoping to launch before the end of the month.

I will soon be giving a sneak preview here on this very blog - but suffice it to say, it will be a lot more streamlined, with lot's more information on it - and perhaps most importantly of all - the best prices I can possibly get you on Cheness Cutlery Katana...!

I've also been updating some of my reviews and information based on the recent and dramatic improvements to Generation 2's line up of Medieval Swords.

For those of you who didn't read my interview with Clyde Hollis in July's edition of The Sword Buyers Digest Generation 2 have been busy upgrading their swords by reducing the weight and balance to a much more historically accurate geometry, polishing the blade to a mirror finish - and basically changing the focus of their swords from just another super tough beater to a super tough but extremely nice handling sword - ALL WITHOUT RAISING THE PRICE! :-)

You can read about these improvements here (in fact, I've been almost 'secretly' updating some of my pages like this one in the last few weeks, because I am planning to split the main page about buying swords online into several, more detailed categories - more on this later).

Another 'before and after' review modification was done a couple of days ago to my review of what I truly believe may be the best price to quality ratio entry level medieval sword - The Black Prince

What they have done to improve this already excellent sword is truly quite amazing, though if you want to get one you might have to wait a few weeks as they are currently sold out at AoV and restocking shortly.

There are actually a few more updates that I should probably mention (serves me right for not posting so often!) but I am gonna sign off and save it for next time.

So while it may sometimes not seem that dramatic changes are taking place, scratch beneath the surface and you'll see that SBG is certainly keeping me, very, very busy indeed! ;-)

Ok, thats all for today - gotta get back to it - catch up with you all again shortly!

Paul

Lots, and Lots and (lots) of stuff going on! :-)

2006-08-05T18:55:00.000+09:30

Hiya guys,

First off, thanks to all those people who emailed me on the new 'look' Newsletter and expanded members lounge. Certainly was a lot of fun writing it! And thanks to those people who enjoyed the VID of the MONTH - hehe, I know that laughing at another persons misfortune is kind of wrong, but...

...Well, it was just too damn funny to pass by (and for those who don't know what I'm talking about, you'll have to sign up and find out - this months members lounge and everything is still available as a back issue).

Ok, so - as the header of this post suggests, there's been quite a bit of stuff going on behind the scenes at SBG lately. Notably, I thought that with all the 'madness' about entry level Katana these days, it was becoming obvious that some people have been expecting to pay a sub US$300 price tag and get the same as a $1000+ sword...

...Really, this is - like I say in this new sub-article here it's like paying for a Pinto and expecting a Ferrari. "It just ain't gonna happen".

ALL entry level sub-US$300 swords aren't as good as the elite swords (If they were, the elite swords wouldn't be - elite!). Sure, many will more than do for dojo useage and good old fun with swords backyard cutting. But it's a bit silly to expect them to be cosmetically as appealing as a $1000+ sword... So it was something that I had to get off my chest.

While my focus will ALWAYS be on entry level sub US$300 swords, I will be making a few extra pointers to the next few levels of swords at the end of my major pages for balances sake and to give my visitors a good idea what is out there.

Next on today's posts agenga - its kind of buried at the moment in the Movie Swords pages, but I have just finished revising my article on the Lord of the Rings Swords

Yes, I know that the Trilogy is long behind us. And as a result, some time ago United Cutlery discontinued the 'Official' swords. But now, after all the clutter is out of the way - there are some real gems that shine through for the true LoTR fans who are left behind...

So if you are a fan of LoTR or Fully functional Elven and Fantasy inspired swords in general, check out the revised article here for the full low down.

This post is starting to get waaay too long for my liking. And trust me, there is LOTS of things to be done on SBG at the moment. But rather than talk about it right now, I am gonna do it - and post about it - next time...

Be back later!

Paul

Members Lounge

2006-07-29T18:50:00.000+09:30

Hey Guys,

Just letting you all know that I am now adding the finishing touches to next months edition of the Sword Buyers Digest (well, actually the members lounge)...

Since the members lounge is really where all the action is, I am trimming down the actual newsletter to just site news and the link and password to the members lounge. Especially coz a lot of people are subscribed by hotmail, etc, etc - it doesn't look half as good as it does on 'Outlook' so to cut a long ramble short - the actual newsletter is getting smaller and the members lounge is getting bigger! :-)

The August edition is pretty jam packed - there is a very cool interview with Windlass Steelcrafts, A $225 Windlass Sword selling for $165, the last chance to for someone to win the US$100 Reliks.com a review of a rather contraversial sword training book by a slightly deranged sword enthusiast (no, it's not me... hehe) and - well, that's not bad for a start now is it?!

Ok, hope to see you all in the lounge...!

Cheers,

Paul

Been a While Between Posts...

2006-07-23T15:41:00.000+09:30

Oops, looks like its been a while since I have posted here, so some news is probably a bit overdue...

First off, I just received my latest in a series of INTERVIEWS with the best manufacturers of entry level swords, with this one by one of the oldest in the business - Windlass Steelcrafts.

This eye opening and frank review will be included in next months edition of the Sword Buyers Digest and has just minutes ago been revealed there, so if you aren't already a subscriber, you won't want to miss out!

It MIGHT be delayed slightly from the scheduled sending on the 1st of August, but if it is it won't be by much.

In other sword buyers guide news, behind the scenes I am also planning a much clearer page for the SBG Cheness Cutlery shop. Actually, I have bought a sub-domain which will have much more defined categories instead of the current rambling, scrolling down forever page that is currently there... (as you can tell, I ain't happy with the new revamped page or the old one, so its actually pretty overdue).

Its taking up a fair amount of time, but hopefully this will be ready to unveil at sometime mid-August.

Speaking of Cheness Cutlery, as some of you undoubtedly know Mr. Paul Chen is currently overseas visiting his father who has taken ill and been hospitalized. So on behalf of SBG and all my visitors, we wish his father good health and a speedy recovery.

Paul

Guide to Cheness Katana

2006-07-16T18:04:00.000+09:30

I've just finished the first stage of an important new development to my Cheness Cutlery Sales page. You see, I often get asked a lot of questions about Cheness swords - and believe me, I love getting questions and comments from my visitors - BUT there are some things that keep getting asked over and over again and at the end of the day, it means that I need to put them on my site somewhere..! :-)

Anyway, to help with this I've started to change the layout of my sales page to be more of a guide to selecting the right sword rather than just listing them with a few notes here and there. It's far from finished, but I've at least made some reasonable headway - check it out HERE and if you've got any comments or suggestions, let me know.

I've also got a fair few testimonials that I'd like to put up on the site, but unfortunately I didn't properly arrange them in one place as I got them so I gotta go hunting for 'em...!

Anyway, just a quick update - I've got a list as long as my arm on things to update and add at the moment, but I'll let you all know of any other changes here so that you aren't left going 'What the...'?

Cheers guys, talk to you all later,

Paul

New review

2006-07-10T19:59:00.000+09:30

Hey Guys,

Have been taking a little break since I worked pretty frantically on the last edition of my newsletter the (1) Sword Buyers Digest but I have certainly not been resting on my laurels...

When I look at my site, there are just so many more things that I want to do that it can actually be quite intimidating..! ;-)

But I like to think of it this way - how do you eat an elephant?
With a Knife and Fork!
(oops, that's not right... I should have said "one chewy bite at a time!" hehe)

Anyway, there's a new review up on SBG for the Windlass Steecrafts Scimitar Sword sent in by Canadian History Teacher and SBG Visitor Jean-Pierre Francouer.

Plus, when I looked at the Sword-Buyers-Guide.com homepage, I noticed that I reffered to the "Navigation links at the bottom of the page" that I removed a while ago. So I decided to put them back in my biggest pages.

Actually, listing the reviews and articles was a real eye opener! I never realized just how many reviews there were on SBG and how much the site has grown since the beginning - there is certainly a lot more there than at first meets the eye.

Anyhooo - I decided to make this links to the SBG 'sub-pages' pop up in another screen when clicked. I think that maybe this will make it easier to navigate without losing the page (ala MSN) BUT let me know if any of you guys think otherwise.

Quite a bit planned for this month (actually, I've got a lot planned for the next 3 months at least!) - so can't blab here all day, it's back to the grindstone! :-)

See ya next post!

Paul

Check your inbox...! :-)

2006-07-01T12:11:00.000+09:30

Hey guys, just sent this months edition of the
Sword Buyers Digest out to all my current subscribers. If you missed out, don't worry, you can still access the juiciest stuff in the members lounge - it's all explained on the linked page above.

As I am fond of saying, see ya in the lounge - the interview is well worth it!

Paul

Great News!

2006-06-30T20:52:00.000+09:30

Great News - especially for those people who have been waiting with some of these swords on backorder - the Cheness Cutlery 9260 Katana are BACK IN STOCK and good to go!!

That's right, they've finally cleared US customs and even as I write this, Cheness are shipping all the backorders - so if you've been waiting, the wait is almost over!

PLUS (as if that wasn't good enough!) they now have a new and improved Tsuka wrap!

Cool huh!

Anyway, I am now frantically preparing the last touches to Julys edition of the members lounge and the Sword Buyers Digest newsletter due to go out within the next 24 hours, so I can't shoot the breeze for long! :-)

Gotta get back to it, and apologies to anyone if my email answers aren't as fast as usual - will be catching up on a bit of a backlog of emails shortly!

Will post again after the newsletter goes out! See you all then....!!

Cheers,

Paul

Tenchi has docked - and new Reliks discounts now added sitewide!

2006-06-25T19:43:00.000+09:30

Lots of news today, so I'll try not to waffle :-)

First off, some of you might know the GREAT NEWS - the through hardened Cheness 9260 Spring Steel Katana (Tenchi and Shura) have finally made their way across the Pacific, have docked and are now awaiting unloading and customs clearance! This means that the rush to get one is officially on, so I have extended my pre-order offer to the main Katana Sale Page

The second bit of newsworth news is that the new 10% discount on all Windlass Steelcrafts swords from Reliks has been properly added to the site HERE

It's all pretty exciting stuff, especially when you consider some of the prices you can get these swords at now.

Anyway, just a very quick post! It's time to start work on next months issue of the Sword Buyers Digest - and about a billion other small (and Big) things that need to be done.

To be honest, I'd say that my site is right now probably around 15% finished from where I want it to be...!

No rest for the wicked eh? MWAHAHAHA (yawn!) hehe. If I didn't enjoy it so much, there is no way that I'd be able to keep going at this pace. But truth be told, instead of draining my energy, it usually gives me more! (usually!)

Hang on a minute - my waffle detector has just gone off... ;-)

Post again shortly! :-)

Paul

Interview with Gen2 and a NEW discount!

2006-06-24T13:55:00.000+09:30

Well, I've just finished conducting a very exciting and interesting review with Mr. Clyde Hollis from my favorite medieval sword manufacturing company, Generation 2 which will be published in the July Edition of the SBG Newsletter, The Sword Buyers Digest

The interview was very eye opening, with Clyde talking openly about his forge in the Philippines, how it all got started, some recent and quite dramatic improvements to his swords - and what's in store for the future - just to name a few things off the top of my head! Anyway, it was a great interview and I am sure if you have ever wondered about Generation 2 swords it is very informative.

Second thing is that Reliks Swords and Collectibles have agreed to offer a 10% discount to SBG visitors on each and every one of their Windlass Steelcrafts swords and items!

To take advantage of this offer, simply enter their site through this link HERE and in their checkout enter the special coupon code RELIKS-SBG and their system will automatically apply a 10% discount to each and every Windlass Steelcrafts sword or item in your shopping basket!

Pretty neat huh! Plus, a tiny percentage of each sale will be used to help keep SBG funded - so you can get yourself a fanastic deal AND help SBG continue running at the same time.

Well, that's all for now. I've got plenty more to talk about in the next post, so until then...

Paul

New Review of Celtic Falcata

2006-06-21T21:05:00.000+09:30

Just a quick note that there is another cool review by Canadian SBG Visitor Jean-Pierre on SBG for the Generation 2 Falacata

Plus I am also preparing some material for the next edition of my Newsletter including an exclusive interview with Clyde Hollis, the man behind my favorite medieval and ancient swords - Generation 2!

It's all quite exciting. So will talk to you all again in my next post!

Until then...

Paul

Minor Changes Here and There

2006-06-19T19:51:00.000+09:30

Just been juggling a few things in the left hand Navbar around here and there - so hope no-one's got dizzy..! :-)

I also shifted the Sword Buyers Directory to a more prominent place, it's not 100% finished yet but its at least functional - will work on it more (especially with regards to buyers outside of the US!) at a later date.

General Site News

There's been a couple of extra reviews and things added here and there. Of note is Mike Mahaffeys 'Second Opinion Review' of the Cheness Tenchi HERE and some pics and suggestions on how to strip back and lacquer the Hanwei Forge's Zatoichi Sword by Darren McNAMARA (oops, sorry for the earlier misspelling Darren!) ;-)

Lots more tinkering in store from me - I am planning to expand several pages in the next week or so and introduce a new special page on our sub US$300 manufacters that is probably long overdue, and quite a few other little projects too actually, so definietly keeping busy!

Well, that's all for today - post again shortly!

Paul

Kaze nearly sold out!

2006-06-18T15:14:00.000+09:30

A quick note to let you all know that the Kaze Differentially Hardened 9260 Silicon Alloy Spring Steel Katana (phew!) have ALMOST ALL SOLD OUT!

Stock levels are dangerously low and if you miss out, you'll have to wait a couple of months until the next shipment has come in..

Same applies to the Higo Laminated Katana actually - and the $99 Wakizashi Special is also due to come down roughly within the next 24 hours...

So if you have been umming and arring on any of these, you'll need to act pretty quickly to beat the last minute rush! Check 'em all out here:

SBG Katana Sale

Two new medieval sword mini-reviews

2006-06-17T20:50:00.000+09:30

Jean-Pierre Francoeur from Canada has kindly submitted two new reviews to SBG from his rather extensive collection of medieval swords.

The first one is for Windlass Steelcrafts Kingdom of Heaven sword the Sword of Ibelin and the second is around half way down the page on medieval swords for Hanwei's Hand and a Half Sword

As a member of SBG, anyone who submits as similar review automatically qualifies for a $10 Gift Voucher to be used at Reliks.com, as well as going into the competition to win a $100 BONUS gift voucher to be drawn in a couple of months time. So if you have ANY functional sword that retails for under US$300, a digital camera and a few minutes to record your impressions, not only will you be featured on SBG but you'll get a CUMULULATIVE Gift Voucher you can use to put towards your next sword!

For all the details, sign up as a SBG member, check out this months edition of the members lounge and start getting your vouchers! My aim is to have as many different swords as possible reviewed by YOU, the visitors, on SBG so that together we can all make selecting the best quality swords under the US$300 mark as easy and painless as possible.

Until next post.

Paul

$99 Wakizashi Offer Extended for 3 more days

2006-06-15T21:47:00.000+09:30

Very quick note - due to several requests the Special $99 Promotional Offer on the Musha has been extended until midnight the 18th of June 2006.

If you are interested, be sure to check it out HERE

Kaze Review is LIVE!

2006-06-12T19:49:00.000+09:30

Hey there guys,

Just thought I'd drop you all a line. The review of the differentially hardened KAZE Katana is now up and live on SBG, and I have to say, I was more than a little impressed with how this sword cuts...

...In fact so much so that I've nicknamed it the "Tatami Killer"!

If you check out the new review, you can see a couple of vids of one shredding a tatami mat to pieces. But also, I was surprised by how easily it cuts an unsupported sheet of paper...! And the sound it makes on that swing, my GOD! (BTW, that cut wasn't a fluke! I did it around 6 or 7 times and it cut the same way each time. But the sound on that first cut was so cool I had to use it! I have no idea what I did!! :-) But whatever it was, it sounded pretty wicked!)

Check it Out HERE

Of course, this means that I had to rearrange and juggle the page on Authentic Japanese Swords a little, but it was well worth it. Even decided to replace the top pic on that page with the Kaze cutting a thick Tatami mat!

This is one mean sword. Catch up with you all later! :-)

Paul

P.S. Paul Chen told me that he expects stock levels are getting DANGEROUSLY low on these swords. So if you are after one, you'd better get in quick or you'll have to wait a few months for the next shipment..

Ooops!

2006-06-09T21:37:00.000+09:30

Sorry everyone! For some reason my newsletter got sent again in the last few minutes!! I was having a few technical issues when I set it ready to go yesterday, but I am about a surprised as you are that it went out again...!

Red faced and embarrased here!! Sorry about that...! I am sure it wont send again (well, until next months issue anyway!) :-)

Paul

YAY, HUZZAH, BANZAI!

2006-06-08T21:08:00.000+09:30

Time for a minor celebration - for me anyway! :-)

The SBG Overhaul is finally complete (I've even changed the title of this blog!), my newsletter has just been sent in the last hour or so and - yup - for those of you who have been waiting for it, the Tenchi pre-order is now up and open for business!

I've also added the option of signing up and gaining instant access to the members lounge for those of you who haven't yet subscribed.

So I'm gonna let my newsletter and members lounge do the talking and have a well deserved beer break ;-)

See you all in the members lounge... ;-)

Paul

Locked and Loaded

2006-06-07T21:34:00.000+09:30

Phew...! What a long day!

But guess what? The latest edition of my newsletter and the members lounge are both "locked, loaded and ready to go"!

The members lounge is especially big this time around. And it all due to go out at 5am on the morning of the 8th June (USA Eastern time).

I should also point out that there is a special sale on my Cheness Cutleries page here for the Musha 1045 carbon steel Waks. Until the 15th of June you can pick them up for just $99 with FREE shipping in the US and a free sword stand (normally US$149.99 just for the sword).

There was something else that I was going to mention but its gone now... hehe. Totally brain fried after the marathon newsletter write up. Hope if you haven't already you will subscribe! :-)

Ah! I remember! I mentioned in the newsletter that while the Overhaul may be about to finish, I have been enjoying this particular blog so much that its not getting shelved! Instead, I will just be changing the title and 'keep on keeping on'.

I am not sure if I am making sense right now - (big yawn!) - so will tune off and post some more later! Until next time...

Paul

Newsletter relaunch begins in earnest

2006-06-04T16:54:00.000+09:30

As the title of this post suggests, I am starting the layout designs of this months edition of the Sword Buyers Digest, which is due out on the 8th of June (a little late due to the overhaul, but those of you who have been reading these posts regularily will know this already!)

Obviously I'm pretty busy at the moment as SBG is done in my 'spare time', so this post isn't going to be very long - but I did find the time to update the newsletter/membership sign up page as well as the about us page too, which just about completes the overhaul!

So there you go! Gotta get back to it - and if you haven't signed up yet, you might want to - this relaunch issue is going to contain some very nice offers!

See ya,

Paul

Tenchi Review is up!

2006-05-30T20:26:00.000+09:30

Took me long enough...! But my Review of the Cheness Tenchi is finally online!

I've also been 'connecting the dots' on some of the other reviews by Mike Mahaffey on my page featuring Authentic Japanese Swords - so next on my 'to-do' list (and fairly urgently I might add!) is the next instalment of my Newsletter...

Gonna be busy! So won't say too much here, will let you all know how I am going and when the newsletter will be coming back. Like I said in the last post, at the moment it's looking like the 8th of June, because there are a few other minor 'tweaks' that need to be done to the site before I take the 'SBG overhaul' sign down and kiss bye bye for now to the Overhaul blog.

Be back soon - "Gone Finishin'" (ohhh, very, very bad pun... My apologies, but I just couldn't resist...)

Paul

Final Days of the Overhaul...!

2006-05-28T16:38:00.000+09:30

Hi guys,

Well - this time I really mean it ;-)

The final days of the overhaul are approaching. I was hoping that everything would be wrapped up by the 1st of June, but there is soo much that needs to be done that its probably going to take just a little bit longer than that - and I'd rather not rush what needs to be done...

Currently, I am drafting up my long anticipated review of the tenchi 9260 katana and this should be ready either on Monday or Tuesday. THEN, I will be working feverishly to re-start my newsletter - the Sword Buyers Digest - where there will be some very juciy discounts and the opportunity for SBG members to pre-order some 9260 Cheness Katana before they hit the shores sometime in late June...

I've recently made a few changes to the main page on Japanese Swords including an link to the review of Masahiro's Bamboo Katana here and there is still some more guest reviews and work that needs to be done on this page, which I will be doing around the same time as the Tenchi review goes live.

Anyway, once the Tenchi review is up and the newsletter is going out (probably on the 8th of June, but hopefully before) it will announce the end of the 1st major overhaul (which, if you've been reading this, you'll know took a hell of a lot longer than what was anticipated).

But that certainly doesn't mean that the improvments to SBG are over! No WAY! The end of the overhaul is just the start of some VERY exciting things to come...!

So there you have it! I think the only thing I will miss is this blog... :'-( But somewhere I have another (long neglected) blog which I will be using until the NEXT overhaul (no doubt there will be another)...!

Will still be posting here in the meantime, so catch up with you all shortly!

PaulI

Brand New Katana!

2006-05-19T19:27:00.000+09:30

Just thought that I'd point out that the latest addition to the Cheness Cutlery line up, the 9260 Spring Steel, differentially hardened 'KAZE' Katana (which replaces the Kanbai DH Katana) is now available on my site for just US$279.99 PLUS a FREE sword cleaning kit and stand! (normally $599.99, with the Cheness Special Introductory Price of $299.99)

These swords are already selling like hotcakes, so I suggest if you want one of these beauties, you don't hang around!

Check 'em out on my Japanese sword sales page here - these swords ROCK!!!

More swords will be added in the coming days, PLUS there is also a special 7 sword side by side review by Mike Mafferty on all the major Japanese swords due to go up in the next few days - so if you are a lover of Japanese swords, you sure are in for a treat!!!

Paul

Price increases...

2006-05-13T11:57:00.000+09:30

Hey guys,

Just thought I'd drop you all a note that I've increased the prices of my Cheness Cutlery swords up to the minimum advertised price.

The reason behind this is that there were a few complaints from Cheness Cutlery dealers that my prices were making it impossible to compete - which is something I respect completely and have always wanted to avoid from the start.

After all, MOST sword sellers are fellow sword enthusiasts trying to make a living, and if they are pushed too far, they go out of business. If this was to happen on a large scale, competition will collapse - monopolies will consolidate and the number of good swords available will decline while at the same time prices will go through the roof - and that is something I DO NOT want to happen (and I am sure, neither do you!)

Anyway, the increases aren't huge, but I've thrown in a few extra free bonuses like FREE cleaning kits, stands etc on selected swords to try and make up for it.

Other News

As you all know the projected 2 month overhaul I started on January 27th 2006 has taken a lot longer than expected...! I look back on this blog and see some posts where in March I am convinced we are nearly there yet, but here we are in May and there is still so much to do!

Most of it is due to time constrains (after all, it is a part time endevour) but I'd still like to apologize for the delays - I really have so many different things that I'd like to do with my site and still consider it to be very much in its infancy.

I do hope to be able to dedicate more time to SBG in the coming months though...

My plan has now become to do my site full time by selling swords on SBG, which as you know has been a difficult and unexpected decision, if only because if I am selling swords and reviewing them it could be a 'conflict of interes'.

So to keep the balance, I will only ever sell swords that I really - honestly - love, offer a money back guarantee to ensure that I'll suffer if my reviews are off, and to invite other peoples reviews as much as possible (such as the newly revised SUBMIT A REVIEW page where you'll get an automatic $10 sword gift voucher for reviewing a fully functional sword available under US$300)!

It's going to take a while yes, and it's going to cost some serious money to get going, but if I can do this site full time, it will grow extremely rapidly to the one stop resource site that I envisioned when I first started it..

Anyway, enough rambling and dreaming! Its the weekend and I've got lots of work to do!

Talk to you all later.

Paul

Long time no posts...!

2006-05-10T18:17:00.000+09:30

Just a quick post to let everyone know I am still alive and kicking.. (or should that be swinging..? Hmm, maybe not - sounds a bit too Austin Powers!)

I haven't been updating things here on the blog, though my site has seen a few category shifts as part of the ongoing overhaul, as well as a few cosmetic changes here and there with page layout etc that I have been experimenting with.

Anyway, I am not going to go into too much detail in this post - I've decided to keep things in overhaul mode for one final month as there are a few things here and there that I am still not happy to pull down the curtain on and declare "the overhaul is complete" (plus, it would mean the end of this semi-regularily updated blog! And its been a lot of fun!)

Anyway (anyway, anyway) will be ramping things up very rapidly in the coming weeks with so many different things planned for the final stages of the overhaul (and many, many more editions for the months to follow shortly after) that I get tired just thinking about it! :-)

So enough said for today - I'm taking a quick break for a few days to recharge my batteries before it's full steam ahead like never before!

Catch up with y'all soon!

Paul

Cheness Cutlery Updates

2006-04-26T22:19:00.000+09:30

I've just been madly working away on the Cheness Sales page, mostly adding some individual (further info) pages with all the specs for the 9260 in Shirasaya and the 1045 Carbon Steel Ranko

There are several other swords that needed to be included here, some sooner than others, because Cheness Cutlery swords are so popular and affordable they tend to sell out extremely quickly (Such as the Mokko, which is officially out of stock as of today) and there isn't much point putting up more pages right now for something that isn't in stock at the moment (so it will be expanding more or less 'organically' until the full range is represented there).

Now, where was I? Aah, yes - prices! I've actually LOWERED the prices of the available stock of Cheness swords (Shirasaya and 1045 Ranko) in the US - so you can now pick them up for just US$174.99 for the Shirasaya (normally US$199.99 from Cheness, was $189.99 at SBG before) and US$129.99 for the Ranko (normally US$149.99 at Cheness, was US$139.99 at SBG before).

On the flip side, I've had to increase the shipping charges for International Orders, so the prices there are only slightly cheaper (sorry guys, I was LOSING too much money!) but shipping in the US is still FREE as always.

So the long and short of it is - if you are in the USA, you win big time...!!!

Ok, just thought I'd post this quick update to let you know what has just been done. Gotta fly!

Paul

Special Offer for US Visitors

2006-04-19T19:24:00.000+09:30

First off, I'd like to apologize to my US visitors who have been trying to purchase Cheness Cutlery swords through my site...

I didn't realize it until a very kind email from Mr. J. Lim who pointed out that my free shipping offer was not reflected in the paypal prices - if it wasn't for that email, I might not have noticed for a while! I've also had to increase my prices slightly higher on a couple of items than what I had wanted originally otherwise I'd be losing money rapidly - and my dual aim of promoting these swords is to offer YOU the best deal and make enough money to carry SBG into the future (if you don't already know WHY I am selling swords direct through SBG, click here for the 'lowdown').

So to say thanks to Mr. Lim and anyone else who has been inconvenienced - until Sunday the 23rd of April 2006, I am offering all my American visitors the chance to pick up the NEW Cheness Cutlery 9260 Spring Steel Katana in Shirasaya for just US$174.99 with FREE Shipping!

Just click on the Paypal button below and I'll arrange for your shipment to be dispatched asap.
Thanks again for your patience guys, and a special thankyou to Mr.J.Lim for pointing out this mistake.

Paul

New Review!

2006-04-14T22:24:00.000+09:30

The long awaited review of the Cheness Cutlery Kanbai is finally up and ready - check it out here

I'm not going to say too much in this post, mostly because I've been working on this particular review for the last 9 hours solid...! :-P

But let's just say that I conducted a final test today on this little number, and it did what no other Differentially Hardened Katana in this price range can do...

Anyway, gotta go watch some TV or something soon (yawn) - will write more when I am not so exhausted - but I reckon this review was worth it, what do you reckon?

Cheers,

Paul

Very cool news

2006-04-09T21:27:00.000+09:30

I know, I know - it's been a fair while between posts, but I haven't been slacking off - there was just so many new and somewhat unexpected additions to the overhaul that I decided to extend it for one last month - it will all be finished, spick and span and all that by the end of THIS month, I promise!!

Anyway, there's been some exciting news that I want to tell you about - especially if you are interested in Japanese swords...

I didn't think that SBG would ever actually sell any swords. At least, I didn't plan it that way when I first started it well over a year ago. But this opportunity is just too good to pass up.

I've teamed up with Paul Chen from Cheness Cutlery (whose Japanese swords, in my opinion, toppled the 'other' Paul Chen from the Hanwei Forge as the best sub-US$300 Japanese swords) to offer you his range of Katana at a 15% discount off his already excellent prices and FREE shipping in the USA and Canada, and Paul Chen's prices in A$ with FREE shipping in Australia and the Asia Pacific.

All that you do is order them from this page on my site and I'll arrange the delivery with Paul, ensuring that the process is as smooth as possible. Plus, I am also offering a 100% satisfaction or your money back guarantee.

I've purposefully kept my margins as low as possible to be able to bring you these deals - what small profits are made will be funneled back into my site to pay for competitions, gift vouchers, buying new swords for review and general site expenses (hosting, etc, etc, etc) - which until now has all come straight out of my own pocket (ouch! It has been a very expensive exercise!).

Anyway, I hope that you will support my site by buying one of these cool swords - it really is a WIN-WIN situation, you get the best quality Japanese swords at a ridiculously low price, and I pocket a small profit on each sale to help keep my site going.

Check out what's on offer here:

SBG's Cheness Cutlery Store

I've still got to put together some individual reviews for three Cheness swords sometime this month. Naturally, with such a strong guarantee, I won't be trying to cover up any of these swords faults - otherwise I'd stand to lose a pretty penny, so don't be worried about me losing my bias and selling out... I really do believe that these swords are the best deal - Sword-Buyers-Guide doesn't put it's good name to any old rubbish!

Other General Site News

Since I haven't posted for a while, I thought I'd mention a few other bits and pieces of importance.

First off, I am planning to overhaul my rating systems for my individual reviews. The 'Verdicts' need to be a bit better and more objective in their descriptions and I'll also be introducin a new value "Historical Accuracy". Each rating will have a value from 1 to 5 (with 5 being the best) and a short description.

Then there's the sword buyers directory which needs an update and to be made more 'user friendly' plus several other bits and pieces on some of the main pages. Once all these changes have been done, the final 'coup de grace' is the homepage and the logo...

I am not going to change the logo that dramatically. Unless someone else out there has a good idea... Hmm, well - I'll try a temporary change at the end of the overhaul, and then maybe try a competition for ideas!! Sounds like it might be a goer!

Also, to anyone who is wondering why (I got quite a few emails about this!) - there was no edition of the Sword Buyers Digest at the start of this month. But don't fret, when it comes back - it's coming back with a vengeance!!!

More on this in a later post... (whew!) Catch up with you all again shortly!

Paul

Celtic Swords Review is Up - and boy...

2006-03-26T19:12:00.000+10:30

I've been meaning to getting around to reviewing Gen2's Celtic Anthropomomororphic sword for a while now (ok, ok, so they spellchecker got a good workout when I drafted this review, I seem to have trouble with the word "Anthropomorphic").

Actually the whole "review coming soon" thing on my page for Ancient Swords was bugging me in some funny kind of way, so I spent the better part of today really putting her through her paces and drafting the review.

Overall, I have to say that this little sword ROCKS!!

You can read the full review of these Celtic Swords here but let's just say that while they might not be historically accurate, my god can these little swords cut!

Check it out - especially the clip of me hacking apart a 3" tree trunk with it... Yeoww!!

Paul

Latest Updates

2006-03-25T11:47:00.000+10:30

I've been a bit slack posting updates here in the last 10 days or so, but there's certainly been a lot of changes...

First off, you may or may not have noticed that I've completed my review of Windlass Steelcrafts Towton Sword.

I've also completed some basic info on several major manufacturers of entry level swords including CAS Iberia, Cold Steel and Rittersteel Swords as I've often been asked questions about them by visitors to my site.

I wouldn't say that this completes this section, as there are quite a few more that need to be included there (including, off the top of my head, Starfire swords, Badger Blades, Kris Cutlery and even Angus Trim) - but I'll get to this at a later date.

Next up, I'll be looking at reviewing Gen2's Celtic sword. I've already given this one a work out and even though it is pure fantasy in terms of it's apperance, its a very nice little beater - very sharp and as tough as every other Gen2 sword I've seen...

Speaking of Gen2, I am about to move the review of the Excalibur to a less prominent position as there are less than 10 available and once they are gone, that's it. If you haven't seen the review yet, check it out here.

I am also planning something pretty major to bring you the best prices on Cheness Cutleries swords, though it's probably around 2-3 weeks away, which will extend the overhaul by a month overall.

But hey, when it's all completed I think you'll find the overhaul is going to have a lot more new features than I had at first anticipated...

Very exciting stuff - I'll keep you updated as we go!

Paul

15% Discount Offer Extended Until 15th April 2006!

2006-03-15T20:09:00.000+10:30

I didn't think I'd be able to do this...

But as a result of the current 10% "tax relief" Generation 2 sale, I've been able to continue to offer my visitors a 15% discount to all Generation 2 and Windlass Steelcrafts swords from my friends at Arms of Valor until the 15th of April 2006!!

I wasn't sure how to word it on my Visitors Discount Page so I just changed the dates. Sorry if I made anyone hurry too much - but I am really glad to be able to extend this offer to my visitors - it's an unheard of discount in the sword industry (where, on the most part, the profit margins for sellers are not particularily large - unless your selling wallhangers that is!).

Other SBG News

The Overhaul is very much coming to an end now - and I'm pretty happy with the way things have been transformed. I'll never say that my website is 'complete' and there are still quite a few swords sitting around my home waiting to be reviewed in depth.

But at least now it's set up in such a way that to add more reviews and expand it further is really quite easy. I'd say things should be back to 'normal' in the next few weeks, but there's still a bit more tweaking here and there that I want to do and a few pages that are 'functional' but not quite where I want them to be yet.

Speaking of functional and swords being reviewed - I just today took my new Cheness Cutlery "Tenchi" Katana outside for a good workout - and MY GOD! This thing is the most durable, viscous sword I have ever seen!

Check out the video of me slamming this baby into my trusty woodblock at the bottom of my page on Authentic Japanese swords. I never dreamed such a thing would be possible with a Japanese style sword - but there you have it!

I can't wait to do the full review - but right now I am putting together a (long overdue) preliminary review for the Towton sword.

So much to do! Can't sit around all day writing about it on my blog! Gotta get back to work...! :-)

Paul

Japanese Swords Overhaul 'Complete'!

2006-03-13T17:04:00.000+10:30

It's been a long time coming...

But finally my page on Authentic Japanese swords has been given the SBG overhaul treatment...

If you've been with me for a while now, you'll know that this page was one of the very first pages ever created on SBG over 1 year ago - and a lot has happened in that year - not only in the production sword world for inexpensive entry level blades, but also in my understanding of what constitues a good sword...

This time last year if you'd asked me "what kind of functional Japanese sword can I get for around three hundred bucks" I would'nt have hesitated to say, a Practical Plus Katana by Hanwei...

Now though, I am not so sure - especially after I bought a couple of very, very cool swords by Cheness Cutlery...

It was also made worse after I've heard horror story after horror story about how people who bought a PPK didn't get one that cut or looked as good as mine did...

Anyway, suffice it to say that revamped review is a lot more up to date and a lot more 'realistic' considering Hanwei's lack of quality control for their bread and butter line...

I'd still recommend a PPK by the way. But compared to the Cheness Cutlery swords, well, there is most definitely a new player in town!

It's been a busy day. From here on out, I'll be gradually working on a few extra pages here and there, but mostly reviewing several new swords.

I am waiting on some tatami omote from the states which will REALLY put the new Cheness and my old PPK to the test. But in the meantime, feel free to check out the revamped pages - lots of new info there on what is one of my most popular pages.

Cheers,

Paul

Japanese Swords

2006-03-09T19:44:00.000+10:30

I've just started the build "behind the scenes" again on another major page - and as you can probably tell from the title of this entry, the current subsection of Sword-Buyers-Guide.com that is LONG OVERDUE for an update is actually one of the very first pages I built...

That's right, I've started the overhaul process on a "minor" but extremely interesting page all about Samurai Sword History

Actually, this is a page that originally I rushed quite a bit and have been meaning to get around to expanding and editing even before I ever thought about the current SBG Overhaul...

I still won't say that it's "finished" - but it's a lot better than it was, with a complete timeline from the "invention" of the first Prototypical Katana around 1300 years ago, to the golden age, the warring states period, WWII and to modern times and beyond...

Anyway, it's just the start of what is going to be a very major change to these pages, so if you are into Japanese swords check it out here

Paul

That'll Teach Me to Say "Ahead of Schedule"...!

2006-03-06T18:14:00.000+10:30

Ok, well, I know - I never should have said it...

But just when I thought I was ahead, I lost my internet connection from Friday to Monday and have to again play catch up... :-(

That'll teach me to tempt fate!

So this is just a very quick post to say "Oops", "Bugger", "Crap" etc - especially after I had planned to use the weekend to make some serious inroads on my pages about Japanese swords...

Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

As it is though, it's still pretty much on track but...

NOOOO! I said it again...

Some people never learn...

Paul

Ahead of Schedule and Past the Half Way Mark!

2006-02-26T19:33:00.000+10:30

The SBG Overhaul is very much on schedule, thanks to the complete overhaul of a few major pages...

If you haven't noticed it - the major page on Medieval Swords (one of my favorite pages) has been given the SBG overhaul facelift treatment.

The original reviews have been moved to their own seperate pages, and this page is now set out in such a way that it can expand to include many more reviews easily (which is a good thing too, because there I have two more swords sitting here that need a thorough testing!)

So while I can't say that it is "complete" - it's been overhauled and is ready to expand with lots of new reviews and info.

There are a few sub-pages that need a bit of a makeover there still, and a call out to Skyler Reed: Skyler, I'm sorry, but I had to (temporarily) remove your review of the Cold Steel Broadsword - only because, strictly speaking, it's not a medieval sword but more of a military sword, and I'll be creating a special page for military swords once the overhaul is completed.

Anyway, once the sub pages have been "given the Overhaul treatment", my next target is to do some serious work on Japanese swords - including new reviews of two new Katana from Cheness Cutlery (including the much anticipated 9260 Spring Steel Sword!)

CHANGES TO THE SBG DISCOUNTS

Change 1: I have decided that there isn't much point worrying too much about the 12% SBG Discount that I have been promoting at Swords of Honor, mostly because if you look on their Homepage you'll see that they have a recurring monthly promotion featuring a 10% discount, and I don't know about you, but the 2% difference doesn't really seem worth it...

Change 2: Due to various circumstances, the SBG15 Discount with Arms of Valor is about to be reduced from 15% to 10%...

I'll be explaining more about this shortly in a mail out to all the subscribers to my newsletter, The Sword Buyers Digest (even though I didn't plan on sending a mail out this month, but so much has been happening it would be wrong of me not to keep my loyal subscribers in the loop).

But for now, it looks like the 15% discount will be downgraded to 10% sometime in the middle of next month.

At this stage, I can't be 100% on the date, but the doors won't be open on this special offer for much longer...

Even at 10% you're still getting the best prices on the 'net for Windlass Steelcrafts and Generation 2 swords. But the prices at the 15% discount are totally unheard of.

So basically, take advantage of it while it's still there!

Paul

Very Quick Post

2006-02-23T20:12:00.000+10:30

This is actually more of a reference post for me than anything else (I know, how selfish!). But I am currently working away behind the scenes on updating my page on medieval swords, and boy, it's quite a bit of work, especially when I've got even more medieval swords that I haven't even started to review properly!!

Anyhow, I am splitting the two reviews of the Gen2 medieval swords into their own seperate subpages, with the first one up here (there's that gratitious selfish bookmark I was talking about!).

There is a video that is going to go with this one (predictibly where the text says "Vid") but I've run out of time for today, so will be adding it in properly shortly.

P.S. Today I also receieved my first couple of swords from Cheness Cutlery, and I have to say, just giving them a preliminary, cursory once over is enough to know that they're gonna give my Hanwei Sword a run for it's money!

Ok, outta time. Will post more again shortly!

Paul

Excalibur Review Updated

2006-02-19T09:14:00.000+10:30

I wasn't planning to update my page on the Generation 2 Brass Excalibur sword just yet, but the truth is - time is running out on this sword...

As you may or may not know, the Excalibur has just been retired in January - obstenibly due to a shortage of the stainless steel wiring used to wrap the hilt...

This really is a shame as I personally think the Excalibur is one of Generation 2's most attractive swords, and even though it is extremely heavy for a sword of this type and the pommel is not peened, these are the only two things I can fault with it...

Indeed, in all other respects it is really quite exceptional.

Anyway, this page has been updated with a couple of extra videos of it in action, as well as a "second opinion" review by SBG Visitor Justin Thompson.

If this is the kind of sword that appeals to you, you can get them from my friends at AoV for the lowest price on the 'net using my 15% SBG Discount code (SBG15) which brings the price down from US$219 to just $186.15.

If you want one though, don't dilly dally around because once they are gone, they are gone for good...

First Complete Section Overhauled!

2006-02-16T18:53:00.000+10:30

Well, it's official - I've just completed the first complete overaul of my pages on Ancient Swords including all the sub pages, and it's looking pretty good if I do say so myself...! :-)

Not only have I included a lot of swords I never covered before (actually, looking back on it - these pages were some of the crappiest on my site!) but I have spent hours researching them and looking for where to get them at absolute lowest prices on the 'net.

This format will be the shape of things to come for the overhaul...

Next on my hit list are my pages on medieval swords (including 2 new medieval swords to review!), but for now I am gonna take a quick breather as I plan the next layout format and continue my extensive reasearch (finally, all those years at university and my background as an investigator are staring to be put to good use - LOL!)

There probably won't be any obvious changes for a few days as everything will be very much happening behind the scenes, so I'll catch up with you in a few days...

In the meantime, please have a look at what has been done so far here. I welcome your comments and any additions or modifications you'd like to see made as I truly believe that this website is as much (if not more) yours as it is mine...

Cheers - I'm gonna have a well deserved Coopers Ale!

Paul

The overhaul gains momentum!

2006-02-12T18:26:00.000+10:30

Now things are really starting to roll along nicely...!

I've just moved my old review of the Generation 2 Roman Wasp Waisted Gladius to here and in it's place is a pretty exciting taste of things to come...

Instead of the "mono-review" the page on Ancient Swords is now a kind of central page with lots of sub-sections branching out as you go down the page. A much clearer format if you ask me, with plenty of room to expand - it's looking good!

Of course, not all of the sub-pages have been updated yet, so it's still a bit messy, but overall I am stoked with the way things are shaping up.

Anyway, as I was trying to get at yesterday, the BIG $$$ saving discounts are officially up and running - and I have to say this really is exciting stuff! With these discounts, it is possible to get swords online at prices that have previously been unheard of - so check out these huge Discount Swords Savings for yourself.

That's all for today - certainly not as delirious as I was yesterday - but I think it's not a bad idea to take what little of the evening is left off...! :-)

Cheers,

Paul

First Major Pages Changed and Paul's gone delirious...!

2006-02-11T23:00:00.000+10:30

Ok, I've just done so many changes to my site in the last few hours that I am having difficulty typing this blog entry! :-)

In a nutshell, the major introductory page WARNING! Do Not Buy Swords Online Until You Read This! has been given the overhaul treatment, as has the Sword Buyers Directory and (insert generic drumroll here) the 12 to 15% Discount Offers have finally been made public!!!

I am not going to tell you where they are yet though (but hell, it's pretty obvious if you just go and visit Sword-Buyers-Guide.com) simply because it's pretty late at night here right now in Australia and I've been staring at the computer screen so long that when I last did some editing of my site, I wasn't too surprised to see ThingsALLOver thePlAcE...!!!

So I'll get back to giving you all the juciy - jewcy - juweecey details tomorrow when I am a bit more freshered... (and after I've edited out all of tonites mistakes! Oh dear...!)

PaUl

Windlass Swords

2006-02-07T22:15:00.000+10:30

Just a quick note to let you know that my page on the pros and cons of Windlass Steelcrafts Swords has been updated, and I hope is as objective and critical as my overview of Generation 2...

Again, it's hard to be objective as I am quite a fan of Windlass Swords, but I have pointed out some of their flaws without (I hope) going too far the other way. It's a tough balancing act sometimes! :-)

Speaking of balancing acts, I'm not sure if I will be able to keep up the page a day pace - especially considering I have some new swords about to come in and I have a feeling they might just distract me for a bit... ;-)

Paul

Generation 2 Swords

2006-02-06T21:08:00.000+10:30

I've just finished editing my overview of Generation 2 Swords and I must say I am pretty happy with my objectivity (even if I do say so myself).

Actually, being objective with regards to these swords isn't easy for me - simply because they are so much fun! But I've tried to point out their strengths as well as their weaknesses in a fairly neutral way...

Anyhow, check it out if you want to. I'll keep you updated as to the next sword manufacturer to get the SBG treatment as soon as it's up.

Paul

More Behind the Scenes Changes...

2006-02-05T20:28:00.000+10:30

I've just been laying the foundations and preparing my strategic plan for what is going to be a fairly dramatic change to the 'basic introductory' stuff...

Over the coming week, I will be expanding on the various manufacturers from Gen2, Windlass and Hanwei to include info on Rittersteel, Valiant Armory, etc (for the 'entry level beaters') as well as a bit of an overview (and where to get more info, as it isn't the focus of my site) of everything from cheap stainless steel swords to high end performance swords (such as Arms and Armor and Albion)...

Anyway, that's what's planned for the coming week...

In the meantime I've also managed to update a couple of pages too - including Scott Hoaglands excellent review of the Windlass Shrewsbury Sword which is perhaps the cheapest fully functional medieval style sword on the market, as well as updating the page on What to Look for in a 'Real' Battle Ready Sword, which will be one of the many pages that my overview on the different types of swords will link to...

Anyway, I'll keep you updated as to the new 'manufacturer' specific pages. The weekend here is over now so I'll be aiming for a new page a day and see how much of it I can put together over the following weekend...! (after all, I am doing all this in my 'spare time'...)

Paul

Newest page - Sword Care

2006-02-04T19:46:00.000+10:30

The latest page to be revamped is my little know pages on Sword Care which has been given an independent category in the nav bar and includes updates to my pages on Making a cheap sword cleaning kit and also my guide on how to Sharpen Swords.

Most of these pages have been around on my site for a very long time now, only problem was, they were kind of buried in my Sword Buying Basics page...

I know this for a fact because:
a) I kept getting a lot of questions from visitors about these issues and often referred them to these pages and
b) When looking for them to get the update treatment I HAD PROBLEMS FINDING THEM MYSELF!

Anyway, they are up and easy to find now. I am pretty happy with them so far, definitely a lot of good info there and lots of links to additional resources - plus where to buy Hanwei sword oil for $2 (some sites sell it for as much as $10) and Renaissance Wax for $22 (which is usually around double this price on most sword selling websites - and they ain't the best places to buy it...)

That's all for now. Tomorrow is going to be another busy day...

Now I am off to get some much needed break time playing my favorite computer game ;-)

Paul

Latest Updates

2006-02-02T19:41:00.000+10:30

Well, the latest edition of the Sword Buyers Digest kept me from doing too much on the overhaul for the last few days, but since the newsletter is on hold and the weekend is coming up, I expect to get quite a few more minor pages up to date.

The latest one to see the overhaul transformation is my guide to sword terminology called Sword Terminology - Made Easy! which is a lot more dynamic than the old, boring list that was there before (though I've included links to the best "old boring lists" because they are an absolute neccessity - just a bit dull to read from top to bottom).

You might also notice a consitent use of the Wide Latin font in the headers and the introduction of a new "quick jump menu" at the beginning my longer articles, which you'll be seeing more and more of on the major pages.

Anyway, I've got to go and catch up on a few readers questions and modify the newsletter page (after all, the opportunity to get them discounts is over now, and there's nothing I hate more on a website than reading outdated old news!)

Will be back here with the next updates shortly.

Paul

First revamped page is up!

2006-01-29T17:54:00.000+10:30

It might only be minor one, but the first page - about Egyptian sword replicas - has just been through the overhaul and come out the other side here.

While the major connecting page on SBG for Ancient Swords is already in first draft form - I plan on continuing to update the minor pages first...

Anyway, have a quick look - it is certainly I feel a major improvement on the previous page for this topic and the photos are pretty cool too if I don't say so myself...!

Behind the scenes on Day 3

2006-01-28T17:02:00.000+10:30

Ok, well I know that it doesn't look like they're have been any obvious changes to SBG yet - and on the surface of it, there hasn't been.

But don't worry, I haven't just been sitting on my behind playing Age of Mythology...

...Umm, well - I have been playing it a little bit, but hey - everybody's gotta distract themselves with something every now and again!

Anyway, I've been spending this time drafting up some of the new pages before they go live. I plan to do as much as possible behind the scenes this way for a while so I can alter the main pages in one foul swoop rather than have all bits and pieces all over the place that don't link up properly, etc.

I've also put the old Arms of Valor SBG 5% discount back on the homepage until the new pages are up - by the way, if you want to save much more than 5%, time is running out to sign up to my Newsletter to find out how. Once it goes out on the 1st of Feb, the offer won't be available until the overhaul goes live...

Well, I am off to dinner with some friends who will be rocking up to our door any minute now (don't forget, I am running in Australian time here) so gotta fly...

Paul

The first changes begin...

2006-01-27T19:26:00.000+10:30

Well, the overhaul is officially underway - and if you've just visited SBG you'll have noticed some changes across all the major pages.

First off, I've removed the current discount promotion to Arms of Valor with the 5% SBG discount...

While with this discount all Generation 2 swords were available at the lowest price on the internet, if you searched really hard you could have probably got a better deal on the Windlass Swords (though they actually don't stock my current favorite, the European sword) at sites like Kult of Athena.

Don't panic though, because with the new site the SBG discount with AoV is going to be MUCH MORE COMPETITIVE than ever before... So if you are thinking of buying a Generation 2 sword, just hold off until the overhaul is complete... You'll save BIG (and I mean BIG) $$$ if you do.

ALTERNATIVELY - if you are not already signed up to my newsletter, The Sword Buyers Digest and you sign up before the current issue goes out (1am US Eastern Time), I'll be giving you an early bird option to get hold of these special offers before anyone else...

Other changes include the removal of some "questionable" tests involving chopping up meat and a rather graphic image of a sword stuck deep into a severed pigs head... (that I bought at a butchers BTW!).

I guess that such images are more harmful to the sword community that anything else, and when I did them I have to admit that I actually kind of grossed myself out...

So from now on, such controversial images are gone from SBG, there are enough total nuts out there that don't need any inspiration and I'd hate to think that maybe some sicko might try and replicate these kinds of tests on a living animal...

So they're gone - good riddance (yuk!)

Welcome to the SBG Overhaul!

2006-01-27T14:04:00.000+10:30

Hi guys - glad you could join me.

I'm just getting warmed up for the first stages of the SBG overhaul - which if you came here by some other way than my newsletter or regular blog, is reffering to a massive 'facelift' and 'fine-tuning' of my website, Sword-Buyers-Guide.com.

So first off, why am I don't it - after all, just about every comment I get from every visitor who comes to my site loves what's there already, so if it ain't broke, why fix it?

Well, there are a few very important reasons why Sword-Buyers-Guide.com needs to be fixed...

One of the reasons is that, because of the way I have written my main pages, it's actually pretty hard for me to squeeze in additional reviews. And since I am about to recieve several more swords that I want to report on - the only way I can find the space is to completely reformat the main pages into more of an overview, with lots of relevant links to the detailed individual product reviews and further info flowing smoothly down the page so that my visitors know exactly what's there and can decide for themselves what it is they wanna know more about from the overview...

...Right now, all the other reviews and links are kind of thrown in here and there and pool at the bottom of each page in a stagnant heap...

The other reason has to do with general review consistency and historical accuracy. I have been criticized by some senior forumites for my lack of references to the historical original swords that most replicas are based on. Originally, my reasons for not including these references was that I found that most sword selling websites waffled on about a swords history, and then only provided a few words at the bottom about what the sword is made from, weight, etc.

Now I am not going to waffle on about the history of a sword, but rather what the senior forumites were asking of me was to at least compare the sword to the originals. To me personally, it doesn't matter if a sword is comtemporary, as long as it is strong, handles well and cuts even better. But to fail to at least point out how it differs from the originals, and to give some examples of swords which are closer to the originals has only been touched on in my site so far - hence, I am going to try and redress this to make sure that Sword-Buyers-Guide.com
is well balanced.

The final change, and perhaps the one of most interest to YOU is that whenever I review a sword, I'll be continously hunting around the net for the very best place to get it at the lowest price. I won't be listing "shonky" web sites though, only establishd ones that are well known in the industry for doing a good job of customer service, and I'll be expanding my "sword buyers directory" to list the best safe websites where you can buy swords online with confidence.

To this end, I've also arranged some extremely deep discounts with 2 major, established sword sellers that make it easy to get prices well below what is avaialable anywhere else - but again, I'll only be recommending sites which have the very best prices online. Fullstop.

So in a nutshell, this is what the SBG Overhaul is all about.

It's going to take some time (I estimate around 2 months) and a heck of a lot of effort, research, etc - but once it is 'finished', well, I know for a fact that it will revolutionize the sword industry, making dealers accountable to YOU as well as providing the best quality info on the sword industry from a variety of sources (because once it's 'finished' it won't just be my voice on this site... I'll tell you more about this as we progress.

Well, that's the intro - I hope I haven't bored you to tears... ;-)

If there are any comments or suggestions you have for me that you think might make this site a better place, you can drop me a line here or feel free to make a comment below.

Cheers,

Paul Southren
Sword-Buyers-Guide.com