Who cares that your replica blade sword from your favorite movie or series came with a certificate of authenticity. That’s not what really gives it its value.
And if you plan on using that sword for live cutting practice, that certificate is certainly not the thing you should give any thought to.
Rather, if you are looking for a “real” replica blade sword; that is, one that is battle-ready, there are three specific attributes it needs to possess. Every single one of them is as important as the rest.
Suitable Steel
First, a battle-ready replica blade sword simply must be made from an appropriate steel alloy. If it is not all the rest of the insight in this article is for naught.
There are alloys that can take a temper and yield a battle-ready sword, and there are alloys that cannot. Some of the alloys that you’ll want to avoid are steels in the 440 class. These steels have too much chromium and are too soft, and not structurally sound enough to be used for live cutting practice.
With that said, the good news is that there are plenty of alloys that can be made to make a good sword, so it’s not like these steels are exclusive. Steels in the 10XX class, such as 1045, 1055, 1060, and 1095 are good bets (when properly tempered) as are steels like T10, as well as spring steels like 5160 and 9260.
However, it is important to note that no steel is indestructible and that the blade must be treated with an appropriate temper to truly be considered battle-ready.
A Proper Temper
Most knives – that is, bladed tools with a blade length under 12” – are heat-treated such that the alloy is given a crystal matrix that offers the highest possible hardness. This makes the edge strong and wear-resistant, but it also makes the steel brittle.
A sword given a knife’s standard heat-treatment would be so brittle that the first time it came in contact with a target, the blade would likely snap. As you can imagine this is not a desirable trait for a sword to possess.
Therefore, swords are not simply heat-treated, but tempered. Tempering a sword’s blade gives it not just the ability to hold an edge and resist wear, but also to resist taking a set when bending – or snapping for that matter.
Properly tempered swords can be bent several degrees one way or the other – in some cases, more than ten – without breaking or taking a set.
And that is a trait that is absolutely critical for a sword that will actually be used.
A Full Tang
Lastly, a sword must have a full tang. Or, to be specific, it must have a tang design that is free of stress risers and which is at minimum ⅔ the width of the blade at the ricasso, where it meets the hilt.
To be specific, there is one thing you will need to avoid and on which absolutely no compromises are acceptable: rat-tail tangs are to be avoided.
A rat-tail tang refers to a tang that is a thin strip of metal that has been spot-welded onto the blade stock at the shoulder. They are structurally unsound and will snap right off at the least provocation or application.
Never under any circumstances purchase a sword that has this feature.
Where to Get a Battle-Ready Replica Blade Sword
Buying swords online is risky, but if you know where to look, you can hedge the risk. Get your next replica blade sword online at True Swords. They carry a lot of officially licensed replicas, and many of them are battle ready – accept nothing less.
