http://www.chenessinc.com/tenchi.htm

As soon as my paypal account gets authenticated. Its the best swords in the "still affordable" range and can take a real beating. I'm quite profound in technique so I'll post an exclusive once I get my hands on it

Katanas are gay.

You are gay.

Buttsecks?

Katanas are lame but I wouldn't go so fare as to call them gay

Give me reasons as to why katana's should be gay/lame. Arguments please.

Swords are cool. Just because Katanas attract retards like a dead horse attracts flies doesn't mean they're any less awesome.

Neat site. Those prices are really good. When you get your sword, be sure to beat the crap out of it so that we can find out if the quality is everything they say it is.

I want to get a medieval dagger some day. I was looking at this one. Any thoughts?

Do you get into sword fights regularly? 'Cause if you don't, why do you need a piece of decoration that "can take a beating?"

I mean, it's your money, do what you want with it, I'm just saying...

Steel is of the utmost importance when it comes to coldsteel weapons. If a merchant doesn't give any information about the type of steel, you'd better look somewhere else. For a long sword like the katana, a resilient steel is mandatory, unless you just want a decoration that is. Shorter blades, like daggers can make do with 1040 steel. Don't expect it to hold its edge against something hard though. You'll need T10 (tool steel) or 1060 for that. One good way is to compare the finish to the price. Harder steels are more difficult to polishm softer steels are easier to polish. If you find a cheap piece with a brilliant shine on it, its a soft steel. If you find a reasonably priced peice with mediocre polish, its more likely a hard type of steel with mediocre finish to cut cost. In my opinion, using blades regularly and not for decoration solely, that last option is best. Look for quality steel, not shiny finish.

From their info page:

"We chose our materials to resemble the attributes of those materials used by the original makers. Our blades are made from 6150 carbon steel. We temper these to a hardness of approximately Rockwell 50 (a modern hardness scale about the average hardness of the very best original blades). The pommels, crossguards, heads of weapons, and other three dimensional parts are cast in a softer tool steel or bronze. This approximates the iron and bronze used by Medieval and Renaissance weapons makers. The grips are made from wood, cord, and leather. Our choice of materials and attention to form guarantee excellent quality replicas designed to be the best available today."

I don't claim to know much about long blades or the companies that make them, but this sounds pretty good to me. I just want a dagger-style blade that I can use to hack off tree branches and stuff for fun. Historical accuracy isn't important to me.