I was wondering which swords are the most time consuming to make? Is it the cross-section like hollow-ground or hexagonal, the tapering or fuller? Does the Oakshotte classification come into play? Just looking at the different swords out there, for instance Albion's Next Generation Mark swords, I was trying to gauge from those swords which are more time consuming (thus more expensive) to make. I guess the hilt, grip, and pommel all come into play as well.

I"ve done as much reading as I can and still I haven't answered this question so I thought I'd see what I could find out here. :)

By the way, I want to thank the creators and contributors to this site, its amazing what I've learned here - I learn something new every day! Great articles, reviews, and pictures.

Bryson Cadle

Welcome aboard, Bryson!

You're on the right track with your thinking. Hollow ground blades are more labor-intensive to make (read: finish) as well as fullered vs. non-fullered blades (again, the time it takes to finish the fuller as opposed to finishing uninterrupted surfaces). A big part of the labor, from what I have gathered talking with folks who do such things, is in the hilt. It is the detail and finish work here that many times nearly doubles or better the labor hours taken to manufacture a blade. Please keep in mind that this statement is made in relation to a modern, machine-assisted production environment; for example, custom forged, differentially heat-treated, obsessively polished blades are highly labor intensive in themselves (again, its the polish that often times throws the whole equation through the roof, but discarding multiple attempts that fail out of heat treat or don't have a hamon "just right" get you up there in labor too).

Enjoy!

Thanks Jonathon - it starts to make sense now when I look at the swords on the site and their prices.

Bryson