[Meghan H]

I've been trying to convince my mom to let me get a sword for as long as I can remember. I am fourteen and I went from plastic ones, to wooden ones, to knives (HUGE breakthrough!), and now I'm pushing for a sword. I was just wondering what other people have liked, what swords other people have, and any other preferences people may have. Thanks!

[J. Pav]

Sounds like you're not even sure what you like.

As most people will probably agree with, I suggest studying up more on the subject. Buy books, and really learn what interests you before spending a large sum of money, only to change your mind. I also suggest waiting until your 18. That gives you plenty of time to learn up and develope a taste in what pleases you, and also allow you to purchase them yourself.

I also suggest taking a martial art, though at the age of 14 you probably have very little chance of being accepted into any sword-wielding martial arts, aside from Olympic style fencing.

[B. Stark]

Like was mentioned above - educate yourself, this place is an excellent resource! You also need to study things from a historical perspective, really the meat and bones of just why a sword is a sword pertaining to the region of the world and the era it belongs to. Then, armed with this knowledge you can better determine what exactly it is that you want as well as provide a better supporting argument to your mother as to why you want to own 3 feet of cold steel! Good Luck!

[Chad Arnow]

Meghan,
Hello and welcome to myArmoury.com. We have nearly 200 product reviews on our review pages and over 200 different items in our collection galleries. These should be good starting points to see what's out there and what people's opinions are on a wide variety of items.

I'd second the suggestion that a little study is a good idea to help you refine your goals. The sword is an item of great antiquity and even greater variety and knowing what eras/areas tickle your fancy will help people guide you toward a purchase.

[Jonathan Hopkins]

H. Meghan, welcome to myArmoury.

As J. Pav pointed out, 18 is, in general, the age one must be to buy a sword on her or his own. So, obviously, buy with your parents' consent. What type of swords have you been considering? Is there a certain time period in which you are interested? Are you interested in swords of a particular national origin? Are you looking for a sword to hang on the wall as a decorator piece, or when you are old enough and/or have parental consent, something for martial arts practice or cutting practice?

Reading up on your topic of interest before buying is advisable, as J. Pav also pointed out. myArmouy has tons of content that will get you started on you journey: the Features section has a number of useful articles for the beginner, including A Beginner's Glossary of Terms, Hey Mister... Is that a Real Sword?, and The Evolution and Evaluation of the Modern Replica, to name a few. There is also a very extensive reviews section that will give you impressions of many swords from a variety of price ranges.

I am sure others will have some great input, as well. Good luck and have fun learning!

Jonathan

[Thomas Watt]

Hi Meghan, welcome to what will likely be a lifelong addiction!

When I was very little, an illustration accompanying the story of Sir Galahad fascinated me, and the image of that sword has always stuck in my mind. And contributed to my taste and choices in swords.

Here on myArmoury, there are several galleries of collections at the following link:
http://www.myArmoury.com/collections.html

Also visit museums and read (research) to get as much information as possible.

Now dealing with your parents and the purchase of a sword...
let me suggest that you demonstrate a desire to learn the sword forms (either by taking classes in classical fencing or possibly you may find martial arts classes that will allow you in at your age - near me is a Chinese Martial Arts school that has mature children in weapons classes) and act responsibly. See about getting a wooden training sword and not smash anything in the house! (speaking from experience there)
It might be that you have to content yourself to posters or photos of swords for a while.
But eventually, you'll get there.
It took me a long time to get my first sword (and I'm not suggesting you wait 40 years like I did), but when you do, you'll appreciate it a lot!

This is just my thoughts/recommendations as a parent and a sword-owner. Talking honestly with your parents, and respecting their judgement and opinion (and their concerns, after all, a sword is a weapon) is your best bet.

[Jean Thibodeau]

I can imagine that waiting 4 years to be 18 doesn't sound like very much fun though.

Most of us are old enough that 4 years doesn't sound like that much time: To a 14 year old 4 years is an eternity.

Maybe an unsharpened blunt or training sword could be O.K. if your parents approve ? A lot depends on being responsible with potentially dangerous things. Even a blunt can do a lot of damage if swung around in a careless manner.

Just don't pick up bad habits with a blunt that will be dangerous when you get that first sharp sword: Always handle it as if it was sharp and you will be programming in safe habits.

The exception would be using steel blunt in the context of learning period swordsmanship in a class with a qualified instructor using
" control " and safety equipment: In that case it is used to closely simulate the use of a real sword but in a safe way.

This is true even with wooden wasters but more so with steel.

[Anders Backlund]

[Sam Barris]

Meghan,

I've been exactly where you are now, so I know what you're going through and I also know that you might not appreciate the advice I have for you.

Wait to buy a sword. As tempting as it might be, just... wait. At least until you've studied a bit and identified which swords and historical periods interest you, what you want to use them for and have some practical knowledge of their employment; both for your own personal satisfaction and the safety of those around you.

I begged my father for a $50.00 stainless steel katana at a knife show when I was about your age and it was my only sword for a very long time. It was neat at first, but in the long run it brought me limited satisfaction. I was in college before I bought my first "real" sword, and even that wasn't quite right because I still hadn't found myself, so to speak. Now that I'm a bit older and have trained and read books on the subject (and have more in the way of disposable income), I can buy much nicer swords and I can appreciate them more because I know more about them. I would suggest that, for the moment anyway, you content yourself with a good waster or bokken and spend your leftover money on books and training. Figure out what you want and what you love and what speaks to your soul, then get the toys. In the long run, that path will bring you a far deeper happiness than just having a cool metal thing that you don't know much about and can't really use. It might seem like the wait is long, but I promise that you'll have so much fun training that you won't even notice.

If you run out to buy a sword now, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true. On this site you'll find a large number of articles and reading lists. I would recommend you start there. Good luck!

[Shamsi Modarai]

Hi Meghan...

I would agree with the above.....wait a little while if you truly want a sword. You'd be surprised how much your interests can change over time....

[slightly embarrasing true story follows...]

When I was in high school, I was only just getting into medieval stuff and really had no idea about swords at all. But I was in love with Aragorn (both book and movie) and I wanted the replica of Anduril sooo badly, I just couldn't wait. So I got it for Christmas the year the Return of the King movie came out. I was insanely pleased with the thing. ;-) Of course, its only a wall-hanger, but it was "cheap" andat the time that's all I really wanted. However, it ended up being the only sword that I would own for at least another 5 years (hoping to change that soon ). I've owned shields, bows, knives, a seax, and spears, and even "padded" swords, but I still have yet to get another sword, simply because I couldn't justify doing so to my parents (whom I lived with up until recently) because I "already had one."

I don't regret buying Anduril, since I bought it knowing that it was only a wall-hanger. Plus, it was hardly that much money when you come down to it (I've spent more on a pile of books from the bookstore since then!). However, my interests have changed a lot since then: I still love Aragorn, but more from the book point of view, and I truly believe his sword in the book was meant to be more "Dark Age" in nature: i.e. one-handed and used with a shield. So if I were to want a replica of his sword now, it would be a totally different sword, simply because I am a little bit more informed about such things now. I ended up becoming obsessed with Old English and Anglo-Saxon and Viking cultures when I doing my undergrad degree, and now I am in graduate school pursuing an MA in Medieval Studies. Also, during college and now grad school and have become more involved in a variety of activities, including archery, knife and ax throwing, and now German Longsword. If I buy another "affordable" sword, its going to be a blunt longsword that is well-made and can be used in training. If I buy a more expensive sword, its going to be a higher-end, one-handed migration-era, Anglo-Saxon, or Viking sword. (hehe, can't wait!! )

Perhaps this example of one crazy lady's sword journey will help you out. I agree though that a lot of this just depends on your own tastes, and how your tastes evolve. I've told you the types of things that I go for, but in the end you have to think about what interested you about swords in the first place, and then what is your goal once you've gotten the sword.

Best of luck, sword-sister!

~ Shamsi

[William Goodwin]

'ello & Welcome.......


Ditto, ditto, ditto..........

Be a sponge........absorb all you can about swords...European, Asian,etc....absorb all you can about the different martial arts (again European...Asian..etc...) You may find that your tastes change from time to time.....I've been interested in swords, history,etc for a long time......and I still branch off occasionally...just to stay fresh.

You've surely came to an excellent resource (myArmoury) to start on your way and you'll find plenty of people to help in all manners. Most importantly...find what's right for YOU and what makes YOU happy....not the latest trend or what others think about your choice(s). Contentment means a lot in the long run....took me awhile to figure that out.

Good luck on your path and be prepared....this hobby is like a black vortex.....it just keeps sucking you in


Cheers,

Bill

[Bob Burns]

Hi Meghan, and Congratulations on an early start in your life to as my wife puts it, "A Very Worthwhile and Noble Interest and Hobby!" You've taken the step to help preserve a monumentally important aspect of history and embarked upon the Highway to Joy and Happiness in Life!
I am just recently 50 years in age, "however" I am very much a kid at heart and I have no desire to change, I love the joy of thinking young, therefore in a sense being young, adventurous in the exploration of learning! In spite of having either partaken very seriously and devoutly or times not partaking, I come from the interests of karate and kung fu. Now this is perplexing to me and quite humorous of myself, "How in the hell did I walk around for 46 years totally oblivious to my bone deep passion for the love of this interest and hobby?
In 2002 I went with my wife to the Renaissance Faire for the first time and it was not until the 4th sword vendor, way in the back by the jousting grounds that I set my eyes on uncompromising high quality European Swords at the
"Arms & Armor" manufacturer and vendor. In 2003, I bought a spear from this same place, although I wanted a sword from them really bad, but I did not know "which sword", nor from what time era, culture, type of use in battle or whether I wanted a dueling sword. I had no idea and this was going to be my very first sword ever and the investment would be at least $530.00 (at that time), then I also realized that it was almost sacred to me that the first sword I owned had to best reflect who I am, body, mind and spirit.
It took me from July of 2003 until July 2005, before I finally realized which sword had to be my first sword and it was not one of the $530.00 swords, it was a $670.00 sword, the "German Bastard Sword".

So just a suggestion of my own experience Meghan, take your time, although it certainly does not have to be 2 years, maybe it will be just 2 months.
Like everyone has advised you, do not be in an excited rush, educate yourself, ask people, maybe send a private message to some members. Besides Arms & Armor, there's also Albion Swords, Ollin Blades, Gus Trim, or maybe something more economical but still quite good, Hanwei and Windlass are a couple of my favorite midrange swords.
My opinon, stay away from the "Looks really neat and the price is cheap, Wall Hanger swords. Anything decent is most probably going to be in excess of $200.00 and more towards $300.00.
So perhaps taking the time to save the money will be the necessary time you need to make a wise and content decision that you will not later regret

I hope I was of some benefit to your ultimate and happy decision!

Bob

[Robin Smith]

I know... None of these guys remember what its like being 14, where 18 looks so far away. So I am not gonna feed you that "wait and learn" line. Not that its not good advise, just more likely to make you feel like everyone is down on ya.
Anyway, if you have to have a sword right now, I would suggest you look into Windlass/Museum Replicas Limited. Their quality has come along way in recent years. They are not great swords, but they make a good first sword. Find one you like the looks of best, and make sure you look around on the net for some reviews. If the reviews are favorable, then I say get it. It'll be something to hold and look at while you really start to learn about swords. Once you get the impulse purchase of the Windlass/MRL out of the way, then you can really start to look into what periods you are interested in, and what styles of swordmanship, etc...
Your tastes will change with experience. You likely won't look at your first sword the same after you flesh out your tastes alittle more fully. But thats how these things work...
... Good luck to ya...

[Mike Capanelli]

[Henrik Bjoern Boegh]

Hi Meghan,

Being only 22 years myself, I remember what it was like being 14 (and 10 for that matter )and sword interested. Although I agree with the others here that you should figure out exactly what you want, and try to find out how you can be taught how to use a sword.
Find a sword that pleases you by the way it looks and try to find out if the sword in question might fit you by how it handles and its price tag. I suggest you don't try getting hold of a sharp sword, but rather get something blunt. Learn how to take care of it and respect it as much as you respect a sharp knife or a loaded gun.
Going for something like Museum Replicas Ltd is a good idea, as it won't set your economy back for years ahead

Good luck!

Cheers,
Henrik

[Shamsi Modarai]

I agree, and I certainly wasn't suggesting Meghan needed to wait five years before buying a sword. I definitely remember what it feels like.....probably because for me it still feels like that!

[Jonathan Hopkins]

[Karl Knisley]

Hello Meghan
I agree, with the above, that you need to put in, alot, of study in, before you buy your sword.If nothing more ,than to find out ,what you (realy)want ,and who, to buy from. There are multitudes, of retailers, that sell realy high priced junk.
And only a few, that sell ,real swords.Avoid things,like, retailers that push,"stainless steel,with a blood groove"
As its been said ,Museum Replicas LTD,sells a decent, first sword.They have a good variety,and they`re (usualy) of fair/good,quality.
As to how old, you should be ,before you buy a sword...that could be a good topic for discusion
I think ,that as long as you have your parents permission,14,is plenty old enough to own a sword.I bought a rifle ,at ,18.
Just pratice common sence,like...don`t swing it...at the cat,or the tv,or the nieghbor kid. It`s a weapon,more dangerous than your knives.
Have fun, shopping for your sword. That`s 1/2 the fun

[Anders Backlund]