Thread: My son wants a sword

Originally Posted by jgjgjg

Brilliant!

Hart: I think we have found the middle ground. A swordish shaped Machete! A well sharpened curved Scimitar ought to be the ticket!

As long as it is suitable for yard work.....

Originally Posted by Hart

My point was, based on my limited experience, the sword like object is unlikely to be used as a sword. To go a step further, only when it is used "as a sword" will someone sooner or later be hurt.

The difference between interest in having a cool sword and being interested in sword based martial arts I think is key. There is no middle ground where you can casually flail around with a long piece of steel when the mood hits you.

In my experience, even people not interested in learning to use a sword will swing it around occasionally to make it go 'swoosh'.
Sadly, many wallhanger type sword shape objects have a rat tail tang or otherwise dangerous construction. There are plenty of examples where a bystander is impaled by a blade while the owners is standing dumbstruck with just the handle in his hands.

Not to sound confrontational but how many instances can you cite where a swords tang has separated, causing the blade to impale another person? You say there are plenty of examples but I can't help thinking that would be a freak occurance.

Originally Posted by Hart

As long as it doesn't fall apart any silly POS will serve the purpose intended by most young men. Lessons on value and quality still apply.

There were some that my son had that obviously didn't have a full tang and wobbled a bit in the hilt.

Originally Posted by Christel

Not to sound confrontational but how many instances can you cite where a swords tang has separated, causing the blade to impale another person? You say there are plenty of examples but I can't help thinking that would be a freak occurance.

True. It doesn't happen that often, percentage wise. But if enough people swing a sword, even unlikely chances will come true.
In any case, this is the first google result:
Tsuki Kage dojo - Sword Related Accidents

Combat re-enactor bleeds to death from sword wound during performance:
[Ca. 1994-1995. London]

During a combat re-enactment, a British performer bled to death in a matter of seconds after having had the femoral artery in his thigh sliced open by a blunted-sword that had broken during the performance. The sword used was a cheap re-enactment blade that was really only intended for use for about a year or so. A quick introductory weapon, in other words. The actual age of the blade was somewhere around 15 years old at that time, as the guy who made these swords stopped making that model around 1980. Since the breakage appeared to be the result of metal fatigue, the surviving performer tried to sue the manufacturer of the sword, but lost on the grounds of user negligence

[09/19/1981, Kashima, Japan]

6th Grade Student Killed While Watching Practice:

KASHIMA. On September 19th at around 8:35pm, Mr. Sakamoto Katsu (45 yrs old) was practicing Iaido in the Kashima Central Public Community Center when the mekugi [retaining pin] of his sword fell out. He swung the sword down and the blade flew out, striking the nearby eldest son of Mr. Nishi Toshikatsu, Takao (12 yrs old). A sixth grade student, Takao was killed when he was pierced in the left side of his chest

There are other examples if you google for them. Those 2 I quoted from that page are about a sword flying apart and killing someone. Swords are dangerous weapons, and just like you should always treat a gun as if it is loaded (even if it's not) you should always treat a sword as if it is a live blade and used for contact. To do otherwise is just asking for horrible accidents.

Well I'll be damned! Incidentally, googling for this also brought me to the number of deaths and injuries from vending machines falling on people... Who knew??

Originally Posted by Bruno

There are plenty of examples where a bystander is impaled by a blade while the owners is standing dumbstruck with just the handle in his hands.

Yeesh.....

I wonder if that was the inspiration for the Soviet "Ballistic Knife".

Originally Posted by Christel

Well I'll be damned! Incidentally, googling for this also brought me to the number of deaths and injuries from vending machines falling on people... Who knew??

There's a fun little Apple APP for the i-phone called "Dumb ways to die". Catchy tune, too....

Lessee. A thirteen year old boy with a sword...I would tell him to want in one hand and sh..t in the other and see which one fills up first! Buy him a 410!

Hehehe, apropos:

Katana Sword Infomercial Goes Wrong - YouTube