Are these Swords Junk? You'll be Shocked by the Results!

On this week's Weapons Wednesday, Amanda and Mel wanted to really test out some swords with different types of steel.  They made sure to really bash them to really see what happens with them.  Check out the video to see the interesting results!

For this week, Amanda and Mel wanted to continue the extreme testing, but this time on swords! They tested them by chopping fruit to check the sharpness, using a pallet on the tip of the blade, smashed up a chair to test the durability, and used a cinder block to review the strength. The results surprised the girls and myself as well, so watch the video to see everything that they did!

The first weapon that was reviewed was the Red Sawback Machete. They were interested in seeing how a stainless steel blade would compared to higher quality steels during these tests. The machete has a red and black anodized finish for a very unique look and also has a rope cutter and a sawback. The blades are very sharp and was able to cut fruit with ease, while the tip also stayed sharp while testing it against the pallet. When Amanda did this test though, she noticed the nylon cord moving around which made the striking uncomfortable. Once she put on a glove, she was able to finish both the chair and the cinder block tests without any discomfort. The surprising part about the chair test was that it wasn't able to make as much visible damage compared to the other weapons. The MOST exciting part though was that it was able to break a cinder block though! Both of the girls were not expecting that and were very surprised by that result. Overall, the blade didn't chip and there was minimal cosmetic damage that was relatively easy to clean off. The one recommendation that Amanda had about this sword though is to change out the red nylon cord for something with a bit better grip. See the video to watch the full review!

Next up was the Flaming Skull Katana. The main reason why Mel wanted to test this sword is because of the fire and skull printed pattern on the blade. She wanted to see how much force and effort was needed to remove the pattern on the 28.5" blade. This 1045 high carbon steel sword features synthetic ray, a plain black tsuba and a lacquered PVC pipe sheath (which prevents warping over time). It also has gold dragon menuki in the handle and comes with a cloth sword bag. Obviously, the sword was able to cut through fruit without any issue, which is what they were expecting. During the pallet testing though, they were able to see the printed pattern of the blade beginning to come off. That worsened over time with the chair and cinder block tests. The chair was where the printed pattern started rubbing off and the chair also caused some small chips in the blade which was also worsened by the cinder block test. The chips in the blade was not as bad as they thought it would be though, but they're guessing that the printed pattern helped with preventing additional dings. The cinder block test also caused the sword to bend, but the girls were able to fix it so that it was straight again since 1045 carbon steel is so flexible. Overall, the sword withstood the damage better than they thought, but they would still recommend this as a decorative piece at home over a real weapon. View the video to see them destroy this blade!

The third weapon that the girls tested was the Heroes Journey Samurai Sword. This sword is a 1060 high carbon steel blade that has some very traditional features. It has a genuine hamon line, real ray skin, and a lacquered black wooden scabbard. The best part of the sword is the tsuba though. It is a brass tsuba with samurai in different positions and it has painted gold accents. The girls had high hopes for this sword and Amanda was very impressed with how easily it was able to cut into the grapefruit. The pallet test was slightly disappointing, but that was due to the fact that Amanda accidently hit the wall that was behind the pallet which ended up chipping the tip of the sword. The chair is where the sword really starting getting some issues. It ended up chipping and making small dings throughout the blade when it began hitting the metal fastening spots within the chair. The sword ended up with more flaws in the blade after the cinder block hit as well, which was also surprising. In the end, the girls still thought it was a nice blade, just not made to withstand hard hitting with metal or a cinder block. See the video to watch what happened with the blade!

The final sword of the day was the Kangxi Imperial War Sword. This sword was an instant eye catcher for Mel and she knew that she had to show this off! She really wanted to see how 75Mn spring steel would hold up to serious abuse since it is the thickest blade and is HEAVY. Weighing nearly 4 pounds, it was a workout really using the sword. The handle features a very detailed and decorative dragon pattern which matches with the tsuba and the scabbard as well. The scabbard is covered in faux ray skin and has beautiful ornate brackets. The girls thought this sword would be the best out of all of them. The first test was obviously easy with the fruit and Mel found out it was actually easy to use compared to her first thoughts about the sword. The sharpness of the tip test also didn't work out well since Mel also hit the wall, which caused the tip to break as well. It withstood the chair fairly well, it got minor dings in the blade that could be sharpened away. This sword was affected by the cinder block test the most though. It ended up taking a larger chunk out of the blade compared to any of the larger blades. Overall, the sword is still beautiful and can withstand a lot, but abusing the weapon will cause flaws. Watch the video to see how it handled the abuse!

Here's the video: