What Kind of Blade Do You Need?

Choosing the hilt style from the other web pages is only half of the process. You also have a range of blades to choose from depending on the fighting style to be used. The following blades are all fight-worthy and can be fitted onto most of the hilt styles, but different blades will affect the grip and pommel style that can be fitted onto the sword. As different blades have different characteristics, and can greatly change the performance of your actors and the tone of the scene, it is the choice of the blade that is crucial to the effectiveness of the fight. Choose the hilt based on looks, but choose the blade based on function.

"What if the swords don't have to hit each other?" We also carry a wide selection of costume blades (check out the bottom of this page). These are non-tempered steel blades that are not suitable for stage combat but look and feel real enough for dress and flourishing purposes at a considerable savings. Straight or curved, short or long, just ask. NOTE: We do not carry a costume equivalent of the thin dueling blades. So if you need the thin elegant look of the epee or the schlaeger, you'll have to order the sword with those more expensive blades. [Once a blade is that thin, it has to be tempered steel]

"Oh, the actors aren't really fighting; they only have to hit them once or twice". I understand what you mean, but that's like saying that you don't really need brakes on your car because there is only one stop sign on your way to work. Even if you only need to touch the brakes once all day - at that one time YOU REALLY NEED THEM. The same with swords. Even if the sword only has to touch another one time, or if it has to be dropped, it must be a fight worthy blade.

Blades break. Under the stress of performance and rehearsal, blades break. The lighter blades break with more frequency, but even a broadsword blade will snap in half and give no warning before it does. Even brand new blades fresh from the foundry have micro-fractures. When these micros turn macro, the steel shatters. For that reason, we do not guarantee against any blade breakage. If it breaks, you've bought it. For the same reason we strongly advise that sword fights be choreographed by an instructor of stage combat certified by the Society of American Fight Directors, or someone of equal training. This does not include fencing instructors.  The techniques of competitive fencing are dangerous to actors and their swords.

Members of the SCA (Society of Creative Anachronism) and renaissance faire fighters are not qualified to fight onstage, and should certainly never give fight instruction to those who do.

"What about plastic blades?"  We don't carry them. Plastic breaks more easily than steel, and then you have a very sharp stick with the same potential for danger as a real weapon. Steel is safer. For some tips on blade longevity see our sword safety handouts

Need a replacement blade? We have epee blades for only $20 - that's the lowest price nationwide.

Foil - for the sport of foil fencing, it’s fine, but it is far too "whippy" and weak to be used for stage combat.    L= 35"; 5 oz.    We do not carry this blade - it is unsafe in actors' hands.

Epee - the traditional standard for stage combat. Pronounced "eh-pay", the triangular cross section and thin groove allows for stiffness, flexibility, and quick response, but it will break if strong cutting motions or aggressive parries are used.    L= 35"; 6 oz

Demi-epee - we’ve taken the epee and reduced the size to more closely match the true smallsword blade. Excellent choice for theatres with limited space.    L= 28"; 5 oz

The last blade shown is the Double-wide Epee also called the Musketeer. WE NO LONGER CARRY THIS BLADE. Many people like them because they think that they are stronger than the standard epee. Please benefit from our experience. Over the past twenty-eight years we have purchased thousands of both kinds, and we've seen that the double-wides break more often than the standard, and are three times as costly.   L= 35"; 7 oz

Schlaeger - an excellent compromise between a light blade for point work and a heavy blade for strong cutting. The current stage combat standard.    L = 35"; ½" wide, 11 oz

Rapier - used in a few of our sales weapons, this blade comes to us from Hanwei.   L = 35" (we cut them down from the 37" as shown in the photo) 1" wide, 16.5 oz

Poniard - this light and thin blade makes a perfect match against the common epee or foil bladed rapiers found in most props cabinets.    L=  15" [some a little shorter]; W= 5/8"; 4 oz

Wide Dagger - incredibly strong steel, this blade can survive even broadsword fights. Very lovely, but might be too strong against the fencing epee blade.    L= 12"; W= 1"; 8 oz

Main Gauche - at 17", this is a lot of dagger. Main gauche is French for left hand, and the blade was used for rapier and dagger fights of the late Renaissance and Cavalier period (but then again the rapier blades back then were up to 4 feet long). Consider it also for use as a short sword.    L= 17"; W= 1 5/8"; 10 oz.       Sorry, but this French blade is no longer being made - so these last ones we have are for rental orders or special sale orders only.

Sabre - The weight of the blade dictates the use of singe-hand broadsword fighting techniques. Very strong and powerful. Also the blade we use for our Japanese katanas.   Sorry, but this German blade is no longer being made - so these last ones we have are for rental orders only - no sales. [More information if you wish]  L= 31"; W= 1 1/8"; 20 oz.

Briquet Sabre - this is actually the true naval cutlass blade, a cut-down curved blade short enough so as not to get caught in a ship’s rigging. Also keep it in mind as a fine infantry sabre for weaker hands or when fighting space is limited.  Sorry, but this German blade is no longer being made - so these last ones we have are for rental orders only - no sales..   L= 22"; W= 1 1/8"; 15 oz

Pirate Cutlass - a fantasy blade that looks menacing - but is still very light and quick.    L= 18" to 22"; W= 1 ½"; 14 oz. [This is one of the few blades we build, carved out of machete blades, so we will repair it should it ever break - free of charge]

Falchion - the peasant fighting blade of the middle ages, usually on a broadsword hilt. Most foot soldiers were untrained farmers, so simple hacking weapons were the most effective swords. No finesse required, just rush in and swing. Not for knights, but actually far more common than the broadsword in medieval baffles.    L= 18" to 22"; W= 1 ½"; 14oz     [This is one of the few blades we build, carved out of machete blades, so we will repair it should it ever break - free of charge]

Scimitar - This is a very light spring steel, but stiffer than the usual bendy blades used by martial artists.    L= 30"; W= 1 3/8" [2 5/8" at the widest point] ; 25 oz

Shortsword - Greek, Roman, and other bronze-age and iron-age cultures.    L= 18"; W= 1 ½"; 14 oz       Sorry, but this German blade is no longer being made - so these last ones we have are for rental orders or special sale orders only. [More information if you wish]

Vorpal - a very sweet light blade, wider and shorter than the schlaeger. The balance point is closer to the hand, making an exquisitely responsive sabre, stout rapier or single-hand broadsword. Strong and quick.      Sorry, but this French blade is no longer being made - so these last ones we have are for rental orders or special sale orders only.   L= 29"; 15 oz; 7/8" wide.

Single-hand Broadsword - A longer grip can be used on some blades for a two-handed fighting style if need be.  Sorry, but these German and Chinese blades are no longer being made -- We will continue to provide them for both sales and rental until we run out.   L= 33"; W= 1 1/8"; 20 oz

Archer Broadsword - This stout version of the single-hand broadsword is typical of the blade needed when fighting was done primarily from foot rather than horseback.    L= 29"; W= 1 ½"; 28 oz   Sorry, but this Chinese blade is no longer being made -  - these are for sales orders only.

Two-hand Broadsword - Although true to historical blade dimensions, your fighters should know what they are doing - a sword with this blade is hard to swing, and even harder to stop. For the vast majority of stage combatants, I urge using the single-hand blade with an extended two-hand grip.   Sorry, but this German blade is no longer being made - so these last ones we have are for rental orders or special sale orders only.  L= 38"; W= 2"; 56 oz

Zweihander Broadsword - The blade used by the Landesknight foot soldiers. Notice how much larger is this blade, and yet how much lighter.     Sorry, but this German blade is no longer being made - so these last ones we have are for rental orders or special sale orders only.   L= 45"; W= 1 3/4"; 48 oz

(There was another broadsword blade called the "hand-and-a-half". We carried it for years, and it was very popular for full two-handed fights. Unfortunately, it, like many of the other wide blades, is no longer available.)

We have a huge supply of costume grade steel blades long and short, single and double edged, straight and curved. They are all made of steel, but they are not constructed nor tempered for blade-to-blade contact. Just as with the fight-worthy blades, all have rounded tips and dulled edges. You tell us the optimal dimension of what you are looking for, and we'll try to get as close to that as possible.
(Note: we don't have a costume grade equivalent of the epee blade. Once a strand of steel gets that thin, it has to be tempered steel.)

Here's a few examples of some random twisted blades for various productions of  Man of La Mancha (post windmill battle).

   The former supplier of this blade is n