Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

fenlander · 22nd May 2007, 04:23 PM

A lot is made of the quality of steel used in many old functional weapons as compared to stainless steel of modern production line swords and knives. I would guess that modern hardened 440 stainless steel knives made in modern production lines like Korea Taiwan China etc are probably of higher quality than many of the old hand forged weapons of the past (at the time they were produced). Surely modern technology and production methods allow for superior blades to be made now than ever was possible in the past. Non-stainless steel blades would of been very suseptable to rusting and there would be far less uniformity of production.

It seems to generally believed that on average hand forged swords and blades are superior to mass produced ones. Is this true ?

Were swords of the past really much better than the present mass produced Asian swords and knives of today ? Surely technology is so much better now, than before that this is not the case. In fact could it be true that the mass produced bladed weapons of today are better than the hand forged ones of the past.

Hopefully you will tell me I am wrong and why ?

22nd May 2007, 04:23 PM	#1
fenlander Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 62	old blades versus new A lot is made of the quality of steel used in many old functional weapons as compared to stainless steel of modern production line swords and knives. I would guess that modern hardened 440 stainless steel knives made in modern production lines like Korea Taiwan China etc are probably of higher quality than many of the old hand forged weapons of the past (at the time they were produced). Surely modern technology and production methods allow for superior blades to be made now than ever was possible in the past. Non-stainless steel blades would of been very suseptable to rusting and there would be far less uniformity of production. It seems to generally believed that on average hand forged swords and blades are superior to mass produced ones. Is this true ? Were swords of the past really much better than the present mass produced Asian swords and knives of today ? Surely technology is so much better now, than before that this is not the case. In fact could it be true that the mass produced bladed weapons of today are better than the hand forged ones of the past. Hopefully you will tell me I am wrong and why ?