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I have a weakness for them. They are three kinds of attractive:

1 Shiny. Bladed weapons tend to be made of metal, and polished metal is shiny and has a sort of grace to it, no matter how jagged the shapes it is placed in.

2 Sharp. There is nothing, to me, more satisfying in a weapon than knowing it can rend through a 60-thick wad of garden bamboo supports with very little effort. I sharpen ALL of my weapons to this standard if I can, except for my decoration set, which I leave blunt only because to touch those blades with anything but a high-quality whetstone would be the highest of crimes against the craftsman. I have yet to find that whetstone at an affordable price, the cheapest stone of any quality is almost £50, and on top of that I would need oils to treat the blades to keep them up to their shine afterwards.

3 Deep. Weapons have one of the longest, most interesting histories. That is because since monkeys first figured out that they fought better if they grabbed a large stick or a bone, or a sharp rock, weapons have been used in conflicts since the very dawn of man. Looking into the origins of weapons is amazing.

I cannot resist a good sword. I find that, if I see a sword that is a: pretty, b: practical or c: sturdy and is within my price range, I must buy it. A recent addition to my collection is a thin, amateur-crafted Scimitar.

This particular weapon attracted me for all of the above reasons. Firstly, it cost me only £5, which is nearly $10 for all you American folk. Secondly, the sheath and handle were both hand-carved glossed heavy pine, and the blade is treated high-shine, grainy, VISIBLY crafted steel, which is exceptionally pretty. The wavy shape of the steel is visible where the hammer fell, you can see it is amateur work, but that has given it a sort of... soul I guess. I can hold this weapon and not feel like it is too pretty for battle, yet still see its shimmer and its intricate handle and scabbard. Thirdly, it is sturdy at 3/4 tang and it is fully battle ready sharpened by a grinding wheel, it is wickedly curved and absolutely wonderful to hadle. Well weighted, light, space on its grip for a hand and a half. I could use that sword if the world fell back into the dark ages, and it would be effective which is more than I can say for mass produced swords. This blade looks like a trainee smith's project, and I must say I am proud to own a sword that doesn't say "Made in China/Taiwan/Japan" on it. I am proud to own a fully unique blade. I hope the crafter of this piece goes on to become a successful smith, he deserves it for creating this beautiful scimitar.

tl;dr - I LIEK SORDS! SHINY SORDZ AND SHARP SORDS! I HAZ A SHINY SHARP SORD!

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