Which sword?

amity166 · 06-29-2007, 09:38 AM

Hi! Ok so now I can buy a sword. Which one? I have never used a sword before, been dancing for only a bit over a year, dont plan on going professional, but I do want to be good at this! So, here are the ones that are tempting me:

At Turquoise Int'l
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...4479&rd=1&rd=1

Audrena
http://www.audrena.com/TheBellyDanceStore.html
And what do you think of that Amira Mor's Balance video? I have Princess Farhana's balance sword video.

And of course the one at Soroyan, though I am not sure I am worth spending that much (but I can right now). Would it be worth the difference?

antimony · 06-29-2007, 09:45 AM

I really like the look and balance of the Saroyan swords. I bought one that looks extremely similar, but cost half as much from bhuzzer s1dur1_sab1tu. I don't know if she still sells them. I love it!

I also own one of the inexpensive ones with the leopard on the hilt that comes in a scabbard. (I just checked, it's the one at Turquoise) It doesn't balance for crap, and I don't enjoy dancing with it at all.

Lauren_ · 06-29-2007, 10:02 AM

One of my students just bought one of Kittie's (s1dur1_sab1tu) swords on e-bay last month, she loves it!

Arella · 06-29-2007, 10:09 AM

I also made the mistake of buying one of the swords with the leopard on the hilt... horrible balance! I hated it

I bought a Saroyan and love it!!! Its balances perfect!

mahira-michelle · 06-29-2007, 11:48 AM

http://www.knightsedge.com/belly-dancing-sword.htm
I highly recommend this sword. It balances nice and it's only $49. It has a great look as well. My dance partner & I danced with this sword for Knights Edge for a news spot last month and we really like them. Tell them Mahira & Aminah of Twisted Hipz sent you. ;-)

barb · 06-29-2007, 12:01 PM

Also think about how much room you're going to have. If you're short on space or dancing close to others, choose a smaller one.

antimony · 06-29-2007, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mahira-michelle

http://www.knightsedge.com/belly-dancing-sword.htm
I highly recommend this sword. It balances nice and it's only $49. It has a great look as well. My dance partner & I danced with this sword for Knights Edge for a news spot last month and we really like them. Tell them Mahira & Aminah of Twisted Hipz sent you. ;-)

This one looks similar to Saroyan's and the sword me and others have gotten from s1dur1_sab1tu. The design on the blade may be different, but the shape looks the same, and that shape seems to balance well.

resullivan · 06-29-2007, 12:43 PM

I've been playing with balancing for about a year now, so no expert here. have 2 swords from Kult of Athena which were on the cheap side and balance REALLY well for me. http://www.kultofathena.com/

I have the Dragon Scimitar and the Baladay Scimitar. I know other dancers who use some of their other swords, and so far all good reviews. Somewhat heavy though. But they even balance on windy days....stinking wind.

Now my first sword I got off of ebay. Balances ok, but the pretty chrome makes it slippery slippery, FEH!

amity166 · 06-29-2007, 01:03 PM

wow that sword looks really nice! How would it look with an egyptian costume though!
I am split between the soroyan and http://www.kultofathena.com/product~...y+Scimitar.htm

Heck of a difference in cost though, and I am not the tribal type really...

amity166 · 06-29-2007, 01:04 PM

Bah that last one is back ordered. I dont think i'd be that patient to wait for it :P

amity166 · 06-29-2007, 01:07 PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/Turkish-Scimitar...QQcmdZViewItem

Does anyone knows this seller? Or this sword? Ok so again, how would that go on an egyptian style costume? :P Though it says it comes sharp? How the heck?

Ainsley · 06-29-2007, 08:43 PM

That's the CAS Iberia Scimitar, the sword Kult of Athena's Baladay Scimitar is based on. You can get them slightly cheaper at Gypsy Threads, where they also have a dulling service. They're historical replicas that were not originally intended as dance props: that's why they come sharp.

As for whether they go with an Oriental-style costume, I do mostly Egyptian style (with only a bit of tribal fusion on the side), and I have a Baladay Scimitar. Regardless of my costume, I prefer it over the more decorative varieties because it looks dangerous, but that's really a matter of personal taste.

DeborahDances · 06-29-2007, 09:12 PM

I have the CAS Iberia, I bought it from Kult of Athena (love them!) a year and a half-ish ago. It's sharp and I don't plan on dulling it, but I'm pretty sure that most people do. I love it. It's made out of carbon steel though, so it takes some care to keep it pretty, the metal oxidizes pretty easily.

antimony · 06-29-2007, 09:18 PM

I like the swords with the engraved blades, like all of the above-mentioned versions of the dragon-handled scimitar. They look spectacular under stage lights - The flat of the blade and the engraving reflect differently, so the engraving is really visible.

amity166 · 06-30-2007, 09:58 AM

I sent a request at Gypsy thread, awaiting info to pay them and complete orders. This sword looks identical to the one on ebay, except for the weight. Same measurements, looks exactly the same, how can it be heavier?

amity166 · 07-01-2007, 06:53 PM

http://www.kultofathena.com/
I ordered the CAS Iberia scimitar from this place, gosh I hope they ship fast!! I cant wait!

Thank you all for your recommendations. One of the dancers in my class uses this and she looks so cool, I hope I can make it look half as good as she does!

amity166 · 07-06-2007, 01:02 PM

Ok, so I just got my sword (YAY!) and it looks awesome. Will using a machine to dull it ruin it? should I do it by hand?

ya ya, so I cut myself as I was taking it out of the box...

Lauren_ · 07-19-2007, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mahira-michelle

http://www.knightsedge.com/belly-dancing-sword.htm
I highly recommend this sword. It balances nice and it's only $49. It has a great look as well. My dance partner & I danced with this sword for Knights Edge for a news spot last month and we really like them. Tell them Mahira & Aminah of Twisted Hipz sent you. ;-)

I ordered one from them, back at the end of June, right after I saw this post. It arrived quickly, well-packed. But there was a HUGE rough gouged-out area right in the middle of the blade! A highly visible flaw, and a dangerous one, as it left a sharp edge on the exact part that would be in contact with my scalp. Hubby said it looked like a mfg defect rather than damage. Also, didn't balance at all.

So I contacted the company. They said dancers usually turn the handle to make it balance. Oh. Silly me, I assumed it would arrive already balanced OR with instructions for balancing it, since it's being sold as a bellydance sword. Still, they said I could return it. And I did -- two weeks ago! Still no refund. I e-mailed them tonight, hopefully I'll get my money back soon.

Meanwhile I borrowed one of Kittie Sparkle's swords from a student -- perfectly balanced, a joy to dance with. As soon as I get my money back I'm buying one of hers!!!

antimony · 07-20-2007, 12:20 AM

I *love* my Kittie Sparkle sword. It balances just fine with the hilt in the "correct" direction.

Last fall I had occasion to dance with a classmate's $200 Turkish sword (the same dragon-hilt design-on-the-blade style of scimitar) and my Kittie Sparkle sword is just as nice to dance with and cost 1/3 as much!

aazura · 07-20-2007, 08:03 AM

Does Kittie Sparkle have a website? I'm interested in getting a sword to play with!

Lauren_ · 07-20-2007, 08:50 AM

No website, she sells on e-bay mostly AFAIK. But she gives pricing and e-mail info so you can order directly from her on this thread:
http://www.bhuz.com/forum/showthread...4925#post34925

Which sword?

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