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That was actually first take shot. The Katana is a bit heavy. I spent about thirty minutes in practicing my swinging. My arms are tired now from doing that. It's kinda hard to tell how heavy it is. I'm giving it a guessing range of 10 to 25 pounds. I'm only guessing it's weight so don't be mad at me if I'm wrong.

If it is that heavy it's not very well made. They should be typically around 5-8 pounds.

"Real" Katana's normally cost between 500-30,000 dollars. That is for a new one - that doesnt include antique ones (That naturally are far more valuable)

@Spiffman

Like I said it was just a guess. I'm gamer and reader. Not a weigher. Holding it out makes it feel like it's 20 pounds. Holding it with it's point pointing at the ceiling it feels like maybe 8 or 9. It's kinda hard to tell.

@Sage

Figures. All the good swords have to be damn expensive to get. At least this one is sharp.

Lol, I love the look on your face in that picture...

Anyways, even if it isn't a really high-end sword, something that weighs 30 lbs certainly works really well as a training weapon. Going from 30 to 5 pounds would probably make you an uber-master.

"Let's just hope so." *looks back at pic* "What about the look on my face is it that like so much? I think it looks pretty normal." I said with a slight nervous tone. "Aarrgghh, I can't keep that shirt clean for the life of me. It's my favorite shirt. It's comfy, and I like it alot."

Remind me what fencing is. I keep thinking about quick thrusts, and short sword swings.

You look like you're trying like hell not to break out into a huge grin.

When you hold it out does either the tip or the grip feel heavier?
Practice swords should generally be balanced.
And to weigh it, hold it and stand on a weight... mesuarer. The word escapes me right now. Take that weight and weigh your self agian. Subtract the two and that's how much it weighs.

Also, please do not touch the blade without wiping it off after. The oil on your hands can muck up the blade.

Mucked up swords make Keldoth cry ;_;

foil fencing....... goood times... good times.
my friend at school is a fencer, he fenced against the french olympic team in an exhibition.... he won.... against all of them.....
he tought me how to fence, so if anyone wants to sword fight BRING IT!!!

There were some flavors of european swords that would use a blade like the first one, mostly they were transitional pieces. However, that hilt style would generally not be seen such a blade, generally more of a basket hilt, like some scottish blades, or the hilt on the blade-side sweeping down. Plus there were always odd-ball swords that never quite fit any genre, and that era was full of them.

As for wether or not it is a functional sword, first off does the blade metal run down into the handle quite a ways? Most decorative swords don't have much tang (the amount the blade is set into the handle), and as a result they will fall apart in that area when swung much due to stress on the handle and tang. With a real sword it will usually run all, or at least 3/4, of the way to the end.

Then there is the metal, and that's a little harder to tell. Many real swords that are made these days will have a signifier someplace as to what the metal is stamped on the blade. If not there are other ways to tell, like the sound it makes when tapped, good metal will tend to resonate more and more clearly (but that's also a little tricky to tell without a lot of experience).

As for touching the blade to test the metal, human body-oils have a lot of acidity to them that metal doesn't care for, after a time they will begin to eat into the metal if not properly cleaned.

Though, even if the metal is crap you could still pratice with it if it has a full tang. Just don't be hitting things with it. Not actually a good idea with a real one either unless you know what you're doing. And if you're getting into the habit of buying swords, and receiving them as presents, I would also recommend learning how to clean and care for them. Most folks have no clue and end up wrecking them.

That is quite some useful information here Valaquent. Thank you for your advice, and thank you everyone for your advice as well.