"I ordered twice. First time, I got a great product for a ridiculous price and the second time, there was a defect on the blade (probably from shipping) and they sent me a free replacement, which arrived in great condition)
They have made it possible to have "battle ready" swords without paying thousands of dollars or without risking injury with a crappy cheap sword that could break in your hands at any time. "
"In January I ordered the Darksword Armoury Excalibur sword through Sword Buyer's Guide Store. It was advertised as "in stock". Apparently in stock means something different to them than to everyone else in the world, because they really meant "assembled to order, by another company". Here it is, 6 months later, and they still cannot give me a ship date for my sword. They have ignored half the emails I have sent to them. I am asking them to cancel my order and refund my money - which they charged me up front. "
"Quick delivery , beautiful katana exceeded the description . Very sharp and put together very well. Top notch tsuba , etc.. I ordered another katana , Project X Japanese last week . I had a question and wanted to change 2 things. Paul Southern responded to my email . The owner ! How often does that occur in todays world ? I'm impressed and happy."
"I have been wanting a sword from Scorpion Swords for a couple years now. I saw the new Daywalker sword and decided it was the one after watching the testing video. Which was also the test they put to ko-katana threw. All the things he dose in the video that you should never do to a sword and it coming out with minor damage and still just as solid. That to me is a well crafted blade. Had me sold on the ko-katana. I love the style and the slight alterations he made to the Daywalker sword lengthening the handle and shortening the blade for better balance. I want a sword I can use not a sword that is only for show. These swords are adorable and very well made. I could only order it threw SBG. When I received my sword the box was a little bashed on one end from the shipping company being rough. When I unboxed the sword I immediately noticed the tip of the sheathe was smashed a bit. Upon further investigation it seemed that the sword was was dropped on its tip in the box and sheathe. The tip pierced the sheathe and put a gash in the rivet on the tip of the sheathe.
Now I have 4 kids and a girlfriend that has her kid 50% of the time. We live in a 3 bedroom apartment. We are very tight on space so I am constantly throwing garbage away that is taking up space. Needless to say I wasn't thinking and threw the box away.
When SBG got back to me and said they need pics of the box and I might need to take it to the shipping company so they can open a claim. I felt like a complete idiot. I told SBG I understand I messed up and wouldn't mind paying for another sheathe so that I could show my new piece in all it's glory. A week later I got a package from Scorpion with a new sheathe. I will be buying more from them they are a great company and everyone I communicated with at SBG was very nice and understanding. I will recommend Scorpion not only for the great craftsmanship but also all the great people involved in these two companies!"
"Certificates are typically considered invalid in Japan ("Green papers"). The prices are double, or even triple what you'd find in Japan. They add dubious stories to their offerings. All in all as an old school collector of Nihonto and member of the NBTHK I cannot condone their business practice which will inevitably hurt new collectors when they go to aftermarket.
Moroever, their "modern polish" offering involves using non-traditional methods of polishing which is a destructive practice and against all principles of restoration.
Do not use SBG for antique blades.
"
"I ordered the hanzo steel #5 from SBG and received it within 5 days. Beautiful sword and lighting fast shipping. Zero complaints here. "
"I bought a $250 Saber in the end of June for my girlfriend's birthday. 2 weeks into use and the tip of the saber breaks off. I call the company, I email them 3 times, I post on their Facebook. 2 weeks go by and they "will get back to me soon". Don't bother buying from these guys.
Edit: no one reached out to me since, but they have sent a replacement lightsaber blade. "
"I've purchased from Sword Buyers Guide several times and have never been disappointed. Every product they offer is quality and almost always with a huge discount. They even offer some custom, made to order merchandise. What really stands out about this business is the customer service and community behind it. If you ever have any concerns, there will be someone you can reach to address it. The owner also goes out of his way to personally test products and show the tests and results on video and with photos so you can have a better idea of what's out there. I really have nothing negative to say."
"Have made many purchases over the years. Fast shipping and great customer service. Paul has always kept me informed of my orders from start to finish. Every product was as advertised and great quality. Highly recommend this store for all your sword buying needs."
"Over the years I have purchased several swords through SBG and had nothing but good quality merchandise sent to me. I have contacted Paul several times and always got an answer back. The longest I had to wait on a sword was when I ordered my custom 'family heirloom' Katana but it was well worth the wait and is one of two 'family' swords I plan to hand down to my son and daughter.
The SBG (Paul Southren) has been doing a service to the new and seasoned sword collector with his many Reviews, Learning reports/articles, News letters, and Forums and is to be praised and thanked for all his efforts. Thanks Paul! All the collectors and writers that support SBG are also to be praised. Thanks everyone!
Jon P. Wolland"
"I have ordered from this site 2 times so far. Both where katanas. The pricing from them was better than I could find for the same swords anywhere. The swords arrived quickly with zero issues. Well packaged. Beautiful and functional katanas. Most sites have a mix of swords from wall hangers to fully functional. This site only sells swords that are functional. Both katanas I got where recommended for cutting practice. I highly recommend buying from this site. Paul Southren makes a real effort for his customers in both price and in satisfaction.
-S. Duncan"
"With an industry that sells handmade items, things are bound to go pear shaped once in awhile. Swords that are mass produced in large quantities can have a plethora of issues and imperfections, and when mistakes are made, most of these types of industries will shrug their shoulders and say "sorry, nothing we can do."
Not Paul Southren at Sword Buyers Guide.
This man made sure that after things were not to my satisfaction, he stood up to the plate and came thru with great follow up, and follow thru. He went the extra mile, and even made sure the recompense itself was complete, and to my liking.
Paul doesn't ignore emails, and has a personable and professional approach to dealing with his clientele. A company that does so is rare, and imho, this one is well worth doing business with."
"Firstly, I am not affiliated in any way with SBG, I write this review spontaneously because I think excellent service should be rewarded.
I bought a sword for my father and it was poorly tempered. This is not uncommon in a sword made in a traditional fashion. S6 or S7 shock steel etc is much better than traditional metals. The point was to buy a traditional sword. I include this info because the place that forges the sword is also excellent but the old techniques can fail and it is nobodies fault.
Paul Southran took this on personally and helped me through the whole affair with a complete reforge of the sword. This was despite me saying that I did not like conflict and would be happy with just a cheaper substitute sword if that made things a little easier.
I now have a complete remake which I just gifted to my father.
Needless to say I am still shocked that old traditional values in terms of customer service were provided by Paul and his team.
If you want to buy an online sword, my recommendation is you buy it from him."
"I ordered an item from the SBG store. The item itself was defective, having a warped shaft and poorly mounted head. Received quick refund, with free return shipping (unusual in this day and age).
Service was prompt and always courteous. Wonderful job to those at the SBG store"
"All of my experiences with the SBG store have been fantastic. For example, I bought a Hanwei Raptor Wakizashi on the sale SBG had a while back, and it chipped on a water bottle. It turned out to be a heat treat defect, and even though they were sold out of the factory seconds, their customer service sent me a shipping label to send it back, and had a brand new wakizashi (not a factory second) sent to me from the manufacturer via 1 day priority mail, with no extra cost on my part. They have always been happy to answer any questions and address any issues we customers have within a matter of hours. They do their best to insure that we get the best sword for our money, and I really appreciate it. Keep up the great service Paul!!!"