At Pointy Bits we are driven by a love of fine blacksmithing, a fascination with metallurgy, a desire to promote the sport of tameshigiri (target cutting) and the hobby of sword collecting, and the pleasure of putting that cherished and wished for blade in someone's hand for less than a month's pay. I (the owner and proprietor) have been sword obsessed since I was a small child, and recently I have discovered that the opening of the global marketplace, and China in particular (Longquan City in Zhejiang province to be exact, a center of master class sword making for over 2500 years, and yes that is BEFORE the invention of steel), has afforded many new opportunities for sword collecting on a normal person's budget. My desire is to share knowledge and spread this good fortune, while maintaining an ethic of honesty and fair play. Whereas on other sites you will find blurry images, vague descriptions, and meaningless catchphrases like "cut bamboo edge," at Pointy Bits we list HRC and carbon content, and we'll send you a microscopic photo of the edge or damascus pattern of any blade you are interested in on request. Whenever possible we deal directly with makers, so we can offer wholesale prices, as opposed to the standard 500-600% markup. We maintain a blog, Musashi's Oar, dedicated to busting sword myths and providing general information on sword culture. We have a"Gallery of Gorgeous Hamon" and a complete line of European swords and Damascus knives as well.