We get asked this question a lot. First, what is your definition of a sword being "real"? If you are referring to finding a real Marto brand "Sword of the Dragon" or Martespa brand "Official Sword of Connor" amid the many Taiwanese fakes selling for $80/135 then these, as mentioned throughout this website, are not real swords to begin with (in the sense of swords made to the tolerances of yesterday's battlefield weapons), even though the Marto/Martespa brand is the actual brand used on Highlander: The Series.

Be sure you read each article in this section so that this article does not have to be redundant with information!

The following is asked of us a lot:

"Where Can I Buy a Real Duncan sword?"

The sword from Season 1 of Highlander: The Series is notably different from the Marto/Martespa brand used in Seasons 2-6 (with and without the bronze colored neck collar for the dragon head). The prop maker of the Season 1 sword - Sal D'Aquila - makes an extremely tough version made from 5160 spring steel, heat treated to a body of 30-40 Rockwell hardness, and an edge of 60 Rockwells. For more information, read our section "Swords of the Series" off of the top menu. The article you want to read is "LImited Edition Dragon-headed "Musashi" Katana". This sword is in the US$600-range. We call it the Sal D'Aquila Musashi Katana

"Where Can I buy a Real Connor sword?">

One does not exist in the market; it has to be custom made. Be prepared to pay prices anywhere from $3,000-6,000 depending on embelishments. Some readers have carved their own out of porcelain (even basing their designs off images on this website, to my surprise) which can then be recast in a tougher epoxy. (Some basically do a cast of their Official Sword of Connor. While we do not recommend people breaking copyright laws, the final sword appears okay.) They mount them with inexpensive but tough Kris Cutlery 5160 blades. The cost of a personal project can be considerably lower.

Our original "Musashi Legend" project to approach Jose de Braga for a production-scale handle and Randal Graham for Japanese-style blades has been cancelled due to the extremely high set-up costs and also concerns that the general public may become dissatisfied not understanding how real swords perform due to myths and misconceptions derived from movies (e.g. swords might get returned all damaged people people think they can slice into concrete pillars, like in the first movie.) Also, copyright infringement was a serious concern even if we could have factored in 30% difference into it (in a way, you got to admire those Taiwanese knock-off manufacturers... they seem to get away with anything!)

"Where Can I buy a Real Kurgan sword?"

Like the Connor Sword, a real Kurgan sword does not exist on the market and therefore will have to be custom made. The many swordmakers I've spoke with will want to avoid the detachable blade as well as the spring "V" blade contraption on the cross guard. Why? A detachable blade is a thing of fantasy, but the adjoining point is structurally weaker than the rest of the blade and is dangerous to make. Remember: it was a movie prop and movie props are not necessarily real swords to begin with, in the same way concrete pillars can be made out of paper maché.

Also, the spring-loaded "V" contraption is possible but will increase the cost tremendously.

Now keep in mind that in the fight scenes, they used fixed blades and not detachable blades (if the latter half of the sword blade broke off during a fight, it could potentially go flying towards someone's face like a missile, and in real life you do not want that to happen.) If you were looking for a fully functional Kurgan-style sword, it would have to be custom made, and a fixed blade style sword with a fixed "V" could begin at $800 on up depending on who you have make it. Historically, the sword appears to be either a hand-and-a-half or a two-hander (more correct term would be "long sword"). Historically, longswords weighted no more than 4 to 4.5 lbs., while hand-and-a-half swords weighted about a pound lighter. There are many "sword makers" out there, but if they make them heavier than that, then they are either making stage combat props or they are unaware of actual historical pieces.

We get a lot of questions. However, be sure to read the Guide more thoroughly, as almost all questions asked of us by e-mail are already answered on this website.