They had the sword from the Xena tv show on auction not long ago, and it was a plastic type sword. Looking at the still pics of it, it did look extremely phony. Watching the show though, it was hard to tell.

Keith,

I've worked with plastic doubles of real swords, and they look pretty good on camera. They will hold up moderately well to combat, if you spend time choreographing the moves, and pulling the punches. The pluss side is they weigh a lot less, and hence move much faster and cause less damage than real steel if they hit. They sound like crap though! (Cue the foley artists) They are also pretty expensive, because they are custom made to be replicas of the steel ones.

I'm afraid Drew isn't going to find a cheap - safe - realistic solution. Kinda like that quality triangle - "Cheap, Fast, Good" - you can have two of the three, but not all of them.

I found these swords which claim to be functional and useable for fighting. They are pretty cheap too. Does anyone know anything about these Stage Steel swords?

http://www.knightsedge.com/stage-steel-swords.htm

Drew,
They look to be a knock off of Starfire Swords http://www.starfireswords.com/web-pa...pages/home.php

I've used Starfire blades, and they're tough as nails. They also replace them if they ever break. Great deal.

Yeah, Knight's Edge makes pretty darn good stage steel. I have two swords from them.

Hmmm... in my experience, for combat, they are usually using PVC or wood wrapped in foam wrapped in duct tape! NOT realistic in looks! The better looking ones are just for show... (or non-SCA sanctioned activities).

Also, I don't think anyone's mentioned it, but almost any Martial Arts supply place on the web (there are thousands) have weapons in "kata" (showy), practice, and combat categories - often much cheaper than stage weaponry. Again, they tend to be asian-style, but may be worth checking out. Talk to some schools in your area or on the web to find out which are sturdy enough and safe enough for your needs.