Glad I could be of some help.
Personally, I like the Zen stuff pretty well, but my wife hates them. She learned to fight with Rogue Steel weapons and got pretty spoiled because of it. Our Zen smallswords came in last weekend and I'm really happy with my R5 (which I got with a T90 epee blade, making it a very light and agile little weapon), but we're sending her R2 back because she didn't like the balance or the look (it had a T90 also).
I'm thinking of getting a curved schlager blade from Alchem Inc. for the R5 so that it can pull double-duty as a naval cutlass/saber. It's stylish
and versatile!
I know that Rogue Steel will include a custom fit leather-covered lexan scabbard for about $100 with their weapons, and there are numerous leathershops online that can do custom leather sheaths. If you're into DIY (and who isn't on this forum?) I understand that you could make one out of fiberglass relatively easily, just wrap the blade in aluminum foil/plastic wrap then wrap that in fiberglass cloth, fill, sand paint and decorate (please note that I've never done this before, so it's probably more difficult than it sounds). I have a pair of wooden scabbards that I had made by friend of a friend who's into woodworking (Don't look for these online - they usually start around $300, if you can even find a place to do it). You might also try just using PVC pipe, painted and decorated. The half-round profile on an epee blade might make for a decent fit if you experiment a bit.
You might also find some interesting information at
the SFI projects forum. Come to think of it, you'll probably find some interesting stuff all over SFI, so if you aren't familiar with them I'd highly recommend poking around when you get a chance. It's a very well-informed community.
