By brute force, I mean fighting without pulling your blows. I have a hard time imagining anything like these blades not breaking when hitting against a tree really really fffffing hard. I'm guessing you've seen the stress test from Sabershop, but just in case, here it is:
Video
While not on the same level, I'm guessing this is the sort of stuff that happened to my blade while I was away, not to mention it was more brittle in the cold weather.
I understand that Ryan W isn't selling anything right now, but I've seen him do small runs every once in a while, and occasionally he makes some for the annual LCC. I still think he could sell the blades if he became the US distributor, even if he didn't sell hilts. But that remains to be seen.
Dang, you weren't kidding when you said scrap. It is interesting to look at it again, knowing that that's how it was made. At least it's useful for something.
