What is the sharpest sword?

Answer 1

There is no best sword in the world, only best sword for a specific person or purpose in mind. You would probably not use the same sword in rank-and-file formation as you would in a duel. It would also be unwise to fight a spearman with the same sword as you would another swordsman.

It has always come down to the age-old question - cut or thrust? Most swords are a compromise of the two. There is no sword ever made that can do both effectively. If you go back to Roman times, the legionary used a short thrusting sword called a "gladius". It was about 2' long, straight and had a point. It was very effective in their style of combat - packed together and up close, no room to swing a long, cutting sword.

The British cavalry had a history of changing its mind when it came to swords and adopted both types of swords, cutting and thrusting, at different times. Look at the sword "Sharpe" used on TV, a heavy cavalry sabre, very straight and very long. Existing at the same time was the 1796 Pattern Light Cavalry Sabre, a very curved weapon, modelled on the Indian sword called a "tulwar". This sabre was hailed at the time to be the finest cavalry sword ever made and was even adopted by the Germans for about 150 years. Yet this sword was replaced by the 1908 Pattern Cavalry Trooper's Sabre, a totally different design, long and straight with an angled hilt so as to make the weapon and arm as one long line. This too was hailed as the finest cavalry sword made.

So there you have it, one sword for cutting and another sword for thrusting, both equally efficient for the task they're intended for but totally different. Take your pick!

Answer 2

You can sharpen any sword with very hard steel up to a razor edge. Unfortunately that would also mean the steel is far too brittle. If it's hard enough to get to razor sharpness, it's not flexible enough to be a good sword and will almost certainly break, no matter what your friend's Sensei told him. A sword doesn't need to be very sharp, it just needs to be sharp enough. It takes very little force to cut flesh.