Quote:
Originally Posted by DanHoward
How can you tell whether it has a tang if the handle is intact? You don't need to see an intact handle to know it never failed in combat, all you need is a blade with battle damage but no broken rivet holes.
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There can be design differences. There can be weapons that were partially damaged. If necessarily, there's x-rays.
In any case, it's safe to say that swords with tangs were superior to swords without tangs, because if they weren't superior in some way they wouldn't have become dominant. However, that doesn't mean a solidly attached handle is impossible without a tang, it just means that it's enough extra effort to justify spending the additional metal on making a tang.