blender is pretty much the only free one that is really widely supported and has lots of exporters and stuff--but if you learn the basics of another program, they transfer over easily. If you want something that's very well developed, but not blender, try MilkShape. It costs a little money but it's worth it. Anim8or is also good but I don't think it exports into a usable format.
The sword looks pretty good
It just needs texturing. Very nice form, though! It seems like you have a keen eye for the style.