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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Aug 31, 2009 0:20:49 GMT
good to knowKnightben, I'm sorry I jumped down your throat but some people have some very dangerous ideas about what they should be doing with their swords and I wanted to nip that idea in the bud so to speak.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2009 0:42:55 GMT
some people have some very dangerous ideas about what they should be doing with their swords I know one such man, and he claims to be a ninja. You can find his videos on youtube.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2009 20:25:56 GMT
Knightben - I own the DSA Squire and the Windlass Oakeshott Type XIV Arming Sword - both of which have been reviewed on these forums several times. /index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=2059&page=1#35173/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=6264&page=1#98143/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=2127&page=1#36358/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=6784&page=1#106118I mention the Windlass because there is a used one for sale right here right now, from a solid, reputable seller - /index.cgi?board=selling&action=display&thread=12014Many folks have mentioned the Windlass Oakeshott Type XIV Arming Sword 1-hander as one of their all time favorites. I certainly LOVE mine, and I am hard pressed not to tell you to BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT. There is nothing lightweight or scrawny about it. I think it would likely stand up to whatever you want to do with it. It is still being sold from several sites, but has been discontinued by the manufacturer. Anyways, you might want to give it some thought now, as it won't be available forever. With what you would save on it, you could consider getting the grip customized (which, without question, improves it). I also love my Squire. For me, it is the better looking sword of the two, but maybe only by a little. It is definitely bigger (longer) and heavier - much more blade presence (blade heavy). I have not handled other DSA swords, but this seems to be a pretty common comment in many DSA reviews. I can use my Squire 1-handed, but I am more comfortable and feel I have better control with a 2-handed grip on it. There is plenty of room for 2 hands, especially if I go over the guard with a finger on the ricasso with my upper hand. Then, it is essentially a short bastard sword for me (I am only 5'4" ;D) - nice option. I think you would have to be fairly burly to be happy swinging it 1-handed for very long. As for DSA's sharpening service. My first one was not well sharpened. DSA corrected this very much to my satisfaction. I wouldn't pin a bad sharpening reputation on them based on one experience. It is a secondary bevel, but I haven't found this to be a problem at all. It has cut everything I have swung at (lots of plastic bottles of different densities) like butter. DSA's (and SBG- I bought it via Paul's store) customer service is bar-none. Good luck - its sounds like you are choosing between several good choices. Buff
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SlayerofDarkness
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Post by SlayerofDarkness on Aug 31, 2009 20:48:56 GMT
You live in Tallahassee? That's around an hour from where I live. Maybe some day I can drop by and see your sword collection. I may end up giving in to the temptation to buy three swords, so we will just have to see what happens. Sounds cool. ;D Just let me know whenever you might be in the area or have a chance to swing by, and I'll see if it's cool with my mom. I should have a certain Windlass Type XIV pretty soon, followed by a VA304S. So, depending on the timeframe, you might have a chance to see those as well... Anyway, just a thought. Also, see how far away you are from Niceville, Florida. ArmsofValor is located there, so you could have a chance to handle a few DOZEN swords, including all the VA's and tinker's. I had a great time hanging out with Jason for awhile. He's a good guy. Not to mention that he'll match just about any price you find, and you'd save shipping costs if you went there to handle them before buying, so you would be that much closer to your 3rd blade. Fun times... ;D -Slayer
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2009 22:50:22 GMT
Why is tough so important? What exactly do you plan on using your sword for?
In anycase, gen 2 has the nicest edge of any of the sub 300 swords. I think they are better then even the new VA atrim stuff...however the VA line has so much better then gen 2 in just about all the other areas.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2009 23:41:56 GMT
If Niceville is indeed close to Destin it should be around two to three hours away from where I live. I might stop by there some day.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2009 2:08:00 GMT
"Why is tough so important?" My answer: because it's awesome!!!! i would probaby use this sword for reasonble and practical cutting exercises.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2009 6:59:20 GMT
"Why is tough so important?" My answer: because it's awesome!!!! i would probaby use this sword for reasonble and practical cutting exercises. That makes no sense...if you need toughness for a use that is one thing, but toughness for it´s own sake is just wasted attributes that could be better used elsewhere. Not that the gen 2 Maximilian sword is a bad sword...but there are just better swords out there for reasonable sword usage if you just don´t get hung up on toughness.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Sept 1, 2009 14:21:20 GMT
Once again, I agree with cold napalm. I have some swords that are no where near as heavy and toughly built as most Gen2 or DSA swords yet I have been able to cut through triple mats, double mats with bamboo cores, and even all the way through the 4x4 of my cutting stand with swords that are not tough, yet when I got my hands on one of the legendary DSA swords I was just barely able to cut through a single mat with it. you don't need your sword to survive being beaten on rocks. A good cutting sword will seem tough because it effortlessly parts it's targets and moves smoothly through. believe me THAT is so much more awesome you'll never miss the higher toughness swords.
if you want a sword that is both super tough and a good cutter I reccomend the Hanwei/Tinker EMSHS. it is very flexible in the half closest the point but the half closest to the hilt I can't bend without putting it over my knee. so basically if you want to hit somthing hard use the blunt strong part near the hilt, if you want to cut use the flexible sharp pointy end and be amazed. for single handed swords in our price range it is hard to beat the EMSHS.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2009 22:13:35 GMT
Ultimately it all comes down to what you want to do Knightbren mate. If you want the Maximilian then by all means get it. However the advice given by the other guys is good (and accurate). Like Cold Napalm said, there are better swords out there, but if toughness in your thing then DSA should serve you well.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2009 22:26:24 GMT
Hey I got a DSA Gothic cause it was "like so totally awesome tough" ....... and while its a good sword its cutting is ............ yeah ............ sub standard, its heavy but still wieldy the only reason it has ANY weildability (which is still reduced) is cause its taper is so great to its point.
Fact is I started to see that toughness wasnt everything, not when my targets are milk bottles and foamy pool noodles.
I also bought 3 Cold Steel Sabres and yeah Cold Steel is like "so tough dude they put em through car doors and @#$#" they cut like crap and are to heavy to wield in the light fashion sabres should.
A half decent sword is gonna be tough, tough for its purpose .......... you wouldnt use a sledgehammer to tenderise a steak so dont expect a big tough heavy thing to suit your purpose.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2009 22:27:20 GMT
i see your point. however, your preferences are just different from mine. i enjoy the psychological gratification as well as the bragging rights of owning an extremely formiddable sword. granted, this is difficult for many people to understand. thanks for the info and suggestions, all of you. i will compare these swords' attributes and decide which one is best for me
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Post by shadowhowler on Sept 1, 2009 22:42:20 GMT
Hey I got a DSA Gothic cause it was "like so totally awesome tough" ....... and while its a good sword its cutting is ............ yeah ............ sub standard, its heavy but still wieldy the only reason it has ANY weildability (which is still reduced) is cause its taper is so great to its point. To be fair, I have the DSA Gothic Two Handed sword also... and it is made to be primarily a thruster rather then a cutting sword... its for stabbing plate mail... so its cutting is not going to be super awesome. My Gen 2 Chaos sword cuts VERY well... and is what you would call 'overbuilt'. The really huge handle helps to hande the weight of it... and I find it a very effective cutting. My DSA Andruil sword was a super heavy MONSTER... but it cut pretty well even with a really bad edge. If that edge had been clean and sharp, not to mention Tom sharp, it would have cut REALLY well I am certain. However, it was WAY too heavy for me to want to use it as a sword in combat... I'd be too slow and get to tired to quickly. Anyway, at the end of the day, to each their own yeah? Tom: Your really starting to make me think about that EMSHS with how much priase you give it.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Sept 1, 2009 23:47:51 GMT
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Sept 1, 2009 23:52:35 GMT
Tom: Your really starting to make me think about that EMSHS with how much priase you give it. Yup, I have to say that judging by the blade alone I like the EMSHS way better than the AT303s. right now I think it is my #1 favorite sub$300 arming sword
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Post by shadowhowler on Sept 2, 2009 1:37:01 GMT
Yup, I have to say that judging by the blade alone I like the EMSHS way better than the AT303s. right now I think it is my #1 favorite sub$300 arming sword Interesting... I hope I get a chance to handle one in the near future, tho I'm not sure exactly how that would happen.
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Post by Dave(utilityslave) on Sept 2, 2009 3:07:49 GMT
Shadow, maybe Jonathan will buy it. Then you could go to his house to handle it!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2009 6:38:11 GMT
Ha! If jonathan ever gets himself to buy a sword...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2009 16:17:46 GMT
- the squire is blade-heavy. have users found this to be a significant problem? Actually, I'm not sure "blade heavy" is the right term. It's more that's it's heavy period. The blade is kinda large and lacks a distal taper. By itself, though, it weighs less then a kilo - about two pounds. I find that a lot of the weight come from the hilt, -the pommel and especially the guard are pretty heavy to provide balance for the blade. As a result, the POB is basically where it's supposed to be for this kind of sword, but at the cost of a higher over-all weight. Personally, I find it to be too heavy for comfortable handling with one hand - sluggish and unresponsive in general. As a matter of fact, I actually find that the sword handles better if I remove the pommel. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. Sure, it messes with the balance, but it still results in a more agile sword. I also tried replacing the guard with a piece of wood. That too resulted in better handling. Back when I bought it, the choice was basically between the Squire and the Knight. I went with the Squire mostly because back then, it was actually stated to be the lighter of the two. Today, I suspect I would have been happier with the Knight.
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