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Post by kidcasanova on Sept 19, 2009 21:53:01 GMT
Kevin, this is a 1315+. Which is to say it's a 1315 model with an added inch or so. Very nice cutter. Here's a video. Ah, I'm going to have to steal that from you one day, Rick.
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Post by shadowhowler on Sept 20, 2009 0:04:32 GMT
Yeh Thumper... I'd say you actually got a GOOD one, bassed on how EagleHawk described his. I'm pretty sure my guard and yours are about the same... but I'll test... you said you put playing cards in between the blade surface and the guard.... how many fit? I'll try thr same with mine. Your guard and mine, while there is gap, at least are even. I'll be honest, I have NO problem with mine... but then again, I have had some over 75 production swords pass threw my hands in the last year... so I have a really good idea of what to expect at this pricepoint now. There is no rattle or loseness from my guard, everything fits tight, so the gap does not bother me at all. If it where uneven like Eaglehawks, that would bug me... but mine is like yours and I never even gave it a thought. Like Mr Fletcher said, if you want perfection... you have to spend a lot more... he mentioned sometimes just a custom made a fit guard from him can cost the same as the whole Bristol package you got, which included sword, scabbard and belt. This time, I think your expectations are unrealistic in regards to production swords. The Valiant Armoury Signature line provides, in MY opinion, a HUGE value per dollar package. You get a fully functional, sharp out of the box clean edged weapon with good weight and balance, a WELL above normal quality scabbard and a belt, all for the same price as some others charge just for a sword... or for a sword and scbbard of less quality. However... its still a production peice, not a custom piece... if you want true perfection, your going to have to spend at LEAST 3 - 4 times as much for the same package.
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Post by Eaglehawk on Sept 20, 2009 0:43:30 GMT
Actually, mine doesn't bother me either. I really never noticed the gap until I compared it with yours. To me yours looks fine. I was going to leave a post similar to the one shadowhowler left, but he said it much better than I had planned. Considering you get a good production sword, plus harness, and belt; it is a hell of a deal. Plus the leather work is done in Sonny's shop, so is for all practical purposes custom.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2009 2:20:56 GMT
...well based on what you all are telling me, maybe I have my expectations set just a little too high and at this price-point, this is the best sword that I can attain at this point in time with my limited resources. (Shadowhowler) I was just looking at the pictures from your Bristol review in May, your guard to blade fit seems to be considerably tighter than mine, but to answer to your question, I can fit 10 cards in between the flat edge of the guard and the peaks of the fuller on the blade and does not include the depth of the fuller itself. I measured this with my calipers as 2.85mm (both sides). ...I have to admit though that I'm still not sure if I will keep the sword...I've gotta think on it a bit. I do wonder if I could purchase a second (unaltered from casting) guard from Sonny and custom fit it and/or customize it myself...that would give me great pleasure. I do feel rather honored that Christian Fletcher posted in my thread. This further makes me realize just how truly exceptional the SBG forums are. ;D
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2009 2:22:25 GMT
. I'm not sure I'm helping here or not. Perhaps it's the way the cross on the Bristol is made ? This is a pic of my new VA 303. I could not be more pleased.
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Post by shadowhowler on Sept 20, 2009 2:30:29 GMT
(Shadowhowler) in answer to your question, I can fit 10 cards in between the flat edge of the guard and the blade and does not include the depth of the fuller itself. You can fit 10 Is that on each side or total? Either way, I can only fit 2 on each side, so 4 total... so the gap on your guard is a bit wider then mine.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2009 2:48:28 GMT
...10 on one about 8 on the other (maybe I have very thin cards )...take a look at my pics again....I feel that the first picture says it all ,the gap seems pretty significant to me.... (doctorxring) Thats the way it should fit! Beautiful!
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Sept 20, 2009 3:10:11 GMT
Doctorxring's picture makes me want a new 303. . . that's VERY nice.
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Post by shadowhowler on Sept 20, 2009 3:11:21 GMT
Took a couple pics of my Bristol Guard... as I said, my camera is not as good at close up pics as yours, but here it is: Does appear, to me, to be a fare bit tighter fit then yours.
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Post by YlliwCir on Sept 20, 2009 3:16:01 GMT
Yeah, just checked my VA practicals. They are fairly tight as well. Looks like the gap varies from model to model and piece to piece.
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Sept 20, 2009 3:29:16 GMT
of course it does, this is one of the major pit-falls of mass-produced swords there's no real way around it without investing in more expensive measures. if it were an Albion sword it would look about the same but have that perfect fit and would cost like $1400 including that scabbard and belt so really this is still a heck of a good deal. I think Sonny said it best "if it doesn't rattle. . ." if it bugs you that much I'm sure you could find a buyer on the Classifieds section here and not lose much of your investment at all. this is really down to personal preference I think. nothing wrong with you if it bugs you, but you gotta understand what that means you'll have to pay to get a sword that satisfies you. I have dealt with this very issue and because of that my next sword is being made by Gus right now and it's going to be custom fitted by Christian Fletcher and it's costing me about $900 so ummmmm yeah there it is, damned if it ain't
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Post by shadowhowler on Sept 20, 2009 3:32:05 GMT
of course it does, this is one of the major pit-falls of mass-produced swords there's no real way around it without investing in more expensive measures. if it were an Albion sword it would look about the same but have that perfect fit and would cost like $1400 including that scabbard and belt so really this is still a heck of a good deal. I think Sonny said it best "if it doesn't rattle. . ." if it bugs you that much I'm sure you could find a buyer on the Classifieds section here and not lose much of your investment at all. this is really down to personal preference I think. nothing wrong with you if it bugs you, but you gotta understand what that means you'll have to pay to get a sword that satisfies you. I have dealt with this very issue and because of that my next sword is being made by Gus right now and it's going to be custom fitted by Christian Fletcher and it's costing me about $900 so ummmmm yeah there it is, damned if it ain't Pure Truth. I myself would not return a production sword for having a wide gap... as long as there was no loseness/rattle. I realize that if I want that perfection, I've got to be willing to PAY for it. Like Mr. Fletcher said, he can fit a guard perfectly... but that guard alone is going to cost as much as the whole Bristol package did.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2009 3:46:38 GMT
...I so wish that I could inspect the actual sword I want before buying it...hmmph....
BTW Tom, I understand that you're in the Coast Guard? My home town (Gloucester Mass) has a station! I have great respect for the Coast Guard you all do a great service! Hats off to you buddy! I salute your service!
Oh and as I only just got the sword from KOA Friday, I can return it with out any issues...that is if I can keep myself from cutting something!
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Post by Tom K. (ianflaer) on Sept 20, 2009 3:52:09 GMT
alas, for most of us it is not to be. but do like shadowhowler did and buy and sell, buy and sell. it sounds like your bristol isn't that bad there's bound to be someone to buy it especially now that we are in between batches and some one who wants one will have to wait a while. right? we are between batches aren't we? I'm a little out of touch.
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Post by shadowhowler on Sept 20, 2009 3:58:58 GMT
alas, for most of us it is not to be. but do like shadowhowler did and buy and sell, buy and sell. it sounds like your bristol isn't that bad there's bound to be someone to buy it especially now that we are in between batches and some one who wants one will have to wait a while. right? we are between batches aren't we? I'm a little out of touch. Yeah, we are between batches right now... must places are sold out of the Bristol, and other VA Signature stuff. Some vendors, like KoA, who keep a large amoung of weapon in stock, still have some. Thumper: I feel your pain, ym friend... that is the one drawback to the HUGE amount of options we have online now... you never know for sure till you have something in hand how your going to feel about it. You can guess, bassed on pics, weight, stats... but swords are a very hands on item... you need to see it and feel it to know for sure. Thats why, like Tom said, I have had over 75 production swords pass threw my hands this year... I buy... examine... then sell/trade if I'm not 100% in love with it... wash, rinse, repeat. This has allowed me to handle a TON of swords and get a really good sense of what I like.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2009 11:22:34 GMT
I never bought a sword I didn't handle before. Although I mostly bought something I've seen on the net previously. But it just didn't happen to me that I came to store and didn't like in hand what I saw online. Of course, I did traded or sold many of these swords after a few months...
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Post by YlliwCir on Sept 20, 2009 12:17:15 GMT
Kevin, one of the advantages of buying from KOA is a fairly liberal return policy as long as it hasn't been used. I have sent more than one sword back. Not anything wrong with the swords really, just wasn't what I wanted once I had it in hand. Of course then I ordered another from them because they were so cooperative.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2009 12:19:24 GMT
Has anyone ever contacted a vendor, say KOA for instance and asked them to hand pick you a certain model sword out of their inventory?
Maybe one would have better luck with Jason at AOV, seeing as how he posts here.
If it is feasible for the vendor, assuming that the swords are not all prepackaged and inaccessible, one would think that they would be happy to accomocate you for perhaps a small fee.
Just a thought.
Chuck
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Post by skystone on Sept 20, 2009 13:04:46 GMT
Yes.. I personally requested that Arms of Valor check a sword they were going to send me for tight fittings. That's all it would have taken a simple inspection. My sword arrived wrapped in Philipino news paper so I knew it was not inspected since it left production. Thus there is an issue with a loose fitting that I will not go in depth about about because I have yet to hear back from them. Other than they were going to email me a shipping label to return it to fix it or replace it, but still have not received any label. This problem would certainly been caught was there some kind of quality control when swords arrive in the USA. In this instance asking for a once over check was a waste of breath....but you have to at least ask. It would be a shame if a fee had to be paid to make sure a product was as advertised.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2009 13:42:21 GMT
I for one,would be quite happy to pay a reasonable fee to have my sword pre-inspected (to include pictures?) before it shipped out to me. I'd be willing to pay $20 if it included some good pictures sent via email before the sword left the warehouse. I feel that that would be a fair price. In regards to Jason at AoV: he really helped me with me first sword purchase, lending me his opinion on a few sword choices. Further, he stopped a damaged sword (cracked handle) from being shipped to me (and actually offered it at a discount), then hand-picked one for me that he confirmed was in good condition. I actually would have rather ordered my VA Bristol from them (can you say "SBG discount"), but they were out of stock. I'm kinda kicking myself now because I had been considering getting the VA signature Castile from them and then switched my choice to the Bristol from KoA. Oh well, I guess this is just another drawback to E-commerce................and sword addiction....
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