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Post by shadowhowler on Nov 22, 2009 6:56:53 GMT
does my bum look big in this? Yes... absurdly so.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2009 13:20:56 GMT
I have the The windlass XIV, and when considering it I think you need to keep reminding yourself that it cost around $185 (where the Bristol costs $479.99).
The windlass XIV does not handle as well as more expensive swords. I have handled a Albion type XIV and the two do not compare. the windless is far more tip heavy but for the price the windless is outstanding.
The scabbard is plan but functional. I was expecting it to be complete junk but its actually reasonable.
the two big issues I hand with the The windlass XIV are the sharpness of the blade(or lack of) and the leather wrape of the handle. the smooth leather of the handle gets slippery when wet, which is obviously an issue if your going to cut bottles. the blade will also need sharpening if your going to use it.
The Bristol is clearly a much prettier sword but its in a completely different price range.
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Post by shadowhowler on Nov 22, 2009 19:01:57 GMT
The Bristol is clearly a much prettier sword but its in a completely different price range. True... but if your going to pay to have the grip on the Windlass re-done and have it sharpened and so forth... then the swords become comparable in price... so then it becomes a question of, after all is said and done, which sword handles/performs better... which sword is more 'worth it.'
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2009 19:12:07 GMT
The Bristol is clearly a much prettier sword but its in a completely different price range. True... but if your going to pay to have the grip on the Windlass re-done and have it sharpened and so forth... then the swords become comparable in price... so then it becomes a question of, after all is said and done, which sword handles/performs better... which sword is more 'worth it.' You can always sharpen it yourself, which won’t cost a lot. The handle while not perfect, can be lived with. Though in general I agree with your point, one sword is going to be nice straight out of the box; the other is going is much cheaper but is going to need some work.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2009 19:15:49 GMT
Sharpening and making a new grip is easy, you can do it yourself. And if you can't yet, well, it's time to learn how to! The XVI seems to be a very good sword without customization, but if you customize it to your liking it turns into a truly great sword. Doing it yourself doesn't cost anything (well, leather and stuff) and you pick up important skills on the way. Me, I'd take the Windlass; it's less than half the price of the Bristol but still an awesome sword (for windlass anyways) and with your own grip, level of polish and sharpening it turns into something very special.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2009 19:19:41 GMT
I suppose it comes down to how much work the OP wants to put in, do they want something out of the box, that is beautiful, and will be ready to use or do they want a project.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2009 4:57:21 GMT
Since this seems to be worth-while information: I spent about $90 customizing my type XIV (new grip and entirely new wood core scabbard) but that includes the huge piece of leather, only part of which went into this project, so taking that into account I'd say in total I spent about $60 on it. That still puts it solidly below the cost of the Bristol, but it took an awful lot of work. If you're willing to do the work yourself, you can end up with a darn nice sword for a great price. Even without the work, it's a pretty nice sword. But "out of the box" the Bristol is going to be way better, and will probably still be better overall than a customized type XIV. So I guess it comes down to what exactly you want out of it and if you want to fix it up some or just get something already finished.
Also, I'd take an Actium over a Bristol just because I think it looks better, but personally I'd take a Hedemark over either of them.
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