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Post by BryanW on Jan 25, 2012 7:26:44 GMT
A&A is awesome. Great customer service, design, fitting, handling, etc etc. They can be pricey though.
One thing about A&A though is they don't tend to make "fantasy" styled swords. They're almost strictly historical or at least plausible. Having pictures of antiques helps as well for them to reproduce a design, often times they've actually handled it or a similar piece.
One good option is to call up A&A and get them to take their regular smallsword and put a diamond cross sectioned sharp blade on it. It'll be a little heavier but might be what you're looking for. Their standard non-custom smallsword is a nice classic piece with clean lines and no frills except the great looking wire wrap grip. Their standard smallsword is 520$ on their site so I suspect the blade change by itself won't run you much more than that. If you call, tell Craig I said hi.
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Regarding your description though....everything is relative. "Lighting fast" compared to what exactly? Some use that term with a really well balanced two handed monster....others apply it to a 3lbs rapier....or an olympic fencing foil....
If you're looking for a Zorro/Errol Flynn/Princess Bride style of fencing then you're looking at Classical Fencing foils or the Smallsword most likely. However none of those really are great with a cut.
Smallswords aren't great with a cut typically. Some have sharp edges to prevent people from grabbing the blade but when you start fencing in the 18th century smallsword styles you quickly figure out why a cut simply isn't worth bothering with for the most part.
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Personally I would find a period of interest that fascinates you or a style of fencing that you gravitate towards and go from there before just randomly looking at a sword. You might find you appreciate certain styles more than others. A simple youtube search will probably net you different things from smallsword to saber to backsword etc etc. For example the late 18th century and early 19th century is my pick so I study classical fencing and smallsword as a result....
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Post by Bushido on Jan 27, 2012 4:00:13 GMT
I've been to their website, and I quite like their custom loop hilt smallsword... I especially like their "double loop" (another custom version) which I read a review of on this very forum. However, I don't think a smallsword blade would be fit for my sword. As you say they aren't exactly intended for cutting (although they are what I would call lightning fast), so the blade would have to be slightly meatier... I'll email them and see if they have any suggestions for a blade, and then perhaps they can make me a custom version as well. Thanks for the tip! Well, I don't think I would ever call a monstrous two-hander lightning fast... :lol: But I guess it's all about what you compare it to. What I meant by wanting my sword to be lightning fast is that I want it to feel light and handle well, much like a rapier or smallsword but with a bit of a stronger blade. True this would affect the handling, but it still wouldn't be as heavy as for instance my Hanwei practical Norman: www.kultofathena.com/product.asp ... rman+Sword This is a sword I would not describe as "lightning fast", because whenever I swing it around I always think "heavy!" :lol: Even though not as heavy as other swords, I still think it's too heavy to be called fast. It still requires you to "follow through" on your cut, and won't do tight turns or sudden directional changes. So, for my new sword, I want faster handling and the capability to do tight turns and sudden directional changes. That would be more of a "lightning fast handling" to me. I used to study classical french fencing (saber type, not the pistol grip rapier style), but I already have a sword which fits into said category (a late 19th century french rapier witha saber type hilt). So this time I'm after something a little bit different, something that I can do a bit of backyard cutting with. But I stil want it to be agile, because I really like the way my rapier handles. That's lightning fast I tell ya...  Thanks for the input! |
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Post by MrAcheson on Jan 27, 2012 4:37:57 GMT
Have you looking into a reproduction of the French Epee du Soldat? It's a combination of a smallsword hilt with a wider cutting blade. I believe they were used around the time of the French and Indian War. Not sure how many companies actually make reproductions of them though although the Royal Sword has come up here before. |
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Post by Kilted Cossack on Jan 27, 2012 13:21:52 GMT
Great minds, MrAcheson! I'd actually thought about recommending that one to him, but I'll bet he'll be dissatisfied with the guard. But that DOES sound like what he's talking about, doesn't it?
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Post by Elheru Aran on Jan 27, 2012 13:26:03 GMT
Museum Replicas' "18th Century Smallsword" actually falls into the spadroon category, as I understand-- it's larger than your standard smallsword by a fair bit. It might be something cheap for Bushido to pick up and play with, see if his tastes along that line...
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Post by BryanW on Jan 28, 2012 4:15:32 GMT
The double loop hilt on A&A's site is my own commission actually. I don't think Craig's made another besides that one but I could be wrong so any review would probably have been mine ;-)
Rapiers are often 2 to three times heavier than a smallsword....so you're giving a big range when you say "feel like like a rapier or smallsword". A rapier is often just as heavy as some broadswords but the balance can be different. I've seen rapiers heavier than your Hanwei practical norman.
I'm not sure what the "19th century french rapier" would be exactly as French culture was a prime home of the smallsword in the late 17th and especially the 18th centuries....rapiers did exist but I don't know if they were around much in France per se. Which reproduction rapier do you have? Or is it an antique? Or is it a fencing weapon like early sabre for classical fencing?
For the record,many of my smallswords are almost twice the weight as my classical foils. If you're looking to do cutting though don't get a rapier, smallsword, spadroon, or anything "light". You need the mass behind it otherwise you'll have trouble cutting even light targets. Yes you can do it, but none of them are really meant for that. Get something actually meant for cutting...unfortunately that typically means something over two pounds in weight. Even those chinese jians that are supposedly very fast are about two pounds. Often times its not just the weight but where the point of balance is that will determine characteristics.
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Post by Dave Kelly on Jan 28, 2012 11:55:06 GMT
 These are 1740 French Dragoon Swords. The blade shape is demonstrated in the black contour boxes. They are "hex" blades; squared central shafts with hollow ground double edges. These are not small swords. Blades vary in length from 33 to 37 inches. ( Need to see a copy of Michel Petard's " Des Sabres and Des Epees" French Cavalry, Vol 1. ) Scads of 18th Century swords you never see outside of museums. |
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Post by Bushido on Jan 29, 2012 4:46:28 GMT
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Post by Bushido on Jan 29, 2012 4:48:21 GMT
I've looked at that sword before, and I quite like it! Thanks for the tip!
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Post by Bushido on Jan 29, 2012 4:57:07 GMT
I see! You've got a nice sword there mate!  Wow, I did not know that... As heavy as the practical Norman you say? That'd be a beast of a rapier I've never seen a rapier as heavy as a broadsword. Most of them seem very nimble, and the blade is quite a lot less beafy... You learn something new every day I guess. This is my sword: s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad7/ ... %20Rapier/ It has a thin triangle cross section blade and a loop hilt (the kind I refer to as saber type). Made in france around the end of the 19th century, possibly beginning of the 20th. Not a reproduction. Basically, what I'm looking for i my new sword is this sword whith a blade that allows me to do some light target backyard cutting Thanks for the input! |
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Post by Bushido on Jan 29, 2012 4:58:53 GMT
Those are very nice indeed, thanks Dave! I've been on the lookout for a french dragoon ever since you mentioned them, but sadly my search is thus far unfruitful... I'll keep looking though, very nice swords!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2012 5:34:10 GMT
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Post by Bushido on Jan 29, 2012 6:55:44 GMT
I have looked at walloon swords, namely this one: www.kultofathena.com/product.asp ... loon+Sword What scares me is the immense weight of the thing... Nearly four punds...  Yours looked better though, but I still think it might be on the heavy side... I think a thinner saber would be more my kind of blade. A walloon sword would be fun though, because my girlfriend is of walloon descent. I will probably get a version of the walloon sword at some point, just because it would be fun with a sword which she can relate to. Thanks! |
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Post by Kilted Cossack on Jan 29, 2012 22:36:52 GMT
Bushido: Whenever you find yourself thinking about a Deepeeka blade, do me a favor: give yourself a wedgie, then run to the toilet and give yourself a swirlie, then shave off half your hair, then paint one out of every two finger- and toe-nails green, then say, "This is a bad idea." The Ollin Sword is gorgeous, and there's a A&A floating around out there that's equally so. Then again, what about a mortuary? kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=SH1049 There's a good review, I think, from Bill Grandy, out there on the Hanwei Cromwell. |
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Post by Bushido on Jan 30, 2012 4:58:22 GMT
LOL! :lol:
... I'll keep that in mind... :lol:
Care to explain why though? Something wrong with deepeeka in general?
I don't know, it's not exactly what I was after but it is along those lines... I'll have a look around, thanks!
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Post by Dave Kelly on Jan 30, 2012 11:40:43 GMT
You know, I completely overlooked the fact that you had finally posted your own sword in this thread.
Turns out your model is a French custom made 1882 Infantry Officer sword. A small sword with a cavalry hilt. Go figure.
Frankly, if you want something to actually cut with, that has a rapier blade, I'm inclined to just direct you to the Windlass US 1913 Patton saber, sharpened.
3 pounds sounds intimidating, but the balance on this sword is excellent and the mass is sufficient to cut light targets very well. For 150.00 shipped from KoA it's an inexpensive investment. ( Forgot you're in Sweden. My price concept may be out the window. Nothing is simple :roll: )
Last post for me on the subject.
Cheeribye
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Post by Dave Kelly on Jan 30, 2012 22:33:25 GMT
www.ebay.com/itm/French-Dragoon- ... 33711ba991 I know I said no more posts, but, son of a gun. Lookey what I found at the ebay/MDLong offerings. A French M1882 Dragoon. Bet if you emailed MDL and said you were an immediate buyer you could negotiate a bit better price for yourself. :twisted:
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Post by Kilted Cossack on Jan 31, 2012 1:17:52 GMT
Clumsy, heavy, iffy quality control on top of iffy design. In my book, a straight up SLO (sword like object) although this is based on second hand reports and one handling session at the mall.
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Post by Bushido on Jan 31, 2012 5:49:06 GMT
That's awesome Dave, thank you! I'll contact them immediately! And thanks very much for all the info and advice, I really appreciate it Regards, Anton. |
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Post by Bushido on Jan 31, 2012 5:50:08 GMT
I understand. I'll be avoiding them then!
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