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Post by howler on Aug 10, 2016 4:19:48 GMT
... or rather, always bring a sword to a polearm fight. But bring your polearm too; wear your sword as a backup weapon. (Bring a dagger, too!) Yes indeed, I almost forgot my own advice. Soldiers who used their rifles had their handguns (side arms, like the sword) on the belt. The polearm and sword are complimentary. And if your humping a polearm and sword...why not the TRIUMVERATE...a long knife. I mean, those WERE the kitchen utensils of the middle ages...right? Of course, this was a big reason why King (was it Henry the Vlll) rounded the "utensils at the table, and made people stop bringing their own because of (quite common) squabbles that ended up with an ear, nose, finger, etc...cut off. Probably one of the many reasons why characters in movies say "Go Medieval on your Ass", emphasizing a rather "difficult" period of time to live (endure...unless you were nobility, landlord...or certain clergy). |
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Razor
Senior Forumite
Posts: 1,883 
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Post by Razor on Aug 10, 2016 7:04:06 GMT
Hey Razor (or if you are Ray), nice post, and I think it is worth an update regarding the Cold Steel MAA English Bill. I just received mine today from Optics Planet (under $90 with free shipping...and you can get a better deal with Jet.com...with 15% off-1st time). So, it came in one large box, with both head and shaft in separate boxes within. Little screws were stuck in box (so be careful to not throw away)...though I have heard you should replace with longer, better screws...is this true (what do you think)? Shaft was straight, though round (Boar spear handle)...and not the "better" one shown in some earlier examples. Now to the "meat and potatoes" (so to speak)...the head. It was straight and sharpened, though I will want to touch it up a bit more. There appeared to be a little rust inside the handle, so I'll give it a wipe of oil. There WERE two holes drilled into the socket (so it appears they fixed that issue). Assembly instructions and CS proof certificate were included in the head box. The whole thing was VERY WELL packaged, with plastic attachments at the end of the three "pokey" points on the Bill hook. I'm suddenly the owner of a small collection of polearms, with this joining my MAA Sergeant's Halberd...light and fast, and Boar spear...a FANTASTIC long blade/hewing head. My MAA Lance point and Assegai (short) are spears...though I would ask you (and anyone on the forum) what is the difference between a polearm and a spear? Bottom line, I like polearms, and this is a worthy addition (factoring price point, quality, competition). Btw, Razor, how's yours holding up, and do you have it displayed somewhere (man cave, hallway/entry wall, living room wall, garage wall next to car, etc...)? That's good news that the newer bills have holes drilled into the socket. I personally wouldn't use screws, because after awhile they will get loose, cause there is a lot of force going down when cutting with the bill or any pole arm and little screws won't take the punishment very long. I like to peen my heads on their shafts. Pole arms and spears are staff-weapons, it just the spears are the oldest staff-weapon and is well known and recognized plus it was also used with one hand with a shield. Here is another cutting vid I did with my bill last year. |
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Post by howler on Aug 10, 2016 21:57:01 GMT
Hey Razor (or if you are Ray), nice post, and I think it is worth an update regarding the Cold Steel MAA English Bill. I just received mine today from Optics Planet (under $90 with free shipping...and you can get a better deal with Jet.com...with 15% off-1st time). So, it came in one large box, with both head and shaft in separate boxes within. Little screws were stuck in box (so be careful to not throw away)...though I have heard you should replace with longer, better screws...is this true (what do you think)? Shaft was straight, though round (Boar spear handle)...and not the "better" one shown in some earlier examples. Now to the "meat and potatoes" (so to speak)...the head. It was straight and sharpened, though I will want to touch it up a bit more. There appeared to be a little rust inside the handle, so I'll give it a wipe of oil. There WERE two holes drilled into the socket (so it appears they fixed that issue). Assembly instructions and CS proof certificate were included in the head box. The whole thing was VERY WELL packaged, with plastic attachments at the end of the three "pokey" points on the Bill hook. I'm suddenly the owner of a small collection of polearms, with this joining my MAA Sergeant's Halberd...light and fast, and Boar spear...a FANTASTIC long blade/hewing head. My MAA Lance point and Assegai (short) are spears...though I would ask you (and anyone on the forum) what is the difference between a polearm and a spear? Bottom line, I like polearms, and this is a worthy addition (factoring price point, quality, competition). Btw, Razor, how's yours holding up, and do you have it displayed somewhere (man cave, hallway/entry wall, living room wall, garage wall next to car, etc...)? That's good news that the newer bills have holes drilled into the socket. I personally wouldn't use screws, because after awhile they will get loose, cause there is a lot of force going down when cutting with the bill or any pole arm and little screws won't take the punishment very long. I like to peen my heads on their shafts. Pole arms and spears are staff-weapons, it just the spears are the oldest staff-weapon and is well known and recognized plus it was also used with one hand with a shield. Here is another cutting vid I did with my bill last year. That thing cuts even better than one would think (based on your vid, anyway)...did you sharpen it at all? Did you just jam the head onto the shaft, or take sandpaper and form fit the head in order to get that last 1/2"-3/4" into the socket? I know for sure that I would at least use longer screws (this appears to be a common complaint with the CS polearm products, in general), but would be a little intimidated on the peening thing (you seem very competent at modification). It makes sense that all wooden shaft (stick) weapons would branch out from the staff (walking stick), as we are bipedal, and the staff helps walking, reaching objects, knocking/prying/pushing/etc... Polearms, as I define them (heavier, larger, rather big head size and weight, etc...) make pretty poor staffs (walking sticks), and this is (for me) where I would imagine the spear (smaller, lighter, less weighted head, etc...) being more associated with the staff. In fact, my CS MAA Lance point spear, or Assegai would make an excellent staff (as long as you put a "sheeple" friendly decoration-like Styrofoam Jack in the Box head, for instance-to cover the head). |
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Razor
Senior Forumite
Posts: 1,883
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Post by Razor on Aug 11, 2016 2:45:23 GMT
I did sharpen it and just jammed the head onto the shaft. I personally wouldn't advise anyone using screws to mount a head on a shaft, but it is yours and you can use what you want.
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Nov 1, 2024 0:13:58 GMT
Nov 1, 2024 0:13:58 GMT
