Regenyei Armory Witcher 2 style Montante
Oct 4, 2014 14:28:13 GMT
Post by Nilfgaardian on Oct 4, 2014 14:28:13 GMT
Introduction
I have always wanted to own a true two handed sword. As most of you already know, there aren't that many options out there when it comes to renaissance two handers. In the end I chose to skip the production swords and buy a custom sword instead. Finding a custom two hander on a budget isn't easy though. At first I contacted Lutel, but they didn't even reply to
my messages, despite several attempts. After that however I began to look at the swords from Regenyei Armory. Peter
Regenyei had already made a bunch of two handed swords in the past so I decided to ask him about making one for me.
Peter makes mostly blunt swords for HEMA and in those circles his swords seem to have a good reputation. When it comes to his sharp swords I had heard that they weren't as good, so I was a little worried at first. Throughout the making of the sword I exchanged a lot of emails with Peter and in most cases my questions were answered. It seems that Peter has many orders to fill though and there were also some problems with the heat treatment facility being closed for the summer. The sword was about a month late but I can forgive that since I did not have to pay until the sword was ready.
Historical overview
This design is heavily inspired by a sword from a video game called The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. It can be recognized as being similar to the sword used by Letho of Gulet, also known as the Kingslayer, in his final duel against Geralt of Rivia. This type of sword was also used by a other characters in the game such as Seltkirk of Gulet along with Kaedweni and Temerian knights.
Despite being nearly identical to the sword in TW2, this sword would not be out of place in the real world. It is after all a real type of sword - known as an Iberian Montante or Italian Spadone. These were 16th century two handed swords used on the battlefield, in the duel and anytime when one man had to fight many. Montantes often have less ornate crossguards than German Zweihänders and as far as I understand they also tended to be slightly smaller.
Full disclosure
I bought this at full price, it was not a gift. This is my first sword of this type but I do own other swords ranging from an Albion to a Windlass.
Initial Impressions
This is the biggest sword I have. It completely dwarfs my Hanwei Tinker GSoW. When I first handled this sword it felt a bit strange. It was almost like I was holding some sort of polearm. Like many of Peters swords, it features a rough finish, but so does the sword in the game. The sword is very close to how I imagined it would be as far as appearance goes and it is also very similar to the game version.
Statistics
Blade Length: 110cm / 43.3 inches
Handle Length: 45cm / 17.7 inches
Overall Length: 156cm / 61.4 inches
Guard Width: 38cm / 15 inches
POB (Point of Balance): 9cm / 3.5 inches from the crossguard
Weight: 2500g / 5.5 lbs
Components
The Blade
The blade is 110cm (around 43.3 inches) long and has a 16cm (6.3 inch) ricasso section featuring two parrying hooks. The ricasso has a very rough finish which might not appeal to everybody. It does not affect the function of the sword in any way obviously.
The fuller is 62cm (24.4 inch) long and has the same finish as the ricasso. It does look quite modern (milled out), and that is a negative for me. The fuller also appears to be slightly longer on one side of the blade by about 1mm or even less, but it's hardly noticeable. This is the only grinding flaw on this blade. The upper part of the blade including the edges have a pretty fine satin finish. The edge geometry was a pleasant surprise. It is exactly as I requested, an apple seed geometry with "sword sharp" edges. During the making of this sword I sent several pictures to Peter depicting the type of edge I wanted. I think that he succeeded with replicating this and proved that he can put good edges on a sword.
Now onto some of the more important parts of the blade- the flex and distal taper. When I ordered this sword I believed that it would be quite whippy. The blade is wide, 5cm at the base and 3.2cm at the tip. I thought that the width combined with the length would make the blade sag a bit when held horizontally, but this is not the case. The blade on this sword is surprisingly stiff, quite a bit stiffer than the blade on my GSoW. This is probably a result of the deep fuller and the distal taper. The blade is 6mm thick at the crossguard, and continues like that until the end of the fuller. After that it tapers all the way down to 2.5mm at the point.
The Handle
The handle isn't exactly pretty by any length of the imagination. It is a wooden handle with a suede wrap, which has a noticeable seam with visible spots of glue. It is still very functional though. It feels pretty good and I think that it offers superior grip compared to the nicer looking leather grip wraps.
The Guard
Guard is of a simple but functional design. Originally it was supposed to be even simpler but I chose to make it a bit more interesting and asked if Peter could add some twists to the crossguard. I must say I really like how it came out. One thing I have noticed is that this guard does not have a slot for the blade to sit in. The blade is fitted flush with the top of the guard instead.
The Pommel
Another very simple but functional design. The pommel is pretty big and heavy and would be a deadly weapon in close quarters. It is also comfortable to grip when using the sword, which was the main idea behind it's design. The peen is quite alright in my opinion and looks very solid.
The Scabbard
No scabbard obviously, but I might try to make one myself in the future!
Handling Characteristics
I have only had this sword for two days now, so I'm still not used to cutting and doing techniques with such a large sword. I must say that I like the handling a lot. This sword does not feel that heavy at all and it moves surprisingly fast. It does require a lot of technique to use this type of sword. You can't really move a sword like this with just your arms, at least not without tiring yourself quickly. What I've seen of the historical sources tells me that it is very important to use the entire body when you fight with a sword like this.
Test Cutting
So far I have cut milk cartons and thick newspaper rolls. This sword is a very powerful cutter, and it had no problem whatsoever cutting through even the thickest of the newspaper rolls. The sword sailed right through them as if they weren't even there. I am not very skilled at cutting so I imagine the sword would do even better in the hands of someone who knows how to use it.
Conclusions
I think this is a good sword for the price I paid. It is a bit rough looking but I don't mind it. I will be using this sword as a cutter so it will have it's finish destroyed either way. The sword that inspired this one had a similar "campaign worn" appearance.
Handling is very good in my opinion and the sword cuts very well. There is no rattle or loose parts, the sword rings like a bell when the blade is struck.
Pros
- Good handling
- Sharp edge and good edge geometry
- Solid construction
- Design is spot on to what I had in mind
- Distal taper
- Stiffer blade than I expected
- Has the ability to create major political unrest in the Northern Kingdoms .
Cons
- Fuller does not look very historical
- Rougher finish than some people would like
- Crossguard does not have a slot for the blade, although this might not make any difference.
The Bottom Line
This is a good sword if you are looking for a Montante for cutting practise. This sword might also appeal to people who like to customize their swords. One could easily do a new leather wrap or improve the overall finish in only a few hours. It is not a suitable beginner's sword since it is challenging to use and you can easily wreck stuff or hurt bystanders if you don't pay attention to the length of the blade.
I have always wanted to own a true two handed sword. As most of you already know, there aren't that many options out there when it comes to renaissance two handers. In the end I chose to skip the production swords and buy a custom sword instead. Finding a custom two hander on a budget isn't easy though. At first I contacted Lutel, but they didn't even reply to
my messages, despite several attempts. After that however I began to look at the swords from Regenyei Armory. Peter
Regenyei had already made a bunch of two handed swords in the past so I decided to ask him about making one for me.
Peter makes mostly blunt swords for HEMA and in those circles his swords seem to have a good reputation. When it comes to his sharp swords I had heard that they weren't as good, so I was a little worried at first. Throughout the making of the sword I exchanged a lot of emails with Peter and in most cases my questions were answered. It seems that Peter has many orders to fill though and there were also some problems with the heat treatment facility being closed for the summer. The sword was about a month late but I can forgive that since I did not have to pay until the sword was ready.
Historical overview
This design is heavily inspired by a sword from a video game called The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. It can be recognized as being similar to the sword used by Letho of Gulet, also known as the Kingslayer, in his final duel against Geralt of Rivia. This type of sword was also used by a other characters in the game such as Seltkirk of Gulet along with Kaedweni and Temerian knights.
Despite being nearly identical to the sword in TW2, this sword would not be out of place in the real world. It is after all a real type of sword - known as an Iberian Montante or Italian Spadone. These were 16th century two handed swords used on the battlefield, in the duel and anytime when one man had to fight many. Montantes often have less ornate crossguards than German Zweihänders and as far as I understand they also tended to be slightly smaller.
Full disclosure
I bought this at full price, it was not a gift. This is my first sword of this type but I do own other swords ranging from an Albion to a Windlass.
Initial Impressions
This is the biggest sword I have. It completely dwarfs my Hanwei Tinker GSoW. When I first handled this sword it felt a bit strange. It was almost like I was holding some sort of polearm. Like many of Peters swords, it features a rough finish, but so does the sword in the game. The sword is very close to how I imagined it would be as far as appearance goes and it is also very similar to the game version.
Statistics
Blade Length: 110cm / 43.3 inches
Handle Length: 45cm / 17.7 inches
Overall Length: 156cm / 61.4 inches
Guard Width: 38cm / 15 inches
POB (Point of Balance): 9cm / 3.5 inches from the crossguard
Weight: 2500g / 5.5 lbs
Components
The Blade
The blade is 110cm (around 43.3 inches) long and has a 16cm (6.3 inch) ricasso section featuring two parrying hooks. The ricasso has a very rough finish which might not appeal to everybody. It does not affect the function of the sword in any way obviously.
The fuller is 62cm (24.4 inch) long and has the same finish as the ricasso. It does look quite modern (milled out), and that is a negative for me. The fuller also appears to be slightly longer on one side of the blade by about 1mm or even less, but it's hardly noticeable. This is the only grinding flaw on this blade. The upper part of the blade including the edges have a pretty fine satin finish. The edge geometry was a pleasant surprise. It is exactly as I requested, an apple seed geometry with "sword sharp" edges. During the making of this sword I sent several pictures to Peter depicting the type of edge I wanted. I think that he succeeded with replicating this and proved that he can put good edges on a sword.
Now onto some of the more important parts of the blade- the flex and distal taper. When I ordered this sword I believed that it would be quite whippy. The blade is wide, 5cm at the base and 3.2cm at the tip. I thought that the width combined with the length would make the blade sag a bit when held horizontally, but this is not the case. The blade on this sword is surprisingly stiff, quite a bit stiffer than the blade on my GSoW. This is probably a result of the deep fuller and the distal taper. The blade is 6mm thick at the crossguard, and continues like that until the end of the fuller. After that it tapers all the way down to 2.5mm at the point.
The Handle
The handle isn't exactly pretty by any length of the imagination. It is a wooden handle with a suede wrap, which has a noticeable seam with visible spots of glue. It is still very functional though. It feels pretty good and I think that it offers superior grip compared to the nicer looking leather grip wraps.
The Guard
Guard is of a simple but functional design. Originally it was supposed to be even simpler but I chose to make it a bit more interesting and asked if Peter could add some twists to the crossguard. I must say I really like how it came out. One thing I have noticed is that this guard does not have a slot for the blade to sit in. The blade is fitted flush with the top of the guard instead.
The Pommel
Another very simple but functional design. The pommel is pretty big and heavy and would be a deadly weapon in close quarters. It is also comfortable to grip when using the sword, which was the main idea behind it's design. The peen is quite alright in my opinion and looks very solid.
The Scabbard
No scabbard obviously, but I might try to make one myself in the future!
Handling Characteristics
I have only had this sword for two days now, so I'm still not used to cutting and doing techniques with such a large sword. I must say that I like the handling a lot. This sword does not feel that heavy at all and it moves surprisingly fast. It does require a lot of technique to use this type of sword. You can't really move a sword like this with just your arms, at least not without tiring yourself quickly. What I've seen of the historical sources tells me that it is very important to use the entire body when you fight with a sword like this.
Test Cutting
So far I have cut milk cartons and thick newspaper rolls. This sword is a very powerful cutter, and it had no problem whatsoever cutting through even the thickest of the newspaper rolls. The sword sailed right through them as if they weren't even there. I am not very skilled at cutting so I imagine the sword would do even better in the hands of someone who knows how to use it.
Conclusions
I think this is a good sword for the price I paid. It is a bit rough looking but I don't mind it. I will be using this sword as a cutter so it will have it's finish destroyed either way. The sword that inspired this one had a similar "campaign worn" appearance.
Handling is very good in my opinion and the sword cuts very well. There is no rattle or loose parts, the sword rings like a bell when the blade is struck.
Pros
- Good handling
- Sharp edge and good edge geometry
- Solid construction
- Design is spot on to what I had in mind
- Distal taper
- Stiffer blade than I expected
- Has the ability to create major political unrest in the Northern Kingdoms .
Cons
- Fuller does not look very historical
- Rougher finish than some people would like
- Crossguard does not have a slot for the blade, although this might not make any difference.
The Bottom Line
This is a good sword if you are looking for a Montante for cutting practise. This sword might also appeal to people who like to customize their swords. One could easily do a new leather wrap or improve the overall finish in only a few hours. It is not a suitable beginner's sword since it is challenging to use and you can easily wreck stuff or hurt bystanders if you don't pay attention to the length of the blade.