Reaver Basket Hilt blunt from Alchem
Jun 19, 2008 5:02:06 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2008 5:02:06 GMT
I have been looking for a reasonably priced basket hilt blunt for some time. I was considering some of Hanwai's options but after hearing many reports of inconsistent quality I decided to turn to Alchem. Alchem makes all their swords to order so I was able have a sword constructed to my exact specifications. Imagine that... a costum built sword for $180.
I specified that that I wanted the sword to be 1.5 inches at the base and tapering to 1/4 inch. I also stated that the sword have a point of balance between 3 and 4 inches below the hilt and weigh in at about 2 lb 14 oz. I left the overall length open as the adjustable variable to meet my other specifications. I expected the length to come in at about 29".
The final numbers turned out as follows:
total length......... 40"
blade length........ 32"
point of Balance... 2"
weight.................. 2lb 13 oz
The sword turned out even better then I imagined in terms of its agility. Its low POB gives it near rapier level point control. I normally would be worried that such a low POB might not allow for good cutting actions, however, the long blade allows for very rapid tip acceleration and strikes with authority.
I did make some immediate modifications to the basket hilt. The sword comes standard with both quillions straight. After some pell work and striking myself on the wrist a few times, I decided to bend the top quillion up to allow for better wrist mobility. I also streched the basket hilt open a bit more. I probably gained quarter inch more room on each side. You will only feel the need to do this if you fight against shields and make high horizontal snaps.
The basket hilt is based on one found on the Mary Rose which sank in the English Channel in 1545.
Here is my Reaver with my new Revival Gambeson:
Thick sandwich tang:
This view should never be neglected where basket hilts are concerned:
It looks good on my new couch ;D
The blade is a high carbon steel but tempered to safely flex as a practice blade. The sword also come with a rubber safety tip.
Here is a link to Alchem's site:
www.alcheminc.com/reaver.html
I specified that that I wanted the sword to be 1.5 inches at the base and tapering to 1/4 inch. I also stated that the sword have a point of balance between 3 and 4 inches below the hilt and weigh in at about 2 lb 14 oz. I left the overall length open as the adjustable variable to meet my other specifications. I expected the length to come in at about 29".
The final numbers turned out as follows:
total length......... 40"
blade length........ 32"
point of Balance... 2"
weight.................. 2lb 13 oz
The sword turned out even better then I imagined in terms of its agility. Its low POB gives it near rapier level point control. I normally would be worried that such a low POB might not allow for good cutting actions, however, the long blade allows for very rapid tip acceleration and strikes with authority.
I did make some immediate modifications to the basket hilt. The sword comes standard with both quillions straight. After some pell work and striking myself on the wrist a few times, I decided to bend the top quillion up to allow for better wrist mobility. I also streched the basket hilt open a bit more. I probably gained quarter inch more room on each side. You will only feel the need to do this if you fight against shields and make high horizontal snaps.
The basket hilt is based on one found on the Mary Rose which sank in the English Channel in 1545.
Here is my Reaver with my new Revival Gambeson:
Thick sandwich tang:
This view should never be neglected where basket hilts are concerned:
It looks good on my new couch ;D
The blade is a high carbon steel but tempered to safely flex as a practice blade. The sword also come with a rubber safety tip.
Here is a link to Alchem's site:
www.alcheminc.com/reaver.html