|
|
Post by carsonmcinnish1 on Aug 3, 2018 15:22:35 GMT
Who makes this? Would like one. No matter how obscure the brand just tell me lol.
|
|
|
|
Post by Verity on Aug 3, 2018 15:47:51 GMT
Who makes this? Would like one. No matter how obscure the brand just tell me lol. hanwei practical longsword is one of the most popular fitting this category |
|
|
|
Post by Faldarin on Aug 3, 2018 15:52:43 GMT
You're going to get a lot of opinions here! For my own opinions, in order: Valiant Armoury Practical Longsword - Simply the best I've handed at this price by far. Discontinued (Worth it if you can find it)
Ronin Katana Euro #7 - This is a hefty beast, needs sharpened, but good. Less agile than the H/T, but very solid.
Hanwei-Tinker Bastard Sword or Longsword - Both really, good. The longsword's grip might be too long for some people's tastes. Both need sharpened.
The ones I've not handled, but heard good things about, in no particular order:
Hanwei Bastard Sword (Antiquated?) - Good all-rounder.
Cold Steel Hand and a Half - Also good all-rounder, I've heard a lot of HEMA people call this one great. (I've also heard about some QA issues with it though, but that's almost all swords at the lower pricepoints.)
I'm sure more people will add on other opinions, but those are mine. Good luck in your search!
|
|
|
|
Post by mpsmith47304 on Aug 3, 2018 20:49:23 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2018 21:37:30 GMT
Hanwei/Tinker Longsword & Bastard; good construction, though not historical (nut instead of peen, but dismountable and therefore super easy to customize). Good scabbards, good sharpness out of the box.
Windlass Battlecry Series "Bosworth": very good construction for the price, dark finish is a matter of taste. Nice temper, nice peen.
Windlass Sword Of Roven: maybe the best model of their range. Get her to a good sharpener, or get her to a guy like Wes and have her cut down for, lets say 10cm, crating a new tip. Changes handling dramatically.
Cold Steel Italian Longsword: maybe the most beautiful model in the cheaper levels with great fit & finish, though the fit may be get not so great in time... ;-)
Cold Steel German Longsword: even better construction and fit & finish than above model (made by Huanuo Forge / Fred Chen), very good choice IF you can get it under 450 USD. Should be no problem in the US. Very good sharpness, very stiff but well tempered blade.
|
|
christain
Member
It's the steel on the inside that counts.
Posts: 2,835
|
Post by christain on Aug 4, 2018 0:07:01 GMT
Let us not forget the mighty Hanwei Rhinelander. One hell of a sword for waaay under $450. I love mine, ....even more so now that I've seen pictures of the fat, thick tang.  |
|
Terricus
Member
Even if I stand alone, I will never stand down
Posts: 66 
|
Post by Terricus on Aug 4, 2018 1:13:15 GMT
I've never heard/seen anything bad about the Ronin Katana Euro line. I have the #1, and it's awesome. All I've ever heard is that they're extremely durable. Whether it's because of a lack of research or lack of reviews I don't know, but I can't say the same for any other sword companies in the specified price range.
|
|
|
|
Post by Faldarin on Aug 4, 2018 4:24:31 GMT
The new Ronin Katana Euro #1, 2, and 3 all have fairly good reviews if one of them suits your taste as well, coming under that price range, yes.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2018 4:42:34 GMT
Let us not forget the mighty Hanwei Rhinelander. One hell of a sword for waaay under $450. I love mine, ....even more so now that I've seen pictures of the fat, thick tang. Darn right; the Rhinelander is cool - AND i forgot him... :-( |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2018 4:51:04 GMT
I've never heard/seen anything bad about the Ronin Katana Euro line. I have the #1, and it's awesome. All I've ever heard is that they're extremely durable. Whether it's because of a lack of research or lack of reviews I don't know, but I can't say the same for any other sword companies in the specified price range. I have what you could call a "Ronin Nr. 7" as well as a "Ronin Nr. 1", and they are what they are: quite well made swords from china. These two were available from several chinese sources wayyy long before RK chose to line up these designs as well. But i dont think they can compete with especially the Hanwei Tinker line. I would say they sit somewhere between the Cold Steel/Windlass level and Hanwei. |
|
Terricus
Member
Even if I stand alone, I will never stand down
Posts: 66
|
Post by Terricus on Aug 4, 2018 6:20:29 GMT
I've never heard/seen anything bad about the Ronin Katana Euro line. I have the #1, and it's awesome. All I've ever heard is that they're extremely durable. Whether it's because of a lack of research or lack of reviews I don't know, but I can't say the same for any other sword companies in the specified price range. I have what you could call a "Ronin Nr. 7" as well as a "Ronin Nr. 1", and they are what they are: quite well made swords from china. These two were available from several chinese sources wayyy long before RK chose to line up these designs as well. But i dont think they can compete with especially the Hanwei Tinker line. I would say they sit somewhere between the Cold Steel/Windlass level and Hanwei. Performance wise I'm sure that's accurate since RK's European swords are newer and likely aren't as fine tuned as much but they seem to be nearly indestructible as far as I can tell. It seems to take a ton of effort to break one, as shown in Matthew Jensen's videos on YouTube. I'm not trying to cast any sort of shade on Hanwei at all, they're a great brand, but I'm just saying if you want a sword that performs pretty well with (in my opinion) little to be desired and has an incredibly low probability of critical failure, RK Euros seem to be one of the best choices. |
|
stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,420
|
Post by stormmaster on Aug 4, 2018 6:29:40 GMT
the ronin euro line has a very nice look and polish to them, i really liked their swords cause the polish and finish was so much higher then i expected, but i would still recommend the h/t line as the best budget longsword
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2018 9:06:03 GMT
I have what you could call a "Ronin Nr. 7" as well as a "Ronin Nr. 1", and they are what they are: quite well made swords from china. These two were available from several chinese sources wayyy long before RK chose to line up these designs as well. But i dont think they can compete with especially the Hanwei Tinker line. I would say they sit somewhere between the Cold Steel/Windlass level and Hanwei. Performance wise I'm sure that's accurate since RK's European swords are newer and likely aren't as fine tuned as much but they seem to be nearly indestructible as far as I can tell. It seems to take a ton of effort to break one, as shown in Matthew Jensen's videos on YouTube. I'm not trying to cast any sort of shade on Hanwei at all, they're a great brand, but I'm just saying if you want a sword that performs pretty well with (in my opinion) little to be desired and has an incredibly low probability of critical failure, RK Euros seem to be one of the best choices. There have been some blade breaks with RK euro swords indeed... |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2018 9:06:40 GMT
the ronin euro line has a very nice look and polish to them, i really liked their swords cause the polish and finish was so much higher then i expected, but i would still recommend the h/t line as the best budget longsword I definitely second that. |
|
|
|
Post by Jordan Williams on Aug 4, 2018 16:31:21 GMT
Tbh I disliked my HT Longsword. It felt too light and lacked the authority I want to have in cut and thrust swords.
|
|
|
|
Post by Faldarin on Aug 4, 2018 16:57:29 GMT
Performance wise I'm sure that's accurate since RK's European swords are newer and likely aren't as fine tuned as much but they seem to be nearly indestructible as far as I can tell. It seems to take a ton of effort to break one, as shown in Matthew Jensen's videos on YouTube. I'm not trying to cast any sort of shade on Hanwei at all, they're a great brand, but I'm just saying if you want a sword that performs pretty well with (in my opinion) little to be desired and has an incredibly low probability of critical failure, RK Euros seem to be one of the best choices. There have been some blade breaks with RK euro swords indeed... The whole list has had blade breaks at some point or another, at that. To the point about the H/T longsword though - there's a reason that they are ALWAYS out of stock it seems... and it's not because Hanwei doesn't make enough of them.  |
|
|
|
Post by Faldarin on Aug 4, 2018 17:00:46 GMT
To clarify, carsonmcinnish1 - this is what I said at the beginning of the thread. Everyone has their opinions. (Mine still firmly rests with the Valiant Armoury Practical Longsword, but again - would need to find one used.) Honestly however, any of the swords listed in this entire thread are -great-, it's just down to personal preference what you would think is the 'best'. I know that both answers and doesn't answer your question, and it is infuriating, but... it's based on what you are looking for in a longsword. Good luck in your hunt! |
|
|
|
Post by carsonmcinnish1 on Aug 4, 2018 18:09:44 GMT
Thanks to all who have replied. I appreciate the input  |
|
|
|
Post by zabazagobo on Aug 4, 2018 19:24:22 GMT
I'd also throw in a vote for the Windlass Bosworth if you want something fast and responsive. It's a really fun sword and is surprisingly well put together considering the price. On the other hand, the antiqued bastard sword by Hanwei is a lot of fun too if you want something more forceful and authoritative. Just depends on how you want the sword to feel. I like both of them, but they're entirely different in feel. I've never been a big fan of the H/T longsword for the reasons Jordan Williams mentioned, as well as that I just think there are more interesting swords in the same price range. The Cold Steel German longsword looks like a fun sword, almost nabbed that but decided on the Bosworth for myself since the guard was more ambidextrous. Still want to nab one at some point. Del Tin also gets positive remarks from a lot of people I've chatted with, might be worth checking out something like their Gothic two handed sword if you like the design, it's another sword like the CS German longsword I'll pick up at some point: www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=DT5155&name=Del+Tin+Gothic+Hand+and+a+Half+Sword |
|
|
|
Post by Sadface on Jan 5, 2023 12:25:46 GMT
Those touting the rhinelander may be disappointed to hear I had mine crack, it was maybe an inch above the fuller, a just visible 5mm crack coming from the edge. I only ever used it to cut bottles and semprini cause I loved it too much to to dumb stuff with it. I returned it but sadly there was no stock to replace it, this was years ago. I could speculate bad batch of steel or heat treat but either way my 5160 hanwei rhinelander cracked under super realistic backyard swordsman like use and it left a real bad taste in my mouth for both the steel and brand, I was kinda heartbroken to lose it lol.
I'm lining up an rk euro model 5 to finally get a European sword back in my collection.
|
|
