Favorite Windlass Sword

I only ever had their Hungarian Saber. Not a bad piece for the price. It was too heavy, but it was durable as hell. I cut down a small tree with it, no damage beyond surface scratches.

I have some Windlass swords but there's no favourite. 
Some are good swords, some not.
Usually some minor flaws, some annoying, some not. 

Good ones:
Raptor (nice, good handling fantasy scimitar, Conan's pirate saber) 
Centurion Gladius (very light, good looking) 
15th Century Longsword (good overall package) 
Battlecry Agincourt
Florentine Rapier (a light transitional rapier/degen) 
Musketeer Main Gauche
My Cold Steel "1860 Heavy Cavalry Saber" seems to be identical with the Windlass 1840.
Conan Atlantean (of course heavy, but I really like it) 

Bad ones:
Munich (looks well, nice blade, but much too heavy guard and pommel, dead tirering weight) 
English Cutlass (handle only for very small hands, ridiculous small)
1860 Union Officers Saber (not a bad sword but a very bad grip, too thin) 

I'm just waiting for a backordered Patton Sword. 

My first reproduction from Windlass was a rendition of Oakeshott's book example of an espada Ropera. I loved that sword for more than a dozen years and replaced it with a Del Tin 5160 variant of the same general form. It had been a choice back then in 1999 and it was mostly cost but not really sure I would pursue the hobby. It have owned a Patton from them and they are a great bargain, even with the price hike. I also loved an older MRL/Del Tin before Windlass bought Atlanta Cutlery and Museum Replicas. The market has changed a lot since the 1980s. MRL used to sell from various makers as well, including Arms&Armor. I retain a Windlass war hammer I traded for and a small batch rapier example. The rapier is actually bordering on exquisite. The war hammer has been re-hafted and they are actually still in the catalog, hundreds less than the A&A.

The three on our right in the forefront here are the espada, Patton and MRL/Del Tin Danish War Sword from about 30 years ago.



The Glen Parrell Conyer's falchion on the left was a trade that included the Windlass war hammer (close friends ended up with a lot of my repro goodies over time)




The rapier was one of a dozen that had been sold in their sales/closeout section a decade or so ago. Petite but quite nice.


It was quite soon after buying the espada that the gateway led to a couple of ATrim and Arms&Armor, then trading absorbing a Del Tin 5157 along the way. It was within a few short years that I was concentrating on 18th and 19th century originals, with a few continued forays into modern made swords. Hanwei, Cold Steel and a couple of other India made swords and cutlasses.

In the poll below, we see CAS/Hanwei and Windlass showing the greatest numbers. Mostly simply because of how the market has progressed and that many active here have been at it for decades. A lot of the Windlass and other productions in the market simply don't attract me. That doesn't make them bad buys for some and there are models I wouldn't throw out of bed. When I had been looking at India production sabres in 2006 to have a sabre for cutting and drills, I went outside of the MRL/AC offerings but the result was similar to what one sees there.



I had soon after that found a sound antique for cutting and have no end of sabres now I can fondle or drill with.

The espada was my favorite of what I have owned from the company but the rapier still a treat.

He more or less disappeared. There had been rumors that he moved to the west coast but never surfaced above ground until 2006
www.swordforum.com/vb4/showthread.php?61977-A-very-apologetic-Glen-Parrell

The falchion came to me via Eric McHugh, years before that (2002) and now lives with a friend who has scarfed up a bunch of my stuff over time. I see some of them from time to time but the falchion has been in the "shop" for eight years now (or got sold, who knows but my buddy).

The last finished sword was to Antonio, iirc and that had been a saga and horror show in shipping. Al Massey is around and has posted here to the renney/militaria section. Jake's on fb.

Quite absent from the scene as well is Adrian Ko.

I only own two Windlass swords--- the German bastard sword and a 'as-yet-unidentified' model single hander. Judging from the general consensus of collectors, I would say the 'Classic Medieval sword' is among the most popular. (You know the one---curved guard, disc pommel, single hander.) I bet I passed it up a dozen times back in the 'Deal of the Day' era. Wish I would have snagged one now, but it seems that they will still be around for a long time.

I had an Ulfbhert and it was really quite nice. Very nicely shaped blade and it handled really well too.

The Towton - kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=500070

I like Windlass, they are the easy for me to get through customs because I can order unsharpened. I have no favourites, but some I definitely like better than others. I suppose this largely depends on the end purpose and how I am feeling at the time.

M1860 Officer Model: not really into sabres due to close quarters. It came with a ridiculously small gripe. After modifying and sharpening I found it a very good cutter, handles reasonably well, and holds its edge. I do tape over the edge before returning it to the steel scabbard.

German Bastard Sword: I think discontinued. Mine weighs 4.2 lbs, more than advertised and many people complain about the weight theirs which I think would be lighter. I find the weight a virtue. While not docile it has cut everything put in front of it, what’s more this is the one I use for PT.

I have a more favourable opinion of the following:

Agincourt: Handles like a dream, one handed or two.

Type XIV: Discontinued. This is one of the two swords that I’d grab with shield if SHTF in my house.

Pilsen rapier: Is fast and handles well, stiff blade. I have size 8 hands and feel this is about maximum for this sword.

M1840 NCO sword (Ames): This is the one with a leather sheath and available only from Atlanta Cutlery at the moment. If I had a favourite it would be this one. It’s light, fast, excellent penetration. Their other version is cheaper and should handle the same but comes with a steel scabbard, not the best for edge retention if that’s an issue.

Sword canes: Have three, no favourites here either. I like them all, probably the umbrella the least as the others are easier to carry.

Towton is definitely on the to-buy-list!