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Post by eastman on Sept 5, 2022 15:34:21 GMT
since there was a topic in Medieval European swords about Windlass gems, what are the gems of the modern rapier world?
It seems like a lot of the rapier blades are of the flexibility a sparring blade should have and not the degree required for a 40" awl. Others are metal versions of pool noodles.
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Sept 6, 2022 1:50:06 GMT
My Hanwei Cup Hilt /Taza isn't bad, not very heavy but the mass is in the blade, not the hilt like typical Windlass. The Windlass Musketeer looks interesting, watch nddaves video review.
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Post by eastman on Sept 6, 2022 2:45:34 GMT
Did not realize Darkwood did custom sharps. Will have to keep them on the radar. Looks like they did a fine job with your custom English rapier.
I tried contacting A&A a month ago. Still haven't had a response to email or phone call. Bought the A&A Musketeer that KoA had for sale (pre-owned).
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Post by nddave on Sept 9, 2022 1:17:51 GMT
Yea not much these days regarding Rapier in the budget production market. Hanwei aside from their wood gripped Rapier seems to be out of the market though you can find some in stock in Europe for example at IrongateArmoury.
Basically for sub $400 Rapier you have Windlass and Deepeeka. The Deepeekas look pretty rough and the blade lengths are usually shorter than average Civilian Rapier on those models and again a little crude on their Military Rapier. Basically Windlass has the most options but again finding one in stock can be difficult. There's also the issue of many of then being too flexible. Seems the best options from Windlass are the Musketeer, Brandenburg, Christus Imperiat, and the Swept Hilt Rapier. Plus for Military Rapier their line mainstay the Munich Towngaurd.
Here's my review of the Musketeer and Munich if you're interested,
The next step would be DelTin for over $400.
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Sept 9, 2022 3:53:52 GMT
The two Cold Steel rapiers also exist. I have the smaller one, the Cavalier. It's nice and well made but a bit hilt heavy, which I don't like.
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Post by nddave on Sept 9, 2022 14:05:14 GMT
The two Cold Steel rapiers also exist. I have the smaller one, the Cavalier. It's nice and well made but a bit hilt heavy, which I don't like. Oh yea forgot about the Cold Steel ones. I thought they were long discontinued and didn't realize they were still being made. Yea they always looked good, too bad to hear about the balance, was the model you own Indian or Chinese in orgin? Just figured since it's hilt heavy it might be Indian craftsmanship.
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Nox
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Post by Nox on Sept 9, 2022 14:37:44 GMT
I have the cold steel Ribbed shell rapier. I really like the balance and it feels light for such a long sword at nearly 50 inches. However the blade is a bit too flexible for good thrusting (the whole blade arcs instead of just the weak of the blade) I have put it through many abusive test and it is a tough blade. Another problem with it is the geometry of the blade doesn't allow for easy sharpening and is basically a thrust only rapier. I also own the windlass musketeer and it cuts really well and feels really nice in the hand, but the wire wrap can get slick if you are not wearing gloves (I wrapped my grip in leather.)
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Sept 9, 2022 14:49:52 GMT
I don't know whether the CS rapiers are made in India or in China. Also no clear hints from the way they're made.
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Post by jimmythedonut on Sept 9, 2022 15:36:17 GMT
IIRC all Cold Steel stuff is a crapshoot and they use a lot of no name forges. I heard years ago they had Ontario Knife Company subcontracted and those are holy grail items to own. However, Cold Steel deliberately overbuilds stuff because they, ironically enough, have a great enough warranty they DON'T want people to send stuff back. An overbuilt sword can be ground down (if you know the story of the person who got a CS 1796 and paid A&A to reprofile it and it turned into a behemoth of a cutter), but hearing their rapier blades are flexible is probably worse than too overbuilt.
I'd say go to Arms and Armor but I've now waited over 5 years for my rapier and havent heard from them since January, hope they're enjoying the money I guess. But check the SBG facebook page and the classifieds, their stuff gets listed on here pretty regularly.
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Post by alientude on Sept 9, 2022 15:43:57 GMT
It kind of blurs the line of production, but check out Jesse Belsky. He typically takes H/T swords, reshapes them, and adds fully custom hilts.
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Post by howler on Sept 9, 2022 20:31:14 GMT
IIRC all Cold Steel stuff is a crapshoot and they use a lot of no name forges. I heard years ago they had Ontario Knife Company subcontracted and those are holy grail items to own. However, Cold Steel deliberately overbuilds stuff because they, ironically enough, have a great enough warranty they DON'T want people to send stuff back. An overbuilt sword can be ground down (if you know the story of the person who got a CS 1796 and paid A&A to reprofile it and it turned into a behemoth of a cutter), but hearing their rapier blades are flexible is probably worse than too overbuilt. I'd say go to Arms and Armor but I've now waited over 5 years for my rapier and havent heard from them since January, hope they're enjoying the money I guess. But check the SBG facebook page and the classifieds, their stuff gets listed on here pretty regularly. Yes, I thought about grinding some of the CS Ribbed Shell blade down to lighten it and improve handling.
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Post by howler on Sept 9, 2022 20:41:29 GMT
I have the cold steel Ribbed shell rapier. I really like the balance and it feels light for such a long sword at nearly 50 inches. However the blade is a bit too flexible for good thrusting (the whole blade arcs instead of just the weak of the blade) I have put it through many abusive test and it is a tough blade. Another problem with it is the geometry of the blade doesn't allow for easy sharpening and is basically a thrust only rapier. I also own the windlass musketeer and it cuts really well and feels really nice in the hand, but the wire wrap can get slick if you are not wearing gloves (I wrapped my grip in leather.) I also have this sword and the blade on mine is pretty robust, can't imagine it being thicker because the whole thing is just a monster, size wise. I wouldn't even dream of using it beyond thrusting only and I think it shines with an off hand dagger, as it's so damn huge you need that dagger to defend the swords lack of quickness.
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Post by eastman on Sept 10, 2022 21:48:51 GMT
So it looks like the leading options for the future are Darkwood and A&A. I like the products I've handled from A&A, too bad they haven't learned how to answer their email yet.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Sept 11, 2022 15:22:18 GMT
It has been discontinued but perhaps you can find one somewhere still in stock or pick up a used one, consider a Windlass Pilsen rapier. There are at least three reviews of this one in our Sword Reviews Board. sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/board/54/sword-reviews?q=Pilsen+. I love mine to the extent that I doubt that I could find another in my price range that I would prefer more. It’s a bit unusual as it lacks all of that spaghetti hanging from the hilt, and that is what I find appealing. I had been looking for a swept hilt rapier because to me that was an important feature of a rapier, cosmetically speaking. The lack of such reduces the weight considerably. I find the long quillons effective and allows me to do manoeuvres that I couldn’t do with a swept hilt. With the reduced weight I find it faster, less fatiguing, and more nimble than otherwise. Mine has an exceptionally stiff blade that delights me.
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Post by eastman on Sept 11, 2022 16:00:35 GMT
None of the reviews on The Pilsen strike me as positive. They all seem to be "at least I could fix it into something I can live with". I understand the frustrations of trying to find a good, inexpensive rapier. They are hiding behind the unicorns.
I have two from Windlass that are "good" (Christus Imperat and the 1990s MRL Flamberge Rapier). My personal conclusion is to go from "good" to "great", I need to multiply the base price by 3x or 4x to get there. If only Albion made rapiers. If only A&A learned to answer email. Guess that leaves Darkwood.
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Post by Eric Bergeron on Sept 11, 2022 16:55:26 GMT
Darkwood is a great choice, the second rapier that Brother Nate did the blueing on is mine that he bought from me, you can get a sharp blade and scabbard from them for under $1k which is a great price considering that A&A they usually start above $1k+ and that doesn't include a scabbard.
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Post by eastman on Sept 13, 2022 0:26:07 GMT
Thanks for the recommendation. I'm working on a design for a different commission right now. When that is finished I will be contacting Darkwood.
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Post by leviathansteak on Sept 15, 2022 0:45:44 GMT
I tried emailing darkwood to commission a custom sharp rapier recently but they didnt respond to emails or fb messages. I have a hanwei solingen rapier shipping over at the moment - a bit short, but hopefully it has sufficient stiffness for a rapier.
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Post by eastman on Sept 16, 2022 0:41:39 GMT
I tried emailing darkwood to commission a custom sharp rapier recently but they didnt respond to emails or fb messages. I have a hanwei solingen rapier shipping over at the moment - a bit short, but hopefully it has sufficient stiffness for a rapier.
seems like rapier producers have developed a sudden allergy to money. At least the new option for a (non-rapier) custom has been great communications.
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Post by alientude on Sept 18, 2022 18:46:59 GMT
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