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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 2:38:26 GMT
Right, so I'm thinking of getting me a European medieval sword, though I'm not so familiar with medieval swords. I have two katana and a chinese broadsword and so I don't really know what brand or model I should look for. I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of a long sword/bastard sword/hand and a half, not exactly sure what the appropriate name is, but I've heard it's mostly different names for the same thing. I have been looking mostly at the Darksword swords.
Anyone got any suggestions on what's a good sword to start out with?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 3:09:31 GMT
Depends on what you wanna do with the sword...and how much you can afford to spend.
Some generalizations however
DSA...very tough blades...but on the heavy side. Fitting generally leaves much to be desired.
Gen 2...tough blades, although a bit on the soft side for modern swords. Handles tend to be bulky. Fitting leaves much to be desired...although much better then DSA in general.
Valiant Atrim line...very nice blades for the money. Fitting are decent. Limited blade options so far.
Hanwei medieval line...non CAS ones...well they come kinda dull. The fitting at least fit well...but I REALLY don't like that material they are made from. Blades are quite good...but there is some QC issues. And if that happens, there is also some CS issues as well. So it is best to go with a good dealer who does have good CS.
Del tin...outside the sub 300 price range...blades are VERY good. Swords are in general on the heavy side. nice fitting however. You can get them for 300ish second hand.
Atrims...nice blade, nice fittings, but on the plain side. Once again over the 300 range but can be had hand second hand for around that price as well.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 3:26:41 GMT
Thank you, that was indeed very helpful.
I have been looking at swords "around" the 300 price range.
Don't wanna pay a fortune on my first medieval sword. Mostly wanna get a feel of what they're like.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 3:28:41 GMT
Windlass, Kris Cutlery and Albion (Squire Line) are some other possibilities. There are plenty of reviews for Windlass in the Review section, i think there are a few for KC blades. ASL is above the 300 mark but IMO they are basically no-frills versions of their high-end counterparts.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 7:11:39 GMT
Yeah, the thing about windlass is that they are all over the place. One sword is a great value piece while another is just utter crap. There is noway to generalize their product line at all.
I haven't seen any KC medieval swords but Ricwilly seems to like em quite a bit.
As for the albion squire line...well when you get to that price, a new atrim or del tin is also an option as well. My main thing about the squire line is that it suffers from the same thing the Valiant practical line does. Good swords for the money...but very limited choices.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 11:53:36 GMT
If I may pipe in. I recommend the valiant atrim line, double recomendation for the costume tuned. I have two albions one arms and armor, a couple windlass but those were some of the most fun, not perfect. But dollar for dollar those were the must fun, to cut with anyway. BTW I have an atrim proper coming one of these days I'll yet you how that stacks up.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 14:44:57 GMT
Well I don't think I can afford an an albion at the moment and the windlass seems to be poor QC. And the valiant atrim line? what do they cost and where are they sold? I've no experience with atrim, I've just heard that they're good. Is the DSA not worth the money?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 14:45:02 GMT
Those valiants are good swords...IF you want a type XII (well almost since the non tuned ones have the wrong tip). If you don't...well then you need to look elsewhere. You need to know what kind of blade skalman wants before recommending specific swords.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 14:50:57 GMT
Okay so I'm not used to the Oakeshott (spelling?) typology and so I don't really know what kind of blade I want. But I'll have a look at wikipedia or google a little and maybe I'll be able to tell you more about what I'm looking for.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 15:04:06 GMT
Okay so I looked at this site: www.algonet.se/~enda/oakeshott_eng.htmand looking at the drawings and descriptions there, I think I'm looking for a sword with one of these types: XII XIIa XIII XVIII XVIIIa XVIIIb XVIIIc Now I know this is not very specific, but then again, I'm entirely new to these swords and I'm not really sure about what I'm after. Basically I'm looking for a sword that can be used with both one or two hands (hand and a half?) and doesn't have the have the blade anatomy of XV and XVa for example, I don't want a sword with a very "thin" blade (in lack of a better word). The blade should be "almost" as wide the entire length of the blade
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Post by ShooterMike on Oct 31, 2008 15:21:27 GMT
That's a great set of guidelines on types, Skalman. From your list it's pretty clear that you want a slightly more cut-oriented cut&thrust sword. Your statement: "...looking for a sword that can be used with both one or two hands (hand and a half?) and doesn't have the have the blade anatomy of XV and XVa..." pretty much leaves out the Valiant AT Practical line, as the two sharps are a single-hand arming sword and a pretty much dedicated two-hand longsword. The Hanwei Albrecht Hand&aHalf would fit this description well, and it's a darned nice sword for the money. Also, the Hanwei Edward III fits the description. They are both XVIII variants. I can't recommend anything from MRL/Windlass as I haven't ever used one that was good. But then there are quite a few that I haven't tried. As mentioned, DSA swords are on the heavy side, and this makes their hand-&-a-half swords handle very sluggishly in one hand. Based on Ricwilly's experience, I suggest you take a serious look at the Kris Cutlery line. I believe they have a hand-&-a-half that might be the best choice?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 15:40:10 GMT
The Hanwei Albrecht Hand&aHalf does look very intersting...
But I've heard almost nothing about kris cutlery, what's the price range and where are they sold?
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Post by ShooterMike on Oct 31, 2008 15:47:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 15:59:33 GMT
Your link only got me to their medieval section, but I take it you are referring to the Medieval War Sword:
"MEDIEVAL WAR SWORD The need for heavier swords with longer guard were developed during the 13th-14th century in Europe. The tempered blade is 33 inches long, 1 7/8 inch wide, 1/4 inch plus thick at the base and is made of 5160. Crossguard has a diamond cross section and is 7 1/2 inches long. The 5 3/8 inch grip has a cord wrap lacquered black and tapers towards the end. For counter balance, a wheel pommel is pinned at the end of the handle. Balance point is 5 inches from the guard. Wt. 3 lbs. w/o scabbard. Supplied with black leather scabbard. (shp. wt. 6 lbs) $325"
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Post by ShooterMike on Oct 31, 2008 16:18:14 GMT
That's the one.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 16:31:59 GMT
I don't suppose there's been a review on that one?
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Post by ShooterMike on Oct 31, 2008 18:15:05 GMT
Ricwilly made several posts about it. There may have already been a review in the review section as well.
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Post by kidcasanova on Oct 31, 2008 19:00:15 GMT
Mike, you've never used a Windlass sword that was good? I thought you were pretty ecstatic about that Ulfberht... Of course, it's not in the typology that Skalman is interested in.
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Post by YlliwCir on Oct 31, 2008 19:13:07 GMT
The Warsword is a good cutter and can be used with two hands if you don't have huge hands. I find the Teutonic to handle a little better and has more room for two hands. I think it's a more interesting looking sword also. Hmm just noticed that KC's prices went up. You can sometimes find these in the classifieds for a bargain. The KC Teutonic; /index.cgi?action=display&board=cutting&thread=4307&page=23 /index.cgi?action=display&board=swordreviews&thread=2164&page=1
KC Warsword; /index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=2153
I'm filling up waterbottles at the moment, I'm going to do some cutting with a friend tommarrow and will be using both of these swords along with my new shorties. Muuhhhaaaaa!
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Post by ShooterMike on Oct 31, 2008 19:20:17 GMT
Mike, you've never used a Windlass sword that was good? I thought you were pretty ecstatic about that Ulfberht... Of course, it's not in the typology that Skalman is interested in. I do love the Ulfberht! I meant to say that I've never used a hand-&-a-half from MRL/Windlass that I liked. But there are a bunch I haven't tried.
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