Any Reason Not To? (AT303S from SBG)
Feb 17, 2009 1:32:48 GMT
Post by Kilted Cossack on Feb 17, 2009 1:32:48 GMT
Gents, ladies, youts of all persuasion (and louts of my acquaintance)!
I like to think I'm reasonably self-aware, and I know that I have a tendency to spin out my agony, when its time to choose a new toy. Umm, I mean, "a vital new purchase." Generally, I'm able to define an acceptable range of choices pretty quickly, and then I bog down, gloriously, in choosing among my few acceptable choices.
Two quick examples: I spent weeks debating the merits of the 35 Remington over the .30 Winchester Center Fire, trying to measure up the pluses and the minuses, the advantages and disadvantages, of the two cartridges. Honest answer? Either one would have done fine, I was just being silly. Another time, I was about to order a kilt in the Leatherneck tartan. Four yard box pleat? Five yard casual knife pleat? I ordered the four yard box pleat, and ended up getting a five yard knife pleat kilt to go with it.
I'm not going to ramble on like this ALL the time, but since I'm new here, I wanted to "lay more predicate" as it were. Right now, you don't know what I like and what I dislike, how I reason or where my passions rule me, that kind of stuff.
With all of that rambling, long-butt nonsense as introduction, let me state this as simply as possible: I'm interested in a European sword, single handed. I'd like it to have a traditional feel, if not traditional construction. If it had a plastic handle and was held together with superglue, but with superglue that would actually hold it together, that wouldn't bother me. If it was hand-forged, stone sharpened, hot peened out of wootz steel with grip scales of ancient mammoth tusk, but handled like a crowbar, I wouldn't be happy.
Furthermore, I'm looking for a cutter.
In my years of pondering the eternal question, "Edge or point?" I have concluded that, absent body armor, you should take a one way ticket to stabby-town. Still, nothing looks as cool as pickle-chipping plastic bottles or turning tatami mats into thin green slices of biodegradable trash. And RicWilly just looks too cool when he slices a water bottle and drinks from the bottom!
Now, the field of "good cutting single handed European sword" is a pretty open one. I seem to have mostly settled on Windlass as the vendor I'll think of first, not so much from how great Windlass is but through a process of elimination. (And I hasten to point out, the criteria for elimination are mine, and the mere fact that I rule out a company doesn't mean it wouldn't be a great choice for someone else.) Some of the Windlass Viking swords look like they'd fill the bill admirably, and Gen2 and Hanwei also offer interesting choices.
With all of that (ALL of it) said, is there any reason not to take a chance on a SBG Store Valiant Armory practical arming sword? I can think of lots of reasons TO do it. It's through SBG, for one, and I keep reading about how Sonny Suttles is really helping to drive the market forward, and it's an Angus Trim spec blade from a presumably reputable Chinese forge, and what's more the price is very, very competitive.
Any reason not to?
I like to think I'm reasonably self-aware, and I know that I have a tendency to spin out my agony, when its time to choose a new toy. Umm, I mean, "a vital new purchase." Generally, I'm able to define an acceptable range of choices pretty quickly, and then I bog down, gloriously, in choosing among my few acceptable choices.
Two quick examples: I spent weeks debating the merits of the 35 Remington over the .30 Winchester Center Fire, trying to measure up the pluses and the minuses, the advantages and disadvantages, of the two cartridges. Honest answer? Either one would have done fine, I was just being silly. Another time, I was about to order a kilt in the Leatherneck tartan. Four yard box pleat? Five yard casual knife pleat? I ordered the four yard box pleat, and ended up getting a five yard knife pleat kilt to go with it.
I'm not going to ramble on like this ALL the time, but since I'm new here, I wanted to "lay more predicate" as it were. Right now, you don't know what I like and what I dislike, how I reason or where my passions rule me, that kind of stuff.
With all of that rambling, long-butt nonsense as introduction, let me state this as simply as possible: I'm interested in a European sword, single handed. I'd like it to have a traditional feel, if not traditional construction. If it had a plastic handle and was held together with superglue, but with superglue that would actually hold it together, that wouldn't bother me. If it was hand-forged, stone sharpened, hot peened out of wootz steel with grip scales of ancient mammoth tusk, but handled like a crowbar, I wouldn't be happy.
Furthermore, I'm looking for a cutter.
In my years of pondering the eternal question, "Edge or point?" I have concluded that, absent body armor, you should take a one way ticket to stabby-town. Still, nothing looks as cool as pickle-chipping plastic bottles or turning tatami mats into thin green slices of biodegradable trash. And RicWilly just looks too cool when he slices a water bottle and drinks from the bottom!
Now, the field of "good cutting single handed European sword" is a pretty open one. I seem to have mostly settled on Windlass as the vendor I'll think of first, not so much from how great Windlass is but through a process of elimination. (And I hasten to point out, the criteria for elimination are mine, and the mere fact that I rule out a company doesn't mean it wouldn't be a great choice for someone else.) Some of the Windlass Viking swords look like they'd fill the bill admirably, and Gen2 and Hanwei also offer interesting choices.
With all of that (ALL of it) said, is there any reason not to take a chance on a SBG Store Valiant Armory practical arming sword? I can think of lots of reasons TO do it. It's through SBG, for one, and I keep reading about how Sonny Suttles is really helping to drive the market forward, and it's an Angus Trim spec blade from a presumably reputable Chinese forge, and what's more the price is very, very competitive.
Any reason not to?