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Post by dchisenh on Dec 29, 2017 16:41:23 GMT
I have one of those "incorrect" ones and it is an AMAZING sword. Personally, I like it better than the corrected model because it has a beautiful mirror-polished blade instead of the satin finished one. It is very nimble, far better than any of the Windlass models I've handled (note: I haven't handled their discontinued XIV, I'm just speaking in general). I'm also a huge fan of 9260 steel, so that's a big plus in my opinion. I like the sword so much I've sent it to Steven Heurta to rewrap the grip and redye the scabbard (the original grip was fine, I just wanted a better matching set than the dark brown/black grip and orangish-red scabbard). When I get it back, I'll be plating the guard and pommel in copper and affixing medallions to the pommel as well. Essentially, the sword was so well priced and well balanced, it's the perfect starting place for customization! I am seriously impressed with this sword and the direction the Kingston Arms brand is heading, if I didn't already own the first version, I'd nab their corrected version in a heartbeat!
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Post by dchisenh on Dec 29, 2017 1:16:55 GMT
I bought a Hanwei Rhinelander from the SBG store when they were running a crazy sale on them last year. I'm here in the US and I had no problem at all with the transaction, went thought immediately and without a hitch.
A few days after I placed my order, I had an emergency pop up and reached out to Paul to see if I could cancel my order even though the sword had likely shipped. I received an email from Paul himself within 15 minutes!!! He confirmed it had shipped, but offered to refund my money, no questions asked, as soon as I returned it. Luckily I was able to borrow some extra cash from a friend, using the sword as collateral, and I was able to get the sword back from him on my next payday. To this day that Rhinelander is one of my favorites and is on my "never sell" list! You couldn't ask for better customer service from Paul or a better product!
As far as I'm concerned, the SBG store offers some excellent deals, unique products, top-notch customer service and really stands behind the products they sell. If your bank gives you any grief, just use PayPal; SBG is worth it!
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Post by dchisenh on Dec 21, 2017 20:51:51 GMT
Good reminder Adrian and excellent use of the word "crappery"! 😀
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Post by dchisenh on Dec 21, 2017 19:15:49 GMT
The very first sword I purchased was a DSA Knight's Gothic Sword. It was back in 2011/2012 and I was impressed at the time. I hadn't handled any other swords and hadn't found SBG yet, so I worked my butt off putting an edge on it with an accusharp and it satisfied my desire for a real sword for a few years.
After doing more research, handling more swords and finding SBG, I began to see the flaws in that original sword. It was HEAVY...it handled like a sharpened crowbar. The guard was on crooked, wasn't symmetrical and the fuller wasn't straight. It DID look nice; very nice profile taper with a great fantasy look, but I wanted something that could walk the walk and not just look the part.
I ended up selling it and took my time finding a replacement arming sword, ended up with a first run Kingston Arms XIV arming sword (the one with the brown grip wrap and disk pommel). Despite the fact it was considered a "botched" run, it handles great, I love the mirror polished 9260 blade and it was priced just right! It's actually with Steven Huerta right now getting a grip rewrap and a redye of the scabbard, eventually I'm going to plate the pommel and guard with copper and fix a medallion on each side of the pommel...going to be that well-balanced, fully-functional fantasy sword I was originally looking for!
The DSA sword I had seemed overbuilt and I didn't have any concerns about it's ability to take some abuse. I never saw the tang, but I suspect it was adequate based on the rest of the sword.
I like some of DSA's designs and if more real world tests and tang inspections go well, I'd be willing to give them another shot. I don't have the spare cash to be a guinea pig though, so I'm content to wait and see.
Their reputation took a hit for good reason, but they say they're trying to fix it and I take them at their word. If anyone was burned too badly in the past or have made their minds up to write them off forever, that's their right and I won't argue with them over it. I will take the wait and see approach while being cautiously optimistic they'll get it right.
We need MORE sword options, not less.
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Post by dchisenh on Dec 4, 2017 0:44:28 GMT
Wow, there was a lot in 2017 that could have gone wrong, but I'm extremely thankful everything turned out ok. I'm thankful my first niece was born a few months ago perfectly healthy. I'm thankful my dad is still cancer-free and doing better after a horrific car crash towards the end of 2016. I'm thankful my grandmother is still here despite several recent falls and battles with pneumonia. I'm thankful my old dog Duke (he's the one in my avatar) is still doing well and has a good quality of life despite quite a few lipomas and the occasional small seizure. As far as something I'm looking forward to in 2018, I'm hopeful I'll get a new job that will allow me to go camping more and spend more time with my family, who I hope will remain healthy. In addition, something I'm hoping for in 2018 would also be commissioning my first sword. I'm still trying to nail down the specifics, but at the top of my wishlist is a custom sidesword, very much like the one Cervenka makes. www.sword.cz/detail16.jpg
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Post by dchisenh on Nov 30, 2017 4:14:25 GMT
The double-fullered longsword is one hell of a looker! That's the one that caught my eye first, but like Storm, the Alexandria seems to be calling me now. I'n not usually a fan of etchings on non-fantasy blades, but having read the story of the original, I don't mind it as much on this one.
That wicked profile taper...man, I can't wait to see the specs on it.
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Post by dchisenh on Nov 16, 2017 20:15:32 GMT
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Post by dchisenh on Nov 16, 2017 18:41:43 GMT
Anyone knows if the h/t line fittings is mild steel or stainless, looking to get some antiquing done I think the fittings are stainless but not 100% sure on that. They look like stainless to me too, but I don't know for sure.
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Post by dchisenh on Nov 16, 2017 18:29:55 GMT
Great Sword of War and Viking Swords in stock, too. So tempting! The rhinelander is too! So many swords I want to buy. My Rhinelander and H/T longsword are on my "keep forever" list. I'd recommend them in a heartbeat!
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Post by dchisenh on Nov 6, 2017 16:00:55 GMT
I've always wanted to play an old school in-person d&d game with a group, but I don't know anyone else who would want to play that, so I've stuck to video games. A few months ago I started looking into online d&d/pathfinder platforms and while I liked the pathfinder stuff, I didn't see any easily accessible way to engage it. I looked into Roll20, but it's pretty technically intimidating, so I gave up on that.
Currently enjoying Pillars of Eternity and Divinity: Original Sin 2.
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Post by dchisenh on Nov 4, 2017 20:19:22 GMT
Out of all their designs, the D'capitan saber really speaks to me. I came very close to buying it several times, but couldn't find any good reviews and it's not a cheap blade (to me, anyway). So, I never pulled the trigger on it.
If someone gets one, I'd love to see an actual in depth review!
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Post by dchisenh on Oct 27, 2017 16:32:29 GMT
I've always admired VA swords.
If the leaf-blade longsword looked like a scaled up version of the smaller sword, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. The proportions, blade tip, etc. look damn near perfect in the smaller sword, but the longsword seems off to my eye.
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Post by dchisenh on Oct 26, 2017 15:05:59 GMT
yeah, make sure the blade is made of appropriate steel. 9260, 5160 or in europe EN45 is supposed to be similar to 9260. Personally, I prefer 9260 or 5160 if I plan on seriously chopping. I'm not a fan of EN45 or the 10XX steels unless I'm SURE it's been heat treated by someone I trust to know what they're doing. If your intention is to chop brush, I'd take a look at the A.P.O.C. Survival Katana by Dragon King/Hanwei or the Tactical Katana by Scorpion Swords and Knives; both available through the SBG store. Do some searches on them to see what they can do and go with the one you like within your budget. It sounds like your set on a katana style blade, but if your goal is to chop brush, a nice machete is hard to beat.
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Post by dchisenh on Oct 23, 2017 15:02:15 GMT
I think that's SFI, 'cause the same happens to me when I follow a link there. Maybe it's their settings or my settings, either way, that's a no-go for me. It's a perfectly safe site, something just went wonky last year (or maybe earlier this year?) where it and a few other sword sites would redirect to an ad site basically. You might want to double-check your antivirus software Jordan, because when I went there I got two warnings, one saying the site was infected with malware and the some other warning too (I forgot what). It never hurts to grab an update and run a deep scan just to be safe.
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Post by dchisenh on Oct 23, 2017 2:33:46 GMT
Oh, I see, never been there. There was one sword forum I forget which, that came up in a search but my browser said it was an attack site and my antivirus came up with "Threat blocked." I think that's SFI, 'cause the same happens to me when I follow a link there. Maybe it's their settings or my settings, either way, that's a no-go for me.
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Post by dchisenh on Oct 23, 2017 2:23:36 GMT
I believe the grip material is from the species of Alligator known as Crocagator Faux Indus Adricanus. Great review, feels more in depth than other reviews of the Pilsen, Also good to see the grip itself talked of. Does the scabbard not seat into the guard? I've always wondered that with rapiers. I like to think that the grip and scabbard covering were made from the liquid essence of a couple hundred dinosaurs, all aged together under pressure and heat for a few million years, then allowed to reform into an amalgamation of their former textures through the miracles of modern science! It's dinosaur leather!
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Post by dchisenh on Oct 22, 2017 3:32:59 GMT
Excellent review Afoo! To help anyone out there wondering about manufacturing variations for this model over time, the sword in this review was originally purchased from MRL on April 30th, 2017. I'm guessing the tang Afoo photographed here is representative of the most current stock. Like Afoo mentioned, I found the grip comfortable and the guard/basket to be roomy enough for my hand to fit well. I prefer to 'choke up' the grip a bit compared to Afoo (judging by his pictures) and I felt like the stiff blade gave me suburb point control. Granted, I have very, very little rapier experience; but this sword felt easy and natural in the hand to me. I'm glad this sword found such a great home up in the frozen North and thank you Afoo for such an excellent write up!
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Post by dchisenh on Oct 17, 2017 16:16:40 GMT
I also thought that langseax looked really nice, but it's above my budget. I just don't have that level of disposable income right now to justify that purchase.
Someone else who has a larger amount of disposable income or places the purchasing of swords/knives as a higher budgetary priority than I do might think this piece at this price is a steal.
Like others pointed out, if it sells almost immediately then it's likey underpriced. If it doesn't sell at all, it's clearly overpriced. If it takes a long time but eventually sells, it's up to the vendor/manufacturer to decide if that wait is too long or not and adjust prices accordingly.
From what I've seen, folks who have been collecting swords for long enough to have bought earlier and lower priced Tinkers, Atrims, etc. rightfully hold them in high regard and value them highly.
Folks who have only recently started collecting and missed out on those deals are learning about swords and starting their collecting with current market offerings and reading about those same lower priced deals with a mix of nostalgia and jealousy, wondering why it's closer to or over a grand for the same quality they read about for several hundred less only a few years ago.
If highly regarded smiths want to make a living as a higher priced boutique-type vendor, that's up to them and the market will dictate if that's viable or not. They are not competing with super low priced foreign firms, like Windlass, Hanwei, etc. If they create too large of a gap between the lowest priced swords and their offerings then there is an opening for a middle ground.
That middle ground is relative (I think $300-500 is a solid middle ground for a quality sword, but someone who is buying $5000+ custom pieces might consider the $900 Tinkers as middle ground...but I believe there are far fewer of those folks than there are people like myself). Personally, $300 is the magic number where I have a hard time passing up a solid value priced quality sword. For many people first getting into swords, saving up for or just flat out buying a quality $300 is a reasonable place to start.
I understand smiths like Lukas who are advocating for higher sword prices that take into account the time and effort put into them, as long as they can find enough business to support them, I say go for it. I likely won't ever end up owning a custom sword because I can't justify that cost in my budget and I'm certainly not alone. I will ogle and dream about the masterpieces I see here and elsewhere online in the meantime and hope for more middle-ground offerings.
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Post by dchisenh on Oct 15, 2017 20:33:37 GMT
8 pages in and no one even mentioned Henri Ducard/Ra's al Ghul played by Liam Neeson!
Brilliant, cold, calculating and one of the very, very few villains who, when faced with certain death, instead of screaming, acting out, etc. just closes his eyes and finds peace before the train explodes. Bad. Ass.
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Post by dchisenh on Oct 3, 2017 17:35:24 GMT
I managed to grab the Towton, it was too good to pass up.
I was debating the DelTin backsword they had on the last pre-owned Bonanza, but I waited too long. I wasn't going to make that mistake again.
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